A Dayak traditional farm: Dayak farmers burn selected fields to enrich the soil, not to set fire to forests and land. Photo: Sinta Dayak TV.
For travelers heading into the heart of Borneo, West Kalimantan offers something far more profound than tropical forests, winding rivers and remote villages. Its living cultural heritage is found in the everyday life of the Dayak people, including a traditional farming system that has shaped communities and landscapes for generations.
That tradition recently became the center of a political dispute in Pontianak. Hundreds of Dayak farmers and community members rallied outside the West Kalimantan Provincial Legislative Council on Aug. 27, 2026, urging Governor Ria Norsan not to repeal Regional Regulation No. 1 of 2022, a rule that recognizes and protects traditional farming practices.
Where Farming Becomes Cultural Heritage
For visitors interested in indigenous culture, traditional farming offers a window into a different way of understanding the land.
Under the regulation, Dayak families may clear up to two hectares for traditional farming through controlled burning, subject to strict safeguards. Farmers must establish firebreaks, notify village authorities and ensure that the fire is fully extinguished.
To an outsider, this may look like a land-management issue. But within Dayak communities, the practice is closely connected to food, community life, customary knowledge and the relationship between people and their ancestral landscape.
That makes traditional farming more than an agricultural activity. It is part of the cultural landscape that travelers encounter when they venture beyond the main tourist routes.
A Different Kind of Borneo Experience
West Kalimantan has enormous potential for cultural and community-based tourism. Travelers can experience village life, traditional houses, local food, handicrafts, rivers, forests and customary ceremonies, not as staged attractions, but as elements of a living culture.
The traditional farm, or ladang, can become part of that experience.
A visit to a Dayak community could include learning how farmers select land, prepare fields, recognize seasonal cycles, grow food and manage fire. Such encounters could give travelers a deeper understanding of Borneo than simply photographing a rainforest or passing through a tourist destination.
For responsible tourism, the important principle is that local communities remain the owners and decision-makers of their cultural heritage.
The Fire Debate and the Tourism Question
The controversy surrounding the regulation also raises an important question for tourism: how can West Kalimantan protect its forests while preserving indigenous traditions?
The protesters argue that traditional farmers are often blamed for fires that are actually associated with peatlands and large corporate areas. Governor Norsan, meanwhile, says he understands the realities of traditional farmers and has promised not to repeal the regulation.
“I will not repeal Regional Regulation No. 1 of 2022,” Norsan told the protesters.
His statement may offer reassurance to communities whose livelihoods are tied to traditional agriculture. For the tourism sector, it also points to a broader challenge. Environmental protection and cultural preservation do not necessarily have to be opposing goals.
Travel With a Story
The future of tourism in Borneo may lie not only in spectacular scenery, but in the stories behind the landscape.
A river has a history. A forest has a community. A traditional farm has knowledge. And a Dayak village can tell travelers how people have lived with the land for generations.
That is the kind of experience increasingly sought by travelers looking for meaningful journeys rather than quick sightseeing.
West Kalimantan therefore has an opportunity to develop a distinctive form of Dayak cultural tourism, one that connects indigenous heritage, traditional agriculture, conservation and community livelihoods.
The rally in Pontianak was ultimately about a regulation. But behind the political debate lies something larger: the question of whether a living indigenous tradition can survive, and whether travelers will one day come to Borneo not merely to see its forests, but to understand the people who have lived among them.
For now, Regional Regulation No. 1 of 2022 remains in force.
(Rangkaya Bada)
