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Being Dayak in West Kalimantan: Constructing Indigenous Identity as a Political and Cultural Resource

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Continuity under Change in Dayak Societies

Abstract

In both Western and Indonesian societies, the word Dayak evokes images of indigenous people close to nature, living in a mysterious world of huge trees, dense vegetation, ancient longhouses and exotic rituals. Those images of the noble or dangerous savage in Borneo are the result of at least 150 years of economic, political and cultural processes and discourses, and are appropriated by the indigenous peoples of Borneo themselves in order to deal with economic, cultural and ecological challenges and threats.

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Duile, T. (2017). Being Dayak in West Kalimantan: Constructing Indigenous Identity as a Political and Cultural Resource. In: Arenz, C., Haug, M., Seitz, S., Venz, O. (eds) Continuity under Change in Dayak Societies. Edition Centaurus - Sozioökonomische Prozesse in Asien, Afrika und Lateinamerika. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-18295-3_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-18295-3_5

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