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DAYAK TRIBE

🇮🇩Leonin_26
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Synopsis

Chapter 1 - "He is a half-god, or so the local people say"

"He is a demigod, or at least that's what the local people call him."

Deep within a remote forest in Kalimantan lies an indigenous tribe, the "Dayak Bahau," who have strong beliefs in their ancestors. The Dayak Bahau tribe is a sub-tribe of the "Dayak Kayan Mekam." They live deep in the Kalimantan forest in a settlement that exudes a powerful mystical aura. In ancient times, the Dayak people frequently waged wars among themselves to determine their territorial domains and to find sacrificial offerings for their ancestors.

The wars fought by the Dayak people were not ordinary because they did not use weapons with sulfur content, such as guns or bombs. Instead, the Dayak people fought using sharp weapons like machetes, spears, and blowguns. They were highly skilled in this; they mastered every nook and cranny of the forest, and their wars were notoriously brutal, known as headhunting. They would decapitate their enemies and present the heads as offerings to their ancestors.

However, there is something interesting about the Dayak Bahau people. As time passed, they began to adopt religions while still holding on to their ancestral beliefs. Inter-tribal wars gradually faded, but traditional rituals continued, with the offerings now being replaced with animals.

Today, the Dayak tribes are united everywhere. They no longer engage in inter-tribal wars and live side by side in peace, like one big family. However, if one Dayak member is disturbed, they all will rise to join the fight.

The Dayak people are known to be friendly and kind to strangers and have a strong sense of solidarity. But if provoked, they will revert to the law of the jungle. However, there is one person who is greatly feared and respected among the Dayak people, serving as their role model—Pangkalima Burung.

Pangkalima Burung is known as the human incarnation of their ancestors who always protects them from danger. Many in the Dayak community say that he is a true ancestral figure. Some claim to have seen him, while others can only describe him. As his name suggests, Pangkalima Burung has the face of a hornbill. He lives in a hidden place and only comes to the aid of the Dayak people during times of war. He will descend invisibly and wield a flying machete that can vanquish their enemies in an instant.

This is why the Dayak tribe is famously known as headhunters, and Pangkalima Burung is believed to be the incarnation of an ancestor who will always protect them."