“I begin this piece with a mournful heart, grieving for Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and scattered corners of Southeast Asia. May everything soon find its way back to peace. This …
Belitong, an island renowned for its iconic granite beaches and clear blue waters, conceals a deeper narrative of suffering and resilience, particularly among its indigenous community, the Sawang People (or …
A 47-hour journey across Manggar, Tanjungpandan, Cengkareng, Doha, São Paulo, and Santiago. An opening story that moves from a small island to the bustle of modern airports and finally to …
Begalor, as practiced among the people of Belitong, is not merely a cultural habit, it represents a sophisticated form of relational diplomacy rooted in emotional intelligence and narrative kinship. Traditionally, …
The existence of Mak Panggong in Belitong Island can be analyzed as a form of multidimensional socio-ecological practice, in which women play strategic roles in food management, social ethics, and …
Kelekak, as a traditional agroforestry system of the Belitong Island communities, can be understood as a complex adaptive socio-ecological system that integrates ecological conservation with social and economic practices. This …
Belief in supernatural beings on Belitong Island is an integral part of the local knowledge system, not merely a static legacy of superstition. Both the Urang Darat, the inland community …
Belitong Island can be understood more profoundly through the conceptual framework of ethnobioregionalism, a hybrid approach that integrates the principles of bioregionalism and ethnoecology to simultaneously examine the relationships between …
What if a ritual could tell us more than just stories of the past? In Belitong, the tradition of Begawai—a communal preparation ritual deeply rooted in harmony between humans and …
