Re-Translation of Dayaknese Vernacular Material Culture into Postcolonial City of Palangka Raya through Urban Physiognomy

Mandarin Guntur, Kemas Ridwan Kurniawan, Dalhar Sutanto

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Palangka Raya is the Central Kalimantan province capital city, designed and constructed in the 50s when Soekarno was the President of Indonesia and Tjilik Riwut, the Governor of Central Kalimantan province. The town used to be the Indonesian capital city candidate to replace Jakarta. Soekarno and Tjilik Riwut built their friendship in political life, long-standing before Indonesia’s independence. Soekarno is a Muslim, Balinese mother - Javanese father, and Modernist. His engineer graduated from TH Bandung (now Bandung Institute of Technology-ITB) in civil engineering. Meanwhile, Tjilik Riwut is a Dayaknese conservative, Methodist, and Catholic. He also respects the Dayak indigenous belief in Kaharingan and skilfulness to many Dayak languages. Furthermore, Tjilik Riwut is the Dayaks leader, representing 142 Dayak tribes in Kalimantan affiliated to Indonesia in 1946. His high education graduated from the nursing academy and journalist course in Yogyakarta. His military carrier ended at the high rank of Indonesian vice-marshal and as one Indonesian hero. Palangka Raya is the legacy of Tjilik Riwut, Soekarno and the Ministry of Workers who sent Ir. DAW Van der Pijl (Dutch architect) translated the design and constructed the city. Although Palangka Raya is a post-colonial city, its design and construction come from the ancient period representing Betang, founded in 400–1600 AD. For people of Dayak who lived and were born before 1950, most still lived under their mother’s beliefs and influences, including the city’s leaders; this city is remarkable. Meanwhile, people were born after the 50s and did not understand how the town developed initially; the city is mysterious. The paper reveals its vernacular materiality and re-translations through urban design physiognomy.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationPotency of the Vernacular Settlements
Subtitle of host publicationRecent Scholarships in Vernacular Studies
PublisherTaylor and Francis Ltd.
Pages162-183
Number of pages22
ISBN (Electronic)9781040132883
ISBN (Print)9781032484266
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2024

Keywords

  • Palangka-Raya
  • Physiognomy
  • Post-Colonial
  • Re-translations
  • Vernacular

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