page_title: Kaharingan
section_title: The carnival in the Jungle
hierarchical_section_title: Kaharingan / The carnival in the Jungle
caption_attribution_description: Nederlands: Huismodel. Huisje waarin de beenderen uit geruimde graven worden opgeborgen.. Model van een knekelhuis Unknown language: Sandung
context_page_description: Kaharingan is an animistic folk religion professed by many Dayaks in Kalimantan, Indonesia; particularly Central Kalimantan, although many have converted to Christianity or Islam or follow a syncretic religion. It is estimated that most Dayaks follow their ancient animistic religious traditions, but often claim to belong to one of the recognized religions in Indonesia to prevent discrimination.
  The word means something like Way of the life, and this belief system includes a concept of a many deities and often one supreme deity—although this may be the result of the need to conform to the idea of "One Supreme God", which is the first principle of the Indonesian state ideology Pancasila. Hindu-Javanese influence can also be seen in this religion, and the Indonesian government views it as a form of Folk Hinduism because the Indonesian government recognizes only six official religions, and Kaharingan is not one of them.
  The main festival of Kaharingan is the Tiwah festival, which lasts for thirty days, and involves the sacrifice of many animals like buffaloes, cows, pigs and chickens, as offerings to the spirits and deities.
context_section_description: In the religion of the Ngaju, the supernatural world is important, in which also the souls of ancestors have their place. Just like among other Dayak, the Ngaju known ritual re-burial, which usually takes place several months (sometimes several years) after the initial burial. This re-burial is very important for the soul of the deceased, so it can reach the highest point in heaven. With practicing the rites, they protect themselves against bad supernatural powers. The first funeral takes place just after someone has died. During this ceremony, masked dancers protect the deceased against the bad spirits. Guided by drums, the kaharingan-priests start singing, which will send the soul to heaven. On its journey in the traditional ship of souls it is accompanied by spirits. Once in heaven, which consists of several 'layers', the soul has to wait in the lowest layer until the re-burial takes place.
  During this second ritual (tiwah), the remainders of the deceased are excavated, cleaned and put in a special grave. These woodcarved and decorated graves often have the shape of a bird or watersnake and are decorated with images of the hereafter. Too bad sandung from the factory replace the traditional tombes. The tiwah is a big, complex and long lasting event. The cost vary between US$6,000 and US$12,000. It is common that several families hold a tiwah together, so they can spread the cost of sacrificed animals like a big number of waterbuffalo's and pigs. Once there were more than 200 souls brought to a higher level in one ceremony. But a tiwah also is a happy event. In the open air, foodstalls and shops are put up, and at some distance, there is also some gambling. The tiwah is the carnival of the jungle.
caption: The traditional Sandungs bear similarities to various "shrine-like" buildings of Southeast- and East-Asia
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