Efforts To Maintain The Culture Of East Kalimantan When Becoming The Capital Of The State

Lion Statue of Sangata, East Kutai, East Kalimantan (Instagram @ explorekaltim.id)

JAKARTA - The House of Representatives (DPR), in this case Commission V, asked the ministries related to moving the nation's capital to maintain the local wisdom of East Kalimantan and the buffer areas. The DPR does not want the presence of a new capital city to destroy the culture and uniqueness of the region.

Local wisdom as a national identity should be preserved, including the culture of Kalimantan. When an area becomes the center of government, it cannot be denied that there will be a high acculturation of culture. Can the local wisdom of the island of Borneo survive?

Trisakti University Public Policy Observer Trubus Rahardiansyah assessed that it would be difficult to maintain local wisdom when it has become the capital. Because, naturally, the community will follow the culture brought by immigrants.

Trubus said that in order to maintain local wisdom in a cultural context, the role of the government is needed. This is because the builder is not the only infrastructure that must be considered. However, also cultural continuity.

"How to defend it? The state must provide one land or one place for cultural heritage. Otherwise (local wisdom) will be lost, they will be eroded by modernization," he said, when contacted by VOI, in Jakarta, Monday, November 25.

Maintaining local wisdom of an area without government assistance will be very difficult. Local people, he said, must also play a role in maintaining local wisdom.

"I'm not sure it can. The problem is that the culture of the Dayak people themselves will be processed, dynamic. Now, the current generation can maintain it. The next generation? It's not certain. I think it's hard to maintain (if the people don't care)," he explained.

Trubus gave an example, Jakarta, whose original ethnic group is Betawi, can be pushed aside with high acculturation. Over time, it is undeniable that a number of Dayak customs will also be eroded.

"Automatically, these newcomers bring modernization. It means bringing new knowledge. It will be selected by itself. Therefore, this local wisdom can survive if it is packaged with a touch of modernization. For example, with dance performances. Cultural exhibitions which are packaged attractively, so that they are characteristic. the typical local culture is not lost, "he explained.

Eliminated from Home Alone

As is known, compared to other cultures, Betawi culture has been marginalized even though it is in its own 'home'. This culture was eliminated to the outskirts of Jakarta such as Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi. The progress of the times made the original Betawi culture abandoned.

Eroded in the past two or three decades is not a short time, many Betawi cultures are in danger of being lost, such as traditional houses, clothes, dances, music, traditional games and even the Betawi icon ondel-ondel.

It cannot be denied, the times have become a big challenge for all local wisdom. In this case, Betawi culture is one of the most affected because it is located in the center of the nation's capital, the main entrance to changing times and foreign cultures to the country.

Some of the cultural rituals that have been attached to the event are slowly disappearing on the grounds that choosing a simple model and following the current culture is considered more attractive. The development of the times, to be precise technology has also eroded traditional children's games, dance performances, music, and cultural theater.

Historian JJ Rizal assessed that the arrival of people with their culture to Jakarta as the capital city enriched, not impoverished. However, he said, there was still a big problem Jakarta was experiencing. Where local wisdom must be able to adapt to modernization.

"This is a big problem because the name is the capital city and the center of modernity. There is contestation between cultures, between cultural products in this context. For example art or how keroncong has to compete with rap today," he said, as quoted from liputan6.com.

"It can lead to defeat and eventually extinction of supporters turning to supporters of modern music or modernized keroncong or modernized gambang Kromong," he continued.

Rizal said, there are many possibilities that can be applied to see how the culture continues to live in the midst of the fast current of progress.