Who are the Pasir?

The Pasir are the original inhabitants of Pasir Regency in East Kalimantan Province. Based on their living areas, the Pasir are divided into five groups. (1) The Pasir Telake who live along the entire length of the Telake River, which includes all of Long Kali District. (2) The Pasir Adang who live along the Adang River, in the district of Long Ikis. (3) The Pasir Kendilo whose living area stretches from the source of the Kuaro River to Muara Pasir. This includes the districts of Muara Koman and Batu Kajang. (4) The Labuan who live in the village of Labuan. (5) The Pasir Tanjung Aru who live throughout the district of Tanjung Aru.

The Pasir live side by side with groups of Banjar, Bugis and Jawa peoples. They speak the Pasir language, which has 12 dialects: Pematung, Telake, Tukos, Adang, Pias, Toyo, Lerengan, Nyowo, Tajur, Penuhan, Leburan and Megi. Besides Pasir and the national Indonesian language, they also use the Banjar and Bugis languages.

What are their lives like?

Some of the Pasir live in villages along the sides of rivers, and some others live in remote places in the middle of jungles. The villages are inhabited by groups of extended families which each have 20-30 people. In the villages, the typical distance between houses is 300 meters. River transportation or jungle paths interconnect the villages. The Pasir lineage of descent is ambilineal (some traced through the father and others traced through the mother).

Some of the Pasir practice migratory agriculture (shifting from one field to another), mainly because they cannot maintain the soil’s fertility. New farmland is opened by cutting down trees and burning the underbrush. As farmers, they grow rice, corn, cassava, sweet potatoes, lentils and vegetables. The Pasir also make their living from coconut oil (kelapa sawit) and rubber plantations. Moreover, they have started to grow coffee, cloves, chocolate and pepper. Some of the Pasir work as collectors of resin, rattan, gaharu wood, honey and walet bird nests. Others make their living as brown sugar producers.

What do they believe?

Generally, the Pasir are Muslims. However, in some cases, they still follow their ancestors’ beliefs, such as in the field of medicine, and their belief in Sang Hiyang (god of fertility). At harvest time, the Pasir have to give an offering to Sang Hiyang. The food sacrifice will normally be accompanied by the chanting of spells. They also perform Besoyong, which is a prayer ceremony in which the Pasir ask the spirits of their ancestors to guard their safety at home and in the field.

What are their needs?

The rich natural resources and fertile lands of the Pasir do not automatically make their life better. The income they earn is sufficient only for their own daily needs. One reason for this is that transportation infrastructure is limited. This makes it difficult to distribute their products to the markets. Other than this, a lack of capital hampers their opportunities in business.