Who are the Tenggarong Kutai?

Partially as a result of their frequent relocations, the Tenggarong Kutai live spread out along the northeastern coast of East Kalimantan. The heart of their area is Tenggarong, the capital city of Kutai Regency, in East Kalimantan Province. This city is located beside the Mahakam River, 45 kilometers northwest of Samarinda.

Tenggarong is a relatively old city with an interesting history. It was the capital of the oldest Hindu kingdom in Indonesia, the Kutai kingdom, which was ruled by the famous king, Mulawarman. The Tenggarong Kutai language is a branch of the Melayu (Malay) language cluster.

What are their lives like?

The Tenggarong Kutai make their living as farmers, fishermen and hunters. Some inland Tenggarong Kutai still follow a traditional law system. They have several key leaders: a village leader who functions as a traditional ceremonial conductor, a security chief, and a protector of ancestral heritage. The traditional leaders who relate to the government are called petinggi.

Tenggarong itself used to be the center of Kutai Kertanegara royal governance. Therefore it has various historical and cultural historical sites, such as the Tenggarong palace. This is now used as the Mulawarman museum, which houses Kutai Martadipura and Kutai Kertanegara royal treasures.

The Tenggarong Kutai are rich in their variety of traditional ceremonies. One of the biggest ceremonies is the Pesta Erau (Erau party), which is held to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Tenggarong city. The party lasts five days and five nights. To celebrate the ceremony, Dayaks come from remote villages and perform many kinds of interesting dances, such as kancet pepati (warrior dance), kancet ledo (gong dance), datun, leleng, gantar, pilin tali, and gantar. The most important part of the celebration is throwing a dragon doll into the Mahakam River. This is a symbol of asking blessings from their ancestors, in hopes they will give the Tenggarong Kutai people wealth and prosperity.

In the past, the Tenggarong Kutai had a social class stratification that included nobleman, ordinary people and slaves. The noblemen used to be called Kramas, Mas, Aji, Raden and Pangeran Datu. Today, respect is given to people based on their education and wealth, not their title.

What do they believe?

Generally, the Tenggarong Kutai are Muslims. However, in their daily life, they still worship spirits. The treasures left by the royal family, such as a crown decorated with gold and jewels, the uncal necklace, the Arca Wisnu necklace, and the double garuda (eagle) necklace are considered to be sacred and capable of giving blessing.

What are their needs?

Today, better education is an urgent need because few of the Tenggarong Kutai finish senior high school or above. The Tenggarong Kutai also need a better transportation infrastructure that will help the remote villagers more easily distribute and sell their products. The Tenggarong Kutai need help to adjust to the development of technology. They also need assistance in the management of their available natural resources.