Central Kalimantan
For centuries Central Kalimantan was under the
rule of Banjarmasin which had been an Islam
Sultanate since 17th century.
The Banjarmasin of that time was developed
with the government structure, complete with
the legislation which applied to the entire
Sultanate. The rulers of Banjamrsin were,
therefore, very powerful on the island of
Borneo, while the original inhabitants of
Kalimantan (Borneo), the 'Dayaks', lived in
small communities in rural areas of the
island.
In
18th century, between the years 1841 and 1848,
a Dutch Geologist,by the name of Schwaner, was
involved in the exploration and mapping of the
Central Kalimantan region, and travelled along
the Barito, Kahayan, Kapuas, and Katingan
Rivers. At the same time, he also collected
data on the locations of the villages and
small communities of the 'Dayaks' along the
rivers.
To
express their gratitude to the Geologist, the
mountain range that separates Central
Kalimantan and West Kalimantan was then named
after him, "Schwaner Range".
Some time later, between 1880 and 1890, for
political and economic reasons, the Dutch
Colonials built five canals which link the
Kapuas, Barito, and Kahayan Rivers. The
purpose of this was to speed up the
communications of the area as well as river
transportation from rural areas to the
terminal at the South-Eastern area of the
island.
At
the end of the 19th century, Central
Kalimantan, according to the Dutch Colonials,
was included in the residence of South
Kalimantan. At that time, South Kalimantan
consisted of the Afdeeling Kapuas Barito (Dayak
Besar) and the Swapraja which is called the
Sultanate of Kotawaringin. The division of the
smaller areas was based on the pattern of the
rivers which flow through Central Kalimantan.
This land division is possible because the
villages are usually located on the banks of
the rivers which divide Central Kalimantan.
In
carrying out governmental duties at the lower
level they use the traditional governmental
systems.
Based on the system mentioned above, the Dutch
used the traditional local leader to carry out
the law, especially the laws which are related
to money in the villages, such as taxes. The
Dutch also used people as free labor or
slaves, called Rodi, for the benefit of the
Dutch, for example, the making roads, tunnels
etc.
In
every river system and particular villages,
there were a few Demang (Kepala Adat). The job
of the Demang was to lead several kampoongs
along the river and region which was the
responsibility of that Demang, This region is
called Kademangan. Besides the Demang, who was
responsible for those Kampoongs, there was a
Kampoong chief, called Pambakal, who was
elected by the people. He had important duties
and a great responsibility. His main job was
to delegate the tasks ordered, or forced by
the colonials, to the people
After the Dutch left the area, the position
was replaced by the Japanese. In this period,
Kalimantan became a province, called the
Borneo Minseibu with a governor named Cookan.
The capital was Banjarmasin.
Central Kalimantan was a part of the larger
province of Kalimantan. The division of the
government was not changed more than that of
the previous one. However, the top rank down
to the sub-district leadership of government,
were governed directly by the Japanese.
In
1945 the Japanese Occupation was ended by the
arrival of the Allies (Australia) in Central
Kalimantan. They wanted to remove the weapons
from the Japanese troops. At the same time the
NICA troops were also on their way.
The last Japanese troops in Central Kalimantan
were caught by the Allies on September 27,
1945. They were sent back to Japan from Kumai
and Banjarmasin. . Automatically, the regions
left by Japanese were controlled by the local
people, and directly under the Republic of
Indonesia, which was proclaimed on 17 August
1945.
The largest problem in Central Kalimantan at
that time, was its size and the difficulties
in communication. The prime reason is the
equipment which is being used is very simple
and traditional.
After Indonesia proclaimed its independence in
1945, the carrying out of the Government in
Central Kalimantan was still controlled from
Banjarmasin, but gradually there came the
inspiration and ideas of the people to
establish a separate province as an autonomous
Region.
The inspiration and ideas were based on the
fact that most of the economy and trade
development in this region was supported by
crops and natural resources of the region
which were primarily transported using the
rivers.
After some great effort and hard lobbying,
Central Kalimantan was officially declared by
the first President of Republic of Indonesia,
Prof. Ir. Soekarno, on 23 May, 1957, to be an
autonomous province in Indonesia with 'Pahandut'
at the confluence of the Rungon and Kahayan
Rivers, as the capital city.
The name 'Pahandut' was later changed to 'Palangkaraya'
which means 'Sacred Place', Honorable and
Great; with Tjilik Riwut as the
first-governor
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