Burial Traditions

The tradition of burial and death rituals in the Dayak tribes set firmly in customary law. Burial systems vary in line with a long history of human arrival in Borneo. Historically there are three burial culture in Borneo:
• burial without a container and without the provision, with the frame folded position.
• burial in stone coffin (dolmen)
• burial with container wood, woven bamboo or woven mats. This is the final burial system develops.
In general there are two phases of burial:
1. burial of the first stage (primary)
2. burial of the second stage (secondary).

Secondary burial
Secondary burial is no longer done in the cave. In the upstream river and its branches Bahau in District Pujungan, Malinau, East Kalimantan, found many graves urn-dolmen which is a megalithic heritage. The latest development, using a coffin burial (lungun) placed on top of a pole or in a small building with a position in the direction of sunrise.

The Dayak Ngaju know three ways of burial, namely: • buried in the soil • placed in a large tree • cremated in a ceremony tiwah.

Secondary burial procession
1. Tiwah is a secondary burial procession on Kaharingan adherents, as a symbol of the release of souls toward Lewu tatau (natural permanence) carried out a year or several years after the first burial in the ground.
2. Ijambe is a secondary burial procession on Dayak Maanyan. Remains burned to ashes and placed in a container.

3. wara 4. marabia 5. mambatur (Dayak Maanyan) 6. kwangkai (Dayak Benuaq)