47 
Martin Baier:The Deveolpment of a New Religion 
MARTIN BAIER 
The Development of a New Religion in Central Borneo 
(Kalimantan) 1 
For the last forty-five years religious manifestations in Indonesian Borneo have been 
intensely studied, described and explained by foreign observers and indigenous par 
ticipants alike. To understand them correctly reliable sources must be consulted. For 
instance, the present-day situation should be assessed by Adat specialists, religious 
functionaries or educated members of a community, and not be based on the obser 
vations of the ordinary villagers 1 2 . If an event is removed in time by more than one 
generation, and living witnesses are no longer available, it is necessary to consult ar 
chives and scholarly sources and books 3 . 
The religion of issue developed among the Ngaju-Dayak in what is today the Indone 
sian Province of Central Kalimantan. The Ngaju occupy areas along the southern 
Barito, the Minor Kapuas, the Kahayan and the Katingan rivers, as well as in parts of 
the Mentaya. Dutch explorers first came to Borneo in Banjarmasin, that is, to the 
Barito-Delta of the south, during 1606. Only by 1817, however, were they able to occu 
py parts of the southern Barito, an area of the Bakumpai-Dayak, and Tanah Laut in 
the Province of South Kalimantan. Why did it take so long to establish a colony? 
Although the Dutch possessed iron cannons, they also needed motorised boats if 
they wanted to control the interior. Southeast Asian Sultanates possessed cannons, 
but they were cast of bronze or brass and overheated after only a few rounds. The 
Dutch could fire their iron cannons up to a hundred times without overheating them 4 . 
They began to use motorised boats in Southeast Asia early in the 19th century. Up 
until then control was only possible in coastal regions. With motors, during the rainy 
season, they could navigate up the Barito as far as Muara Teweh. 
By 1830 security was established to the extent that Europeans could settle in Banjar 
masin. Protestant missionaries took advantage of this possibility. But since they had 
practically no chance to make progress in Islamised areas, they proceeded two/three 
days upriver into the vicinity of what is today Kuala Kapuas and established a missi 
on among the Ngaju-Dayak. By 1849, the missionaries began producing reports and 
books describing the culture and religion of the Ngaju. Scientists, often German by 
1 This statement was used on 10.03.06 in Tarakan (East Kalimantan) for an address to repre 
sentatives of sundry relidious communities. It was as part of a series of discussions which Presi 
dent Abdulrahman Wahid recommended in 2001 to be held in all provincial capitals of Indone 
sia as a means to prevent religious hatred (Forum Komunikasi Umat Antar Umat Beragama). 
Tarakan has a liberal policy as regards religion. 
The statement is also an abstract of a more detailed description of the Hindu Kaharingan Reli 
gion entitled “Dari Agama Politeisme ke Agama Ketuhanan Yang Esa”. Its text bases on litera 
ture in three European languages, as well as on modern Indonesian and Ngaju, and the ritual 
language of Ngaju. It is primarily destined for higher education in Southeast Asia. The editor is 
Professor Dr. Kumpiady Widen (Balai Penerbit Pontianak Amu Lanu). 
1 thank Dr. Barbara Harrisson very much for translating this essay in English. 
2 Apparently Professor Schiller took such unqualified informants to explain the etymology and 
history of the word “basarah”, to conduct a religious worship (2005: 117, 118). According to 
these informants the word “basarah” is derived from “basara”, to litigate. First. Schiller doesn't 
notice, that basarah is written and in Malayan language spoken with “-h”, basara without “-h”! 
Secondly, basara is derived from bicara, bichara, to talk (Hardeland 1859: 52 Bingan-Ibrahim 
29; Schaerer 1946: 11; Wilkinson I 135), and bisarah is a loan-word from the Indonesian root 
“serah”, thus “menyerahkan diri” (like the Arabic root and meaning of “Islam”). 
3 For instance: Why was the Japanese occupation of 1942 especially cruel in Tarakan? Accord 
ing to van Heekeren, because the Dutch succeeded to sink a Japanese minesweeper there 
(Heekcren 1969:41,42). 
4 Pers. comm., Heeresmuseum in Leiden, 1983.