Kelam Hill

Kalimantan always present the beautiful object for visited. Located in Sintang, Kalimantan Barat, Kelam Hill is 520 ha. Kelam Hill located between Melawi river and Kapuas river. Kelam hill has beautiful scenary and fresh air. Because of that, it became one of the object tourism. Tour or travelling should not be expensive and just for fun. It can be an educational facility in teaching us to care our healthy environment. Through eco-tourism or nature based tourism we may realize how important a healthy fresh air and good weather are.
Bukit Kelam Eco Park is one of the options of eco-tourism object with its uniqueness and great scenery. Bukit  Kelam is one of the exotic natural objects in Sintang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Behind the charm and exotism of this tenerbrous? Kelam hill, there is a pretty interesting legend which says that it used to be a seacoast tenebrous.

Once upon a time in Sintang, there were two leaders who were highly powered. But, both of them had contrast characteristics. The first man named Sebeji or well-known as Bujang Beji. He had a very bad temper and greedy. On the contrary, the other man, Tumenggung Marubai, was a kind person. Both of these men were a fishermen, although sometimes they also worked as  farmers.

Bujang beji and his followers handled the river in Simpang Kapuas, while Tumenggung Marubai held the other one in Simpang Melawi. Tumenggung Marubai trapped fishes in Simpang Melawi river using bubu (fish’s trap) so that the fishes in that river would never be extinct. When he knew it, Bujang Beji was jealous of Tumenggung Marubai. So that he went to Simpang kapuas river to trap fishes through menuba (catching fish by poisoning the river). He did not realize that catching fish this way made all of the fishes in the river, were in danger. All of the fishes would be gone and its number would decrease day by day.

When he found that number of the fish in his river was decreasing, Bujang Beji became more and more jealous. Then, he tried to blocked the water which was flowing to Simpang Melawi river by putting big stones in hulu Simpang Melawi river. So all of the fishes could not swim to that river and he hoped the fish wouldreturn to hilir Simpang Kapuas river.

Bujang Beji decided to take the peak of Bukit Batu in Nanga Silat, Kapuas Hulu. With his power, he took the peak of those great stone hill. Because of Bukit Batu was very far from Sungai Melawi, he tied the peak of the hill with seven pieces of ilalang leaves. On his way to Sungai Melawi, Bujang Beji heard a woman laughing at him.  That woman was an angel. When looking at the angel, he stepped on a thom, and the leaves which were tied the hill’s peak was broken. The peak then fell and sank in a place named Jetak. He tried to take the peak back, but he failed.

Bujang Beji was very angry to the angel who made him fail to take the peak to Simpang Kapuas. Then he plant a tree named Kumpang Bambu to reach the heaven, where the angle was. Before he climbed it, he made a little ceremony of Sesajian Bedarak Begelak by feeding all of animals and devil around him. But, there were animals which did not get the sesajen: Bear and rayap.

These animals were angry because they thaught that Bujang Beji was unfair. So they tried to make Bujang Beji fail in his way to go to the heaven. The tree was fell and hit the hulu of Kapuas river. Bujang Beji, who was climbing the tree, also fell and dead. Finally, Bujang Beji failed to revenge to the angel. Tumenggung Marubai also saved from his evil plan.

Then, on the other side, the peak of the stone hill which was taken from Nanga Silat by Bujang Beji returned into Bukit Kelam. And the long hill which was he used to re-took the peak from Jantak returned into Bukit Liut. The place where Bujang Beji step on thom was name Bukit Rentap.

There it is, the legend of Bukit Kelam, a folklore from West Kalimantan, Indonesia. This legend has at least, two moral values. First, the impact of being bad temper and full of jealousness. And the second value is how important discussing and sharing are in order to get the best decision. Through this story we can learn to not to be like Bujang Beji who had a very bad temper. His characteristics is not able to be followed in our life.

Posted by : Desy Yunita Sari W ( F12109013 )