Talking Heads: Capturing Dayak Deathways on Film

In 1996, an elite group of Ngaju Dayak religious activists invited National Geographic Television to film their rites of secondary treatment of the dead in the village of Petak Putih, Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. In this article, I explore activists' efforts to engage the National Geo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American ethnologist 2001-02, Vol.28 (1), p.32-55
Main Author: Schiller, Anne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activists
Animal behavior
Asia
Borneo
Christianity
Cultural identity
Dayak
Death
Documentary analysis
Ethnology
Film makers
Funerals
Hindus
Identity
Indonesia
Local culture
Motion pictures
Movies
Religion
Religion and politics
Religion, magic, witchcraft
Religions, beliefs, worships
Religious rituals
Rites, ceremonies
Ritual
Soul
South Asian studies
Southeast Asian culture
Tourism
Tradition
Traditions
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Summary:In 1996, an elite group of Ngaju Dayak religious activists invited National Geographic Television to film their rites of secondary treatment of the dead in the village of Petak Putih, Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. In this article, I explore activists' efforts to engage the National Geographic Society and their attempts to exert a high degree of control over the manner in which local traditions were portrayed to the filmmakers. I focus in particular on how representations of specific local practices figure in the recasting of a contemporary Dayak face, and on questions concerning religious authenticity and authority. I argue that the activists' interest in making a film, and their decisions during its shooting were part of their larger organizational strategies, with potentially far-reaching political and economic consequences.
ISSN:0094-0496
1548-1425
DOI:10.1525/ae.2001.28.1.32