I Vol. 28, No. 1 April 1988 I PAGE NOTES PROH THE EDITOR. ...... 2 RESEARCH NOTES Swidden Agriculturists and Planned Change: The Model Village Program in Belaga District (Sarawak, 7th Division) A Preliminary Report A. J. Guerreiro. ....... 3 The Costs of Development in Sarawak (~eviewArticle) Victor T. King ........ 15 Birds of Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan Tengah A Preliminary List Bohap bin Jalan and ~irutdM. F. Galdikas. .... 29 -Teh Gantong - A Nonce Formation in Brunei Malay Linda Amy Kimball. ...... 35 Preliminary Notes on the Ot Danum of the Melawi Pascal Couderc ........ 40 BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS ....... 46 BORNEO NEWS. ........... 49 BOOK REVIEWS, ABSTRACTS, AND BIBLIOGRAPHY ......... 64 The Borneo Research Bulletin is published twice yearly (April and September) by the Borneo Research Council. Please address all inquiries and contributions for pub- lication to Vinson H. Sutlive, Jr., Editor, Borneo Research Bulletin, Depart- ment of Anthropology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185, USA. Single issues are available at US$2.50. NOTES FROM THE EDITOR RESEARCH NOTES Dilemmas of development dominate this issue. The apparent pan-human and universal penchant to transform the "natural" into the "cultural" through planned change is the focus of articles by Antonio Guerreiro and Victor King. In I SWIDDEN AGRICULTURISTS AND PLANNED CHANGE: the first, Guerreiro describes difficulties all-too-familiar fi THE MODEL VILLAGE PROGRAM IN BELAGA DISTRICT when administrators undertake rural development programs (SARAWAK, 7th DIVISION) without "intensive social-anthropological enquiry" (p. 3). A PRELIMINARY REPORT "The Model Village Program'' is an alternative combining "the traditional subsistence system and a market-dominated economy" ( p. 10 1. A. J. GUERREIRO In the second, King analyzes Evelyne Hongls Natives of ECASE, Paris Sarawak. Sympathetic to forces which are degrading the environment and disrupting the indigenous societies of Sarawak, King describes efforts by government agencies to l ntroduction ameliorate problems of planned change. Contrary to Hongls support for traditional ways of life, King notes that these As elsewhere in Southeast Asia local administration is have been "subject to continuous processes of change for a getting more involved in remote areas, which are becoming considerable period of time" (p. 271, and are impossible to important targets for rural development programs. Up to recover. "Ideally what the Dayaks have to do is to make now Malaysian and l ndonesian policy-makers thought of these forces work for them so that they are better able to resettlement as a useful means to "improve" or rather to control their destinies and select new opportunities on their change drastically the economic conditions and way of life own terms" ( p. 28 ) . of the Dayak peoples (Punan, Kenyah, Murut, Bulusu', Our gratitude to the following persons for their etc.) both in Kalimantan and East Malaysia. But unfortu- contributions to the work of the Council, which makes nately, because of improper planning and little knowledge of possible the continuing publication of the Bulletin and other the social dynamics of these societies and of their specific activities: Gene Ammarell, Laura P. Appell-Warren, Stanley I relationships to the environments in which they live, there I S. Bedlington, I. D. Black. Peter Brosius. Donald Brown, E. I have been poor results. The PKMTIRESPEN programs in F. Brunig. Paul Bucher. Conrad P. Cotter. Jay B. Crain, Gale Kaltim( 1 ) and Kalsel(2 are good examples of this policy, Dixon, Otto C. Doering, Michael R. Dove, Richard and Doris although in some cases the officials have been more cautious 1 Drake. Fred Eggan, Richard Fidler, Bill Funk, Peter Grey, P. as in kabupaten Berau. (31 The main concern of RESPEN in Bion Griffin, Sin-Fong Han. Timothy Jessup. Linda Kimball, ~ 1972 was to circumscribe "shifting cultivation" considered a Victor King, John L. Landgraf, Michael B. Leigh, Craig major threat to the forest reserves of East Kalimantan, Lockard. Allen R . Maxwell. Peter Metcalf. David Miller, intended to become future concessions. (41 This might Stephanie Morgan. Kal Muller, John Musgrave, Rodney explain the emphasis on sawah cultivation. Needham. Fr. Ida Nicolaisen, Stanley J. O'Conner, J. R. and J. L. Palmer, M. R. Richards. ~6ro"meRousseau, C. A. Sather, In other words, intensive social-anthropological enquiry Ann Schiller. Rolf Schlomer. .William Schneider. Orville A. should be a precondition to any decision-making in these Smith, Wilhelm Solhiem. Jack Stuster, John 0. Sutter, Peter matters. It has usually been forgotten. The intervention of Thomas, Phillip L. Thomas, Anna L. Tsing, Donna M. the state, directed towards "traditional" or "tribal" societies. Vargas, Andrew P. Vayda. Reed L. Wadley, C. and J. F. is often based on inaccurate information and/or a biased Warren, H. L. Whittier, Robert L. Winzeler. and Leigh R. approach. The consequences are too well- known : social Wright. disruption, irrational economic activities, waste of public funds, ecological damage, etc. Swidden Aqriculturists and Chanqe: Some Reflections Often swidden agriculturists are presented as unchanging and resistant to the introduction of new Concerning the ability of swidden cultivators to agricultural methods. (71 It is stated that they cannot adapt readapt themselves to more rewarding agricultural activities, themselves to the opportunities of the market or to the where this is ecologically feasible, there has been some kind cash economy. (8) But this view is refuted by ethnographic of controversy. According to S. C. Chin, (1984) who and historic evidence, as we have many examples of passage describes the Kenyah of the lower Baram (Sarawak, 4th from one type of farming or economic system to another. (9) Division), they live in a state of equilibrium with the The development of cash economy (pepper, rubber) among rainforest ecosystem and their swidden system and utiliza- lban and Land Dayak communities since the 1920s also tion patterns are stable. But, "it is suggested that with an supports the argument that swidden cultivators are able to increase in population, changing perceptions. new meet new environmental and economic conditions if these i are introduced in a progressive way instead of being expectations and the entry into a cash and modern economy, this equilibrium can be upset" (Chin 1984:lO). imposed. It is regrettable that agricultural or resettlement schemes are usually conceived and implemented without the However, it seems that the idea of an unchanging involvement of the people concerned. Furthermore, the environment is misleading, for maintaining an equilibrium in necessary survey of ecological (social suitability, hydro- order for a society to reproduce itself is something which is graphy, carrying capacity, agricultural capacity, etc. ) and not happening; environment, population and technology socio-economic conditions are rarely completed before the evolve and this process asks for a constant adjustment. project is actually started. In this respect, small-manage- able projects could be more profitable than the larger-scale Vayda and McCay have pointed out that "people who ones which have the preference of administrators. ) are successful in circumstances they know well during a period of environmental stability [and I would add socio- It is thus necessary to carry on an intensive study of economic stability] are (by definition) well adapted for a the traditional farming and nutrition systems and of their time but to survive a period of unstability it is not enough socio-economic correlates. That particular combination to have been adapted in the old environment". (5) forms the "dynamics" of the agricultural system; (10) it consists of a set of interactions between the local commu- Yet it is established that in traditional societies the nity social structure, the regional economy and the eco- people act according to their cultural background: an system which assure in fine the reproduction of the elaborate symbolic. social and economic system which should society. Moreover it might prove that the traditional I not be underestimated. In this perspective swidden cultiva- ; knowledge of the peasants can be useful to develop new tion is much more than an agricultural system; it determines ' crops or to increase the production of the existing ones the social and economic relations of the community. The with an adapted technology; this can be achieved by extent to which this cultural system enables them to cope introducing modifications in the system without disrupting with new concepts and lifestyles is dependent on a set of factors (cultural values. collective representations) varying for each society. Furthermore. external influences can modify the social processes over a short period of time. And if confronted with too drastic dilemmas, in some The Belaga District corresponds to the section of the case the society will not stand it and disruption or political upper Rejang (or Batang Baluy in Kayan) located above breakdown will take place. In the meantime the :ociety Kapit, the 7th Division headquarters. The total population usually readjusts itself by including new strategies and of the District is 12,856 inhabitants according to the 1980 ideological constructs. (6 census. ( 11 ) It covers a large area ( 7,400 sq. mi. or 19,403 sq. kmJ; most of it is still primary forest. In the literature the Baluy area is well known for its ethnic complexity; there are no less