Long Moh is a picturesque village located in Malaysia’s Sarawak heartland. It is located in the Ulu Baram region of Malaysian Borneo, home to Kenyah Indigenous people. The hard-hit community, home to as few as 200 full-time residents, is losing those folks. Logging activities present even greater dangers to their land and religious heritage. Long Moh’s forests are not simply commodities to exploit. Beyond their practical purposes, they shape the culture and heritage of its inhabitants, carrying profound religious meaning.
To safeguard their ancestral lands, the Kenyah community has engaged in preemptive action by developing traditional community maps. These maps chart their ground and have been used as powerful testimony in their work to halt advances in the logging effort. Their detailed documentation and mapping comprises more than 5,000 river names and 1,000 topographical features connected to their cultural traditional uses. Residents, like community leader William Tinggang, adamantly resist logging. Tourism maps, land usage maps, and future development maps are among the many that they have fought to create and protect in an effort to save their home both environmentally and culturally.
The Spiritual Connection to Land
To the Kenyah community of Long Moh, the rainforest is sacred. It continues to be, for them, an essential component of their spiritual ecology, long beyond merely a grove of trees. Community member and writer William Tinggang, a highly regarded person in the community, underscores this importance. The forest is of spiritual value, he says, revealing a profound spirituality that shapes how they approach and manage their land.
Celine Lim, Indigenous rights advocate, explains that her community’s connection with nature is rooted in deep respect and reverence. Their relationship with the land is deeply rooted in these principles. “For Indigenous people, the way that they connect to land is definitely a lot deeper than many of our conventional ways,” she explains. In Long Moh, each peak, stream, and sapling represents a being that warrants reverence. It is this worldview that nourishes their cultural practices and nourishes their resolve to continue to protect their lands from outside threats.
Tinggang’s efforts are concentrated in Nawan, one of the largest sub-villages of Long Moh. Here, he botanizes on mushrooms, highlighting the amazing biodiversity thriving in these forests. This deep understanding of their ecosystem provides the Kenyah people with the skills needed not only to live sustainably, but to live with their culture intact.
Documenting Territory through Community Maps
Long Moh’s community maps are an exciting example of a movement away from the oral tradition and into a more permanent record. Celine Lim underscores the importance of this evolution: “We are moving from oral tradition to physical documentation.” This transition becomes even more vital considering the fact that their land continues to remain under attack. “Because of outside threats, this transition needs to take place,” she adds, highlighting the urgency behind their mapping efforts.
Beyond documenting, the maps act as an advocacy weapon. Jettie Word, an expert in Indigenous rights, notes, “While mapping alone can’t protect a forest from a billion-dollar timber project, when it’s combined with community organizing and campaigning, it’s often quite powerful.” The maps provide powerful proof defining the community’s boundaries. This irrefutable evidence strengthens their argument in court against the logging companies.
Challenges remain. Though these rights are broadly recognized, logging continues without interruption at the state level. “There’s plenty of talk at the state level about protecting forests,” Jettie Word asserts, pointing out the disconnect between rhetoric and reality. The Kenyah Dayak people’s resistance is a powerful example of how fierce resolve to protect one’s ancestral land can defend one’s cultural heritage.
Community Organizing and Global Platforms
Long Moh is under constant attack by logging industries. In response, community members have organized to construct physical blockades next-door to their villages, including Long Semiyang. Together, these actions send a strong message that they’re united in opposing encroachment on their lands. The community seeks collaboration with local organizations to join a global platform hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme. In a short time, they have accomplished a great deal, including raising the profile of Indigenous and community conserved areas (ICCA).
Bilong, a resident of Long Moh, emphasizes the significance of their mapping initiative: “This community map is really important for us.” He elaborates on its practical implications: “When we make a map, we know what our area is and what is in our area.” The training not only equips them with the protection they need, but gives them a deeper sense of agency and control over their land despite pressures from outside.
Her battle for preservation was not only a local struggle, it struck at the heart of preservation’s connection to fighting climate change and environmental destruction. The Kenyah people’s struggle serves as an example of how Indigenous communities worldwide are standing up for their rights while advocating for sustainable practices.