Introduction / History
The Melayu Sambas (Sambas Malay)
people live along the northern coastline of West Kalimantan Province in
various districts of Sambas Regency. These districts are Selakau, Tebas,
Sambas, Sejangkung, Teluk Keramat, Paloh and Jawai. In their area, the
Sambas people live alongside Dayak and West Kalimantan Chinese people.
The Sambas people are the descendents of the inhabitants of the Sambas
Kingdom. Their language is quite different from that of the neighboring
Melayu Pontianak and Dayak peoples. West Kalimantan is located on the
island of Borneo, a fertile and mountainous land shared by three
nations: Malaysia, Indonesia and the small country of Brunei Darussalam.
The Melayu Sambas live in an area bordering Malaysia. They are
considered a people group with a distinct identity largely due to their
historical ties to the Sambas Kingdom, which was one of the largest
kingdoms in West Kalimantan.
What are their lives like?
The
Melayu Sambas are an agrarian people, who depend on the yield of crops
from their farmland as well as harvesting of freshwater and saltwater
fish. They cultivate rice, coconuts and rubber. Some Melayu Sambas also
work as civil servants or traders. Efforts to grow citrus trees have
restored agricultural business in the area and yielded substantial crops
of fruit. The Selakau orange usually produces a good crop. During the
Ramadan month of fasting, the citrus fruit harvest is anxiously awaited
by the local community. The land where the Melayu Pontianak live
consists of swampy lowlands only 0-100 meters above sea level. This
makes it difficult for them to obtain clean water. The road to their
area from the city of Pontianak is good enough to allow vehicles to
travel up to 100 km per hour, but in some areas, drivers must be careful
along large stretches of poor road conditions. Plans exist for
developing the Sambas area as plan of a trade zone between Indonesia and
Malaysia. However, infrastructure in the area has not yet been
sufficiently developed to support such a plan. Two roads, Entikong and
Jagoi, already connect West Kalimantan with Sarawak, Malaysia. Entikong
Street is a formal border crossing between Indonesia and Malaysia
because both nations have immigration offices there that process visas
for entry and exit. On the other hand, Jagoi Street, which is closer to
the Sambas area, is not yet a formal border crossing, although residents
of the area can enter and exit after passing through strict inspections
by military units of both nations.
What are their beliefs?
The
Melayu Sambas are devout followers of Sufi Islam. Syakh Ahmad developed
Islam in the Sambas area by adopting the Naqshbandi Order and uniting
it with the Qadiriyyah Order of Sufi Islam. In the resulting form of
Islam, unique and silent worship creates a balance for the vocal
chanting that characterizes the Qadiriyyah Order. The Qadiriyyah Order
practices loud vocal chanting while the Naqshbandi Order practices
silent forms of chanting. Students of the Qadiriyyah- Naqshbandi Order
believe that they can obtain spiritual experiences more easily and
quickly by using these practices.
What are their needs?
Destruction
of local mangrove forests is expected to result in erosion of the
coastline up to 4-5 kilometers inland, which is already occurring in
Jawai and Paloh districts. This needs to be addressed by both the
community and the government. Accordingly, information needs to be
communicated to the local community about the importance of mangrove
forests and the negative effects of their destruction.
