DARI KOMUNAL KE INDIVIDUAL: PERUBAHAN ORIENTASI TEMPAT TINGGAL DAN MASA DEPAN SOO LANGKE DAYAK TAMAN

Abstract

In recent years, the soo langke, which has become the identity of the Taman community, has slowly begun to be abandoned. Of the dozens of bilik, only half are still inhabited because some residents have decided to live in single houses. This change is interesting to study to understand why this shift in lifestyle has occurred, the process of adaptation to individual life, and the future of soo langke as a tangible and intangible heritage. This discussion distinguishes this paper from others because most of them discuss cultural aspects and the impact after the longhouse was abandoned. To discuss this, data was collected over three years from 2022 to 2025 in three villages, namely Urang Unsa, Melapi, and Ariung Mendalam in Kapuas Hulu Regency. Data collection was carried out through interviews and observations. The results of the study show that the phenomenon of abandoned soo langke began to flourish since the introduction of the self-help housing stimulus assistance (BSPS) from the central government. The threat of fire and ease of mobility are strong reasons that encourage people to build single houses, even though in practice, the transition from communal to individual living is not easy because it changes the patterns and means of interaction among residents. The emptiness of soo langke is fully realized by the people of Taman. Custom does not prohibit people from living in single houses, but they must not abandon traditional ceremonies and must not act individually.In recent years, soo langke, which has become the identity of the Taman community, is no longer the primary form of residence. From dozens to tens of bilik, some of them are empty or no longer inhabited because residents choose to live in single houses. The number of ‘bilik’ (household unit within a longhouse, occupied by a nuclear or extended family) has declined significantly, with many now left unoccupied as residents increasingly choose to live in detached houses. This study examines the reasons behind this shift in residential preference, the process of adaptation to more individualised living arrangement, and the future of soo langke as a form of cultural heritage, drawing on Giddens’s structuration theory. To date, discussions of longhouses have primarily focused on their cultural significance and the consequences of their abandonment. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation over a three-year period (2022-2025) in three villages (Urang Unsa, Melapi, and Ariung Mendalam) in Kapuas Hulu Regency. The findings show that, despite shifts in residential orientation, traditional structures have not collapsed but are instead reproduced in different forms through fragmented spatial practices. These shifts also reveal the emergence of social practices shaped by reflexive responses to everyday needs, including safety from fire, privacy, progress, and ownership of personal assets. Such changes are made possible by interplay between individuals agency and customary
structures, which both constrain and enable adaptation. Although soo langke no longer functions fully as a place of residence, it continues to serve as a centre for rituals, a symbol of kinship and communal identity, while also being reproduced through residents’ partial involvement. In this sense, soo langke has become an arena of negotiation between individual agency and the continuity of customary structures amid changing livelihood needs and development policies.