Kaharingan

Kaharingan is an indigenous monotheistic folk religion of the Dayak people such as Katingan, Lawangan, Ma'anyan, Ngaju, Ot Danum people native to the Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan region in Indonesia. The word means something like Way of the life, and this belief system includes a concept of many deities and often one supreme deity—although this may be the result of the need to conform to the idea of "One Supreme God" (Ketuhanan yang Maha Esa), which is the first principle of the Indonesian state ideology Pancasila. Hindu-Javanese influence can also be seen in this religion. Before 2017, the Indonesian government viewed it as a form of Folk Hinduism because the Indonesian government that time recognized only six official religions, and Kaharingan was not one of them. However, since November 2017, the government started to formally recognize aliran kepercayaan where kaharingan is included. The main festival of Kaharingan is the Tiwah festival, which lasts for thirty days, and involves the sacrifice of many animals like buffaloes, cows, pigs and chickens, as offerings to the spirits and deities. The religion has ritual offerings called Yadnya, places of worship called Balai Basarah or Balai Kaharingan and a holy book called Panaturan, Talatah Basarah (group of prayers) and Tawar (a guide to seek God's help by giving rice). Ancestor worship and the belief in many supernatural beings is common. Kaharingan comes from the Old Dayak word haring meaning "life" or "alive". This concept is expressed in the symbol of the faith depicting a kind of Tree of Life called Batang Garing. This Tree of Life somewhat resembles a spear that has three branches on either side, some facing up and some down. At the bottom of the symbol are two receptacles, while at the very top are a hornbill and the sun. The spear and its branches denote the upper world and the afterlife (spirit world), while the lower receptacles convey the idea of man's earthly life.