Kumai is a port in

Central Kalimantan Central Kalimantan () is a provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is one of five provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. It is the largest province in Indonesia by area since 2022, bordered by West Kalimantan to the west ...

province in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, on the island of

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

. It lies on the Kumai River. It was from here that the '' M/V Senopati Nusantara'' set out on its ill-fated voyage in December 2006. Administratively, Kumai is a ''kecamatan'' (

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

) of

West Kotawaringin Regency West Kotawaringin Regency () is one of the thirteen regencies which comprise the Central Kalimantan Province on the island of Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia. It originally comprised the whole western part of the province, having been split from ...

History

Kumai was once part of the Kutaringin Monarchy. It was originally led by Pangeran Bendahara, who later gave Kumai to Muhammad Cik, Kumai's village leader. Cik then gave his position to Amsar, who was chosen to be regent of Kumai. Kumai was a base for Indonesian fighters attacking the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

and

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

on January 14, 1946. Many soldiers died at the base, but it was maintained. To commemorate the battle, the government built a monument and the Taman Bahagia Park in Sei. On Tendang, and on every January 14, people celebrate in the park to remember Kumai's soldiers. The Kobar regent always attends. Later, the regent H. Abdul Razak signed a region regulation regarding district forming in a plenary council meeting. Seven factions of council supporters agreed and accepted the Raperda that divided the Kumai District into the specified regions: Pangkalan Lada, Pangkalan Banteng, and Kumai as the main district. Razak later explained, "By forming two new districts, we expect that it can support the public service in governance affairs, development issue and social affairs."

Government and politics

Motto

The motto of Kumai is "Beriman," which is an acronym of Bersih (clean), Indah (beautiful), Ramah (sociable) and Aman (peaceful). The motto itself is generally translated as "Religious". Kumai was established around the 16 or 17 century with the migration of Malay tribes from Pulau Penyengat, Riau. The population assimilated with tribes from Banjar, and also tribes from Malay from West Kalimantan (Pontianak).

Facilities

Roads throughout the district vary from dirt to asphalt, but remain adequate. Residents often rent a car or "mikrolet" to travel between towns. Much transportation takes place on the river. The dock at Panglima Oetar port is the hub for inter-island sea transportation, and is where imports and exports enter and leave the district. Other ports include the CPO and Ferry ports in Sei. Tempenik. Goods and people are also transported on various rivers throughout the district. Electricity services are dispersed throughout the region, and while many residents drink water from rivers and wells, there is also a drinking water distribution company: PDAM.

Heads of Kumai District

# Drs. Syahruddin, M.Si (2013–present) # Drs. Tengku Alisyahbana, M.Si(2011–2013) # Drs. Abdul Wahab (2008–2011) # Drs. Gusti M. Imansyah (2002–2008) # Yunus B. A. (2000–2002) # Drs. Sukarman Agani (1997–2000) # Gusti Suharman (1994–1997) # Drs. Abdul Muis (????–1994) # M. Achyar, BA - (1977-1985) # Hasbullah - # Amsar -

Geography

Kumai has total area about 2.921,00 km². On the north side, the Kumi is adjacent to the Arut Utara district. Seruyan regency is to the East,

Java Sea The Java Sea (, ) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its northwest links it to the South Ch ...

to the South, and Arut Selatan to the West.

Topographics

The northern region of the Kumai District consists mostly of fertile plains. The center and southern regions are wetter, and are made up of bogs, lakes, and other various bodies of water.

Climate

There are two seasons in Kumai, namely the dry and rainy seasons. The temperature averages about 20 to 30 degrees Celsius, and the mount inclination is about 0 to 100 m and 0 to 80%.

Demographics

Kumai District was formerly much the largest district in the West Kotawaringin regency, but it is now divided into three new districts: Kumai (covering the largest part of the old district), Pangkalan Lada, and Pangkalan Banteng. Kumai District now covers about 2,915.05 km², while Pangkalan District covers 1,311.73 km² and Pangkalan Lada covers 284.73 km². There were 53,054 people living in the reduced Kumai District in mid 2022, while Pangkalan Banteng had 38,235 inhabitants and Pangkalan Lada had 34,964.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2023. Kumai has 155 RTs (neighborhood administrative units), and 23 RWs (residence administrative units). The capital of the new Kumai District is Kumai. It is now divided into 18 administrative villages (rural ''desa'' and ''urban'' kelurahan). The new districts are Kumai Hulu, Kumai Hilir and Candi. The regions are Cabang, Teluk Pulai, Sekonyer, Batu Belaman, Pangkalan Satu, Kubu, Sei,

Bakau Bakau is a town on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Gambia, Gambia, west of Gambia's capital city of Banjul. It is known for its botanical gardens, its crocodile pool ''Bakau Kachikally'' and for the beaches at Cape Point (Gambia), Cap ...

, Bedaun, Teluk Bogam, Keraya, Sebuai,

Kapitan Capitan and Kapitan are equivalents of the English Captain in other European languages. Capitan, Capitano, and Kapitan may also refer to: Places in the United States * Capitan, Louisiana, an unincorporated community * Capitan, New Mexico, a villa ...

, and Bumiharjo. The capital of the Pangkalan Lada District is Pandu Senjaya. The district was initially proposed as a center for Kumai, covering seven counties ( Makarti Jaya, Pangkalan Lada, Pandu Senjaya, Lada Mandala Jaya, Sumber Agung, Sungai Rangit Jaya and Purba Sari). Karang Mulya is the capital of Pangkalan Banteng District (ex Natai Kerbau SP 4). It is the easternmost district and covers eight counties ( Desa Mulya Jadi, Pangkalan Banteng, Karang Mulya, Marga Mulya, Arga Mulya, Amin Jaya, Sido Mulya and Kebun Agung).

Ethnic backgrounds

The majority of the people are Malay and Banjarese. The others are Madurese, Javanese,

Bugis The Bugis people, also known as Buginese, are an Austronesian ethnic groupthe most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassarese and Torajan), in the south-western province of Sula ...

, Sundanese, Dayak, Chinese,

java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

and some foreign citizens (volunteers, researchers and tourists).

Religion

The majority of the people are

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

(85%). Others are

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, and

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

(Protestant and Catholic). There are 33 Muslim mosques in the Kumai District, 83 small mosques, three churches and one other house of worship.

Language

Kumai Language (Coastal Language) is the daily language of Kumai. It bears similarities to Banjar language because some of the residents originated from Banjar. Being a port city and host to many immigrants, the languages in Kumai are highly varied.

Occupations

Kumai Residents have various occupations. In general they work as

fishermen A fisherman or fisher is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishermen may be professional or recr ...

, but some also work as

farmers A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mi ...

, PNS (Public

Civil Servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

s), ABRI, traders, animal breeders, miners, or private employees in companies that harvest

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms, called oil palms, containing two species, native to Africa and the Americas. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. Description Mature palms are single-stemmed, and can gro ...

and/or

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

Art and culture

Tirik is a form of poetry popular in the Kuami Hulu District. Music and dance is central to the culture of the Kumai District. Hadrah is a form of Islamic music that uses

rebana The rebana or terbangan is a tambourine that is used in Islamic devotional music in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. The sound of the rebana often accompany Islamic ritual such as the zikir. The name ...

. Japin is a traditional dance of the Melayu people that is still performed in the district of Candi. Several annual festivals dot the local calendar as well. The Beberish Benua (literally "cleaning continent") is held every year by local fishermen. Other traditional ceremonies - such as weddings, circumcisions, etc. - are usually held in Kumai.

Tourism

Tanjung Puting National Park

The Tanjung Puting National Park is a conservation area that protects a large variety of plants, animals and their associated ecosystems. It is the largest protected area of swamp forest in South-East Asia. Tanjung Puting first received a level of protection in 1935, and was officially designated a wildlife reserve in 1939. In 1982, it was declared a national park. The park was established primarily for the protection of the

Bornean orangutan The Bornean orangutan (''Pongo pygmaeus'') is an orangutan species endemic to the island of Borneo. It belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia and is the largest of the three ''Pongo'' species. It has a coarse, reddish coat and up ...

(''Pongo pygmaeus''), and its formation was instigated and aided by the efforts of Dr. Birute Galdikas and the

Orangutan Foundation International Orangutan Foundation International (OFI) has its headquarters in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Dr. Birutė Galdikas, one of three anthropologists ( The Trimates) to study great apes under the guidance of Dr. Louis Leakey, OFI continues to res ...

. When this area become a national park, Tanjung Harapan moved to the other side of the Sekonyer River (across the original area). The original width of the park was 3,000.4 km². In its new location, it increased to 4,150.4 km². The park receives aid from the Orangutan International Canada, and it is recognized as a World

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

. Tanjung Puting occupies most of the peninsula between Teluk Kumai and the Seruyan River, and consists of varied habitats including

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

and freshwater swamp forests, lowland tropical rainforests and heath forests. The park is drained by several black water rivers that flow from the northern and eastern regions. Tanjung Puting National Park is famous primarily because of two primates: the orangutan and the

proboscis monkey The proboscis monkey or long-nosed monkey (''Nasalis larvatus'') is an arboreal Old World monkey with an unusually large nose (or proboscis), a reddish-brown skin color and a long tail. It is endemic to the southeast Asian island of Borneo an ...

(endemic to

). At Camp Leakey, research is conducted on orangutans,

gibbon Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical forests from eastern Bangladesh and Northeast Indi ...

s, other animals and ecological processes. Orangutans are also rehabilitated and returned to the wild from this camp. Since 1971, over 200 orangutans have been returned to the wild as part of Dr. Birute Galdika's Orangutan Research and Conservation Project. The park is divided into four areas, each highlighting a different set of natural resources. They are: # Tanjung Harapan. This area was developed for

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

, and hosts the information center, guest house, watch tower and camping ground. By traveling along the edge of the river, one can see the nipah formation, screw pine and bog forest. Hiking and bird watching are also popular. # Pondok Tanggui. This area is home to pre-wild and adolescent orangutans. It hosts various kinds of animals like deer, pig, the rangkong bird (rhinoceros), Raja Udang bird and Sesep Madu bird. During journeys from Tanjung Harapan to Pondok Tanggui, one passes through the habitats of the proboscis monkey and the

estuarine crocodile The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats, brackish wetlands and freshwater rivers from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaland to northern Australia and Micronesia. It h ...

(''Crocodylus porosus''). # Camp Leakey. This area is devoted to the research and rehabilitation of adult orangutans. It is suitable for witnessing pre-wild or wild orangutan rehabilitation. Other species that can be seen in this area include the Müller's Bornean gibbon (''owa-owa''),

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...

crimson sunbird The crimson sunbird (''Aethopyga siparaja'') is a species of bird in the sunbird family which feed largely on nectar. They may also take insects, especially when feeding their young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species ca ...

(''sesep madu'') and

hornbill Hornbills are birds found in tropical and subtropical Africa, Asia and Melanesia of the family Bucerotidae. They are characterized by a long, down-curved bill which is frequently brightly coloured and sometimes has a horny casque on the upper ...

(''enggang'' or ''rangkong''). # Pantai Sungai Cabang. This area is located alongside a white sand beach. The working and maintenance huts are located here, along with guest houses, an information center, shelter, watch tower, camp ground, dock and various other tourist activities.

Bugam Raya

The Bugam Raya countryside includes the Kubu beach, Bay of Bogam, and the Keraya and Sungai Umbang coastal areas. Bugam Raya is a sub-province of West Kotawaringin, and is about 28 km or one hour by automobile from Pangkalan. This region is hot and desolate grassland, called "alang-alang" in Indonesia. The Kubu countryside is a coastal, and so, many of the residents are fishermen. The Sungai Umbang coast is a popular area due to its many mangrove trees.

Patih Mambang Waterfall

The Patih Mambang waterfall cascades from the hills and fields of the Keraya countryside into the sea. It is a popular area for diving, surfing and fishing.

Sei. Cabang beach

The beach in Sei. Cabang is known for its clean, white sand. It was established by th
Friends of the National Parks Foundation
(FNPF) as a conservation area for

green turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range exte ...

Sei. Rengas

Sei. Rengas is an area rumored to contain buried treasure, although no substantial information confirms this.

George A. Winke's mausoleum (Sei. Kapitan)

The mausoleum pays respects to Captain George A. Winke, a Dutch soldier who is buried in the Sei. Kapitan countryside where the monument is located.

References

Sources

* Statistical Center Department. 2004. Kotawaringin Barat dalam Angka. Pangkalan Bun. * Kumai District Office. 2004. Kumai dalam Angka. Kumai. * Banjarmasin Post. 2003. Kumai menjadi tiga kecamatan, (Online), (https://www.google.com/banjarmasinpost) * Sinar Harapan. 2003. Cari tahu tentang desa Kubu, (Online), (https://www.google.com/sinarharapan){{dead link, date=November 2012 * Yadi, Muhammad. 2006. Upaya Peningkatan Pendapatan Asli Daerah (PAD) Melalui Kegiatan Pengembangan Wisata Alam Di Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat, hlm. 2. * BAPPEDA Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat. 2002. Penyusunan Akhir Dan Penggandaan Buku Sejarah Kotawaringin Barat. Pangkalan Bun * Dinas Pariwisata Kabupaten Kotawaringin Barat. Pangkalan Bun

External links

LaguPedia
Official Kumai Website Districts of Central Kalimantan Ports and harbours of Indonesia West Kotawaringin Regency