Sigret

Long before the colonial era, Kampong Mentawir was known as the region called “Tiram Tambun” inhabited by Paser Balik Tribe. The initial area of Mentawir historically included Panjang Gulen, Sekambing, Daup, Tembuni, Lop, Kemantes, Baruangin, Air Putar, and Tempadung. The Paser Balik Tribe is the original tribe that first dominated the Mentawir area, known as a shy tribe that was reluctant to live with other tribes or groups, so whenever there were newcomers from other tribes or groups, they often decided to leave their environment and seek a new place to live.

According to the information obtained, Tiram Tambun was the former name of Kampong Mentawir, where during the reign of Tam Lempai, this area was used as a place to sink the pinisi ships owned by newcomers who were generally traders. These newcomers were known to come from Sulawesi, other areas in Kalimantan, and beyond. The method employed by the people of Tiram Tambun was to kill the crew of the ships and sink the ships belonging to the newcomers, aiming to reject their arrival, defend their territory, and their reluctance to live together with other communities or tribes. The sunken pinisi ships belonging to the newcomers turned into wrecks and were then covered with oysters that surrounded them. With the abundant number of oysters, the area of Kampong Mentawir at that time became known as Kampong Tiram Tambun. The meaning of Tiram Tambun refers to the word Oysters that piled up in the area and was formulated with local naming, Tiram Tambun.

Tam Lempai himself is a Sentuon in the customary area of Kampong Mentawir. He possesses high supernatural powers; anyone who dares to disturb the customary area of Kampong Mentawir will not hesitate to behead them. There is one place that bears silent witness to the existence of Tam Lempai in the past, namely Tanjung Utok. Tanjung Utok is the location used as a dumping ground for the victims of beheading by Tam Lempai. The victims of Tam Lempai were gathered at one cape, which gradually only left behind bones and skulls. This place was then named Tanjung Utok where Utok itself in the Paser language means skull.

The dominance of the Balik Tribe in Tiram Tambun at that time was led by someone known as Tuo Kampong. The first Tuo Kampong Tiram Tambun was Punai. During Punai's leadership as Tuo Kampong, the people of Tiram Tambun at that time were not religious and still adhered to the belief of Iden—worship of ancestral spirits. There was an important event regarding how the people of Tiram Tambun experienced change. It was not easy for newcomers to enter this area, one of them was Andi Jamaludinni—a Demang sent with permission from Kerajaan Prakesit. After two attempts to enter the area of Tiram Tambun, Andi Jamaludinni was finally accepted on the third attempt in 1930. After being accepted in Tiram Tambun, Andi Jamaludinni then married a woman who was a native of Tiram Tambun named Sanso. His marriage to Bu Sanso made Andi Jamaludinni more accepted by the people of Tiram Tambun. This marriage became one of the requirements for Andi Jamaludinni to be accepted in Tiram Tambun. After several years without children, he married a woman from Bombai Samarinda.

The acceptance of Andi Jamaludinni in Tiram Tambun was not a simple matter, at that time Tuo Kampong Punai shared similar views and ideologies with him. Therefore, without any conflict or dispute whatsoever between Punai and Andi Jamaludinni, Punai handed over his leadership to Andi Jamaludinni in 1930 (upon entering Kampong Mentawir). The transfer of power to Demang Andi Jamaludinni was also a step for Punai to leave Tiram Tambun and he reasoned to move to a new village, namely Pemaluan. During the leadership of Andi Jamaludinni, around 40 people were converted to Islam. Meanwhile, regarding Punai's journey to Pemaluan, Punai suffered from a skin disease, namely leprosy. One day while he was sleeping during his journey, he dreamed—of a healing method that could be performed by Punai by returning to Tiram Tambun. Based on the suggestion in the dream, Punai decided to return. Upon arriving in Tiram Tambun, he cleansed himself with the river water near Tiram Tambun. After that, the disease he suffered was immediately cured. Therefore, this river water is known as the antidote or healing water. Consequently, this river was named Sungai Mentawar and the naming of Kampong Tiram Tambun changed to Kampong Mentawar.

The period of Andi Jamaludinni's leadership lasted from 1930 to 1945. During this time, Demang Andi Jamaludinni appointed a Pembakal in Kampong Mentawar. This was done to manage the community more optimally. The Pembakal appointed by Andi Jamaludinni was Pembakal Setrat. After several years in office, the term of Pembakal Setrat ended in 1945 and was succeeded by Dengkang. The term of Pembakal Dengkang lasted for 25 years (1945-1970). During Pembakal Dengkang's tenure, an important event occurred for the people of Mentawar, namely the entry of a gang in 1957. This event is better known as the aggression carried out by the group Ibnu Hajar. When the gang entered the area of Kampong Mentawar, the community that was called upon at that time was gathered and informed that they would go to the forest to protect themselves for 7 days, and because the notification received at that time was considered brief and did not take long, the community did not bring any preparations or supplies, only the clothes they were wearing to take refuge in the forest. After a long time hiding in the forest, the community was not allowed to leave the forest even after 7 days had passed. Eventually, the community hid in the forest and returned to their settlement after a year. Some members returned to their homes and fields, but unfortunately, nothing remained of what they had left behind while protecting themselves in the forest. Many of the people's houses had been destroyed and flattened because they were demolished or damaged. Additionally, the condition of the fields that should have yielded some natural products that they could take, in reality, nothing was left. With the conditions and situations experienced, the loss and lack of livelihoods in Mentawar at that time led some of the Mentawar community, especially those from the Paser Balik Tribe, to decide to leave the village and go to other surrounding areas, such as Nenang, Pemaluan, and Sepaku Logdam. Meanwhile, some other members of the Mentawar community who remained in the village, during the recovery and sterilization from the aggressions of the gang groups in the next stages, were provided with supervision, security, and protection by a security unit, namely Brimob. The supervision carried out by Brimob on the community that remained in Kampong Mentawar lasted for two years (1958-1960).

After the term of Dengkang as Pembakal in Kampong Mentawar ended in 1970, it was succeeded by another Pembakal, namely Pembakal Rahim. During Pembakal Rahim's term, Kampong Mentawar changed and was officially named Kampong Mentawir. The name change of the village to Kampong Mentawir was officiated by the Sub-District Head at that time, Usman Chandra. A few years later, precisely when Pembakal Rahim's term ended, he was succeeded by Pembakal K.H. Muhammad Hasan Ranggong. Officially appointed as Pembakal in 1980, K.H. Muhammad Hasan Ranggong is the son of Demang Andi Jamaludinni. A year later, the position of Pembakal in Kampong Mentawir was abolished and replaced with Lurah. Therefore, K.H. Muhammad Hasan Ranggong became the first lurah and the official designation of Kampong Mentawir as Kelurahan Mentawir. The inauguration of K.H. Muhammad Hasan Ranggong took place in 1981. His term lasted from 1981 to 1997. After K.H. Muhammad Hasan Ranggong's term as lurah ended, the following names of lurah who served until now are; Bustani (1997-2004), Risman (2004-2008), Waluyo (2008-2012), Ari Rahayu (2012-2013), Supriadi (2013-2018), Yamani (2018-2022), Nelva Susanti (2022-present).

The Paser people came to Mentawir because the customary area of Kampong Mentawir has vast land. They seek a livelihood by clearing land and merging with the Balik people. Their migration is based on the activity of shifting cultivation, so this is unrelated to the arrival of Demang in the customary area of Kampong Mentawir. This is supported by the statement that the Paser Tribe had arrived in the customary area of Kampong Mentawir before Demang. The arrival of the Paser Tribe in the customary area of Kampong Mentawir also serves as evidence of disappointment with the decision of Sultan Bungut with the Dutch regarding land division.

The Indigenous People of Kampong Mentawir have a protected site or area called Sigret. Sigret is the name of a river located in Kampong Mentawir. Sigret is an area of karst rock overgrown with shrubs and many shady trees, and there are caves commonly referred to as Liang Peut and Liang Bolum Paken. In the gaps between the rocks, there are springs that flow inside the cave. Sigret is one of the water sources for the community. The old shrubs overgrown with shady trees, rocky hills, and caves inside are called Liang Peut. Liang means cave, while Peut is the name of a person who meditates in the cave. Peut is believed to have a friend named Bea, Bea is an invisible being that inhabits Liang Peut. During his meditation, Peut lived and fed on the fruit of paken or elai. Liang Peut is considered a sacred and holy place, and customs strictly prohibit damaging, littering, or relieving oneself carelessly, as well as speaking carelessly in Liang Peut.

The initiative to protect this area has existed and is deeply ingrained in the minds of the Indigenous People of Kampong Mentawir for generations. However, most of the customary leaders do not yet understand the regulations regarding the protection of protected areas or their customary territory. Therefore, there are external parties that assist in the recognition and protection of the Indigenous People of Kampong Mentawir, such as AMAN (Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago), PEREMPUAN AMAN, and BRWA (Customary Territory Registration Agency) in 2020 to conduct mapping of customary territories and gather social data of the indigenous community.

The area of Sigret is protected because it is considered sacred, revered, and contains a water source within it. The main rules applied in the area of Sigret are:

• No resource extraction is allowed because it is a sacred area.
• No killing of animals that are sacred to the indigenous community.
• No environmental destruction and local wisdom.
• No defecating or urinating inside the cave.
• No indecent behavior is allowed.

This regulation is managed and supervised by a customary institution called Pemurus Adat Kampong Mentawar, which consists of:

• Tuo Kampong, who plays a role in running the customary government, leading deliberations (bapekat), and organizing the life system of the indigenous community related to order, harmony, and security.
• Pengirak, who assists Tuo Kampong in managing the village.
• Mulung, who serves as a mediator/intermediary in customary rituals.
• Penggading, who assists Mulung in performing rituals by calling ancestral spirits.

However, currently, the customary institution is only run by the customary chief and deputy chief, along with members of the indigenous community in carrying out the functions of the customary institution.

Additionally, the Indigenous People of Kampong Mentawir have a division of space according to their customs, namely:

• Alas, is a protected land area for the benefit of its garden reserves. There are various land covers in this area, namely brackish, teak, and pine. Alas is divided into several categories, namely:

• Alas Tuo: Alas that has never been cultivated for fields. Alas Tuo is a place to search for rattan, a hunting ground, a source of traditional medicinal materials, and needs for building houses. Alas Tuo is interpreted as a forest that is still dense (now has become a thicket).
• Alas Bakau: Mangrove Forest.

• Lati Burok, is a thicket of former rice fields that have been left for 3-4 years.
• Umo, is a garden/field area for planting rice and vegetables.
• Kampung, is a settlement area in the Kampong Maridan region.
• Sipung Buah, is an area that has been densely populated with fruit plants from the past until now.
• Payok, is an agricultural area specifically used for planting rice.
• Lowak, is the local term for river.
• Tasik, is the local term for sea.

The Indigenous People of Kampong Mentawar protect the area of Sigret as a sacred and revered area. The Indigenous People of Kampong Mentawar purely protect the area of Sigret as a heritage and cultural site originating from their ancestors. This area is left as a historical cave and the spring is allowed to flow, and the residents may utilize it when needed.

The Indigenous People in Penajam Paser Utara Regency only have a legal basis for recognition and protection at the provincial level. Until now, there has been no specific regulation governing the recognition and protection of rights/protected management areas by the Indigenous People of Paser Mentawir. The Indigenous People of Paser Mentawir are one of the indigenous communities affected by the eviction due to the construction of Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN) in Sepaku District.