Wellington Man on Mission to Bring Tribal Elders Home in Borneo
What do a Wellington-born photographer, five tribal elders, a Native American dancer, a German painter and an Indonesian
rock musician have in common?
They're just some of the participants in an extraordinary journey that will be taking place this August, deep in the
rainforest of Borneo.
An encounter in a remote corner of Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) led New Zealand born photographer David Metcalf and
Australian life coach Rex Urwin to take up the cause of the Dayak tribe, who still live traditional lives based on their
veneration for a piece of land known as 'The Forbidden Forest'.
David and Rex first met the Dayaks of Setulang village a year ago while on an expedition in the rainforest close to the
border with Malaysia. They heard the Dayak's tale of displacement - they moved out of their ancestral home in the 1970s
- and their longing to return to their original village upriver.
David and Rex have pledged to grant the Dayaks their wish, and at the same time raise awareness of the threats - both
cultural and environmental - faced by the area known as 'Asia's Amazon'.
Coming along on the eight-day journey to bring the Dayaks home will be a team of men including Jason Houston, a
film-maker from Canada, who will be creating a multimedia documentary to highlight the Dayak's plight and record the
extraordinary interactions between a group of artists and musicians from around the world.
Also making the journey will be Wolfgang Widmoser, a German-born painter, Robi Navicula, leader of one of Indonesia's
best-known grunge bands, and Kevin Locke, a Native American dancer, storyteller, cultural ambassador and recording
artist.
The men are now crowdfunding for the $15,000 needed to make the documentary.
David says:
"This journey back is really about a message of unity, and how critical it is that we start listening to these wise,
sacred cultures who respect the land and who have learned to live in harmony with the planet for many thousands of
years."
Kole Adjang, one of the elders, says:
"We don't know exactly what will happen in the future. Will the next generation keep our agreement, or will they damage,
open new land or log? Perhaps serve their self interest? We hope that by this example, our great grandchildren will also
take care of our land and Tana Olen [the Forbidden Forest]."
ends