Arus Kualan was founded by Plorenthina Dessy, Florentini Deliana, together with their father Julianus Julin, siblings, and members of the Dayak Simpakng community. The initiative arose from growing concerns about the rapid loss of cultural heritage and local ecological knowledge in West Kalimantan, Indonesia particularly among Dayak youth. Recognizing the urgency of this decline, the founders sought to transform these concerns into concrete, community-driven action, leading to the establishment of Arus Kualan as a practical and culturally grounded response.
They and I, as members of the Dayak generation, are committed to preserving the culture and local wisdom passed down by our ancestors. Together, we want to keep these traditions alive and meaningful in the modern era. We believe that the future of the Indigenous Dayak people depends on its youth, and we take this responsibility seriously.
In order to prevent the indigenous Dayak knowledge from extinction hence the idea of Arus Kualan, so that the future generations will continue the relay, carrying the cultural baton forward to ensure the continuity and vitality of Indigenous Dayak knowledge.
Sekolah Adat Arus Kualan, or the Customary School Arus Kualan, is a project led by young Dayak leaders in West Kalimantan, Indonesia with the goal of creating a generation that values and protects the Dayak culture. The school emphasizes learning from traditional indigenous knowledge in various fields, such as environmental issues, social relations, art, and literature.
The school has two main areas of focus: education and environment. In education, students learn about traditional knowledge, such as dance, traditional food and medicinal plants, music, and modern technology. In environment, students participate in activities like tree planting and using organic eco-polybags.
Arus Kualan began with only six students in 2014, but has steadily expanded to 138 students (in 2023) across four branches in different villages: Sekolah Adat Arus Kualan Tahak, Sungi Bansi, Kelipor, and Banjur. Despite challenging access due to remote locations and limited roads, the program has grown through community engagement and demand for culturally grounded education.
Looking ahead, we hope the seeds of Arus Kualan will spread to all Dayak sub-tribes across Borneo which includes up to ~450 ethnolinguistic groups, empowering youth to preserve their heritage and forests. Participation in platforms like HundrED also helps us to amplify the voices and innovations of the Dayak community, inspire adaptation in other indigenous communities, and connect our locally rooted approach to global indigenous-led initiatives.
After getting to know Dessy personally and learning about their innovative educational approach, I realized that we share the same vision for strengthening Indigenous knowledge and community-based learning. As a Dayak living in Finland, I also began to see strong parallels between the experiences of the Dayak and the Sámi; especially in land rights, language and cultural continuity, as well as the environmental protection.
Building on this connection, I intend to expand Arus Kualan by integrating comparative Indigenous perspectives from the global South and North and also possible EdTech collaboration. My position abroad allows me to amplify Arus Kualan’s voice internationally while bringing insights from Sámi education back to the Dayak context. I aim to contribute research that explores how both indigenous communities from South and North can enrich each other by sharing cross-cultural knowledge, pedagogy, stewardship strategies, and youth empowerment to strengthen the innovation.
If you want to try the Arus Kualan approach, begin by learning about the local Indigenous community both in general and locally where you live; its culture, ecosystem, traditional knowledge, and current challenges. Then, observe the Arus Kualan model, which is multidisciplinary, combining cultural preservation, environmental science and biology, traditional ecological knowledge, arts, literacy, and community-based learning. Next step, you can think on which aspect of Arus Kualan model can be merged with the indigenous community where you live.
Collaborate with elders, volunteers, facilitators, and youth to co-design a program rooted in local wisdom and respectful of cultural protocols. Use nature as a classroom to integrate biological and ecological learning with traditional practices. Monitor progress, adjust activities based on community feedback, and document and share results. Build connections with other Indigenous communities and seek government or international support when possible.
Through this process, the Arus Kualan concept can be adapted to Indigenous contexts around the world while honoring each community’s unique identity, environment, and knowledge systems.
