Traces of Local Knowledge: An Ethnobotanical Study of Plant Utilization and Local Wisdom of Dayak Communities in West Kalimantan

Abstract

This research aims to describe the local knowledge of the Dayak people in West Kalimantan in the use of plants and reveal the role of local wisdom in maintaining the sustainability of ethnobotanical knowledge. The research uses a descriptive qualitative approach with ethnobotanical methods. Data collection was carried out through open interviews, participatory observations, and transects with purposively selected key informants, namely indigenous leaders, buyers, and elderly residents who understand traditional knowledge about plants. The data were analyzed descriptively by grouping plants based on categories of use and interpreting the socio-cultural meanings that accompanied them. The results of the study show that the Dayak people use a variety of plants for traditional medicine, food, traditional rituals, as well as ecological and material needs. The types of plants that are widely used include lemongrass, betel nut, ginger, kencur, galangal, soursop leaves, Dayak onions, pandan, bamboo, and areca nut. The use of plants not only has a practical function, but also contains symbolic, spiritual, and ecological values inherent in people's lives. Local wisdom serves as the basis for conservation practices through customary rules, taboos, selective harvesting, and respect for certain forest areas and plants that are considered culturally important. Ethnobotanical knowledge is passed down orally and through direct intergenerational practice, although it currently faces the challenges of modernization and declining involvement of younger generations. This study confirms that the local knowledge of the Dayak people is an important cultural and ecological asset to be documented, preserved, and developed as part of efforts to conserve biodiversity and strengthen the cultural identity of indigenous peoples.