It was for this reason that Jacobus spent three days travelling from Pontianak, the administrative centre of Kalimantan Barat (Kalbar) to Sintang and then up the river to Semitau, Lanjak, Ukit Ukit and finally Balimbis - 1,200km away.
It was at the invitation of Jacobus that I decided to undertake the long, arduous journey to Lanjak, a sleepy village of about 1,000 people close to the Sarawak border. To reach our destination, we travelled by kijang (rural minibus) and motorcycle. My partner on this trip was Nicholas Bawin, an Iban from the Engkari region, who was visiting the region for the first time.
Our journey in the kijang, packed with 15 people, took us up Bukit Lanjak and down to Ukit Ukit, a Memaloh village. Then, by motorcycle, we travelled over rugged country. We were then ferried across two clean rivers by a sampan before arriving at Balimbis an hour later on the eve of the big day.
More than 600 people from the neighbouring villages and as far as Pontianak and Sarawak were invited to attend the Gawai (festival) on June 21.
During the long night of gong-beating and drinking baram (rice wine) and tuak (a palm toddy), all of which are considered compulsory, Temenggong Onyang, from the Embaloh region, addressed a large gathering at the front of the makeshift longhouse in front of Balimbis.
Onyang, a semagat aristocrat, said it was a special homecoming for Jacobus, who last visited the region three years ago. He had been specially selected to be guest of honour at the function and would perform the last rites of the "Great festival" to appease the spirits of two ancestors - Temenggongs Nandung (1904-1919) and Tali "Karung" (19191929).
In the old days, the candidate selected to perform the rites of pulling out the statues of ancestral leaders (called Merabut Tambang) had to fulfill several conditions. Among others, he had to be a semagat, an accomplished head-hunter and descended from a leader of the community.
Even though Jacobus was not a head-hunter, he was an accomplished warrior who had served Indonesia during the Confrontation and now holds a high position in the Governor's office in Kalimantan Barat.
Jacobus, 49, a lawyer, was not only the "mentor" of his community but is also actively involved in recording the dying cultures of the Dayak people in Kalimantan.
Like Onyang, Jacobus descended from the leaders of the Indu Banua community who had occupied the Sungei Embaloh region at least 300 years ago.
Onyang said that under the Dutch, Semagat Maling was installed as the first Temenggong from the Embaloh river system in 1886. After Maling died in 1904 Semagat Nandung took over for 15 years until his demise in 1919. Semagat Tali became the third Temenggong.
Onyang said: "Our last Madu Buling was held in 1929 after Maling died. All the earlier leaders were accorded this grand send-off to the spiritual world. After becoming Christians our people ceased this ritual as it was associated with the head-hunting practices of our ancestors.
"However, in 1945, Panglima Timbang, who gallantly fought the Japanese, revived the tradition."
It was believed that the ritual wasn't done properly, things could go wrong. And they nearly did! Just before midnight, our Memaloh guide Sawang Miut almost ran over a black Cobra with his motorcycle near the village.
The following morning, Nicholas and I nearly stepped on a four centimetre-thick black Cobra curled behind a fallen tree as we were exploring the jungle behind the village.
On returning to the long-house, we related our encounter with the snake to the villagers and they said the two Cobras represented the spirits of Nandung and Tali. They also said we had nothing to fear but I had my reservations.
That morning the ceremony began with Jacobus "feeding" the spirits by throwing rice out into the yard. He then led an entourage comprising those adorned in their artistocratic best and villagers to the bank of the Sungei Embaloh where a decorated boat awaited them.
Tied across the 400-metre-wide river was a long rope to warn fellow villagers not to pass the river until the ceremony was over.
Onyang then continued observing the rituals in front of the buried statues of Nandung and Tali. The entourage then boarded the boat which took them down river.
While this was happening, another group at the longhouse prepared for the firing of an ancient cannon. Unfortunately, misfortune struck when the 150-year-old brass canon exploded and injured one person. He was rushed by speedboat to the nearest clinic.
But the ceremony had to go on. After 15 minutes, the boat with Jacobus and his entourage returned. He cut the rope linking the two banks of the river, a gesture which meant that outsiders could now pass the village.
On returning, Onyang performed the final prayer rituals before pulling out the two tambang statues. It symbolised that the final link between the human and spiritual world was cut. The statues were taken to the final burial ground, the kulambu (royal mausoleum), located less than a kilometre away from the village.
After the last of the traditional rites, the community then held Christian prayers.
Note: Kalbar is the largest of the country's four provinces in Borneo, measuring 146,807km (or larger than Peninsular Malaysia). It has a population of four million and no less than 20 indigenous groups.
