Marsiti - Wungun Forest Protector, Berau, East Kalimantan

Deep within the heart of Borneo, Long Duhung, a village in the Kelay District of Berau, East Kalimantan, harbors profound wisdom. It is home to the Mapnan people, a community currently pursuing management rights over their sacred and ancestral Wungun forest. The Wungun carries historical significance and echoes the tales of the Mapnan people's forebears.

The Mapnan people, constituting a Dayak community within the Punan Dayak Group, include individuals like Mother Marsiti. Actively participating in a group of women who diligently patrol the expansive 1,400-hectare Wungun Forest, Mother Marsiti, like her fellow Mapnan residents in Long Duhung, shares a profound connection with nature, as if it is intricately woven into the fabric of their lives. Together with her Mapnan counterparts, Mother Marsiti endeavors to preserve the legacy handed down by their forebears.