Ethnobiology exploration of Suku Dayak Losarang, Indramayu District-West Java Province

Abstract

Biodiversity is one of local wisdom that should be kept and maintained. Several local governments have different ways of managing and maintaining their existence, including in Krimun village-Losarang, Indramayu District, West Java Province. This study is aimed at finding the information about Suku Dayak people in Losarang (which is not same as Dayak in Borneo Island), how they manage and utilize biodiversity in their surroundings, and how it relates to the local wisdom. This is a qualitative research with instruments consists of interview sheets, field notes, and audio-visual documentation. The subject of this research is the Suku Losarang Dayak people whom are selected through incidental sampling techniques. The study of Ethnobotany includes utilization of 56 species plants as food, three species as boards, nine species for medicine, two species for aesthetics, and nine species for rituals. Ethnoecology here means the conservation of community of the Suku Dayak Losarang people toward surrounding ecosystems that are conserved for the needs of farming, shelter, and ritual. Concerning for ethnozoology, none of the species was used because they have a principle "ngaji rasa". This principle means that they would not be allowed to consume or to make use of the living creatures.