Victor Fidelis Sentosa

Victor is a documentary and photojournalistic photographer whose work focuses on tracing narratives of tradition in West Kalimantan, as well as a wide range of social realities unfolding both across Kalimantan and at the national level. Through an honest and observant visual approach, he produces documentation that captures social dynamics, cultural identity, and significant events shaping everyday life. His work serves as a medium that connects local stories to broader conversations, while strengthening the representation of West Kalimantan within Indonesia’s documentary photography landscape.

Titel : Memanggil Semangat 

Medium : Foto Print

Size : 60x90 cm

Year : 2025

Amid the stillness of the Kalimantan rainforest, the sound of split bamboo resounds in a rhythm that is not merely physical, but deeply spiritual. Adu Tangkin is a customary ritual of the Bidayuh Indigenous community, passed down through generations as a bridge between the human world and the realm of ancestral spirits. For the Sebujit Bidayuh community, the tangkin is both a traditional weapon and an ancestral heirloom, used for protection against enemies. During the ritual, Bidayuh men wield the tangkin to strike prepared bamboo stalks that serve as the medium. These strikes are not symbolic gestures alone, but acts of invocation, an inner call to awaken the life spirit believed to have wandered or diminished.

Within Bidayuh belief, the spirit (semangat) is a vital life force that can become lost, displaced, or disturbed by spiritual disruptions or ecological imbalance. Through Adu Tangkin, ancestral spirits are summoned and honoured, guiding the return of balance to the soul, both individually and collectively. Opened with prayers and offerings, the ritual becomes a liminal space where the visible and invisible converge, where the sharp crack of bamboo meets the silent presence of ancestral whispers. At the final strike, as the air trembles, faith is reaffirmed: the spirit has returned, and life may once again proceed in wholeness.

Adu Tangkin is not merely a tradition, but a living narrative that continues to resonate within the forests and the hearts of the Sebujit Indigenous community, a symbol of enduring connection to ancestral roots, spiritual forces, and the natural world that remains their shared home.