Kampong Ayer
Kampong Ayer refers to a water village in Bandar Seri Begawan , the capital of Brunei . The name means "water village" ( Kampung Air in Malay ) and the settlement actually consists of a collection of traditional pile-dwelling settlements over the Brunei River . They are in the immediate vicinity of today's Pusat Bandar (city center of Bandar Seri Begawan). Kampong Ayer is often described as one of the "Venice of the East" ( Venice called the East).
In the past, Kampong Ayer was the main settlement of Brunei; even the de facto capital, in particular the social and economic center of the Bruneiian Empire , as well as in Brunei until the early days during British imperialism .
Surname
The common name Kampong Ayer is the outdated Romanization of the Malay Kampung Air ("water village"). For historical reasons, the outdated spelling has been retained.
history
It is believed that Kampong Ayer has existed as a settlement for centuries. There are numerous historical records, especially foreign sources, attesting to the existence of a 'water settlement' on the Brunei River. The best known of these are the reports of Antonio Pigafetta , an Italian explorer who visited Brunei in 1521 in the wake of Ferdinand Magellan's fleet ,
He describes the settlement area as
“Built entirely in salt water ... It consists of 25,000 stoves (families). The houses are all constructed of wood and built from the ground on large pillars. "
The pile dwelling settlement may have been at a different location earlier. Olivier van Noort , a Dutchman , describes the houses of the nobles on the occasion of his stay in Brunei from December 1600 to January 1601:
"Made of wood and mounted on posts so light that if a storm comes, or some other adverse event, the houses can be moved from one side of the river to the other."
The pile dwelling settlement that we now call "Kampong Ayer" was probably always the main settlement and de facto capital of the Bruneiian Empire and survived bombings during the Second World War . Only since the state regained its independence (Residential period, since 1984) has a program been launched which encouraged the residents of Kampong Ayer to settle on land. Only after some time did this resettlement program take effect and the population shrank. Even so, a large community still lives on the water.
administration
Kampong Ayer consists of numerous small settlements that officially have the status of "Kampung" (villages), the third and lowest level in the administrative hierarchy of Brunei; every kampung has its own mayor in Malay "ketua kampung" . The villages are combined to form Mukim (sub-districts) and together belong to the district (Daerah) Brunei-Muara , which is subordinate to a penghulu . The administration of the Mukim and Kampung in Kampong Ayer is supervised by the Brunei-Muara District Office .
Settlement structure
| Mukim | Settlements |
|---|---|
| Burong Pingai Ayer | Burong Pingai Ayer , Lurong Dalam , Pandai Besi 'A' , Pandai Besi 'B' , Pekan Lama , Pengiran Setia Negara , Sungai Pandan 'A' , Sungai Pandan 'B' |
| Peramu | Bakut Berumput , Bakut Pengiran Siraja Muda 'A' , Bakut Pengiran Siraja Muda 'B' , Lurong Sikuna , Pekilong Muara , Peramu , Setia Pahlawan Lama |
| Saba | Saba Darat 'A' , Saba Darat 'B' , Saba Laut , Saba Tengah , Saba Ujong |
| Sungai Kebun | Bolkiah 'A' , Bolkiah 'B' , Setia 'A' , Setia 'B' , Sungai Kebun , Sungai Siamas , Ujong Kelinik |
| Tamoi | Pengiran Bendahara Lama , Pengiran Kerma Indera Lama , Pengiran Tajuddin Hitam , Tamoi Tengah , Tamoi Ujong |
Until recently there was another mukim in Kampong Ayer: Sungai Kedayan . This mukim and the associated kampung have disappeared, however, because the Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas (anniversary park on the river bank) was built for the golden anniversary of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah's coronation in 2017 and parts of the settlements on the Kedayan River were dissolved.
Infrastructure
The houses and settlements of Kampong Ayer are connected by bridges and walkways made of wood or partly cement. This means that a large part of the buildings can be reached on foot. Between the settlements that have no connection to the shore or that are not connected, there are “ water taxis ” ( Malay perahu tambang ), wooden motor boats that transport passengers and goods for a fee.
Comparable to public housing on land, there are several social housing complexes in the form of stilt houses in Kampong Ayer. A pilot project for “upgrading” by Kampong Ayer resulted in numerous one to two-story buildings in the settlements of Saba and Peramu.
In the settlements there are also numerous community facilities, such as electricity, running drinking water, telephone cabling, Internet access and television.
There are numerous schools in the water villages, both elementary schools and secondary and religious schools. Every Mukim has at least one elementary school. The Awang Semaun Secondary School is the only school of its kind with the school buildings made entirely of stilt houses. In addition, the Sayyidina Umar Al-Khattab Secondary School also has a catchment area on the shore in the settlements of Kampong Ayer. There are also mosques on the water, fire stations and police stations. The fire station in particular plays an important role, as poor electrical installations and the wooden structures of the houses often trigger fires.
Challenges
Population development
Kampong Ayer forms an important historical and cultural heritage of Brunei. For this reason, concerns about community survival receive special attention. In recent decades, more and more residents have migrated to the mainland. The population has shrunk from 28,000 in 1981 to 13,000 in 2011. In addition to emigration, the modern lifestyle is a threat to the customs and traditions in the settlements and weakens the community spirit of the local residents.
waste
Litter and sewage in the waters around the settlements are an ongoing problem, although measures have now been taken by government and non-governmental organizations. This is not just waste from the settlements themselves, but also partly from pollution from the land and from the river's catchment areas. Effective waste management must therefore be introduced. The government has set up sewage systems in the catchment areas and garbage collection points in the settlements. Systematic wastewater disposal has so far only existed in public building projects such as Bolkiah 'A', Bolkiah 'B' and Sungai Bunga. Environmental awareness programs also need time to be effective.
Web links
- Study on tourism in Kampong Ayer (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Kampong Ayer (Water Village) . Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d Road Map and Street Index of Brunei Darussalam , ISBN 9991790101 , p. 34.
- ↑ Welcome to Brunei Darussalam: the complete traveller's guide. , [1st ed.]. Edition, Brunei Press, [Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam] 2000, ISBN 9991732055 , p. 23, OCLC 48517132 .
- ^ Kampong Ayer Cultural and Tourism Gallery. Tourism Development Department. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
- ^ Robert (ed.) Nicholl: European sources for the history of the Sultanate of Brunei in the sixteenth century , Third. Edition, Brunei Museums Department, [Bandar Seri Begawan] 2007, ISBN 9991730311 , p. 8, OCLC 930264554 .
- ↑ entirely built in salt water ... It contains twenty-five thousand hearths (families). The houses are all constructed of wood and built up from the ground on tall pillars. Antonio Pigafetta. In: European Sources for the History of the Sultanate of Brunei in the Sixteenth Century. : 11
- ↑ made of wood, and built on such light piles that when there is a storm or some other untoward event these houses can be removed from one side of the river to the other. Olivier van Noort In: European Sources for the History of the Sultanate of Brunei in the Sixteenth Century. : 96.
- ↑ Rozan Yunos: Retracing history of streets of Bandar . In: The Brunei Times , January 18, 2009. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
- ^ SC Chi: The changing socio-economic profile of Kampong Ayer, Negara Brunei Darussalam . Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, 1994, p. 65.
- ^ Brunei-Muara District .
- ↑ Geoportal - Survey Department ( en-US )
- ↑ Jimi-Ha: LOCAL NEWS ( en-gb ) Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved on December 13, 2017.
- ↑ His Majesty launches Taman Mahkota Jubli Emas - Borneo Bulletin Online . In: Borneo Bulletin Online , October 23, 2017.
- ↑ projek Perintik Menaik Taraf Kampung Ayer .
- ^ War on Kampong Ayer fire - Borneo Bulletin Online . In: Borneo Bulletin Online , June 16, 2017.
- ↑ a b Khai Zem Mat Sani: Kampong Ayer Research .
- ^ Kg Ayer's long drawn battle with rubbish . In: Green Brunei , April 25, 2016.
- ^ A b c Department of Environment, Park and Recreation - Don't Destroy Our River .
- ↑ Arifubillah Masli: Kg Ayer's rubbish impossible to eliminate, says JASTRe .
Coordinates: 4 ° 53 ' N , 114 ° 57' E