Tepian Sungai Kahayan menyimpan satu ruang sunyi yang tetap hidup dalam ingatan warga: Pasah Patahu atau Pasah Kamantuhu. Warga Desa Buntoi, Mantaren I, Gohong, dan Kelurahan Kalawa menjaganya secara turun-temurun sebagai warisan adat.
Bangunannya sederhana, berupa rumah panggung kecil berbahan kayu ulin berukuran sekitar satu kali satu setengah meter. Empat tiang setinggi kurang lebih satu meter menopangnya sehingga kolongnya terbuka dan menyatu dengan tanah serta akar pepohonan. Atap berbentuk limas tersusun atas sirap kayu yang rapat menyerupai sisik, berwarna cokelat tua yang menua alami. Sejumlah bendera kuning berbahan kain tipis setinggi dua hingga tiga meter berdiri mengelilinginya, berkibar pelan di antara rindangnya pepohonan tepi sungai dan menghadirkan suasana teduh serta khidmat.
Pasah Kamantuhu, Desa Buntoi. Sumber foto: KPSHK.
Tempat ini menjadi ruang berdoa dan membayar hajat. Warga datang membawa nazar, memohon keselamatan, atau mengucap syukur. Sesajen disiapkan dengan tertib: babi, ayam, kue, minuman, telur, hingga kain kuning sebagai pelengkap syarat adat.
Bagi masyarakat, Pasah Patahu merupakan simbol penjaga kampung. Keyakinan tentang leluhur yang melindungi wilayah masih hidup, terutama di Desa Buntoi. Perbedaan pandangan generasi kini tidak menghapus rasa hormat yang tetap dijaga.
Sintong, Mantir Adat Desa Buntoi, mengatakan, “Pasah patahu atau pasah kamantuhu itu warisan leluhur. Tempat kami berdoa, membayar hajat, dan meminta perlindungan kampung. Selama itu dijaga, kampung juga merasa dijaga.”
Sintong, Mantir Adat Desa Buntoi, Kec. Buntoi, Kab. Pulang Pisau. Sumber foto: KPHSK.
Sejumlah ritual adat berpusat di tempat ini. Mamapas lewu dilaksanakan untuk menolak bala selama dua hingga tiga hari, biasanya disertai persembahan babi dan ayam. Ritual manyanggar dilakukan saat hendak mendirikan pasah baru atau membuka wilayah sebagai ikhtiar menjaga keseimbangan hutan dan lingkungan.
Perkembangan zaman memengaruhi tata cara ritual. Syarat yang dahulu berat kini disederhanakan tanpa menghilangkan makna. Penghormatan kepada leluhur dan perlindungan kampung tetap menjadi inti.
Pasah Patahu bukan sekadar bangunan kecil berbahan kayu. Tempat ini menegaskan hubungan manusia dengan alam dan sejarahnya. Kesadaran tersebut menuntun warga, termasuk Tim Penjaga Hutan, untuk bersikap hati-hati ketika memasuki kawasan hutan. Hutan dipandang bukan hanya sebagai sumber manfaat, melainkan ruang hidup bersama.
Keyakinan itu menumbuhkan keseimbangan antara adat dan alam. Nilai tradisi menjadi pagar tak kasatmata yang menahan sikap serakah. Kelestarian hutan terjaga bukan semata karena aturan, melainkan karena tanggung jawab dan kepercayaan yang diwariskan.
Penulis: Alma
Editor: JW & Kiss
The banks of the Kahayan River hold a quiet space that remains vivid in the memories of its residents: Pasah Patahu, or Pasah Kamantuhu. Residents of Buntoi, Mantaren I, Gohong, and Kalawa villages have preserved it for generations as a traditional heritage.
The structure is simple, a small stilt house made of ironwood measuring about one meter by one and a half meters. Four pillars approximately one meter high support it, leaving the underside open and connected to the soil and tree roots. The pyramid-shaped roof is composed of dense, scale-like wooden shingles, a naturally aged dark brown. Several two- to three-meter-high yellow flags made of thin cloth stand around it, fluttering gently among the shade of the riverbank trees, creating a serene and solemn atmosphere.
Pasah Kamantuhu, Buntoi Village. Photo source: KPSHK.
This place serves as a space for prayer and offerings. Residents come bearing vows, asking for safety, or expressing gratitude. Offerings are prepared in an orderly fashion: pigs, chickens, cakes, drinks, eggs, and even yellow cloth as part of customary rituals.
For the community, Pasah Patahu symbolizes the village guardian. The belief in ancestors protecting the region remains alive, especially in Buntoi Village. The differing views of the current generation do not diminish the respect that remains.
Sintong, the Mantir Adat of Buntoi Village, said, “Pasah Patuha or Pasah Kamantuhu is an ancestral heritage. It’s a place where we pray, offer our wishes, and ask for the village’s protection. As long as it’s protected, the village feels protected.”
Sintong, the traditional priest of Buntoi Village, Buntoi District, Pulang Pisau Regency. Photo source: KPHSK.
Several traditional rituals center here. Mamapas Lewu is performed to ward off disaster for two to three days, usually accompanied by offerings of pigs and chickens. The Manyanggar ritual is performed when establishing a new pasah (land clearing) or clearing land, as an effort to maintain the balance of the forest and the environment.
Changing times have influenced ritual procedures. Once stringent requirements have been simplified without losing their meaning. Respect for ancestors and protection of the village remain at the heart of the ritual.
Pasah Patahu is more than just a small wooden structure. This place emphasizes humanity’s relationship with nature and its history. This awareness guides residents, including the Forest Guard Team, to exercise caution when entering forest areas. The forest is viewed not only as a source of benefits, but also as a shared living space.
This belief fosters a balance between custom and nature. Traditional values ​​act as an invisible barrier that restrains greed. Forest sustainability is maintained not solely by rules, but also by inherited responsibility and trust.
Author: Alma
Editor: JW & Kiss
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