SOAN Professor Anne Schiller Delivers Keynote Address in Indonesia

SOAN Professor Anne Schiller Delivers Keynote Address in Indonesia
With Students at Tampung Penyang Hindu State University

Cultural Anthropologist Anne Schiller recently traveled to Palangka Raya, capital of Central Kalimantan Province (Indonesian Borneo), to deliver the keynote address at the conference “Hinduism in the Millennium Era.”  Organized by Tampung Penyang Hindu State Institute of Religion, the conference also featured presentations by regional religious leaders.  The indigenous religion of Central Kalimantan, Hindu Kaharingan, is practiced by native Borneo peoples, known as Dayaks. Professor Schiller has conducted field and archival research on Dayak peoples since 1982.  In her book, Small Sacrifices, the National Geographic Society film Borneo Beyond the Grave, and scholarly articles and book chapters, she has explored the process by which Kaharingan came to be recognized as a form of Hinduism and the consequences of that recognition for various realms of indigenous life. In addition to serving as keynote speaker, Professor Schiller gave a university presentation and a faculty workshop on conducting qualitative research, hosted a film viewing, and was interviewed by Radio Republic Indonesia on topics of indigenous identity and nurturing Dayak culture.