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The Besei Kambe Competition is once again the main attraction at this year's Isen Mulang Cultural Festival (FBIM) in Palangka Raya City, Central Kalimantan Province. This traditional competition is increasingly gaining attention because of its unique location and the way of competing that is characteristic of coastal communities.
Besei Kambe is a traditional sport where two people on a boat row in opposite directions to pull each other until they cross the boundary line, akin to tug on war but held atop a riverine vessel.
The Central Kalimantan Culture and Tourism Office (Disbudpar) emphasized that Besei Kambe is one of the most anticipated cultural agendas this year, especially since the local decorated boat parade has been officially canceled.
"Besei Kambe remains the mainstay competition in FBIM because of its uniqueness of being held on the river. This [tournament] also becomes [part of] the local community's cultural identity," said Acting Central Kalimantan Disbudpar Secretary Agung Catur Prabowo on May 20, 2025.
This year, the event saw participation from 11 of Central Kalimantan's regencies and cities, namely Palangka Raya City as well as the regencies of Kapuas, Pulang Pisau, Katingan, South Barito, North Barito, Murung Raya, West Kotawaringin, Seruyan, Lamandau, and Sukamara.
Besei Kambe Competition Coordinator R. Jimmy Gara explained that Besei Kambe's main purpose beyond entertainment is to help preserve Dayak culture, especially by introducing the younger generation to the cultural wealth of ancestral traditions.
"The enthusiasm of the public is extraordinary. There are even foreign tourists who have been looking for information about Besei Kambe long before the event [began]," said Jimmy.
Based on that high enthusiasm, the Central Kalimantan Disbudpar hopes that Besei Kambe can continue to be developed and become an annual cultural icon.
