Engkerebai Kayoh (Psychotria malayana) Among Dye Plants of Dayak Iban People in Sungai Utik Village of Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Abstract

Kalimantan is one of the largest islands in Indonesia, rich in useful plants. People s local knowledge in managing useful plants is valuable. Sungai Utik Village was one of the villages in Kalimantan where Dayak Iban people living near the forest and was one of the ecotourism destinations in Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. They have their customary forest where they can collect and manage many useful plants for their own subsistent. Most of these people live as farmers and weavers, and they still use the traditional way to dye their products. This writing aimed to review the engkerebai kayoh plant as one of the primaries dye plants used by Dayak Iban people in Sungai Utik Village of Kapuas Hulu District, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. A semi-structured interview was performed to find out the Dayak Iban s local knowledge about the role of engkerebai kayoh as a dye plant in Sungai Utik Village. A simple laboratory method combined with a literature study to reveal the plant content responsible for the plant s red dye. There were six plants used by people in Sungai Utik Village to make red dye, and six plants to make black dye for their weaving. Among the dye plants they used, the engkerebai kayoh plant was the primary dye plant, seen by its quality, intensity, and exclusivity of Dayak Iban people s culture. A simple qualitative phytochemistry test showed that the engkerebai kayoh plant contained low alkaloid, saponin, terpenoid and phenolics, moderate flavonoid, and high tannin. This result explained the red color produced from engkerebai leaves was reddish-brown and not bright red.