Opening River Mass

Flocking around 05.00 in the early hours, people who have registered on the management group is crowded area to the location of the opening of the Kamis river. Various people who are members are from diverse walks of life ranging from employees, farmers, traders, and also men and women come to enliven the event. Not only from one village close to the site but also from other regions or villages join it. Before leaving for their location to prepare equipment and supplies that need to be taken to the location that include hancau, dongring, knife or machete, cooked rice, herbs and spices such as onion, garlic, tamarind and other items necessary during the activity.

The road to the village where the location can be reached by motorcycle, but from the village to the location more easily on foot. From the village to the location can be taken about 30 minutes to 1 hour. The location is situated between the rice paddies and swamp forest at that time because it was dry in the dry season.

The events that open stream mass is an activity that is rarely done by the people in the headwaters area of ​​South Kalimantan. This activity is only once a year around the dry season ahead. This is because when the rainy season, water so high and difficult to get the fish. Opening river together aim to find the fish is done by way of fishing using hancau fishing nets or rectangular shaped and at each end of its parts bound together in bamboo handle. Opening the river and catch fish by hancau crowd by the villagers because they can compete to get a fish with a similar but they are restricted in the area where the specified limits.
Each group listed got about less than 5 meters from a side part of river. Those who sign up can has around 3 to 5 people in one place. Although many gear types and fishing catching methods, but these activities are only allowed to use hancau or by mahancau (catching fish with nets hancau) and mangacal (catch fish with your bare hands).


While waiting for the other groups, people put hancau nets the stem. When all of these groups have been placed in their respective locations, on each of the upstream and downstream given dignity (barrier) so that the fish do not come out of the location that had been prepared. Taken together, they began to fall into the river to begin cleaning plants or weeds that live in the water. Most wild plants on the river water is a type of water hyacinth.

Old and young gang to clean up these rivers can be installed hancau. After the plants and weeds cleared from the river, they began to lose hancau to be installed. Installation hancau performed simultaneously by each group. It is intended that existing stocks would not run into anywhere else. When each hancau installed in the river, everyone is forbidden to go down into the river. After a few minutes hancau reappointed. Some types of fish trapped in nets such entry. Among these fish are fish Sapat, Papuyu, Bayawan, Sapat Siam and Kulacingan. Sometimes they get lucky when larger fish such as Haruan or Baung.

Although the sun was ever increasing, fog and dew still covers the air in such places. More come to noon more crowded, especially audible cry of joy when some of them get some big black fish tail. Smile on the face while hope in heart to get larger. 

The time is 10.00 am. Some people have a kindle fire and make coals to burn fish already obtained can be eaten. Burn fish is obtained onsite for their own favor. From home before you leave, they have prepared spices to burn.

Shortly after her pickup into most coals, fish that have been cleaned and flavored then stabbed with stick of a wooden or bamboo. Then it burned. A few minutes smeared with herbs again. Fish turned upside down to look a little brown, which means the fish is cooked. Rice brought from home to accompany grilled fish to fill the stomach at the time of day as the lunch menu.


In the afternoon, they simultaneously raise up hancau on the river bank. Then they fell into the river together to catch fish by mengacal or with bare hands. The sides of the river began to be combed by hand. Holes in the ground hoping there palpable water fish hiding in it. About 15 minutes they returned to the river and lower back the hancau. Some dongkring (place for put and keep the fish) already filled with a variety of fish. Little by little, people started getting ready to go home. They tidied equipment carried. About 01.00 in noon, they went home with a lot of fish. Some people still in there and others are fishing from afternoon until around the night.

Tomorrow morning they returned to the path of the river that has not been opened or cleaned. Community activities are held ranging up to 1 to 2 weeks depending on the number and length of the river is still quite runny. Each day they will move the location to connect a row of the river. However, registration and revocation specified location number in the early days before.
Mahancau to open stream together is a tradition that is rarely encountered in the area. The crowd caused by their excitement for racing to get fish that can be chancy in hancau anywhere.