The Guardian of East Borneo: Indigenous Women in Gender Equality, Local Culture, and Language Preservation in the Surrounded Area of Indonesia's New Capital City

This research aims to reveal the position of indigenous women in Indonesia’s capital city in terms of gender equality, culture, and local language preservation. The research is done through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a phenomenological approach. There are 19 participants selected from two indigenous ethnicities: Dayak, and Paser. The participants reveal that gender equality has long been applied in their community, which can be seen from the equality of education, jobs, domestic affairs, rituals, and representation in government or organization. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate the crucial role of women in preserving culture and language, as they serve as initiators, instructors, mediators, and executors. Looking at women’s vital role, their existence and influences should be supported and made prominent.