Background: This study focuses on the Dayak Siang-Murung community in their efforts to reach a better health development, especially with maternal and neonatal health. Considering different perceptions about skilled and traditional midwives within the Dayak Siang-Murung community, this study attempts to identify challenges and possible solutions to reach the health development goal in this region.

Method: An ethnographic design was conducted in a village (Dirung Bakung) and interviewed several informants, including skilled birth attendant (bidan kampung), traditional village midwives (bidan desa) and village leaders. The respondents were asked their perceptions and experiences in dealing with the issues and practices of maternal and new-born health in the village. Collected information from those respondents were thematically and contextually analysed.

Results: Findings from this study show that the majority of Dayak Siang–Murung society are still seeking health cares (especially relating to maternal and newborn health cares) from the traditional healers, both local traditional midwife as well as traditional birth attendant, rather than from the skilled village midwife. This is more or less influenced by the mothers’ trust in health cares as well as the selection of health workers in their village. Having the working spirit of ‘Tira Tangka Balang’ (Commit to Work and Reach the Ultimate Goals), fortunately, such situation has not discouraged the skilled midwives to reach the better health goal. Moreover, the Puskesmas in the village has encouraged the skilled midwives to approach the traditional midwives. It has been done by having a close relationship or collaboration between those two, especially during the delivery process or during home visit to a pregnant mother.

Key words: Midwife, traditional midwives, collaboration, Maternal and Newborn Health (MNH), Believe system