Homestay in rustic Bario

HOME away from home aptly describes Leminan Lodge, a Sarawak homestay in Bario.

It offers guests the comfort and privacy of home in the midst of the rustic Kelabit highlands.

Perfect for guests who are less adventurous, the Lodge provides them the feel of home – at the same time, adventure at its doorstep. It also gives them the feel of space and privacy as it does not have the ‘commonness’ of a longhouse-styled homestay.

The interior of the Lodge is styled after that of a mountain cabin; the warm hue of the wooden panelling on the wall exudes coziness that provides guests a comforting respite from the nippy highland temperature at night.

During the day when the sun is high and the temperature turns warmer, the huge sliding windows allow the cool highland breeze to waft through creating a prefect environment for a midday snooze.

The three-storey homestay is modelled after the Dutch architecture with an attic converted into a bedroom typical of that of a Swiss loft. The cozy loft is for sale, according to Shep Bala, owner of the homestay, but only upon request.

The first floor consists of a living room, kitchen and dining room while the second floor has bedrooms, a sitting room with a panoramic view of the highlands, a village centre and a wash and bath room.

Two bedrooms have the luxury of a veranda that overlooks to the rustic backdrop of Bario while all the rooms have splendid view of Nature.

Only a stone’s throw from the village centre, the Lodge has the best of both worlds – it’s within minutes from the hustle and bustle of civilisation, at the same time, far enough to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the highlands. It’s less than 10 minutes from the airport.

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The Borneo Story: Highlanders of the Equator

The eighth in the series of The Borneo Story by Tom Harrisson and Hugh Gibb in the late 1950s courtesy of The Doozer.

The way of life of the Kelabital highlanders of the tropical rainforests of Borneo is described in this episode. Daily activities include stone carving, beadcraft, breadcraft, basketry, carpentry, irrigated agriculture, trapping, fishing, cooking, and salt production.

The Borneo Story: 'Highlanders of the Equator'

from The Doozer on Vimeo.

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Cultural treasures from Sarawak highlands

Traditions and heritage still alive and kicking in Bario and Ba Kelalan



WHEN young Jenette Ulun first saw her great-aunt expertly crafting the famous Kelabit beadwork, she knew then it would be her calling to continue the legacy.



Little did she realise, however, that her own daughter would carry on the tradition in her own right.



“I was delighted when Nicolette, my eldest daughter, showed interest in the beadwork,” the 53-year-old craftswoman told thesundaypost during a recent visit to her handicraft shop – Bario Unique Trading – in the town centre of Bario.



“I’m proud and happy to see that the tradition will be preserved, at least by another generation.”



Born and raised in the highlands, Jenette opened her shop in Bario about 10 years ago after spending most of her adult life with her husband in Miri before the couple decided to retire in their hometown.



Cosy and quaint, Bario Unique Trading showcases a kaleidoscope of intricate beadwork items – most noticeably the traditional Kelabit women headdress called ‘peta bao rawir’. A simple piece without much elaborate beadwork design would take Jenette at least two days to complete.



She cautioned with a smile: “Simple as it is, don’t make any mistake about it being cheap. The lowest it can go is about RM800 per piece. The highest offer I ever got was RM1,500. This is only for the ladies’ headdress.”



The fully-adorned traditional costume worn by Kelabit women, called ‘sapa harit’, could go for twice as high or even higher.



Apart from the meticulous details and toilsome effort needed to produce even a plain peta, Jenette said the high price would also be factored into the main raw materials – the beads, either clay or glass – which have to be imported from neighbouring Indonesia.



“While I’m happy to see that Nicolette and other young women here are keen to continue the tradition, I believe more should be done to encourage the younger generation to do the same.



“I truly believe Bario should have an industrial centre for manufacturing beads – just like what I’ve seen in Lawas. Apart from manufacture, the centre should also provide beadwork classes to those interested who now have to travel to Miri (the nearest point) to learn the craft,” she suggested.



Jenette, a member of the Sarawak Craft Council, also highlighted the government’s efforts in upgrading the basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity and clean water supply in the area.



“Still, much more can be improved – perhaps 24-hour electricity supply for all of Bario soon,” she added.



Bario is home to about 1,200 people, predominantly Kelabit. While regarded as quite isolated compared to the other towns, it has, however, seen tremendous growth over the past 10 years with the latest development project being the e-Bario, an information and communication technology (ICT) community programme undertaken jointly by National ICT Malaysia Council, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Mimos Bhd.



As much as beadwork is regarded as the trademark of the Kelabits, the traditional bamboo windpipe instrument, collectively named as ‘bas suling’, will be identifiable with the Lun Bawangs of Ba Kelalan, a sister highland town about 70km north of Bario with a population of about 1,500.



Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Cultural treasures from Sarawak highlands

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Trekforce helps preserve Kelabit Highlands heritage

TREKFORCE – a UK-based environmental conservation and community development volunteer organisation – has completed a major conservation project in the Kelabit Highlands, particularly in Bario, Pa’ Umor and Pa’main.

The project – from November 5, 2009 to June 25, 2011 – has reinforced past and present researches by the agencies concerned in documenting and preserving the priceless cultural heritage in the areas, believed to contain the most dense assemblage of culture sites in Sarawak, if not in Malaysia.

Among the agencies involved were the Sarawak Museum (1986 and 2004) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) while other institutions included International Tropical Timber Organisations (ITT0). Also taking part in the project were researchers such as Sarah Hitchner (2007) and an academic from Pa’ Umor, professor Poline Balang of Unimas.

Trekforce comprises groups of young self-funded volunteers who embark on extreme expeditions to remote tropical rainforest areas. A large number of them – mostly from the UK, Europe, Canada and the US – are students, aged between 18 and 30 years, who have completed their education before entering college or university.

They are normally formed into mixed teams of around 10.

Their three key aims on each expedition are:

* To help protect and conserve the tropical rainforest ecosystems.

* To help the local people with vital community development projects in remote rural areas.

* To learn vital life skills such as teamwork, initiative and self-sufficiency during the physically and mentally demanding two-month expedition.

Survival training

Expeditions begin with a week of intensive jungle survival training where the volunteers are taught a wide range of survival skills, including fire-lighting, use of parangs, jungle navigation, building natural shelters, setting animal traps and collecting wild food.

Once trained to live and work safely and effectively in the challenging jungle environment, they trek into deep rainforests to set up basic hammock camps and begin the six-week conservation phase of their expedition.

On June 28, thesundaypost had the opportunity to interview the expedition leader and country co-ordinator, David Osborne, 30 (fondly known to the locals as ‘Os’ or by his Kelabit name ‘Berapui’ – meaning strong fire).

According to Os – along with close friends Al Davies, 31 (an English jungle survival expert) and Rian John Pasan, 40, (a local Kelabit guide and expedition leader) – Trekforce has, so far, carried out six successful expeditions in Sarawak since 2009, involving a total of 51 people, including Os himself.

He said since then, they have been working closely with the Rurum Kelabit Sarawak Association (RKS) and the community of Pa’ Umor on an ambitious cultural site and rainforest protection project, and a wide range of community development projects including teaching English at SK Bario and Pa’ Dalih.

He added that in 2009, work began with volunteer groups, protecting ancient Kelabit cultural sites such as stone megaliths, burial grounds and dragon burial jars in the jungles of the Kelabit Highlands.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Trekforce helps preserve Kelabit Highlands heritage

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Kelabit Beads Certification ceremony

THE pioneering effort of the Kelabit community of Bario Highlands to authenticate their bead collection as treasured heirloom with the issuance of ownership certificates deserves praise and should be emulated by other communities.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan said that beads were considered as among mankind’s most durable ornaments.

“One can say that beads belonging to a particular community mirror the culture of that community. They tell us a great deal about the social, political, economic and religious lives of the community concerned.

“It is indeed an appropriate move to preserve the heirlooms as part of the community’s material cultural heritage,” he said at the launch of the Kelabit Beads Certification ceremony organised by the Beads’ Committee of the Wanita Rurum Kelabit Sarawak in Miri on Wednesday night.

About 30 mothers from the highlands received beads ownership certificates from Dr Chan at the event themed Celebrating Our Mothers Beads of which Datuk Lorna Enan Muloon was the patron.

At the event, Dr Chan was officially accepted as a member of the Kelabit community after he was garlanded with a priceless Kelabit bane (bead necklace) and given the name Mayung Balang, meaning Tiger Slayer in the Kelabit dialect.

Continue reading at: Kelabit Beads Certification ceremony
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Best of Bario in Miri city

The taste of the Bario Highlands is available on the lowlands now – but just in the city of Miri.

The Summit Cafe

Centrepoint Commercial Phase 1

Miri City Centre

Sarawak

Open: 7am to 3pm

Days off Sunday and Christmas

IF one has a penchant for authentic Sarawak highland dishes, and just happen to be in Miri, then head for The Summit Cafe at Centrepoint Phase 1 Commercial Centre.

Owner and cook Sally Bungan Bat, a Kenyah from Long Banga, Ulu Baram, operates the cafe, the only place in Miri, if not in Malaysia, that serves authentic Kelabit dishes outside of the tribal heartlands.

Locals and tourists alike flock to her shop to sample the dishes and many are coming back for more.

If one is familiar with the multi-cultural setting of Sarawak, one will perhaps wonder why a Kenyah is operating a restaurant that offers Kelabit dishes.

Well, Sally is married to Senior Police Officer Wagner Lisa Libat, 50, a Kelabit from Bario – and that explains it all! Perhaps serving Kelabit fare at the cafe is her way of proving her undying love to her husband.

Continue reading (Incl. Pics) at: Best of Bario in Miri city
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