Traditions endure in the Sarawak jungle

In colonial times the tribes of the Sarawak jungle, Malaysia, were known as fierce warriors.

The Iban people in particular were feared headhunters, keeping the heads of those they killed, and a successful warring tribe.

They lived in traditional longhouses; wooden buildings on stilts made up of one long communal room and several smaller rooms.

Each small room was home to one family and it was not unusual for 100 people to live in a single longhouse community. Although today the tribes no longer practise headhunting, many Iban people still live in traditional longhouses deep in the rainforest, their lives steeped in superstition.

These are the people I was about to meet, deep in the Sarawak jungle.

I set off on a journey to one of the most remote tribes by longboat, a wooden canoe holding three or four people with a driver controlling an outboard motor on the back.

The simple boat is the only way to reach the longhouse, which is surrounded by thick jungle and has no road access. The boat winds along the Engkari River and we eventually stop, clamber out and walk up a hill to the main longhouse.

Along the way there are chickens in wooden cages, a man making a fishing net by hand, rubber trees and fruit growing wild along the path.

Our guide Edward, who grew up in a longhouse, briefs us on rules to follow while we are there. There can be no taking photographs of children who are too young to have teeth, no shoes inside and no refusing to taste the local rice wine. He has also warned us beforehand to bring a gift the people here will love - lollies. Lots of lollies in fact.

The Iban people share everything between everybody who lives in the longhouse, so that means bringing enough lollies between us for 30 families. It is 10am and we are welcomed with smiles, friendly faces and shots of homemade whisky. We are invited to sit down and handed a glass of local rice wine to drink. It is thankfully nowhere near as rough as the whisky.

Next, the chief of the tribe appears, wearing a traditional costume with a shield and a sword. He welcomes us to the longhouse, with Edward acting as an interpreter, and performs a surprisingly elegant warrior dance. His slow graceful movements seem to be something from a time gone by. Other people in the longhouse perform music and a woman in traditional dress dances a similar routine.

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Borneo Cultural Festival is vital to tourism industry

SIBU: Chairman of the Sarawak Central Region Hotel Association has claimed that the riverine town has been sidelined in terms of tourism promotion, causing tourists to shy away.

Johnny Wong Sie Lee alleged that the town’s signature event Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) had been left out from next year’s tourism calendar.

“I learned that this major event has not been listed in the calendar of tourism for 2012. This is most unfair as BCF will be making a comeback next year and has been a crowd puller all this while. BCF is an important platform to showcase what Sibu has to offer to the world.

“And if it is not even listed in the calendar, how would tourists be able to know that the event is on next year. They too need to make preparations to come here and this cannot be done overnight.”

He could not figure out why BCF had been omitted whereas other tourism events seemed to have been included. Wong bemoaned that while Sibu might have limited places of interest, this should not be used as a basis to leave the town out of tourism activities.

He lamented that only a handful of tourists visited Sibu and promoting BCF was one way to reverse the trend.

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Indigenous community gardens can be tourist pull

KUCHING: Community gardens advocated by Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) have the potential to be tourist attractions apart from accomplishing SBC’s mission of preserving traditional knowledge of plants among the indigenous people.

Deputy State Secretary Datu Ose Murang yesterday said India’s success story where a similar concept had been well applied could be the role model for the state’s community gardens.

He believed that making the gardens into tourism spots would also benefit the communities involved economically.

“The Bio Valley in India is a tourist attraction. Many tourists are attracted by the rich and diverse plants there. It can be an example for the communities here to emulate,” he said at the opening of the Traditional Knowledge Documentation Seminar 2011 at a hotel here.

Ose was representing State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohd Morshidi Abd Ghani.

Some 27 villages from seven communities namely Bidayuh, Iban, Penan, Kelabit, Lun Bawang, Kayan, Kenyah and Melanau participated in the programme organised by SBC.

Ose acknowledged SBC’s effort in setting up the community gardens as a way to better record traditional knowledge which had played and would continue to play a vital role in the socio- economic development of the state.

As such, he said the effort must be continued, adding that all related data should be consolidated for greater usage such as for the pharmaceutical industry.

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Sarawak Gong Festival Promotes Cultural Society And National Heritage

BAU -- The inaugural Sarawak Gong Festival 2011 being held at the Redeems Centre, Kampung Apar, here can create a cultural society who loves the art of national heritage, said Tourism Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.

He said with the participation of cultural groups comprising the younger generation from various countries including the Peninsula, Sabah and Brunei, the festival could be a platform to showcase the uniqueness of gong-based dance and music.

"Tourists and the local culture should be in tandem as Sarawak has a lot of tribes and ethnic groups who provide the main tourism products in the state and country," he said when opening the festival, organised by the Sarawak National Department for Culture and Arts and Tourism Ministry.

His speech text was read by Tourism Assistant Minister (Local Event and Product) Datuk Gramong Juna.

Abang Johari said the festival which involved five invited groups from outside the Sarawak state and eight local groups should be continued in the future.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Sarawak Gong Festival Promotes Cultural Society And National Heritage

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Tourism good option for Baram folk

MARUDI: Upper Baram folk, in areas such as Long San and Lio Mato, should get involved in the tourism industry.

Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan, who made the suggestion, said this was in line with the government’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

“Ulu Baram has many strategic places that can be tourist spots with clean waterfalls and environment, it also has interesting Orang Ulu culture, colourful costumes from the Kayan, Kenyah and Penan communities, handicrafts and others,” he said.

He suggested tourism products be developed involving visits to natural attractions, traditional hunting with blow pipes, Orang Ulu traditional marriages, dances and boats. Sagan also encouraged the people to apply for the homestay programme.

“Tourists like to stay in the homestays as the charges are much lower compared to the starred hotels,” he said when opening the Kedaya Telang Usan Community Development Seminar at Long Silat longhouse recently.

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The Borneo Story: The Dyaks

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

In this episode, The culture and lifestyle of the Iban Sea Dayaks living on the Skrang River are documented. Also documented includes religious practices, agriculture, cooking methods, textiles, and headhunting.

The Borneo Story: 'The Dyaks' from The Doozer on Vimeo.

The other earlier series are as follows:

1st: Borneo from the Beginning

2nd: Birds Nest Soup

3rd: Cavemen of Today

4th: Peoples of the Tinjar River

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The Borneo Story: Peoples of the Tinjar River

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

This episode document the arts and crafts of the Kenyah and Barawan peoples, including music and instrument making, painting, wood carving, beadwork, and body tatooing, along with other daily life activities.

The Borneo Story: 'Peoples of the Tinjar River'

from The Doozer on Vimeo.

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Baram Regatta turns town into sea of colour, festivities

MARUDI: This town exploded into a riot of colours as the rich cultural heritage dating back over a century came to the fore with the Baram Regatta 2011 hitting full steam yesterday.

Head of State Tun Datuk Patinggi Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Muhammad Salahuddin and his wife Toh Puan Norkiah were given a rousing, colourful welcome upon their arrival in Marudi town whichwas painted with a riot of colours from the communities turning out in their best traditional costumes.

A total of 100 boats are participating in Baram Regatta 2011, coming from Kuching, Saratok, Brunei, Sibuti and the Baram in this event which dated back over a century at the onset of a landmark peace-making ceremony to end blood-letting tribal rivalries.

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Sape Competition at Baram Regatta

MARUDI: Other communities in Sarawak are into sape music invented by the Orang Ulu.

Telang Usan assemblyman said traditionally the Kenyah used sape music as an accompaniment to their traditional dances.

But world renowned sape player Jerry Kamit of Iban origin and the Ibans and Kelabits have adopted it as their own genre of music.

“This shows that this traditional music is no longer the domain of the Kayan-Kenyah,” Dennis said when officiating at the finals of the Sape Competition at Marudi Town Square on Thursday night. It was held as part of activities of the Baram Regatta.

Among those present were Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, Robert Laing; Resident of Miri Division, Antonio Kahti Galis and Baram District Officer Joseph Belayong.

According to Dennis, the Orang Ulu nevertheless should be proud that their brand of music was gaining popularity in the international stage.

He challenged them to produce at least 20 proficient sape players in each of their villages tasked to perform live sape music during major ceremonies.

“It is rather shameful to see beautifully dressed ladies dance to sape music played on CD or DVD as no one can play the sape,” he lamented.

He said although the sape had evolved with the times from a two-stringed to seven-stringed instrument, there must be concerted efforts to preserve it so the culture and tradition of the Orang Ulu would not become extinct

Dennis said the Sape Competition initiated since 2008 was part of efforts to recognise the role of the sape in the culture of the Orang Ulu. The two-stringed instrument was once believed to have mystical power.

“Its music provides the spirit or soul of the dance, the environment in which to express who you are; beauty and grace for the women to attract warriors in the era of headhunting and strength, and dexterity for the men to attract the attention of the women of their dreams,” he said.

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Riot of colour and culture expected at Baram Regatta

MIRI: Marudi will be a riot of colour and culture when the people of the Baram Basin don traditional costumes to showcase their rich cultural heritage in Baram Regatta 2011.

The historic regatta dating back over a century was a peace-making event to mark the end of tribal wars and headhunting.

Organising chairman Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran, who is also Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Water Supplies) and Marudi assemblyman said the Baram Regatta would be an opportunity to showcase the cultural uniqueness of the people.

“I call on the people of Baram – Orang Ulu, Chinese, Iban, Malay and other communities – to come deck out in their traditional costumes on Oct 1-2 as this is the time to showcase our ethnicity and identity,” he said.

The carnival-like atmosphere will descend on Marudi, also known as Claude Town in the colonial days.

The carnival kicks off with the Baram Idol singing competition at Marudi town square on Oct 28; the semi-finals will be held the following night together with the finals of the sape competition.

Miss Baram Beauty Contest preliminary rounds will kick off on Sept 30 while Baram Idol champion would be decided the same night from the seven finalists in the 1Malaysia Cultural Nite programe.

The remote controlled boat competition and trade expo would be held during the day.

On Oct 1 morning, Head of State Tun Datuk Patinggi Abang Mohamad Salahuddin will officiate at the opening of the 104th edition of the Baram Regatta as paddlers battle for glory in the Baram River.

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Sarawak ready to host second Borneo International Beads Conference

KUCHING: Sarawak is all set to host the second Borneo International Beads Conference (BIBCo) at the Grand Margherita Hotel from Oct 7 to 9.

Bead enthusiasts from many parts of Malaysia will join their friends from Australia, the USA, Indonesia, India, South Africa, Canada, Singapore, Benin, Nigeria, Egypt and other foreign lands for an unforgettable weekend in Kuching.

The conference will take the format of research papers presented in six sessions.

One of the paper will cover Beads of Antiquity which explore the beads found in archaeological sites in Peninsular Malaysia and Northeast India.

The session on Bead Lore from Sarawak will zoom in on the bead traditions and customs of the Melanau and Orang Ulu people.

Another paper on Beads of Southeast Asia will look at Sarawak beads and the attractive beaded wedding baskets of Southwest Sumatra.

Two papers will address the practical concerns of modern bead workers who produce their artworks for sale in which the case studies will draw materials from Canada and South Africa.

Bead-makers and bead-users in Australia and Southeast Asia will examine the value beads of Sarawak and the ritual beads of Sabah’s Lotud people in one of the sessions.

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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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Family Adventure Vacation at Sarawak Cultural Village

The following article is from our archive for your reading pleasure. It is for families or those who want to explore the best of Sarawak in half a day. The Sarawak Cultural Village, the venue of the annual Rainforest World Music Festival since 1997, will showcase Sarawak's cultural heritage and colourful cultures, which boasts 27 ethnic groups.

Click on Image above for a larger view

The Sarawak Cultural Village is a MUST visit destination for anyone who is visiting Sarawak, Malaysia Borneo, especially on a Family Adventure Vacation.



Located about 35km from Kuching city and tucked away on the foothills of legendary Mount Santubong, the Sarawak Cultural Village is built on a 14-acre site of equatorial vegetation, next to a scenic man-made lake.



Sometimes referred to as a living museum, the Village depicts the heritage of the major racial groups in Sarawak and conveniently portrays the respective lifestyle.



The village boasts seven ethnic houses representative of the Malay, the Chinese, the Penan and the longhouses of the Bidayuh, Iban, Orang Ulu and the Melanau.



Take a stroll around the village and observe the inhabitants of the various houses displaying their skills in making traditional handicrafts such as beading, wood-carving, bamboo-carving, pua-weaving, etc. You can also view traditional methods of making sago, and crushing sugar cane.



One of the highlight is to take a look at how the Penans make blowpipes and other hunting instruments, and try out your blow piping skill..., aimed normally at a balloon from a distance.



Another highlight is the 45 minutes live cultural dance show at the theatre. You will be entertained in the comfort of the air-conditioned mini-theatre where award-winning dancers and musicians present their famous multi-cultural performances.



Continue reading at: Family Adventure Vacation at Sarawak Cultural Village

Recommended Tour Package:

• Half-Day Sarawak Cultural Village

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Sarawak State-level Gawai at Annah Rais Sept 3

KUCHING: State level ‘Gawai Celebration’ organised by Tourism Malaysia (Sarawak) and Ministry of Tourism and Heritage will be held at Kampung Annah Rais in Padawan on Sept 3.



The organising chairman Edward Kurik said the celebration was the second time ever aimed at promoting tradition and culture of the Bidayuhs in Padawan.



He said the festival more popularly known as ‘Gawai Tourism’ will also provide opportunity for tourists to see and understand first-hand the unique culture of the Bidayuhs and their traditional dances and games.



There are a lot of things that tourists can learn from this experience, he said yesterday.



Agencies involved in the event are Padawan Municipal Council and Village Security and Development Committee of Kampung Annah Rais.



He explained that there would also be a cultural exchange programme involving residents of Kampung Annah Rais when they received the visitors from Kampung Semban, during the celebration.



Those from Semban, a traditional village, will also display their own brand of unique culture which may be a bit different from those of Annah Rais, he said.

Continue reading at: Sarawak State-level Gawai at Annah Rais Sept 3

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Sarawak Longhouse Story

The sight of it was unmistakable: a small satellite dish listening and picking up messages from the outside world. It was totally incongruous to the 30 minute-or-so boatride through the Lemanak River cutting through a rain forest of Sarawak, a Malaysian province in Borneo.



The narrow boat, negotiating through shallow waters and river stones, had revealed to us—I and fellow travelers from the media—a moving picture of age-old trees, crowned with bromeliads and draped with vines.



It’s naïve, however, to think that the residents of the longhouse, the traditional village dwelling in these parts of Malaysia, wouldn’t have been touched yet with the boons (and banes) of civilization.



There was after all, electricity, as what our guide, Henry Gu had told us. He also clued us in on customs, such as how to accept food offered by the locals (by accepting a small piece and spitting it out discreetly if in case it didn’t suit our taste) and pay homage to the village chief (apparently, a handshake would work). But still, the satellite dish caught me off-guard.



The longhouse is what its name suggests: an elongated, continuous dwelling which, because of its size, can be considered a village of its own. (Ours was relatively small, with less than 20 rooms and 100 or so residents).



I took the stairs which was actually just a series of steps carved on a tree trunk as a woman pounded a gong to signal our arrival. We were offered their version of the rice wine, which shared a similar taste with sweetened vinegar.



Possibly an interpretation of a modern-day longhouse, the one we visited didn’t feel lost in time. Save for carvings and baskets and other traditional accoutrements, the longhouse didn’t constrain on convenience.



Some areas of the floor were covered with linoleum and videoke wasn’t exactly unheard-of. Still, the bones of the house were spare, elements poured in from openings across the corridor and the fact that it was enveloped in rain forest, well, that made all the difference.



What I loved about this particular longhouse was its emphasis on decoration, limited in scale it may be. Residents had different versions on how to beautify the space, such as using posters of Malay teen-age stars for instance. A running motif was the curled strips of pale wood that adorned the ceilings and the posts. Like little, fluttering banners, they made the atmosphere festive.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Sarawak Longhouse Story

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Sabah holds celebrations for World's Indigenous People Day

The International Day of the World's Indigenous People today is being celebrated in Penampang, Sabah.



Several orang asli communities of Peninsular Malaysia, Dayak communities of Sarawak and Kadazan Dusun Murut communities of Sabah have been present at the Kadazandusun Cultural Association's Cultural Village since the four-day national level celebrations began on Saturday.



The annual celebration, which alternates between Sabah and Sarawak, is organised by the Indigenous People Network of Malaysia (Joas) and a few other indigenous non-governmental organisations.



The focus this year is on the contributions of indigenous women and youths in the economic sector and forest management.



Suhakam, a co-organiser for the event, conducted a forum on Indigenous Economic Development yesterday.



Suhakam commissioner Jannie Lasimbang, who presented a paper on “Economy, Traditional Occupation and Technology” at the forum, said the national human rights institution was aware that the rights of the indigenous peoples had not been adequately protected or promoted, and was seeking ways to improve the situation.



She said Suhakam was currently conducting Malaysia's first ever national inquiry into the land rights of indigenous people and working on their right to participate in all levels of decision-making.



Continue reading at: Sabah holds celebrations for World's Indigenous People Day

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‘Heart of Borneo’ communities linked by traditional music

KUCHING: When Elyas Yesaya from East Kalimantan started knocking on a ‘tubong’ to create a series of harmonies, the handful of music enthusiasts and historians at the Sarawak Museum broke into cheers as the bamboo instrument, not more than two feet long, is proof that the communities living in the ‘Heart of Borneo’ share common roots.

Geographically located in the middle of Borneo, the name ‘Heart of Borneo’ was given due to the several ecological wonders of the place among them, the huge network of rivers which brought and sustained lives in both Malaysia and Indonesia.

Even though separated by borders, the cultures and traditions of the communities living on the highlands have created a bond shared for generations.

In 2003, the late Datuk Dr Judson Sakai Tagal, former state assemblyman for Ba’ Kelalan, mooted the idea to form a forum to bring both countries under one roof as a stronghold to sustain cultures and traditions without borders.

It took a year to realise the dream, when the Borneo Highlands Community and Culture Forum (Forum Masyarakat Adat Dataran Tinggi Borneo, Formadat) was formed in October 2004 among the communities of Sarawak, Sabah and East Kalimantan.

For the Sarawak side, it was formed from the Lun Dayeh, Kelabit, Lun Bawang and Sa’ban from Bario, Ba Kelalan and Long Semadoh while East Kalimantan was made up of the Krayan Induk and Krayan Selatan communities.

Sabah completed the forum with her communities living in Long Pasia, Long Mio and Ulu Padas.

“This musical instrument is unique as it sounds quite similar to the gongs of the Orang Ulu in Sarawak,” said Elyas who handcrafted the musical instruments with skills he picked up at a young age.

Among the bamboo musical instruments Elyas handed to the Sarawak Museum director Ipoi Dantan were the agung bulu, kelinang, sanang, keng, telingut and ruding.

“These instruments are made from several types of bamboo,” said Elyas who explained that some of the musical instruments are actually everyday items in their community such as the keng which is used to pluck fruits.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: ‘Heart of Borneo’ communities linked by traditional music

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Sarawak Rainforest World Craft Bazaar continues to shine

SANTUBONG: The Rainforest World Craft Bazaar (RWCB) was a big hit among locals, especially female entrepreneurs, judging by both the crowd and gamut of goods sold during the 3-day extravaganza.

Among those participating at the RWCB, which was held in conjunction with the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) 2011, were four entrepreneurs sponsored by the Women’s Bureau of the Chief Minister’s Department.

The group’s representative Amal Hussain said this was the first time they participated in RWCB and they were thrilled to bits with the response from festival-goers.

“There are always customers at our booths and tourists just love our local handicrafts,” he said.

Amal said that he and his female friends did not want to miss the good business opportunity provided by the Women’s Bureau to promote their goods.

Among items sold at the bazaar were ceramics, traditional costume jewellery from various local ethnic groups and cakes.

“Most of the things we sold were purchased by foreign tourists because they said they wanted something that reflects the beautiful Sarawak culture.”

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: Sarawak Rainforest World Craft Bazaar continues to shine

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National-level Gawai Dayak open house on July 11 to be held in a 21-door Iban longhouse

PAKAN: The national-level Gawai Dayak open house to be held at Rumah Wilson Begat Bakir in Ulu Paku, Betong on July 11 will be graced by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin would arrive by helicopter at the longhouse at 11am, revealed Deputy Minister of Information, Communication and Culture, Datuk Joseph Salang.

“He will be accorded a traditional welcome on his arrival,” he told reporters after visiting victims of a fire that razed Rumah Usar in Rantau Betebang in Wak here yesterday.

Twenty families were left homeless after fire destroyed Rumah Usar at 9am on June 19. There were no casualties.

Salang said more than 3,000 people were expected at the event to be held at the traditional 21-door Iban longhouse (Rh Wilson Begat Bakir) which is more than 85 years old.

It is also the longhouse of Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas.

Salang said canopies equipped with close circuit televisions (CCTV) cameras would be set up in the compound of the longhouse for guests.

“The guests will be entertained to cultural performances and served Dayak delicacies,” he said.

Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: National-level Gawai Dayak open house on July 11 to be held in a 21-door Iban longhouse

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Gawai Dayak celebration - Festivity in rural areas

KUCHING: With the absence of state-level Gawai open house on June 1, this state capital had been unusually quiet on the first day of the Gawai Dayak celebration.

It has been several years now since the state’s Dayak leaders pooled their resources to hold the open house normally attended by the Head of State Tun Abang Muhammad Salahuddin Abang Barieng, Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, state and federal ministers, foreign and local dignitaries and members of the public from all walks of life.

The majority of the state’s Dayak leaders left the city to celebrate the harvest festival in their respective hometowns or constituencies in rural areas.

Only a handful, such as Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk James Dawos Mamit, are celebrating in the city.

Last year, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu and Social Development and Urbanisation Minister Datuk Seri William Mawan held open houses in their respective homes in the city on the first and second day of Gawai.

Continue reading at: Gawai Dayak celebration - Festivity in rural areas
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