Visit from Sarawak Craft's Representatives (Lesley Lingod & Juliana Jambol) To Our DAM Beranyam Class 2009

Children walk two hours to school ..By Philip Kiew

Children walk two hours to school
By Philip Kiew

MIRI: They have to walk two hours to school; starting at 4am and returning home at 4pm for lunch in an unbelievably hard life and heartbreaking thirst for education.

PONDERING THE FUTURE: Jang with wife, Christopher and Jeniffer, rues his future home that may have to make way for a plantation.

Resilient Christopher, seven, and elder sister Jeniffer, 10, have to wake up at 3am every schooling day and start walking an hour later in darkness to daylight for 20km, to reach SRK Pujut Corner. Mother Hu Bee Chu accompanies them all the way in a heart-wrenching story of tough life.

Tucked in the farmhouse, nearly 18km from the junction of Miri bypass road near the water gate of the Drainage and Irrigation Department, these two slender children have been walking to school since they first stepped into a preschool classroom.

Their heart-rending story only came to light when their father, Jang Enggan, who is unemployed, and with a partially paralysed left hand, had walked two hours from their house to take a bus to Miri City Council to meet up with Henry Jalin after hearing the later on radio talking on the urban poverty eradication programme in an interview on Thursday night.

Jang took a bunch of banana from the farm and sold it for RM6, and paid RM1 for the bus fare to meet Henry yesterday morning to relate his heart-wrenching tale.

The bus fare cost RM1.60 but because the driver knew Jang very well, he was resigned to accepting only RM1 from this poor soul.

He had to pay RM5 for his left hand’s physiotherapy at Miri hospital for an injury sustained after a fall in the work place at the army camp last July.

The trip from his home to the hospital usually takes him at least four hours as he walked all the way; stopping to take rests in between.

“I had to sell some fruits or pluck ‘midin’ (local fern) to sell to get some money today (yesterday). I had to do it because I wanted very much to meet Henry,” he said.

Miri City Caring Society (MCCS) was notified, and the relevant facts and documents to ascertain the help needed by this family, including a visit to their farmhouse where an oil palm plantation company has claimed rights of ownership, were put together.

Jang and his family were formerly living in their squatter house at Pujut Corner before a major fire struck and destroyed it with many others in 1998.

“The authorities told us that there are no more resettlement lots, and offered us low-cost flat to buy, but I had no money and had no choice but to move to our farm hut and their mother had to walk the children to school and back,” he sighed.

Christopher and Jeniffer had to miss one week of school this year due to flood.

“Let me tell you, our children have not missed even a single day of school without any good reason,” the mother said. Strangely, the family never received any flood relief assistance.

Christopher and Jeniffer have other siblings, including eldest brother Edward Jarau, 23, who is already away trying to make a living; Augustine, 14, who is studying in Sri Aman with the help of the Welfare Department; and a 19-year-old sister who has run away from home 10 years ago.

With them in the farmhouse is William Wat, 16, who does odd jobs to help support their schooling. William himself left school after completing Primary 6.

Jang worries about his future when his farm and shelter are gone when the plantation arrives at his footstep as some farms in the area are already affected.

MCCS chairman Pemanca Wilson Siang and his committee met yesterday over the case, and they have decided that MCCS will assist in liaising with the relevant authorities for the appropriate assistance for the family.

“Education is the most important thing for the two younger children, and perhaps getting them into a boarding school may be the answer while the family may have no home soon if the plantation comes in,” said Wilson.

Meanwhile, Jalin said the council would identify the form of assistance, which could be channelled to the family while MCCS will bring up the matter with the relevant authorities.

CHARITY: Assistant To Jang Engan's Family

RumahDayak.com needs your assistance to help Jang Engan's family to meet the cost of sending their two children to school, getting fresh pairs of school uniforms, stationeries and other relevant educational items. Let us pass the hat around among members.

Donation can be send to this drive coordinator, Pengayau2009 (kindly private message him for bank details).

Donate generously and we thank you for your kindness. May God bless us all.

Thank you.
Uchu Keling

Phyllis Muda Visit to Miri

PENGANJURAN KURSUS KEUSAHAWANAN DI MIRI, SARAWAK

Dimaklumkan bahawa Institut Keusahanwan Negara (INSKEN), jurkan beberapa siri kursus Kementerian Perdagangan Antara Bangsa dan Industri akan menganjurkan beberapa siri kursus keusahawan berbentuk 'Hands-On Berpakej' di kawasan Miri, Sarawak. Kursus ini dijalankan serentak bermula pada 29 September hingga 07 Oktober bertempat di Eastwood Valley, Miri. Butiran kursus yang duabjurkan adalah seperti berikut:

i) Kursus Hands-On Berpakej Rawatan Selepas Bersalin
ii) Kursus Hands-On Berpakej Jahitan Manik Ekslusif Tahap 1
iii) Kursus Hands-On Berpakej Masakan Kek & Pastri
iv) Kursus Hands-On Berpakej Gubahan Bunga Tahap 1

Pendaftaran Peserta: 29 September 2009 @2.30pm - 4.30pm @Eastwood Valley, Miri

VANISHING IBAN ADAT

Vanishing Iban adat
By Eve Sonary Heng

The rich tapestry of Iban folkIores is fast fading with the passing of the older generations and might eventually disappear without efforts to save them from extinction.

THE Ibans form the biggest ethnic group in Sarawak with a population of about 682,400 or 28.9 per cent of the state’s population of 2,357,500.

They live in 3,800 longhouses and villages throughout Sarawak — 82.1 per cent are found in the rural areas while the remaining 17.9 per cent live in the towns.

Over the years, some Ibans have also migrated to peninsular Malaysia, particularly Pasir Gudang and Masai in Johor, and Sabah, concentrated mostly in Merotai and Tawau.

In his presentation at the recent Iban Cultural Seminar in Betong, Dato’ Sri Celestine Ujang Jilan noted that the Ibans were well-known for their rich folklores, especially oral traditions, as well as costumes, dances and music.

However, he pointed out that with the swift transformation of the community to modern lifestyles, brought about by the rapid growth of infrastructural development and tertiary education, this cultural heritage was in danger of vanishing.

Take for example the musical ensemble called enkerumung, performed in accompaniment to Iban traditional dances.

According to Sylvester Anam Kakok, tuai rumah (longhouse chief) of Sungai Malang Atas, Bakong, Baram in Bukit Peninjau in Miri, the main reason for the dwindling number of skilled engkerumung players is that younger Ibans are not very keen to master the art.

He said the engkerumung is an ensemble of seven pieces of cymbals with different sound tones and played together with a ketawak, bendai (gong) and ketebung (drum made of animal skin) for the ngajat (Iban traditional warrior dance) on festive occasions. The ketawak is a bigger gong than the bendai. Each instrument is played by an individual to the beat of the engkerumung.

The players are now popularly known as Band Temaga or Copper Band because the cymbals and gongs are made of copper.

The engkerumung is commonly performed in longhouses and during celebrations such as the Harvest Festival or Gawai, wedding receptions and birthday parties.

The adat betenun — weaving of kain (cloth) or pua (blanket) — is another tradition fast losing its appeal and not practised as much now.

A female Iban weaver, Angkik Ragai, fears this traditional art will be lost forever one day, saying the younger generation is not keen to take it up — unlike their forebears.

According to Angkik, kain-weaving is an art that takes patience and dedication to master and the exquisite elegance of the finished product evokes a deep sense of personal accomplishment.

“When the weaving is completed, the material becomes a piece of ornamental hand-woven fabric, worn by an Iban maiden as part of the traditional Iban costume. It has beautiful and intricate patterns handed down from generation to generation.

“The designs are preserved by weaving them into stripes on mats called ngarap. From there, one can copy the designs. The work is intricate but also satisfying,” she said.

Celestine, meanwhile, said the vast repertoire of Iban oral traditions had been transmitted down the generations since time immemorial.

The traditions continued to exist only in oral forms until the end of the 19th century when a lot of the oral materials were collected, transcribed and published in the Sarawak Gazette and the Sarawak Museum Journals, he added.

However, it was only in the 1960s that a large amount of the materials were published by the Borneo Literature Bureau which was taken over by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in 1976.

The oral traditions are really encyclopedic in that there is a huge volume of them. They are either sung in tune (benyawa) or just recited or related (disebut-ditusui), and in both cases, they may sometimes be accompanied by music.

Among the recited items are the genealogies of the family tree, fables and legends (jerita tuai), myths, epics and sagas (ensera), prayers and invocation, troupes which consist of proverbs, idioms and sayings (jaku dalam: jaku tuai, sempama, jaku sema, jaku karung) and riddles (entelah).

Each of these oral traditions has its own particular functions and significance in various aspects of Iban social and communal life, covering the basic values, culture, mores, manners and convention, and adat, ranging from child birth, romance and courtship, marriages, entertainments to healing practices, funeral rites, house construction and farming activities.

The legends for folklores are very much related to the genealogies and important sources of the Iban heritage and culture, tracing back to the founders and origins of the various adat.

There are scores of such stories — sengalang burong, the founder of adat berburong; puntang raga who left messages regarding prohibitions affecting incestuous marriages (jadi salah serak); serapuh regarding adat pemati and sempulang gana regarding the guidelines for farming activities.

Besides these, Celestine said, there were tales of tribal conflicts among the earlier settlers of the various territories in early Sarawak.

Other forms of folklore are myths, epics and sagas. These are actually narrated to entertain the audience and highlight moral values.

The most famous figures, who happened to be a couple, are Keling and Kumang. Besides his good looks, Keling is famous and well-remembered for his exemplary gallantry in war while Kumang is remembered for her extraordinary and unmatched skill in weaving the traditional fabric — pua kumbu.

Celestine elaborated that the oral traditions sung in various tunes were the chants (timang and pengap), dirges or laments (sabak), healing chants, love songs, songs of praise and lullabies.

The dirges or laments are unique. When patients become too sick to recover and finally pass away, the traditional Ibans get the service of the dirge singers (tukang sabak), normally women, to chant the dirge (sabak) to guide the soul of the deceased on a journey to the Land of the Dead (Batang Mandai) and return to Earth after the mission is accomplished.

The dirge is lengthy and full of interesting descriptions of the journey, using classical vocabularies, fabulous imageries and euphemism concerning the Land of the Dead.

Celestine believed one of the reasons for decline of the oral traditions and other forms of folklore was that the Iban folklorists, well-versed in oral traditions and other components of folklore, were generally old and illiterate, and thus, unable to put their knowledge into writing.

In fact, many of the knowledgeable bards, shamans and other experts had already passed away and hardly any of the younger Ibans are either experts or keen in maintaining the tradition.

On Iban traditional costumes, Celestine said those for the men weren’t as elaborate as those for the women.

The common headgear is made of a cap, woven with split rattan strips with several pointed projections (ketapu tunjang) where long plumy feathers of hornbills or pheasants are inserted. Another similar headgear is the ketapu silung, decorated with beads, feathers and animal furs.

Making the ketapu tunjang or a ketapu silung is not easy nowadays because the plumes are not readily available since they come from birds protected under the Sarawak Wild Life Protection Act.

Among the other costumes are the jacket which has several alternatives, including the war coat made of animal skin still covered with fur called the gagung, and the dress called the sirat, a long piece of cloth wound several times round the loin after covering the man’s private part just enough for decency.

The accessories include the tikai burit, a small mat woven from rattan or bemban strips tied loosely from the waist just wide enough to be a place for the wearer to sit on, the engkerimuk which are brass or silver rings worn around both legs just above the ankles.

For the women, practically every part of the body is adorned with some kind of gear. Pinned to the hair is the tall curved hair comb of decorative silverwork. This head-dress consists of a conical cap made of hollowed softwood, covered with a piece of colored cloth. Fixed to the cap are scores of antennae-like projections wrapped with colorful papers. Each antennae has colorful beads, cotton wool, silver coins and tiny bells.

The women’s dress consists of several kinds of jacket and vest worn together with different types of skirts. One is the baju ringgit comprising mainly chains of pure silver coins hanging from the shoulder down to the knee and covering the inner layer of the dress.

The next set of costumes consists of several types of skirts such as fabrics woven with the tie and dye method (kain kebat bebuah), the embroidered cloth (kain sulam or kain anyan) and the skirt decorated with cowrie shells (kain buri).

All these skirts can be worn and kept tight round the waist by wearing the silver belt with large heads (lampit pirak). The belt is made of coins strung together (nyawir or sementing ringgit).

Above the skirts covering the abdomen and the ribs is the corset, made either of silver or brass.

Costume accessories include gold rings, silver bracelets (for ankles) and two silver balls of about three inches in diametre to be held in the left hand when the wearer walks.

According to another presenter at the seminar, Datu Nillie Tangai, long ago, the Ibans believed in superstitions and myths but as time passed by, and with the disappearance of the older generations, these folklores began declining.

When major religions had not yet permeated the lives the indigenous communities, they usually had some kind of paganistic religion often rich in beliefs, taboos and rituals.

Before Christianity reached the Iban community of Borneo, one of the things they religiously observed was the adat berburong — a system of beliefs based on the augury of observing the calls, flights and behaviors or actions of birds.

Nillie mentioned that according to the folklores, humankind first lived in the same abode with the gods. When feuds and conflicts broke out among the humans, they began to fragment and disperse.

But just before they went their separate ways, the gods made a promise to the humans that if they ever wanted to ask for the god’s help, they would have to make their petitions through songs, prayers, incantations and music.

On the other hand, if the gods wanted to send a message to the humans, they would do it through birds, dreams and patterns that could be scrutinized on a pig’s liver.

“Adat berburong is a belief that what the birds do or utter are messages from the gods. Humans would have to heed these omens to either benefit from the missives or if they ignored or violated what they had been told, mishaps or calamities could befall them,” Nillie explained.

There are only eight types of birds considered authentic messengers, of which seven are extremely potent. The eight birds are pangkas (maroon woodpecker), beragai (scarlet trogon), ketupong (rufous piculet), sengalang burong (a kind of god, the founder of the adat berburong), bejampong (crested jay), embuas (banded kingfisher), papau (diard’s trogon) and nendak (white-rumped shama).

Observers of messages from these birds are particularly wary and fearful of signs that portend bad omens. For instance, it is ominous if a banded kingfisher perches at a longhouse because it signifies that someone is going to die.

If the bird stalks someone from behind while he is on his way to visit a sick person, then that someone should turn back. If he remains defiant and goes ahead, the sick person may become more sick or even die.

According to Nillie, a length of a small tree trunk or a branch is believed imbued with some kind of curative property or magical power if it is taken possession of at the time a certain bird’s call is heard.

This length of wood known as the birdstick’ is called tambak burong or paong burong and can be used to cure, say, a headache or used through a ritual to invoke a good padi harvest.

There are actually many other uses of tambak burong but knowledge of it or even of the whole adat of beburong is gradually dying out with passing of the older generations.

TUSUT ARI BEJIE

Peturun Bejie

Bejie ke nangga hari patah titi jamban penjuang >> Nisie bejulok bunga besi enda semaia makai tulang >> Antu Berembayan Bulu Niti Berang >> Telichai, Telichu enggau Ragam.

Nyadi Bejie tu nurun ka asal kitai Iban, bansa antu gerasi enggau orang Panggau-Gellong.

1. Telichu – Tuai Antu
2. Telichai – Tuai Kitai
3. Ragam (f) – Indai Manang Jarai

Telichu tu bebali nyadi antu gerasi leboh ke ngasu enggau menyadi iya Telichai. Sabedau iya bebali nyadi antu gerasi, iya ngajar anak menyadi iya, Manang Jarai, nunu kulit kayu lukai dikena muru antu gerasi leboh malam bulan pernama enggau leboh ari kudi, beguntur, bekilat serta ujan lebat.

Ragam tu indu kitai Iban ketarubah iya nemu ngena enselup ngerendam benang awak ka bechura mirah dikena nenun kain. Ragam beranak ka Manang Jarai.

Telichai bebini ngambi Endu Dara Sia Bunsu Kamba, ke berumah dilempa maram samadang, ke ngembuan tajau rusa ke bebuah bukir ngena neladan bingka buah senggang ke lalu nurun ka asal tajau. Seduai iya beranak ka :

1. Gila Gundi (Si Gundi) – Apai Keling, Orang Panggau Libau
2. Retak Daai – Apai Sarapoh
3. Lalak Pala – Apai Bujang Sakunding Mupong
4. Brenai Sugi – Apai Kumpai Brenai Rarat Beranatong
5. Kurong Mayang
6. Bui Nasi
7. Belangkat – Apai Remias (bini Pateh Ambau).

Nyadi Si Gundi tu bejulok “Sepit Api Ke Bejari Ragang-Ragang, Pengetis Ka Simbong Terabang, Ke Bejalai Melit Tisau Langit Besabong Gelang”’. Dalam leka main bukai, iya mega disebut orang baka tu; ‘”Bujang Kelemayang Panas, Tandok Kijang Berindas, Gemuring Gading Taing-Taing Bepelimping Pala Patong, Chang Chelawang, Gila Gundi Sepit Api ke Bejari Ragang-Ragang, Bujang Sampang (or Sampak) Gading Tandok Kijang Kuning”’. Iya tu anak tuai ka sida tujoh iko diri menyadi.

Si Gundi bebini nguai ka indu orang Panggau Libau ke benama Laing “Dayang Be-mas, Beredai enggai tuai, Bereda berambau dara, Lemba limbong bulan begantung, Lemba lembi bulan pegari” lalu beranak ka:

1. Keling “Manok Biring Sempidan Arang, Keling Ajee Ke Berani Tau Serang” tauka “Keling Aji, pemaioh bini banyak rambang; Kiai Anyai, penyambut sakai pemanggai lintang; Keling Aji berani ati, tau serang; Gerasi nading, bujang berani kempang”,
2. Endu Rikok Papan Pelangka (tauka “Kelinding Tambak Aping, Endu Suloh Bintang Betating, Endu Rikok Papan Berengong, Endu Rioh Bunsu Keling”).
3. Endu Sipantang Mayang Mara.

Si Gundi ke bebini indu orang Panggau benama Laing lalu nguai nampil orang Panggau-Gellong ninggal ka menyadi iya ke bukai. Iya lalu idup begulai enggau kaban ipar iya ke endang asal orang Panggau enggau Gellong. Laban iya ka endang mutus berani serta lurus ati enggau kaban mentua iya, dia iya nyau mansang dikerindu ka bala ipar iya ke bukai baka sida Ensing Gima, Si Ganti seduai Beddang. Ari sukong sida Ipar iya tu tadi, iya pan lalu didirika sida nyadi tuai orang Panggau. Kategal nya, Ipar iya ke benama Apai Sabit Bekait seduai Apai Ribai lalu enda lantang ati ngagai Si Gundi laban seduai iya endang tiris pantis orang Panggau serta patut nyadi tuai orang Panggau Libau. Barengkah ari nya tadi, sida lalu belaya diri sabilik ti ngujong ka Apai Sabit Bekait nyerang rumah sida Si Gundi. Leboh serang tu, Si Gundi seduai Ensing Gima sama parai ngetan ka rumah diri. Sida bukai lalu ditangkap Apai Sabit Bekait magang lalu dibai iya lari ka langit takut ka Keling seduai Laja datai malas pemarai apai seduai. Sida Keling, Laja, Bungai Nuing enggau Pungga endang udah pegi balelang ngagai menoa bukai maia tu. Apai Ribai mega mai bala iya pindah lari ka tasik besai. Tampil serta peturun Si Gundi enggau orang Panggau-Gellong baka tu:

• Si Gundi x Laing (f) = Keling (Manok Biring Sempidan Arang, Keling Ajee Berani Tau Serang), Endu Rikok Papan Pelangka (f) & Endu Sipantang Mayang (f)
• Ensing Gima x Sinja (f) = Laja (Lau Moa Penyampu Leka Balang Beraang, Laja Sigat Serangkap Panau Jarang, Laja Batek Kelandik Kaban Dayang), Endu Dara Lantan Sakumbang (f), Iyak Satikal Bidang (f)
• Si Ganti tauka Ngingit Lemai x Nawin (f) = Sempurai (Mintigerai Lancham Disimbang, Bunga Nuing Manok Biring Disabong Mali Lenyang), Endu Perunu Tating Sirat (f)
• Beddang x Sinjong (f) = Tutong (Ulop Demong, Bujang Lemadu Gendang), Indai Mendong (f), Rembuyan Tali Ripang, Kelinah Indai Abang (f), Jawai Ensengai Dayang Kumang (f)
• Apai Sabit Bekait, Anchong Selong Belit tu tuai ka sida Indai Keling diri menyadi. Iya ngelari ka diri ke langit udah bekau ke belaya serta munoh Si Gundi seduai Ensing Gima di Lembang Muang. Nya kabuah iya disebut dalam leka main baka tu; Apai Sabit Bekait, Anchong Selong Belit, Nya orang mangkang Sungai Langit Mit, Bekuta rapit baka tambit pintu belulang, Orang mangkang langit redam, Baka kangan dasu sapuntang. Iya nguta diri di langit takut ka sida Keling seduai Laja datai malas pemati apai iya. Nya kabuah maioh cherita Iban nusoi sida Keling ngayau ngagai sida Apai Sabit Bekait di langit.
• Apai Ribai tu menyadi biak sida Indai Keling menyadi. Sida pindah ka tasik besai ngagai menoa ke dikumbai Jambai Sentebai, Di tasik besai Ledong Linang. Pendai sida di keresik anik, Anti sugu mekang, Menoa batu intan endor orang ngemeran ka ringgit wang baru. Sida pindah ka tasik besai udah bekau laya Keling seduai anak Ribai ke benama Selanjat Hari kategal barebut deka jadi enggau Kumang. Kumang besemaia jadi enggau sapa-sapa orang ke ulih ngalepas ka apai iya ke benama Beddang ari tangkap sida Apai Sabit Bekait di langit. Keling lalu mai bala iya ngayau ka langit lalu mai Beddang pulai ka Gellong.

Udah parai Si Gundi seduai Ensing Gima di serang sida ipar iya Apai Sabit Bekait, orang Panggau enggau Orang Gellong lalu pindah nitih ka sida Apai Sabit Bekait ka langit. Ari perang tu, nama Keling lalu nyadi pegari berani, tau ngayau, tau mulau, tau serang, tau mandang nyadi tuai orang Panggau Libau nganti apai iya.

Retak Daai bebini ngambi Kelitak Darah Menyadi lalu beranak ka Sarapoh. Tusut sida bakatu :

Sarapoh x Reminda = (Chundau, Bada, Sempaok), Sampar & Remie (f) x Rukok = Menggin (Ming) x Dara Tinchin Temaga (f) = Sera Gunting x Seri Ngiang = Sera Kempat x Ranjau (f) = Ridoh (f) x Bada = Gupi (f) x Grasi “Belang Pinggang” = Geraman or Ensoh (m) x Tebari (f) = Beragai (f) x Chundau = Beti “Brauh Ngumbang” x Duri (f) = Talak x Pandak (f) = Badas (f) x Girik = Blaki I x Buang (f) = Penyut x Endia (f) = Landan (f), Jering (f), Empiang (f), Sudan (f) x Salang I = Blaki II x Beremas (f) = Tur “Bayang”, Lada (f) & Ugap x Nisi (f) = Salang II x Nati (f) = Lintu (f), Limping x Tambong (f) = Bali, Uja x Sree (f) = Salang III, Sambun (f), Nyanggau x Gindu (f) = Indoo (f) x Attat = Benedict Sandin, Lenti (f), Gerinching (f) & L.F. Mawar x Roselyne Petri = Marylne Mengan,Gregory Nanggau (Author), Hugh Chunggat, Christabel Cherurai, Elizabeth Tara & Jacqueline Selaka

Nyadi Lalak Pala “Baka Ditasau, Bungkok Belakang Pemaring Jantau, Kaki Chungkir Pengirau Danau”, beranak ka Bujang Sekunding Mupong ke bebini ngambi Dayang Kumbang lalu beranak ka Endawie seduai Ratih “Meretih Langgong Kumpang”. Ratih ke dulu diau di Batang Kumpang beranak ka Jenua ke berimba Langgong Kenyandang. Jenua lalu beranak ka Sagan-Agan Sabulan Tuang-Tuang, Temengoh, Landoh enggau Ugam. Sagan-Agan nurun ka sida Bantin “Ijau Lelayang” enggau iban di Batang Ai lalu Temengoh nurun bala Iban di Batang Saribas.

Nyadi Bernai Sugi ‘Puchung Wa Genali, Bunsu Beriak Bujang Sapuncha Benang’, beranak ka Kumpai ‘Brenai Rarat Beranatong, Rumput Beranyut Ngaki Wong’ ke belaki diambi Tedong Karong Chenaga Umbang lalu beranak ka Endu Dara Tali Bunga ke belaki diambi Laja Menila Rangkang lalu beranak ka Seri Ngiang. Seri Ngiang belaki ngambi Sera Gunting anak Menggin seduai Endu Dara Tinchin Temaga.

Kurong Mayang: (No research done yet)

Nyadi Bui Nasi tu jadi enggau Putong Kempat lalu nurun ka iban dalam menoa Batang Ai enggau Saribas baka ka dibaroh tu:

Bui Nasi x Putong Kempat (f) = Guntar (f) x Linggi = Sengalang Burong Biak x Kechendai Lawai = Tinchin Temaga Biak (f) x Ketupong = Bunsu x Simpang-Impang Biak = Punggang Batang x Putong Kempat = Kumpang Seladang x Kumbang Marau = Dayang Nor x Telu Aur = Dyg. Idah, Radin Tanjong x Dayang Lungah = Pateh Ambau x Remias = (Liang, Babang, Nunong, Jubang) & Ganggong x Medana = (Jampi, Jeluie (f), Jimbat, Sendie (f) & Chiri x Sunggoh = Ganja x Laka = Tumbu (f) x Baling = Entayan (f) x Lawang = Gindau, Anting (f), Empiang (f) & Sedau x Lada = Megong, Bundong, Umah (f), Radin & Mampak x Peranda = Betia x Mandah (f) = Lemba (f) x Jubin = Riang, Ancha (f), Gadoh, Bedil & Arai (f) x Sarran = Luyoh & Ajie x Bawang = Apol x Juna = Penghulu Tembak x Empuna = Bujang, Biju.

Anting (f) x Ingkas = Takin x Empayong = Ganggong, Jerapong, Malang, Ngiok, Gira & Ngelingkong x Bidang = Impin, Telajan x Cherembang = Empana, Empayong (f) & Mambang x Jelik = Nisau & Penghulu Barau x Bata = Penghulu Embuas x Suma = Penghulu Ningkan x Madu = Penghulu Sanjan

Nyadi Baling berumah di Nanga Merudong, tebing kiba mudik Batang Ai. Diatu ka sakayu embawang iya agi idup dia ke alai iya merejok bechakap deka malas ka pemarai Bagor apai Bada ke bebini ka Layar lalu dibunoh orang Layar. Ninga apai iya kena bunoh orang Layar, anak iya Bada lalu mai Kajop, Ugap enggau Nilie ngambi pati nyawa apai iya ka Layar.

Nyadi jalai sida ka Layar, sida ngundur ka Batang Ai. Di Nanga Layar sida ngetu ba Beliu Apong ke alai sida bechakap, nyau bepandam ka buah apong ba tangkai. Kenu ko jerita tuai, ngenying baka kaban pipit terbai buah apong dipandam sida. Ari nya baru sida mudik ngagai rumah orang ke digagai sida. Leboh mandi ba pengkalan orang, sida lalu bempa ka buah engkuang. Tembu begari nya baru niki ka rumah.

Malam udah tembu makai sida deka bendar bira. Sida lalu bira di tanju, ngemira ka buah engkuang. Nyadi babi ka makai tai sida ngenying baka kerup. Nya alai orang Layar ngumbai sida bira ka batu, ke ngasoh orang takut ka sida. Orang maioh ngumbai sida gagah tulang antu.

Samalam nya sida berandau ka pati nyawa Bagor. Orang Layar ngumbai nya patut dibri pati nyawa tajau rusa nyengenda ke lalu ditambah ka enggau gerunong, guong bulan selabuan enggau salai semah sabatang ladung. Paginya, serta pati nyawa nya udah keluar sida Bada lalu mulai ka diri ngagai Batang Ai.

Belangkat tu apai Remias ke jadi enggau Pateh Ambau lalu nurun ka Iban Batang Ai enggau Saribas.

Researched & Compiled by: Gregory Nyanggau Mawar

E-mail: gnmawar@pd.jaring.my

Original source material by Professor Clifford Sather & Late Benedict Sandin, published on The Sarawak Museum Journal Vol.XLVI No.67, Dec 1994.

MY GENERATION

Tusut Ari Dayang Laing Enggau Bunsu Ribut

1. Dayang Laing x Bunsu Ribut = Bunsu Bintang Banyak
2. Bunsu Bintang Banyak x Jelenggai = Selamuda
3. Selamuda x Dayang Manis Muka = Begeri
4. Begeri x Senia = Busok “Tandok Raja”
5. Busok “Tandok Raja” x Singgau = Mai “Apai Rekaya”, Sendie (f)

6.1 Mai “Apai Rekaya” x Jelawai = Patinggi Gurang
7.1 Patinggi Gurang x Pudai = Patinggi Ngadan
8.1 Patinggi Ngadan x Lamentan = Bata (f), Lubun
9.1 Bata x Sambang = Pala (f)
10.1 Pala x Entinggang = Saang, Nasa (f), Inchoh (f)
11.1 Saang x Selaka = Nangku (f), Changgai, Lanchang, Tida (f), Umoi (f), Injar, Laus (f), Lika (f)
12.11 Nangku x Uyut “Bedilang Besi” = Pala (f), Linggir, Empari, Entemang, Sendai (f), Nisi (f), Cheremie (f).
13.11 Pala x Renggie = Kelanang, Saang, Janta, Jantin, Adir, Busu.
14.11 Kelanang x Empayung = Uyut II, Lanchang, Empiang, Leminang
15.11 Uyut II x Sawat (f) = Linggir “Mali Lebu”
16.11 Linggir “Mali Lebu” x Anong = Umang (f), Kinyeh
17.11 Umang x Garan “Lembang Batu” = Uyut III, Libau, Kerbau, Tupang (f), Attat
18.11 Attat x Indoo (f) = Benedict Sandin, Lentie (f), L.F.Mawar, Gerinching (f)
19.11 L.F. Mawar x Roslyne Petri = Marilyn Mengan x David Muyu = Diana Indoo & Victoria Sia, Gregory Nyanggau x Evelyn Rendan = Abrahame Limping & Nigel Ubong, Hughes Chunggat x Shirley Rabong= Basil Temenggong,Nana & Imah Christabel Cherurai x Allen Crock Nanta= Daniel Gait, Damien Anjie, Debbie Jara & Dalcia Cheria, Elizabeth Tara x Brownie Abunawas = Madonna Sendi & Marshall Liggong, Jacqueline Selaka (f)
20.11 Anthony Dunggau x Jacqueline Selaka = Trina Mayang, Ronstan Nelian & Fedelia Niah

12.12 Lika (f) x Malang “Pengarah” = Gelang (f)
13.12 Gelang x Unggam = Chulo “Tarang”, Idah (f), Rinting (f)

14.121 Chulo “Tarang” x Dinggu = Ngadan, Unggit, Ujoh, Dungkong (f), Lanjing (f), Gulang (f)
15.121 Lanjing x Ratih = Penghulu Undom
16.121 Penghulu Undom x Ginyam (f) = Chandat (f)
17.121 Chandat x Penghulu Entigu = Ratih, Kuling

14.122 Idah x Ipa = Kedit “Rindang”, Anjee, Risik, Satik (f), Sima (f)
15.122 Kedit “Rindang” x Sundai (f) = Penghulu Saang “Rumpang”, Penghulu Tait, Jampang “Pintu Meru”, Melling, Graman, Garai.
16.122 Peng. Saang “Rumpang” x Gelingie = Rimbu (f)
17.122 Rimbu x Ipa = Ivory Kedit, Jawai (f), TR Charlie, Julia (f), Gelang (f), Kinta (f), Insin (f), Illan & Sudan (f)
18.122 Ivory Kedit x Inja (f) = Albert Rumpang, Peter Mulok, Selina (f), Alice (f), Nancy (f), Magdelene (f), & Angel
19.122 Nancy x Temenggong Mathew Dana = Bayang, Lumpu, Daniel, Reminda (f)

6.2 Sendie (f) x Guang = Lanchap
7.21 Lanchap x Judi = Tair, Tida (f), Tingkat
8.21 Tair x Giam (f) = Rendan (f)
9.21 Rendan x Manggie = Tama
10.21 Tama x Manyi (f) = Kerbau
11.21 Kerbau x Nisi (f) = Gendup
12.21 Gendup x Ujor = Rinya (f), Mawar Biak “Ragai Ngerang”, Melling, Eddie, Ranti

13.211 Rinya x Enchana = Giam (f)
14.211 Giam (f) x Jimbat = Kanching (f)
15.211 Kanching x Ipol = Kusau
16.211 Kusau x Lawas (f) = Unchi, Megong, Tampoi
17.211 Unchi x Jentang = Garan, Jawai (f), Assan
18.211 Garan x Renyam = Ambang, Tupang (f), Sawat (f), Mayang (f), Jata (f)
19.211 Ambang x Genilau = Renggie, Tambong (f), Jentang (f)
20.2111 Renggie x Nyala = Gerijih, Jawai (f), Nurin (f), Saang, Penghulu Mula, Sandu (f)

13.212 Mawar Biak “Ragai Ngerang”* x Lena (f) = Gallau
14.212 Gallau x Chandu (f)* = Imban, Ladang (f), Sulau
15.2121 Imban x Nati (f) = Chelengga (f)
16.2121 Chelengga (f) x Bali = Sangkan
17.2121 Sangkan x Nawi (f) = Tambong (f), Janang
18.2121 Tambong x Limping = Uja, Bali
19.2121 Uja x Sree = Nyanggau
20.2121 Nyanggau x Gindu (f) = Indoo (f)
21.2121 Indoo (f) x Attat = Benedict Sandin, LF Mawar
22.2121 LF Mawar x Petry (f) = Marilyn Mengan, Gregory Nyanggau (Author), Hugh Chunggat, Christabel Cherurai, Elizabeth Tara & Jacqueline Selaka

15.2122 Ladang (f) x Bunyau = Kunchit
16.2122 Kunchit x Umos (f) = Unggang “Lebor Menoa”
17.2122 Unggang “Lebor Menoa” x Sangan = Mulok, Luta, Ketit, Sulan (f), Ramih (f), Selaka(f)
18.21221 Mulok x Mendu (f) = Changgai, Sendie (f), Ladang (f)
19.21221 Changgai x Linda (f) = Budin “Gerasi”, Dunggat, Eddie.

18.21222 Sulan x Awan = Bunyau, Maoh, Undu (f)
19.21222 Undu x Empari = Tangkun “Resa”, Pengarah Ringkai, Nyanggau “Lang Laut”, Penghulu Biju
20.21222 Nyanggau “Lang Laut” x Satik (f) = Penghulu Empati, Machup, Merara (f)
21.21222 Penghulu Empati x Pendi (f) = Chula, Impang, Tanai (f)
22.21222 Tanai (f) x Saliman = Pancras Eddie, Nati (f)

20.21223 Pengarah Ringkai “Bedilang Besi” x Itu (f) = Setiri (f)
21.21223 Setiri (f) x Salang = Siah (f), Remah, Bunyau, Branggom, Dujung
22.21223 Siah (f) x Layang = James Anin
23.21223 James Anin x Juliana Bragai (f) = Stanley Geraman, Timothy Salang, Diana Selaka, Larry Mahathir Kedit

Note:

1. Dayang Laing was created by God Almighty from a big piece of gold called “Tengkulas Batu Mas” which he placed at the eastern corner of the world surrounded by desert. Her first husband was Bunsu Ribut (the Wind God) and begot the Seven Sisters (Bintang Banyak or Pleidaes). Her second husband was Abu Tinggang the son of Petara Semarugah (god who have authority on all land).

Ci.2 Jelenggai was a Sumatran ancestor. He was a sailor and an adventurer. He married the youngest of the Seven Sisters (Bunsu Bintang Banyak) – the daughter of Dayang Laing and Bunsu Ribut – and begot Selamuda. He taught the Iban on how to use the movement of Pleidaes to determine their padi planting season.

Ci.3 Selamuda married Dayang Manis Muka, the daughter of the Boar Chief of the animal Spirit world. They begot Begeri who learned how to use pig liver to discern the future fate of human being during festivals, such as mudas, when farmers seek indication regarding omen heard during the clearing season of the year. His descendant is still using this tradition nowadays.

Ci.7.1 Patinggi Gurang was a Sumatran ancestor who came from Sumatra and landed at Kayong in Kalimantan Barat where he finally settled.

Ci.8.1 Patinggi Ngadan was one of first pioneers who came from Kayong to settle in the middle Layar river in the Saribas District where he died and was buried at Lupa Cemetry near Dabok, Layar.

Ci.11.1 Saang was a chief who migrated from Layar to settle in the Lower Paku. Due to his arrival, the lower Paku and Upper Paku were made into two administrative region long before the arrival of the Rajah Brooke. When he died, he was succeeded as chief of Lower Paku and Anyut region by his son-in-law Uyut “Bedilang Besi” the husband of his eldest daughter Nangku.

Ci.12.12 Malang “Pengarah” married Lika (a daughter of Saang and younger sister of Nangku) was driven away from Ulu Anyut by his brother-in-law, Uyut “Bedilang Besi” and other relatives. As a result, Malang and his family settled at Serudit Stream in the Lower Paku. His descendant were the famous warrior under Chief Linggir “Mali Lebu” and war leader Chulo “Tarang” who later migrated to Krian Region in the Kalaka Dustrict. The reason for the expulsion was unknown.

Ci.16.122 Penghulu Saang “Rumpang” was also a Nakhoda who led his followers, together with Budin “Gerasi” and his followers, bought valuable jars in Sabah.

Ci.13.212 Mawar Biak “Ragai Ngerang” was a war leader who lived at Ulu Entanak near the town of Betong in the Saribas District. He died in the enemy’s country while leading his fighters in war.

Ci.14.212 Chandu (f) was a daughter of Selangka and Bau of Seremat in the Batang Ai, near Lubok Antu. Her father Selengka was a mighty war leader of the Batang Ai of his time. Chandu was the sister of Sentu, Mawan, Pagan, Niok (f) and Buja of Enteli in Batang Ai. Her hierloom “Tajau” is still kept by the family of late Benedict Sandin @ Kerangan Pinggai, Paku, Spaoh, Saribas.

Ci.17.2122 Chief Unggang “Lebor Menoa” was the invader of the old Malay Village at Muara Tebas where he and his warriors killed many enemies. He also guarded the South China Sea coast from the mouth of Saribas River westward as far as Santubong Delta from frequent invasions of the Illanun and Sulok Pirates before the arrival of James Brooke to Sarawak. His sons Luta, Mulok & Ketit perished while sailing in search of Tuchong (Hugh Shell valued by people in ancient days for making armlets) to the Beliton Island. He was also the originator of the modern day dowry of the Saribas Iban wedding custom. His grandson Bunyau was the father of Panglima Bakir and the brother of Maoh who were the first Saribas Iban Chief to colloborate with the Government of James Brooke in building a fort at Betong in 1858. This unwelcomed action angered Ajie, Nanang & Luyoh (sons of OKP Dana “Bayang” of Padeh) and resulted in hatred among them and this led to the later’s attack on the Fort and Ajie’s death at Sungai Langit. This quarell continued until after Nanang & Luyoh’s surrender at Sadok Mountain in 1861 after the Third Sadok Expedition.

Ci.19.21222 Pengarah Ringkai was made the first Iban Pengarah under Brooke Rule at Fort Alice in Simanggang in 1886. He suceeded Penglima Bakir who died in 1874. All his brothers were loyal fighters of the Brooke. He died in 1902 and was succeeded by his brother, Penghulu Biju who retires in 1922. Penghulu Biju died of old age in 1927. He was suceeded by his nephew cum son-in-law, Penghulu Empati in 1922. Chulo (son of Penghulu Empati) was a longhouse headman in sucession of his uncle Manggat (son of Tangkun “Resa”) at Bangai Kanan near Betong. Pancres Eddie was a Sarawak Administrative Officer (SAO) at the end of the Brooke Rule in 1941 at Lubok Antu. After 2nd World War, he was attached to the Sarawak Co-operative Dept. and then to Radio Malaysia Sarawak as Head of Iban Section, and from thence he became the Resident of the 7th Division of Sarawak till his retirement in 1973.

Compiled & researched by Gregory Nyanggau Mawar

Friends - need your assistance/networking. Know any potential research assistants into Iban studies?

Source: vernonkeditjolly.blogspot.com

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Research Assistant

Can you read and write Iban and are enthusiastic about being a research assistant for free? If the answer is YES to both questions, contact me.

Phase I (3 months, via email)

Transcribe handwritten Iban manuscripts onto soft copy.
Basic translation of Iban into simple English or simple Malay.


Phase II (2 weeks, field)

All expenses paid field work in Saribas during school holidays. Dates negotiable.


Phase III (1 year, via email)

Worldwide publication of research and credit mention.

http://vernonkeditjolly.blogspot.com/

Those interested in those 2 books can get it at Bell Bookstore @Toys World at Price of RM99.00 (Iban Baskets) & Rm39.00 (Rentap)

Jenny Jeli's(SIDS Chairlady) Visit to our Beranyam Class

From Sarawak Museum - Basketry

Sarawak is a land of rich natural resources. Its indigenous people make a living out of their natural surroundings. Daily activities are always a rotation among farming, hunting, fishing and gathering which demand them to utilise everything that nature provides for their convenience. The abundant weaving materials like rattan, bamboo, nipah leaves, pandanus palms and bemban reed have been creatively untilised in producing useful items like baskets, hats and mats. Some of these items have significant functions and meanings in their ritual ceremonies.

Baskets are primarily tools; either as a carrier and some form of a container. Interestingly, different types of baskets are made for every different function. There is a specific basket for planting, for harvesting, for storing and for winnowing the padi, besides those required for collecting bamboo shoots and edible ferns, for fishing and for keeping personal belongings. Likewise, suitable hats are made for farmers as head protection from the sun and rain. Mats are made not only for sleeping but also serve a purpose for drying padi in the sun, for catching the winnowed rice and also extensively used for their farming festivals and rituals ceremony.

Weaving and plaiting baskets isn’t just for convenience. In the Iban community for example, the ability to plait fine baskets would enhance the standing of a woman within the community. This artistic culture is also enriched by the existence of numerous ethnic groups in Sarawak. The baskets and other plaited items are made in their own design and technique that represents the ethnic identity.

The nomadic Penan are well known for producing the finest rattan sleeping mats and baskets which are closely plaited, soft and pliable. These are decorated in a cream or light colour with dark brown or black design of hornbills, spiders and florals motives. The most famous Penan basket is called ajat; made of finely split rattan, is cylindrical back pack basket with two shoulder straps.

The ingan basket, cylindrical in shape, supported by a set of four vertical sticks on the sides serving as legs, slightly flared at the top and made of wide strips of rattan, used for carrying and storage, is a typical Kayan basket. This type of basket is used for carrying goods for long distances and can also be used for storing padi or other personal belongings in the longhouse.

The Bidayuh makes a variety of baskets of different sizes. The most popular is tambok. Like the Kayan ingan, it is also in cylindrical in shape and supported with four vertical sticks. The Bidayuh carry their jungle produce to the market in this type of basket on their back, with a bark-cloth head strap over the forehead. Unlike the baskets made by other ethnic groups, the Bidayuh produce their tambok baskets by plaiting with vertical and horizontal strips of rattan, instead of with the diagonal ones as practised by the other groups.

Chantong is another type of basket made by the Bidayuh that is worth mentioning. It is finely plaited and superimposed with bark or skin and covered with a drum-like cover. Shaped like the Kayan ingan, it is used for storing personal belongings. Formerly when headhunting was prevalent, new heads were stored in this type of basket and hung up in the headhouse.

The coastal Melanau produce a wide range of baskets from the popularly known round topped Rejang basket to the modern purses and handbags, decorated with a combination of traditional designs in natural, black and red colours. These baskets are either made of thinly split rattan strips or strips of bemban.

This ethnic group is also famous for its traditional hat called terendak. They are large, somewhat conical in shape, made mostly of the swamp nipah leaves, decorated with long bamboo strips or nipah veins, radiating from the top centre of the hat and dyes in black and red. Rattan strips are sewn on the rim of the hat to strengthen it.

Among the outstanding baskets made by the Iban are the seed baskets ( raga). They are small, about 10" high, with a white band of wood around the top, and four-cornered bottom without stick support. They are very finely plaited and often decorated with symbols depicting the rituals of padi farming. These baskets are worn over one’s shoulder or fastened at the waist so that the padi seeds can be conveniently taken out for planting.

The Kelabit produce a variety of baskets for carrying and storing padi. These usually large baskets, cylindrical, in shape like a cone and supported by a number of vertical sticks on the side, are generally decorated with horizontal bands of design related to padi growing. Wide varieties of baskets, hats and mats are available in the Museum Shoppe for perfect souvenirs and collection of the indigenous plaiting arts of Sarawak.

WEAVING FROM BEMBAN (REED) & RATTANS (ROTAN)

Bemban (REED) Basket For centuries, Sarawakians have been using intricately carved baskets made from bemban reeds and basket making has evolved from a craft into an art. Now, the modern world is discovering that these items make eye-catching fashion accessories and household items. Bemban baskets come in a variety of styles and colours and have many uses. They make chic shopping baskets, purses and handbags. (Click here for more) © Sarawak Craft Council For further enquiries please contact us BEMBAN

Wherever you go in Sarawak, whether in rural areas or town, you will see bemban baskets. They are used as rucksacks, tote bags and even fashion items such as purses. Bemban may be an easily harvested, relatively cheap material, but the skill with which local basket weavers fashion intricate patterns make even the most mundane object a work of art.

Water or Marsh Bemban The bemban reed grows on wet ground near streams or on more hilly terrain. The Iban bemban is a handsome, light to deep green plant with broad shiny leaves growing to a height of several metres. Two varieties are used in plaiting: bemban ai or bemban paya (water or marsh bemban) grows closer to water, is fragile and only used in mats. Bemban batu or bemban bukit (stone or hill bemban), a very close species is tougher and lives on higher ground. It is of a deeper green than the other varieties and is used for baskets. Like most things in Sarawak, bemban comes with its own legends. It is considered taboo (mali) in some areas to use the hill bemban in making mats. In the Saribas district, people claim that it will eat the flesh of the person who lies on such a mat. Stone or Hill Bemban

The women of Sarawak have been weaving bemban into handy every objects since time immemorial. Today, they are equally expert at weaving this useful reed into modern fashion items such as purses and handbags or household objects like wastepaper baskets or laundry hampers. Bemban baskets have a thousand uses.

Rattan Mats The kesah and lampit mats made from split rattan and woven into intricate and fanciful designs are used as both sleeping mats and carpets. Preparation of the rattan fibre from the thorny vine is a long and tedious process of stripping and drying, but the result is well worth the effort. Durable, practical and beautiful, kesah and lampit mats, made from rattan, add a touch of the exotic to the floor of any home or office. Their beautiful designs and durability make them much sought after both by Sarawakians and visitors. (Click here for more) © Sarawak Craft Council For further enquiries please contact us RATTAN MATS Rattan mats are not just beautiful works of art. They are prized because the more these mats are walked the more the rattan fibre develops a sheen and patina that makes the mats ever more beautiful and more pliable. This unusual quality means that they can be handed down as heirlooms and their designs are forever fashionable. Though the finished product is beautiful, gathering the raw rattan can be arduous and dangerous and processing it is hard work. In the jungle, the rattan gatherer pulls down the canes in coils dislodging wasps and ants nests and risking being lacerated with its spines and barbed whips. The leaves and leaf sheaves are removed by pulling them round or over a tree trunk, a process known as runti rattan. Some of the finest mats are made by the Penan people; nomads who live in the rainforest. Their mats are extremely durable and finely plaited. Their myriad designs are truly spectacular although formed from only two colours, basic black and the beige colour of the undyed fibre. Several Sarawak ethnic groups produce mats but the Penan are said to weave them so fine that they are watertight. A really heavy-duty mat is the tikar lampit a large mat measuring up to 2.5 m x 6 m although smaller, rug lengths are also produced. While plaiting of mats is usually carried out by woman between rice planting seasons, the tikar lampit is woven by men. Its unique design is achieved by laying split rods of rattan about one centimeter thick, side by side. The rods are pierced and bound together by braiding them with rattan fibred. To make a secure edging, the ends of the canes are crushed to break them down to fibres which are then plaited into a decorative border. The tikar lampit can be rolled but never folded. Rattan mats of all types are frequently decorated with the star pattern buah andau or buah bintang, a four-pointed geometric figure frequently found on baskets as well as mats. Rattan mats have stood the test of time and are now becoming popular with modern decorators and homemakers who are seeking unusual, beautiful and long lasting floor coverings. © Sarawak Craft Council 2001 For further enquiries please contact us