One of the Main Ethnics In Sarawak

IBAN

The Ibans form the largest percentage of Sarawak's population, making up some 30%. Once known as the legendary headhunters of Borneo, the Ibans of today are a hospitable and placid people. The Ibans are originally from Kalimantan, and so their culture and traditions as observed in Sarawak are very similar to the Dayaks in Kalimantan.

Because of their history as pirates and fishermen, they were conventionally referred to as the "Sea Dayaks". The Ibans dwell in longhouses, a stilted structure comprising many rooms housing a whole community of families.

The Ibans are renowned for their Pua Kumbu (traditional Iban weavings), silver craftings, wooden carvings and beadwork. Iban tattoos which were originally symbols of bravery for the Iban warriors have become amongst the most distinctive in the world. The Ibans are also famous for their tuak, a sweet intoxicating rice wine which is served during big celebrations and festive occasions.

The majority of Ibans practice Christianity. However, like most other ethnic groups in Sarawak, they still hold strong to their many traditional rituals and beliefs.

 

 The Iban traditional dance, the ngajat, is performed accompanied by the taboh and gendang, the Ibans' traditional music. 

 

 Pua Kumbu, the Iban traditional cloth, is used to decorate houses.

TIDAL BORE AT SRI AMAN SARAWAK

TIDAL BORE OBERVATION STATION AT BANDAR SRI AMAN,

SRI AMAN DIVISION, SARAWAK 

 

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Tidal bore is a tidal phenomenon in which the leading edge of the incoming tide forms a wave or waves of water that travel up a river or narrow bay against the direction of the current. Bores take on various forms, ranging from a single breaking wavefront - effectively a shock wave - to 'undular' bores' comprising a smooth wavefront followed by a train of solitary waves (solitons).
Sri Aman is situated about 205 kilometres by road from Kuching City. The unique phenomenon of tidal bore occurrs in Batang Lupar, Sri Aman, State of Sarawak. Batang Lupar flows from the Klinkang Range to South China Sea with river length of 275 kilometres. Geographicaly, Batang Lupar has a big opening at the rivermouth and becomes narrow when it reaches upstream. It is believed that tidal bore starts at Pulau Seduku located about 44.6 kilometres from river mouth and 34.5 kilometres from Sri Aman town. Tidal bore or locally known as benak occurs everyday with different wave lengths and heights. However, during spring tide, normally on the third and eighteen day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar, tidal bores with high magnitude can be observed clearly. 

GAWAI DAYAK CELEBRATION

Gawai Dayak is a festival celebrated by Dayaks in Sarawak and West Kalimantan which is officially public holidays on 31 May and 1 June every year in Sarawak, Malaysia. It is both a religious and social occasion.

The word Gawai means a ritual or festival whereas Dayak is a collective name for the native ethnic
groups of Sarawak and neighboring Indonesian Kalimantan who are the Iban also known previously as Sea Dayak and the Bidayuh people also known as Land Dayak and the Orang Ulu (inclusive of Kayans, Kenyahs, Lun Bawangs, etc.). Thus, Gawai Dayak literally means "Dayak Festival".

One of Iban costume for women (Ngepan)

The Dayaks are the indigenous people of Borneo. Dayak is a generic term for over 200 riverine and

hill-dwelling ethnic subgroups which are located principally in the interior of Borneo. They have their own dialect, customs, laws, territory and culture, although common distinguishing traits are readily identifiable. Dayak languages are categorized as part of the Austronesian languages in Asia. The Dayaks were animist and paganistic in belief; however most converted to Christianity recently. Estimates for the Dayak population range from 2 to 4 million.

The idea for Gawai Dayak started war back in 1957 in a radio forum held by Tan Kingsley and Owen Liang, a radio programme organiser. This generated a lot of interest among the Dayak community. Up till 1962, the British colonial government refused to recognize the Dayak Day but instead called it the Sarawak Day. Gawai Dayak was formally gazetted on 25 September 1964 as a public holiday in place   of Sarawak Day after the formation of the Federation of Malaysia. It was first celebrated on 1 June 1965 and became a symbol of unity, aspiration and hope for the Dayak community. Today, it is an integral part of the Dayak social life. It is a thanksgiving day marking a bountiful harvest and a time to plan for the new farming season or other endeavors ahead.

Dayak would visit their friends and relatives on this day. Such visit is more commonly known as "ngabang" in the Iban language. Those too far away to visit would receive greeting cards or wishing gawai greetings via radio broadcasting in this modern time. If there is a formal invitation to visit, the guest welcoming (ngalu pengabang) procession will be performed by the inviting longhouse.

 

Dayak Ceremony

SARAWAK CULTURAL VILLAGE

 

WELCOME TO SARAWAK CULTURAL VILLAGE ^^

 Sarawak is rich in history and heritage. It is also known as Land of The Hornbills. The population comprises of local ethnic groups namely Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Melanau and other minor tribes plus the Malays, Chinese and Indians living together in harmony for more than a century.

Being the largest state in Malaysia, Sarawak covers a vast area of 124,000 sq-km of land along the northwest coast of Borneo, the third largest island in the world. Sarawak offers you a journey of relentless discovery as you travel from city to city and from village to village where you will find, remnants of colonial architectures and in a rich heritage. 

 

 About Sarawak Cultural Village

Tucked away at the foothills of legendary Mount Santubong, 35 km from Kuching is Sarawak's fascinating cultural showcase, the award winning "Sarawak Cultural Village" which is also the venue for the World Harvest Festival and the Rainforest World Music Festival, an internationally renowned festival.

This living museum is wholly owned by the Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) depicts the heritage of the major racial groups in Sarawak and conveniently portrays their respective lifestyle amidst 14 acres of tropical vegetation.

Here, it is possible to see Sarawak's ethnic diversity at a glance. The handicraft is both bewildering and tempting, including the Kain Songket (Malay cloth with gold inlay), Pua Kumbu (Iban housewives textiles), Melanau Terendak (sunhat), Bidayuh tambok (basket), Iban parang (swords), Orang Ulu wood carving and Chinese ceramics.

The 45-minute cultural performance of songs, dances and entertainment is something you will not want to miss during your visit to Sarawak.

HISTORY OF SARAWAK

History
The modern history of Sarawak, whiffs of Victorian melodrama. Known to Portuguese cartographers as Cerava, Sarawak, had been a loosely governed territory under the control of the Brunei Sultanate in the early 19th century.

In 1838 James Brooke, a British adventure with an inheritance and an armed sloop arrived to find the Brunei Sultanate fending off rebellion from war like inland tribes. Sarawak was in chaos, Brooke put down the rebellion and as a reward signed a treaty in 1841 was bestowed the title Governor and granted power over parts of Sarawak. He pacified the natives, suppressed headhunting, eliminated the much-feared Borneo pirates, bringing ever growing tracts of Borneo under their control. Brooke was appointed Rajah by the Sultan of Brunei on August 18, 1842 and founded the White Rajah Dynasty of Sarawak. The Brooke dynasty ruled Sarawak for a hundred years and became famous as the "White Rajahs", accorded a status within the British Empire similar to that of the rulers of Indian princely states. Indeed, in 1850 the USA recognised Sarawak as an independent state — as did even the British, in 1864!

This regal butterfly was named in honour of Sir James Brooke, the first White Rajah of Sarawak Rajah Brooke's Birdwing - by the famous British naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace in 1855.

His successor, Charles Brooke, 1868-1917, was responsible for many of the historic buildings still associated with the waterfront.
Japan invaded Sarawak and occupied the island of Borneo in Dec 1941, and held it for the duration of World War II until the area was secured by Australian forces in 1945. The Last White Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke, formally ceded sovereignty to the British Crown on July 1, 1946, and Sarawak became a British colony. It became an autonomous state of the federation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963. Sarawak was one of the main sites of the Indonesian Confrontation between 1962 and 1966.

 

Map of Sarawak

 

Sarawak's Flag

UMAI SARAWAK

 

 

  

Umai is a raw fish salad popular among various ethnic groups of Sarawak, especially the Melanaus. In fact, umai is a traditional working lunch for the Melanau fishermen. Umai is prepared raw from freshly caught fish, iced but not frozen. Main species used include Mackerel, Bawal Hitam and Umpirang. It is made mainly of thin slivers of raw fish, thinly sliced onions, chilli, salt and the juice of sour fruits like lime or assam. It is usually accompanied by a bowl of toasted sago pearls instead of rice. Its simplicity makes it a cinch for fishermen to prepare it aboard their boats. Umai Jeb, a raw fish salad without other additional spices, is famous among Bintulu Melanaus. However, it is rarely prepared in Kuching. You can try umai when you eat 'Nasi Campur' during lunch hours in Kuching. Most coffee shops, especially Malay or Bumiputera-owned one, served umai daily for 'Nasi Campur'.

SARAWAK ETHNIC'S FOOD (MANOK PANSOH)

Manok Pansoh

Manok Pansoh, where the word ‘manok’ is chicken and ‘pansoh’ is bamboo in Dayak Languages, is the traditional food of the Iban tribe, the natives of Sarawak,Borneo. The food itself has becoming popular not just amongs the Iban people, but also to the Sarawakians. Usually, during many special occasions, especially during the festival times, they normally serves this kind of food. The food (meat, chicken, fish, vegetables and sometimes even rice together with the spices) will all be put together into the bamboo stem, then directly placed over an open fire to be cooked. The uniqueness of using the bamboo stem to cook is that the bamboo will give a special aroma and texture to the food where it’s impossible to have using other methods such as using  the woks.

 

The 'manok' inserted in the bamboo

 

 The pansuh was ready to served ^^