Thursday, July 17, 2008

Lubok Antu's Rumah Salang,Penjai Ruai

Jamal – Penjai Ruai, Lubok Antu


My last visit to my home village was exciting and memorable. My uncle, long house headman, Tuai Rumah Salang welcomed me warmly like I was the long lost son who had not been home for a decade.

At 63, my uncle is a handsome, muscular man who could still farm his rice on his own and gather about 15 bags of milled rice each year. His helper is his ever faithful wife of more than 40 years. Both of them own quite a substantial property of rice land, one in the lowland and one on the hill slope. Sometimes they obtain daily help from a few Indonesians who cross the border just above their longhouse.

From the junction of the road to the longhouse, I could see the beautiful mountains which form the Indonesian-Sarawak border in the east and the Lubok Antu Dam in the south. Both features contribute enormously to the exciting life of my uncle’s village.

On the first day of my arrival at the village, my uncle took me hunting, hoping that my presence would bring them good luck. Uncle Salang has always been a sharp shooter although his gun is almost as old as he is. That day we took the pick-up and went up the mountains. Two hours later, Uncle Salang found a “good place” to hunt and we left the vehicle by the side of a trek. We started to walk in single file. Soon my uncle’s ears were all alert and suddenly a shot ran out. He had downed a wild boar. Now that was just minutes after our arrival! That was certainly good luck.

We went home immediately, carrying our trophy. To the delight of family and friends, our hunt brought enough food for everyone. Soon people gathered around and the animal was cut open. My fortune was read by the village witch doctor via the liver of the wild boar. Obviously it was a good day for me.

Soon the fire was going well, bamboos were cut for cooking of the meat and vegetables.
Fish like tilapia, kali and sultan were easily available in the river behind the longhouse and a basketful of fish for dinner was no trouble at all. Giggling ladies came in to contribute their tapioca, cucumber leaves, bitter gourds, pumpkins, local golden brinjals and the sourish, local cucumbers.

That evening we had a wonderful feast, with every one contributing to the cooking. My favourite dish was the Ikan Keli cooked in Durian Paste: a dish was made in heaven.

My stay was over all too soon. And I left with a grateful heart. My uncle and aunt are the closest relatives I have and leaving them was like a calf leaving its mother. They have always provided that warmth and care that I need in my nurturing years. They are the scaffold that I need when I can not find my feet in the hard grind of life.

Jamal Domeng/Dynasty Hotel/2007

Ulu Woh, Kanowit,Sarawak

Visit to Iban Long house in Ulu Woh, Kanowit

As an Iban growing up in town, I had very little knowledge of rural life. My first visit to my Iban relatives’ village in Ulu Woh changed my perceptions of life. And I will never forget that particular visit.

We took an express boat from Sibu to Ulu Woh in Kanowit. The ride in the 100 odd seating capacity fast bomb-looking boat took almost four hours. We passed thick green forest and some scattered riverine villages. The murky and yellowish Rejang River seemed to be teeming with crocodiles. Hidden logs made river traveling a little treacherous.

Upon arrival, we were given the Iban “appetizer” or home brewed rice wine called “tuak”. We sat down happily on the mat and talked about little things,making our relationship closer. Serving tuak is an act of respect for relatives and friends and even strangers. Old tuak can be as good as brandy. This little welcoming ceremony would take slightly more than two hours.

In the afternoon, I went for a swim in the huge river. While girls and women did their washing, including mine, boys and men enjoyed themselves in the water. Such riverside bathing may take hours. Sometimes it was an opportunity for young men to watch the young ladies they fancy. And before long, if arrangements could be made, a marriage would materialize.

I would not wait for evening to arrive as by then I was extremely hungry from the energetic swimming. Dinner was sumptuous. We were served the wonderful longhouse dishes of salted wild boar meat cooked in bamboo. At best salted wild boar is even better than German sausage meat. The second course was heavenly barbequed deer meat. When the third dish came out I could not believe that it was snake meat, sliced thinly and served in a wonderful onion and soy sauce. It was fit for a king. Then several vegetable dishes were served, namely salted tapioca leaves(daun ubi), salted mustard green (ensabi), jungle ferns,cucumber leaves, bitter cucumber leaves and the lovely orangey pumpkin cooked with dried fish.

For dessert we had three different sweet cakes called sarang semut, kueh acuan (moulded cookies) and roti sepit, which was actually love letters to the rest of the world. All these were downed with the help of “Cap Amoy” coffee which was really black and sweet. To the longhouse folks,this is the only coffee they know of. The hospitality of the Ibans has been well known. And as a young boy, I had an embarrassingly large number of helpings for all the dishes served. Our gracious hosts were amused and endeared by my cravings for traditional food.

Somehow, life in the village was so simple yet so rich. Coffee Bean, KFC, Sugar Bun and ATM machines seemed to be another life away. For just that little short time, I felt the presence and strength of my ancestors in my blood.

By Japri Lanyau,2007

My La Kiput Village at Kuala Tutoh,Baram

One hour by express from Marudi is a remarkable Kiput Village called Kuala Tutoh. It is just called Kuala Tutoh because it is situated at the confluence of the Tutoh River and the Baram. Not too far away, the meanders of the Tutoh has resulted in a ox-cow lake called Logan Punggok.

This Logan Punggok is a rich fishing paradise and the waters are always full of huge fish like the tapah, the ikan mata merah which is a prized fish for the Chinese,ikan baong, ikan biawan and ikan keli. The Kiputs are wise enough to allow only Kiputs fish in this logan. No outsiders are encouraged to harvest any fish here,although they are welcome to stay for a feast, and spend a night in the village.

Fish is a staple to our village people. We could have barbeque almost any time. But my favourite dish is Ikan Keli cooked in soy sauce. Ikan Keli is always freshly caught here and is in season the whole year round. Ikan Baong is actually a very sweet tasting fish and lots of people like it. When the harvest is good, my people would send their catch to Marudi. The income from the fish is often very good. Thus we have good timber and good building materials for our longhouse. Besides, our people also benefit from good education and medical services from the government.

The village is in fact a longhouse of 69 doors or units. There is a large secondary school nearby called SMK Kuala Tutoh and a small primary school.

This area is also famous as a hunting ground for the Kiputs for generations. Many stories have been told by hunters who have come home with huge game. Stories of ghosts, eerie experiences and encounters of special kinds are common amongst the Kiput hunters. One could never have enough of them. And as a child, I was always very entertained by these brave hunters.

The Kiputs are very musical people. In the evenings many men and women could be found singing. When a band could be grouped, the singing would become even better.
This is why Christmas is often a very good time for all the family members to come home for a good reunion and feasting. Friends from far would come too every few years to enjoy Kiput hospitality.

There is a legend surrounding our village. A white crocodile is known to have inhabited the Logan for many years. Once in a while, a tree could be floating in the middle of the lake. Below this tree is the white crocodile. Many people have come to my village just to try their luck in catching sight of this crocodile. Perhaps you might just be the lucky one!



Bernerdstein Wilson Sakan,Hotel Artist, Dynasty Hotel, 2007.

Introduction

We are a group of young hotel industry employees who are learning English.

We hope you will enjoy reading our jottings,writing,photo-essays,etc.

We also hope that you could write in to encourage us.

Visit Malaysia! Visit Miri. Stay at Dynasty Hotel!

Cheers!