Nurturing spirit of Gawai

KUCHING: IT is that time of the year again in June, where familiar smells permeate Dayak villages throughout Sarawak.

The sweet pungent smell of fermented rice wines and gravies of native cuisine boiling in bamboo over open fire as well as sounds of slaughtered hogs fill the air.

A feast prepared and fit for the gods who helped to provide a good harvest for villagers is a must on June 1 when Gawai Dayak in Sarawak is observed.

The rice gods are not really sought on that day, for the ceremonies are mainly symbolic, a part of the culture that should be preserved for the younger generation -- ceremonies like Miring and Ngalu Petara or welcoming the spirits.

When I was younger, my folks in the longhouse in Bua, Engkilili would carry out all these ceremonies during Gawai Dayak and various other Gawai celebrations.

Yes, I said it right, various other Gawai celebrations.

Gawai, which literally means festival in my other mother tongue, Iban, simply means that.

Other than the normal Gawai which I experienced, I was part of my grand uncle's Gawai Kenyalang festival; a festival exclusively for warriors who had killed numerous enemies and only he could decide when the date for the celebration was to be held.

The difference with this Gawai is that a sacred hornbill statue, intricately carved is thought to represent the chief of all the worldly birds and oversees all mankind.

That is what I was told and another important part of Gawai Kenyalang is that, only an outstanding warrior can hold such Gawai and my granduncle was a former decorated Sarawak Ranger.

My granduncle is not around and I never got the chance to listen to all of his war stories. And being half Iban, honestly, I do not know much about my own heritage and I have to really do some research to know more.

Like any celebration, Gawai is the time to give thanks for any success that we achieve, but the nitty-gritty of how it is celebrated makes it different and gives it an identity.

Tourism Malaysia, Sarawak Tourism Board and Sarawak Cultural Village recently launched a tourism package that focuses on Gawai. Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board state director Ahmad Johanif Mohd Ali said many Malaysians outside Sarawak were puzzled with the Gawai celebration and even he was clueless about it.

"The festival is a crowd-puller, but the problem is that it is not promoted. It is sad that such an important event is not widely known in Malaysia."

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Proposed ‘Three Rivers Festival’ a major event for Kuching

The ever popular Pesta Kaul, Pesta Dalat and Pesta Balingian are set to become major events with the proposal for ‘Three Rivers Festival’.

The idea, which was conceptualised by Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, will see participation of the communities from Mukah, Dalat and Balingian in organising the event at all the three locations.

“A fund can be set up to organise these events and with bigger capital, it will turn these events into a major event and not just an event for the locals to gather,” said Taib when closing Pesta Balingian at Batang Balingian Waterfront yesterday.

Taib elaborated that having such event on a larger scale and involving participation of the people from around the area would be a great way to promote the economy in the area, while enhancing inter-community ties.

“Therefore a tourism fund for the ‘Three Rivers Festival’ can be set up and the festival can be done annually according to turns,” he said, adding that it was not impossible for towns such as Dalat to manage a crowd of 20,000 with help from the surrounding communities.

Earlier on, Taib in his speech said his politics of development should not be construed as only a change in terms of economic scale.

“Changes within the community are not literally based on economics, but we want the people to change their mindset towards lifting their family status for the better,” he said, reminding that there was no point in bringing development if the people did not benefit and take advantage of it.

Pointing to better road connectivity and communication as a tool that was underutilised, he said the people particularly in the rural areas should use the Internet and Wi-Fi technology to promote their business.

“We understand that there is not much population in the rural areas. We need the numbers for businesses to come and the area to grow,” he said.

This, according to Taib, was why various development projects had been planned, among them the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) where industries would be set up to benefit the locals through job opportunities that offered better pay.

“This formula is the best for Sarawak as our population is scattered all across the state, not to mention those in remote areas. It is impossible to gather everyone in one place or only in major cities,” he added.

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Adding value to Sabah handicrafts

FOR an insight into life in Sabah during the bygone days, one only has to look at the traditional houses and hand-made relics being preserved at the Sabah Museum Heritage Village within the Ethno-botanical Gardens at the Sabah Museum Complex.

This is a good place to see not only the unique architecture of the houses built by the indigenious community but also the handicrafts they used as household items in the old days.

The community’s ingenuity in the choice and use of wood and other plant materials is evident in the construction of the houses.

I was informed the houses were built by a particular ethnic group to reflect its identity and ensure the cultural and historical authenticity of the houses.

To emphasise these aspects, the houses are furnished with items from yesteryear, including bamboo water containers, spoons and ladles, among many others.

Occasionally, activities such as handicraft-making demonstrations and sales, cultural dance performances and traditional games are held at the Village – usually during May to coincide with the state-level Harvest Festival Celebration.

The handicraft-makers, however, want more than just demonstrating their skills and selling their wares during this time. They are looking for steady income – and they also want to impart their skills to their children.

Simini Gondilo from Kampung Pelakat Sipitang, has been weaving baskets and winnowing trays since her teens.

“I used to follow my mother into the jungle to look for materials like the right kind of bamboo and vines to make baskets, containers and all sorts of household items,” recalled the 54-year-old of Murut-Dusun descent.

It was through helping her mother that she honed her handicraft-making skills.

However, she lamented that since such items were now produced by factories, making them, especially baskets, from natural materials was no longer popular.

“We may gradually lose interest in making things with our hands. But for me, I keep making baskets because sometimes, I do get to sell them. I have a child who is interested in weaving but you don’t make much money from it,” Simini noted.

The lack of demand means she cannot sell in bulk, so she has to do something else to make ends meet.

She hoped some handicraft dealers would come up with a reasonable offer, saying this might encourage the younger generation to get involved in the business.

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Everland Eco-Farm - Retreat to nature

By Aziz Idris In Miri, Sarawak

It was an invitation hard to resist. I was invited by the Sarawak Tourism Board to cover the 2012 Borneo Jazz Festival and to experience a three-day stay at Everland Eco-Farm in Miri, Sarawak.

As a nature lover myself, I opted for the jungle adventure together with Ian Patterson of allaboutjazz.com, Catharine Tipang, a representative from Sarawak Tourism, as well as two Japanese jazz enthusiasts - Ryuta Suzuki (a freelance writer) and Takao Fujioka (a jazz graphic designer).

It was a bright Sunday morning when all of us met at the lobby of Park City Everly Hotel, Miri (the venue of this year's Borneo Jazz Festival). For Ian, Borneo was like a second home; it was his third consecutive year covering the jazz festival in Miri, as well as the internationally-acclaimed Rainforest World Music Festival in Kuching.

At about 9.30am at the hotel lobby, we were introduced to Madam Jean Lain, the wife of Dr Francis Lian, the owner of the Everland Eco-Farm, and a local tour guide, Larry Siga.

We started the journey without any delay as Madam Jean said we needed to arrive at the Everland Eco-Farm before lunch.

"It's approximately 120 kilometres from here and the journey will take about three hours," she told us.

This brought some comforting news to my ears, as this would give me some time to sleep ... or so I thought!

As I was about to doze off, the road suddenly got really bumpy. (We had not even completed half the journey yet.) Even Takao was awoken by the rough ride that sent him bouncing off his seat. Ryuta, on the other hand, was really enjoying it. As a city slicker residing in Tokyo, all his life he had not seen so much greenery before. I asked the driver if the roads would get any better as I really needed to catch up on my sleep. He just smiled and said, "It will be all gravel roads from now on."

After nearly three hours of driving along the bumpy roads, we finally reached the Everland's farmhouse, where we were warmly welcomed by Dr Francis and other local residents.

It was a two-storey farmhouse - cement on the ground floor while the first floor was made entirely out of wood. Every window and balcony was covered with mosquito netting. There were three bedrooms; Ryuta and Takao shared one room with bunk-beds on the ground floor, while Ian and I shared a room upstairs with a shared bathroom with Dr Francis and his wife. Catharine had a room to herself.

Shortly after lunch, all of us went straight to Loagan Bunut National Park, which was conveniently located less than 10 kilometres away from the farmhouse. The park is a protected area. People are not allowed to reside or build houses. Furthermore, it is also illegal to fish, hunt or cut trees. This, however, was not the case for the Berawan in Loagan Bunut.

According to Larry, fishing and hunting are among the special rights that the Berawans still enjoy as a result of an agreement between the tribe and the state government before the Loagan Bunut covering an area of 10,736 hectares was turned into a national park in 1990. Besides the Berawans, there are two other ethnic groups here - the Ibans and Penans. However, only the Berawans have been given the privilege to fish, hunt and utilise the forest resources at Sungai Teru, Sungai Bunut, Loagan Bunut and the park itself.

The lakeside scenery at the park is perfect for photography. Photographers would never miss the opportunity to shoot spectacular sunsets - and that's exactly what most of us did, especially Ryuta and Takao. It was truly a sight to behold as I watched the Berawans use a unique method of catching fish during the low tide.

Environmentalists say that the 650-hectare lake is a must-see in Sarawak. Visitors who want to take a closer look at wildlife at Loagan Bunut are advised to stay at nearby Iban, Berawan or Penan longhouses.

As the first day came to an end, we were extremely exhausted and headed straight to the farmhouse. We had a quick dinner and immediately went to bed without even realising that Dr Francis had switched the generator off at the stroke of midnight.

The next day, we went for a jungle trek through the lush peat swamp forest and enjoyed a tour around the eco-farm.

According to Dr Francis, his company - Borneo Rainforest Vanilla Sdn Bhd - is the pioneer of commercial cultivation in niche crops in Sarawak. Since the company's venture into vanilla in 2007, it has been investing in the cultivation of two other very high value niche agricultural and forestry plants namely, Stevia and Aquilaria (Agarwood) tree.

Besides the commercial cultivation of these three main crops, Dr Francis also has supporting facilities such as nurseries for seedlings production and field research centres for conducting research on these three and other crops.

One of the fruits that caught my attention was the 'Mahkota Dewa', which is said to have many health benefits including treating cancer, arthritis, eczema and cleansing the body system.

"Everland Farm is an eco-farm that aims to integrate a sustainable balance between eco-tourism and agriculture as well as wildlife conservation. Our farm's home stay programme is suitable for anyone who wishes to get away from the hectic city life and relax in a more natural environment," explained Dr Francis, who used to be a geography lecturer at Universiti Brunei Darussalam in the early 1990s.

While at the farm, we participated in a variety of activities such as horseback riding, jungle trekking and bird watching.

Like a horse whisperer, Ian effortlessly was able to 'tame' the horses. Ryuta enjoyed his time bird watching, while I trekked through the jungles.

The peat swap forests around the area were similar to those in Kuala Balai, Belait District. We even spotted a hornbill as we climbed a nearby hill. Ian ecstatically told me that he had been in Borneo three times and that this was his first sighting. Ryuta and Takao were more amazed than him because they had never seen anything like it before.

On top of the farm's foray into agriculture and tourism, half of the land is allocated for forest conservation and rehabilitation. By doing so, Dr Francis hoped that the land would develop and turn into a safe sanctuary for local birds and wildlife.

On the final day, all of us sat at the dining table and exchanged stories. The calm atmosphere at the farmhouse at night was so different from city life and it was hard to experience the simple life there.

The next day, at the crack of dawn, I climbed up a nearby hill and just sat there watching the sun rise over the valley. It was a picture-perfect moment. Unfortunately, I did not have a camera with me at the time. But I have no regrets, as I was fortunate enough to experience this first-hand. I highly recommend anyone looking for a retreat to nature to come here.

For more information, visit www.borneorainforestvanilla.com or send an e-mail to info@borneorainforestvanilla.com.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Weekend

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Tough slog for Sarawak tourism to get four million tourists

KUCHING: Sarawak will have to go the extra mile to achieve the target of four million tourist arrivals this year.

Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) chief executive officer Datuk Rashid Khan said the state would have to focus on Asian markets to boost arrival figures because of the economic slump in Europe and political instability in the Middle East.

He said although 48 per cent of the total tourists came from Brunei last year, travellers from many regions across the globe had visited Sarawak.

The state registered a record 3.8 million visitors in 2011, generating RM7.1 billion in tourism receipts.

Speaking to journalists yesterday, Rashid said the board must also work to improve air connectivity.

He pointed out that the pulling out of Firefly, a Malaysia Airlines (MAS) subsidiary, from the state also had an impact on the industry’s growth.

“Last time, we still had Firefly and now we shall look at expanding MASwings (another subsidiary of MAS) to help us achieve the four million tourists target.”

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