Sarawak

Beautiful Place in Sarawak

This only some of the pictures...
Dont forget to Sarawak...

Sarawak culture

The dance in Sarawak

Ibans dance

Bidayuh dance

Melanau dance

Malay dance

Orang Ulu dance

Chinese dance

Ethnic Of Sarawaks

Sarawak

Sarawak is home to 28 ethnic groups, each with their own distinct language, culture and lifestyle. The Ibans form the major ethnic group on this land with about 30.1% of the total population per the year 2000 census. The Chinese, who generally live in the cities, are the second largest group at 26.7%, followed by the Bidayuh, Melanau and other native tribes of Sarawak who are collectively known as Orang Ulu. The Malays constitute a large portion (23.0%) of the population as well, mainly concentrated along the coast. Sarawakians practice a variety of religions, including Islam, Christianity, Chinese folk religion (a fusion of Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and ancestor worship) and animism.

The Malays make up 21% of the population in Sarawak. Traditionally fishermen, these seafaring people chose to form settlements on the banks of the many rivers of Sarawak. The Melanaus have been thought to be amongst the original settlers of Sarawak. Originally from Mukah, the Melanaus traditionally lived in tall houses.The Melanaus were believed to originally worship spirits in a practice brinking on paganism. Today many of them are Christian and Muslim, though they still celebrate traditional animist festivals such as the annual Kaul Festival.

The Chinese first came to Sarawak as traders and explorers in the 6th Century. Today, they make up 29% of the population of Sarawak and comprise of communities built from the economic migrants of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, the Chinese are amongst Sarawak's most prosperous ethnic groups. The Sarawak Chinese belong to a wide range of dialect groups, the most significant being Hokkien, Foochow, Hakka, Teochew, Cantonese and Henghua. Hokkien and Mandarin are the most widely spoken dialects. The Chinese maintain their ethnic heritage and culture and celebrate all the major cultural festivals, most notably Chinese New Year and the Hungry Ghost Festival. The Sarawak Chinese are predominantly Buddhists and Christians.

The Ibans form the largest percentage of Sarawak's population, making up some 30%. Reputed to be the most formidable headhunters on the island of Borneo, the Ibans of today are a generous, hospitable and placid people. Because of their history as pirates and fishermen, they were conventionally referred to as the "Sea Dayaks". The early Iban settlers who migrated from Kalimantan (the Indonesian part of Borneo south of Sarawak) set up home in the river valleys of Batang Ai, the Skrang River, Saribas, and the Rajang River. The Ibans dwell in longhouses, a stilted structure comprising many rooms housing a whole community of families. Sarawak is unique to colourful festivals such as the Gawai Dayak (harvest festival), Gawai Kenyalang (hornbill festival) and Gawai Antu (festival of the dead).

Originally from West Kalimantan, the Bidayuhs are now most numerous in the hill country of Bau and Serian, within an hour's drive from Kuching. Historically, as other tribes were migrating into Sarawak and forming settlements, the meek-natured Bidayuhs retreated further inland, hence earning them the name of "Land Dayaks". The traditional Bidayuh abode is the "baruk", a roundhouse that rises about 1.5 metres off the ground. The Bidayuhs speak a number of different but related dialects.

The phrase Orang Ulu means upriver people and is a term used to collectively describe the numerous tribes that live up river in Sarawak's vast interior. Such groups include the major Kayan and Kenyah tribes, and the smaller neighbouring groups of the Kajang, Kejaman, Punan, Ukit, and Penan. Nowadays, the definition
also includes the down-river tribes of the Lun Bawang, Lun Dayeh, Murut and Berawan as well as
the plateau-dwelling Kelabits. The various Orang Ulu groups together make up roughly 5.5% of
Sarawak's population. The Orang Ulu are artistic people with longhouses elaborately decorated with
murals and woodcarvings. They are also well-known for their intricate beadwork detailed tattoos. The Orang Ulu tribe can also be identified by their unique music - distinctive sounds from their sape, a stringed instrument not unlike the mandolin. A vast majority of the Orang Ulu tribe are Christians but old traditional religions are still practiced in some areas.

Bidayuh

Orang Bidayuh

The Bidayuhs are known for their warrior audacity. In a war, a Bidayuh man’s status is judged by the numbers of skulls hung on the ceiling just before entering their houses. The more skulls you have, the higher your warrior rank. Bidayuhs are mainly Pagans or animist and they believe in ancestral worship and they also believe in theancient spirits or nature. Due to that, they would have big celebrations like the Gawai (June 1st ) which is a celebration to please the padi spirit for good harvest. They would also hold small praise and worship sessions occasionally to the River and Jungle spirits to cure illness and ward of bad luck.

In Sarawak there are generally said to be three main linguistic groupings (Biatah; Bau-jagoi; Bukar-Sadong) but these can be broken down even beyond the list referenced below as most people can be distinguished by locals down to village level through smaller differences in vocabulary and intonation. Each area speak its own dialect:

1. Lundu speak Jagoi, Salako & Lara

2. Bratak, Singai, Krokong and Jagoi speak Singai-Jagoi

3. Penrissen speak Bisitang

4. Siburan vicinity speak Biatah

5. Bidayuhs who live around Serian such as Tebakang, Mongkos, Tebedu to Tanjung Amo near the border of Kalimantan Indonesia speak Bukar-Sadong.

6. Bidayuhs in Padawan speak several but related dialects like Bi-anah, Pinyawa, Braang, Bia’, Bisepug & Emperoh/Bipuruh.

Bidayuh

Bidayuh dance

Tarian Ngajat Orang Iban

Tarian Ngajat Iban
Tarian Ngajat adalah merupakan identiti utama kaum iban yang menjadi kebanggaan kebudayaan di Sarawak. Keunikan dalam setiap persembahan tarian ngajat inilah menjadikan suku kaum ini terlalu istimewa dan tersendiri. Kebiasaannya, tarian ngajat ditarikan dalam sambutan Hari Gawai sebagai tanda kesyukuran dalam hasil menuai padi sepanjang tahun. Perayaan Gawai merupakan perayaan utama bagi suku kaum Iban.Perayaan ini disambut pada awal bulan Jun.



Contoh tarian ngajat

Pua Kumbu Sarawak

Pua Kumbu

Pua Kumbu is a traditional patterned multicolored ceremonial cotton cloth used by the Iban, made and used in Sarawak, Malaysia. Pua kumbu are woven by Dayak women and are considered to be sacred objects. They are used for lifecycle rituals and special events including the birth of a child, coming of age celebrations, receipt of an important item to a longhouse, and to screen a corpse that is being laid out in a longhouse prior to burial.

To the Iban of Sarawak, the pua kumbu is not just a blanket. It is a sacred ceremonial and ritual textile. The word pua in Iban means 'blanket', kumbu means 'to wrap'. Together, the two words mean a 'grand blanket'. However, the pua kumbu is very seldom used as a sleeping blanket. It is reserved for the times when men and women seek an encounter with the spiritual.

Beside Pua Kumbu, there are also Pua Sungkit and Pua Karap.

The pictures of the woven of pua kumbu by sarawak women

Orang Ulu

Orang Ulu Music Instruments and Dance

Sape

Dances, music and songs are important manifestations of culture amongst the ethnic groups of Sarawak. Sape is some of their music instruments. Orang Ulu dance consist of three main dance that is Saga Lupa Dance, Ule Nugan Dance and Kanjet Ngeleput Dance.

Saga Lupa Dance

This dance usually performed by a group of ladies during festivals or in honour of important guests to the longhouse.

Ule Nugan Dance

This is a dance which unveils the tribal occupation of the Orang Ulu people. The male dancers hold a dibbling stick used in the planting of padi in the highlands. Superstitions and omens play a sisgnificant role in their lives. The music so created is meant also to infuse and inspire the soul or spirit of the padi seeds so as to ensure their growth and a successful harvest.

Kanjet Ngeleput Dance

A graceful dance performed by an Orang Ulu dressed in full regalia of the warrior – a vest of animal skin, a headgear of colourful beads and hornbill feathers, a long knife, a bamboo container of darts girded round his waist and a blowpipe in hand. This dance portrays the nimble and stealthy steps of the hunter as he goes about in the jungle searching for his prey.

Orang Ulu

Orang Ulu longhouses

This is some picture of orang ulu longhouses

longhouse struture

Orang Ulu

Orang ulu is known for their craftwork, body tattooing, elaborate bead-works, magnificent totem poles and sword-making.

Tattoo

tools to make tatoo

• The most elaborate body tattoos are from the Kayan tribe
• The tools used by a tatoo artist consist of two or three prickers, ULANG or ULANG BRANG, and an iron striker, TUKUN or PEPAK, which are kept in a wooden case, BUNGAN.

Craftwork and beadworks

Most of the beadwork designs center around the Tree Of Life design and various animals like hornbills, tigers and even dragons.

The weapons of war used by the Orang Ulu, especially the Kayan and Kenyah are generally the wooden shield, the sword and the spear.

ORANG ULU OF SARAWAK

The orang ulu are made up of a few tribes namely the Kenyah, Kayan, Klemantan, Kelabit, the Lun Bawang, Penan as well as a few minor tribes in the interior. Orang Ulu, means the "up-river dwellers" mainly living in Central Borneo, which accounts for 5.5% of the population. The Penan, Kayan and Kenyah, live in the middle and upper reaches of and the Kelabit and Lun Bawang live in the highlands.

Orang Iban

The Orang Ibans Dance

Below is some of the ibans dance:

Orang Iban

Special cuisines

Orang Iban special food is pansuh food, which simply means the cooking of food or dish in a bamboo stem. It’s naturally clean, easy and simple. The food (meat, chicken, fish, vegetables and 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 woks. One of the best known Iban dishes is pansoh manok (ayam pansuh), which features chicken and lemongrass cooked in a bamboo log over an open fire.

Forest ferns have a special place in the diet of the people, with the two most popular ferns used as vegetables being midin and the fiddlehead fern (pucuk paku). Midin grows wild in the secondary forests and is peculiar to the state. It has curly fronds and is very crunchy even after it has been cooked. Rural dwellers have always considered the fern a tasty, nutritious vegetable and the jungle fern’s rise from rural staple to urban gourmet green occurred in the 1980s with the increased urban migration of the Iban. Aromatic leaves from trees, such as the Bungkang, are also used in cooking to flavour food.

The other special cuisines is tuak, a home-brewed rice wine. The brew has a sweet fragrance and is highly alcoholic – a small glass is enough to send the unaccustomed to euphoric heights.

TUAK

PUCUK PAKU

MIDIN

MIDIN

Orang Iban

Religion, Culture and Festival

The Ibans were traditionally animist, although the majority are now
Christian, some of them Muslim and many continue to observe both
Christian and traditional ceremonies, particularly during marriages or
festivals.

Significant festivals include the rice harvesting festival Gawai Dayak, the
main festival for the Ibans.Other festivals include the bird festival Gawai
Burong and the spirit festival Gawai Antu. The Gawai Dayak festival is
celebrated every year on the 1st of June, at the end of the harvest season, to
worship the Lord Sempulang Gana. On this day, the Ibans get together to
celebrate, often visiting each other. 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.
Tuak, which is originally made of rice, is a wine used to serve guests.
Nowadays, there are various kinds of tuak, made with rice alternatives such
as sugar cane, ginger and corn.

The Gawai Burong (the bird festival) is held in honour of the War God,
Singalang Burong. The name Singalang Burong literally means “Singalang
the Bird”. This festival is initiated by a notable individual from time to time
and hosted by individual longhouses. The Gawai Burong originally
honoured warriors, but during more peaceful times evolved into a healing
ceremony. The recitation of pantun (traditional chants by poets) is a
particularly important aspect of the festival.


Musical & Dancing Heritage

Iban music is percussion-oriented. The Iban have a musical heritage consisting of various types of agung ensembles – percussion ensembles composed of large hanging, suspended or held, bossed/knobbed gongs which act as drones without any accompanying melodic instrument. The typical Iban agung ensemble will include a set of engkerumungs (small agungs arranged together side by side and played like a xylophone), a tawak (the so-called ‘bass’), a bendai (which acts as a snare) and also a set of ketebung (a single sided drum/percussion).

Orang Iban

Ibans are a branch of the Dayak peoples of Borneo..In Malaysia, most
Ibans are located in Sarawak,a small portion in Sabah and some in west
Malaysia. They were formerly known during the colonial period by the
British as Sea Dayaks. Ibans were renowned for practising headhunting
and tribal/territorial expansion. A long time ago, being a very strong and
successful warring tribe, the Ibans were a very feared tribe in Borneo. They
speak the Iban language.

The origin of the name Iban is a mystery, although many theories exist.
Some believe that the word Iban was an ancient original Iban word for people or
man. The modern-day Iban word for people or man is mensia, a slightly modified Malay loan word of the same meaning (manusia). The Ibans were the original inhabitants of Borneo Island. They live in longhouses called rumah panjai.

Example of traditional longhouse

Moden longhouse

Branches Of Iban Peoples

Although Ibans generally speak a dialect which is mutually intelligible,

they can be divided into different branches which are named after the

geographical areas where they reside.

• Majority of Ibans who live around the Lundu and Samarahan region are called Sebuyaus.
• Ibans who settled in areas in Serian district (places like Kampung Lebor, Kampung Tanah Mawang & others) are called Remuns. They may be the earliest Iban group to migrate to Sarawak.
• Ibans who originated from Sri Aman area are called Balaus.
• Ibans who come from Betong, Saratok & parts of Sarikei are called Saribas. 
• The Lubok Antu Ibans are classed by anthropologist as Ulu Ai Ibans.
• Ibans from Undup are called Undup Ibans. Their dialect is somewhat a cross between the Ulu Ai dialect & the Balau dialect.
• Ibans living in areas from Sarikei to Miri are called Rajang Ibans. They are the majority group of the Iban people. They can be found along the Rajang River, Sibu, Kapit, Belaga, Kanowit, Song, Sarikei, Bintangor, Bintulu and Miri. Their dialect is somewhat similar to the Ulu Ai dialect.

In Kalimantan (Indonesian part of Borneo), Iban people are even more

diverse. The Kantu, Air Tabun, Semberuang, Sebaru’ , Bugau, Mualang &

along with many other groups are classed as “Ibanic people” by

anthropologist. They can be related to the Iban either by the dialect they

speak or their custom, ritual & their way of life.

Pulau Mabul

Hello guys...
This is some picture of Mabul Island.
Mabul Island is located at Semporna, Sabah..
Pulau Mabul antara pulau-pulau yang tercantik di Malaysia.
Pulau ni terkenal aktiviti scuba diving dan snorkeling.
Setiap pelancong yang ke Pulau Mabul pasti tidak ketinggalan untuk menyelam dan menerokai keindahan dasar lautnya.


Saya telah pergi ke Pulau Mabul pada bulan Mac yang lalu untuk menjalankan program di bawah kolej iaitu hak asasi manusia 3: Education For All SHREK PROJEK.
Program ini diadakan untuk kanak-kanak stateless di Pulau Mabul yang tidak mendapat pendidikan di sekolah kerana kebanyakan mereka tidak menpunyai sijil lahir dan kad pengenalan.
Namun, ada sekolah khas telah ditubuhkan oleh Encik Standley, seorang pengajar scuba diving.
Beliau menubuhkan sekolah tersebut kerana kasihan melihat kanak-kanak stateless itu tidak mendapat pendidikan.
Saya kagum dengan beliau kerana semua orang berhak mendapatkan pendidikan.
Well Education Is For All...
Next time I will tell about my experience during the project...

Pengalaman di Pulau Mabul

Poster untuk projek kami...

Kali ni saya nak ceritakan pengalaman pergi ke Pulau Mabul...

Itulah pertama kali saya pergi ke Pulau Mabul. 

Perjalanan kami ke sana mengambil masa sebanyak 4 ke 5 jam.

Permandangan di sana sangat cantik, air lautnya sangat jernih hingga boleh melihat hidupan di dalamnya.

Kami terpegun melihat keindahan di Pulau Mabul lebih-lebih lagi matahari terbenam dan terbit dan hidupan lautnya.

Gambar di atas menunjukkan pemandangan yang ada di Pulau Mabul.

Di sana kami menetap di Sea Horse Scuba Resort. 

Pada hari pertama kami melawat sekolah yang ditubuhkan untuk kanak-kanak stateless ini iaitu Mabul Kids Society. Kami memberikan barangan seperti printer, alat tulis dan makanan kepada mereka.

Kanak-kanak ini sangat bijak dan pandai. Mereka sangat peramah dan dengar kata. Majoriti penduduk di sana berbangsa bajau darat, bajau laut, bajau suluk dan suluk. Kanak-kanak ini mempunyai keinganan untuk belajar yang tinggi dan cita-cita yang besar.

Official Video Hak Asasi Manusia III: SHREK Project

Projek ini menyedarkan saya bertapa beruntungnya saya sebab dapat bersekolah. Saya berharap kanak-kanak stateless ini mendapat hak pendidikan pada masa akan datang. Walaupun program itu telah lama berlalu tetapi kenangan di sana masih segar di ingatan saya. Program ini mengajar saya banyak benda dan erti kehidupan. 

Gambar kenangan bersama dengan kanak-kanak Pulau Mabul.

Team Hak Asasi Manusia III: SHREK Project