Fresh Off the Boat : Ah Soon's Wife

 1959. This was quite a later story of a Fujian born (Hokkien) woman who was almost 6 foot tall.

The is a story of a bride from Fujian who came to live among the Iban people in Ulu Medamit, Limbang Division of Sarawak where there was one row of six wooden shops owned by Chinese shopkeepers. the bazaar was built by the Sarawak Colonial Government in the 50's. Many such wooden shops were built by the government for Chinese traders, in order to upgrade the living standards of the rural people, mainly the indigenous population which have settled along river banks.

One of the main purposes of the wooden bazaars was to encourage the indigenous people to grow more rice and rubber in order to increase the coffers of the colonial government, i.e. through taxation.

Mr Teh owned a rice mill with a large old style rice milling machine. This was situated next to the wooden Nanga Medamit Primary School.

Mrs. Ah Soon came to Sarawak either from Hong Kong or Amoy but people were really not sure how Ah Soon managed to bring her to Sarawak. Mr. Teh did not give the reason why Ah Soon was not around and the people just mentioned that he disappeared from Nanga Medamit for about 5 months in 1959.

Any way much to the delight of the locals, he came back with a woman who was almost one head taller than him and he introduced her to the local Ibans and Chinese that she was his woman or bini. Was she his "child bride"? Was she someone chosen by his elders in China? That was a mystery because Ah Soon was not very forthcoming with information about himself.

Mrs. Ah Soon helped the towkay Mr. Teh to feed ducks, chickens, and especially the pigs. she also helped Mrs. Teh with household chores and kept the shop clean. 

But most importantly she was a very strong woman who managed the big rice milling machine. In fact one of the reasons the Ibans came to the Nanga Medamit bazaar was to get their rice milled by a machine. It was then a novelty and no one else could afford it. Perhaps it was the first time the local people had ever seen such a machine too. Prior to this, the Iban women had always threshed and milled their own rice by hand.

When the local Ibans came to have their rice milled, she was the one who started the engine which in the eyes of a young Iban boy, "almost the size of a hut". The rice mill was a building by the river on its own. She would weigh all the rice milled and charged accordingly. The Tehs trusted her more than they trusted Ah Soon.

Whether she missed her home country, she would never say much because at the beginning she could only communicate in her own dialect which to the local Ibans was a foreign language. She was calm, and courteous, never offending any one by her body language.

Ah Soon during his bachelor days worked for meals, like many of the China born HokKiens who came to Limbang. Mr. Teh probably paid for his passage from China.

These NEW Migrants or sin keh worked either in the timber camps operated by Limbang Trading (Datuk Wong King Min) or the various shops in the town or in the ulu bazaars like Nanga Medamit. Ah Soon had a very stiff tongue and he could never learn to speak Malay or Iban so he could not be of much help else where except to be a coolie with a shopkeeper. Finally he made it permanent by working for the Tehs in the Medamit Bazaar.

Mrs. Ah Soon however was different. She soon learned to speak broken Malay and Iban and was able to communicate with every one in the area. The Tehs left quite a bit of their business to her and she was even sent to Limbang town to order goods and to bring back goods in the long boat that Ah Soon drove. the long boat journey, using a very small outboard engine would take half a day.

Sometimes she would box Ah Soon's ears when he did not do what she ordered. The Tehs and the local Ibans would often be amused by her making Ah Soon her punching bag in public. They had three daughters together.

The girls studied with the Iban and Malay children in the Nanga Medamit Primary School. When they grew up they went to the Limbang Secondary School in town. By then the Teh's business had expanded and Ah Soon and his wife moved to town with the Tehs.

Ah Sik later took over the work of Ah Soon, but he was known to be not as reliable. Mr. Teh came to the bazaar to look after his shop from time to time. He had once told the Iban customers that he missed having Mrs. Ah Soon run his business in Nanga Medamit. The local Ibans nodded in agreement.

They  liked her because she was fast, fast talking and she was fast in doing every thing. If only she had more say in matters of importance, she could have been a community leader. But in those days, women had to be in the background. And she kept her peace.

One very important feature which endeared Mrs. Ah Soon to the local Ibans and Malays was the respect she had for every one. She respected those boys who went for further studies and she acknowledged them for their achievements whenever she met them in Limbang town.

When the Tehs and Mrs Ah Soon was moved to Limbang town with her daughters (for secondary school education) people from Nanga Medamit continued to look her up and have a chat whenever they were in town.

She had praises for the boys who became educated outside Limbang and told them that they would have good future because they had the opportunity to further their studies. Occasionally she would even sit down with them in the coffee shop. Probably she missed having sons, but being very quiet, she would not reveal her real feelings.

Perhaps it was because she came from Mainland China and had seen more. Her frame of reference was different from the other local women. Whether she was literate or not no one knew because no questions were ever asked then.

She recognized the good in people she met. Perhaps she accepted the fate after agreeing to marry the thin and weak looking Ah Soon and had hoped to make a fortune in Nanyang. May be he had not other suitors except Ah Soon who came highly recommended to her fellow villagers in Fujian. May be her parents advised her to marry the Nanyang man and Ah Soon got lucky.

Eventually she did wear the usual Chinese gold earrings, a gold necklace and a watch and bracelet. And perhaps she hid some of her gold jewellery. But most importantly, she saw that her daughters went to secondary school. Perhaps she was quietly happy that Ah Soon was by her side and never dared to glance at any other woman.

(Story told by a local teacher who grew up in Nanga Medamit and went to school with the daughters.)

Hair Cutting, Foochow Style

The Foochows are very frugal people and the men would always get a very short hair cut to last two or three months if possible.

Their favourite cut  was called the Hai Gung Tau or the Navy Hairstyle.

An instruction could be like this "Cut well above the ears,leaving the sides well shaven, cut the hair at the back as high as possible. Get the front well thinned and flat and as short as possible."

An American Peace Corp volunteer teacher in SMK Limbang went to get his first hair cut with a Foochow barber and gave his instruction, " cut just a bit off from the sides and cut just a little off at the back, leave the front long."

The Foochow barber nodded his head and did his usual.                                                                                      The American Peace Corps had a Foochow hair cut and asked for two days' leave from the Principal. In his opinion, the shape of his head just could not take a Foochow hair cut.

Rice Godown in Nanga Medamit before 1963

In the 1920's the Brooke Government had already acquired Limbang and it had a policy of "peopling the new division with agriculturalists who would turn the rich Limbang river valley into another rice bowl of the Kingdom of Sarawak." Thus many Iban families were chosen and given payments to migrate from Ulu Skrang . They had to wait in Kuching for government arranged steamers to brig them to Limbang.

One of the groups was afflicted by chicken pox and their departure from Kuching was delayed. According to one of the descendants who remember the story, "Cucumbers started to grow while they were waiting near the Astana. And as they camped they cooked, planted and carried on every day life as if they were in their farm by the river side. Not far from their camp was the Astana."


Within a few years, Limbang did become one of the rice bowls of the Brooke Government envisaged. Later on the Colonial Government established a Government Rice Godown in Ng Medamit. An officer was appointed to look after the godown. One of the last Godown Manager was HJ Awang Baja. Rice was sold to the government by the padi growers at a special price but they also had to right to sell to the Chinese in Ng. Medamit and Limbang town.

According to oral history, during the Japanese Occupation, Japanese soldiers went around monitoring rice production, to ensure that there is sufficient rice for themselves and the town Malays and all those who supported them.

The British Colonial Government in a report stated that in 1958 the first padi research stations were set up in Ukong and Bangkita.


From 1963 to the present day, rice cultivation has seen a rapid decline.

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Rh Aling : A Bridge to Remember

the bridge is now gone. But while it lasted, many enjoyed using it and created great memories for themselves and their children.

It is a pity that there is no plan to build another bridge. It would help the longhouse people during the fruit season.

Limbang : How much is a durian worth?

This is how I can tell you how difficult it is for some people to collect their durians form the MENUA (land) when there is no road and no bridge in Limbang (Sarawak)...

A family . father and mother taking two kids out on a Sunday to teach them about their social and economic roles....They have to cross the swift flowing river to get to their durian and fruit farm, where their old longhouse stood. They had moved to the other side because the people had wanted to use the road instead of the river as time has changed.








This is how durians are carried from the farm to the longhouse and then by car to Limbang town. In the past, the bus helped farmers like him transport the fruits, at a high cost.









The durians have to be cleaned before being sold as they are covered in soft mud after having falling from the trees. The best durians are the fallen ones.





Some of the durian- producers sit by the roadside to sell their durians in Limbang.

Try not to bargeain with the durian- producer- sellers. They have come a long way to bring durians to you.

Gambus

the Gambus or ARabian oud is a stringed instrument with a body shaped like a pear (sliced length wise) and a neck bent just below the tuning pegs.

It is usually played by traditional Malay musicians. It is primarily the lead instrument in Ghazal music.
It has 12 nylon strings which are plucked, much like a guitar.

According to historians, it was brought into Malaysia by the Persian and Middle Eastern traders.

The Gambus can be bought locally if there is a craftsman who can make it, just like those who can make sape. It usually takes two months to finish a 16 inch gambus.

The timbre produced by the gambus is very much a factor of the width and the thickness of the wood. The nyireh and the tengautengau are the two types of wood most often used to make the gambus.

There're two types of gambus commonly played in Borneo, the gambus ghazal, also known as the "gambus Johor", and the gambus Brunei, also known as the gambus asli, which is smaller in size.

The gambus asli uses actual fishing lines for strings while the gambus ghazal uses acoustic strings.

Prices for the gambus range from $300 to $500.

Putih - the White Pony in 1974 - The Story of two Peace Corps Teachers

In 1974 I was posted to Limbang Secondary School .

I have very good memories this school which was thriving under Mr. Phang and a whole load of bumiputra and non bumiputra teachers and students who were future oriented and hardworking against all odds. But a large part of my life in Limbang was Putih - the white Sabah pony.

I did think of running away with the circus when I was young. So Putih featured really big when I taught in the school for a year. He was the resident horse (even though he was really a Sabah Pony).

Photo courtesy of George Matthias (1970) Putih with Anthony Berauk

Putih and his partner a young filly were bought by Richart Shaltz and Len Edwards who were Peace Corps Volunteers teaching in Lawas Government School in 1968. The two ponies cost $100 each - rather cheap to many but it was one third of their full month PC allowance. They shipped the two ponies from Sabah to Lawas and the students were exposed to horse riding and stable work!! Many teachers and students enjoyed interaction with the two ponies and perhaps a few Lun Bawang students became very attached to them. Every one who could ride rode bare back (without saddle).

Many single teachers and Shaltz and Edward ate in the school dining hall and that was another part of shared lives which both teachers and students appreciated.Food was simple but the school non academic staff and the academic staff were like family. These are some of the best memories of Lawas teachers and students.

The years passed by and when Mr. Goh and a few other teachers in Limbang Secondary heard that Putih was very abused in 1973 Mr. Phang (who was then the Principal of the school) was convinced that Putih should be brought to Limbang . He decided to deputise the late Balang Lasung (who was then a junior teacher in the school)and a Lawas student who was familiar with Putih - to fetch Putih. It was an amazing and gargantuan task for Balang to put Putih on a cargo coastal ship from Lawas..and from Lawas Putih came to Limbang.

Putih was much loved in Limbang. Students all wanted to wash and feed him. He was given a nice stable or whatever you call it and out of no where there was food for him!! Naturally the school management did not have any budget for a pony in the school which was supported by meagre government allocation. Even food for the students was like $1.60 per head (lower than Prisoners according to some quarters). But Putih put on weight and Balang looked after him really well.

Thus Putih became our school pony.

If Putih had helped students grow in stature and character then it was a real bonus.

Students who went together to groom Putih developed a real relationship with each other. As they cared for him they also developed as great love for animals and compassion for living things.

For me I was just so touched by Balang's love for the animal and how he could ride Putih. He brought cowboy and horses to reality in the small town of Limbang.

Most of the boys loved patting the pony and every now and then they would speak to him like a friend. It must have been very therapeutic for some little Form One boys who were homesick for their families and kampongs which were far away from Limbang. Many of these little boys were from places like Long Semado and Long Lellang - two or three days away..and one or two days of walking again from the end of the road!! Probably many would like to own a horse so that they could ride one whole day and one whole night to go home...and then come back to school again. How they wished for Horse Power!! I myself even entertained such thoughts too..of riding a horse all the way to Sibu where I came from. High adventure that is...

If we had lots of memories of a good pony in a special school and lots of tales about him then we have to thank the two Peace Corps volunteers for bring Putih into our lives!! Thanks Richard and Len for buying us Pets!! We also have to thank Mr Phang and the late Balang Lasung for bringing Putih to Limbang Government Secondary school.

Well you see...when people want to do something and you get people around you to do it together...things move!! Even an abused pony could be brought "home" where it was loved and cared...and our lives became richer because of these acts of kindness.

Indeed the caring of a special white pony in our school was a special part of my life. My 1974 year was remarkable and unforgettable.

1974 - touched by Putih - a white pony.

(P/s if you have personal encounters with this pony please write in and let me know..and I am sure Richard Shaltz and Len Edwards would like to know too...Cheers)

Putih - SMK Limbang Pony 1974

Putih was a horse brought over from Lawas by a  Lun Bawang teacher, Balang Lasung, and another teacher. 

Mr. Phang Chung Shin the Principal of the School heard that Putih was abused by the locals in the Lawas School. Putih was left behind by two Peace Corps volunteer teachers.

It was quite a bit of money but after a staff meeting, the Principal asked Balang to go ahead to Lawas and bring back the horse by the local motor launch.

It was an act of love. 

When Putih arrived in the school, he was very thin and every one loved him. Soon he was able to gain his weight back. He was given a good stable, made by the school gardeners together with the students.

He brought magic to our school.

Petting him because very therapeutic and students spent time with him to show their love.

Putih was an amazing School Pet. But then we did not realize that we were the only school with a HORSE as a PET.

Pulau - a dog which cannot swim

Pulau is famous in the longhouse!! He is the only dog who cannot swim. And you have never heard of a dog which cannot swim I suppose. Pulau is literally terrified of water. I wonder what can the Dog Whisperer do about this problem.

this is Palau my sister in law's dog who keeps her company when she tends to her oil palm garden l hour from the longhouse. Pulau is also a dog which can guard her and her grand children when they stay a few nights in the little farm away from the mainhouse. 

This is Pulau with his master (my sister in law's husband) He is on his way to pick durians across the river. Part of the river is too deep and one has to swim. Pulau cannot swim and is afraid of water.

Pulau is well loved by the local residents especially the Penghulu of the area. They have a very special relationship and Pulau goes along with the Penghulu...but only up to the water edge!!






So in a way the legend of Pulau lives on...He loves his human friends and would never leave home at night!!

The Transistor Radio - in Rural Sarawak

 A transister radio is a small portable radio receiver that uses transistor based circuitry. It was first introduced in 1954. It changed the world of music. Youths started to listen to popular music, having the pocket transistor radio in their pockets, while moving about. In SArawak, the Ibans enjoyed a long standing Radio Iban since the 1950's.

This is Mr. Umpang the skilled craftsman of Rh Aling who is fashioning a parang handle. The transistor radio is his good companion...rather like our city coffee mornings..his daughter will soon bring out biscuits and a cup of coffee for him..(I took this photo at 10:50 and we shared coffee together and listened to the Iban radio on Gawai day...Numpang works even though it is Gawai...it is just another day!! But the radio tells him that there so be some celebration!!
Looking at him...I wish I have legs and joints like him. He is almost 90 years old..

I really think Radio Sarawak did a fantastic job in helping all of us . We had a marvellous childhood listening to the radio...and we were "connected" to the outside world..even though we are on the island of Borneo and state of Sarawak we heard news and stories from all of the world..which prepared us to be world citizens. Globalisation was already on its march then. The transistor radio is still very important in the lives of the longhouse people of Sarawak.

And also in Chinese homes and camps where generators are only in operation at night. On the other hand I have been reminded of the 1960's period in the Foochow villages of the Rajang where no electricity supply was available and the Japanese electricity generator was not a known utility. Only Lee Hua sawmills and Hua Hong Ice Factory had power generators. and that was really a luxury. (It also meant that was a refrigerator for day time use) In my grandmother's house in Nang Chong my uncles each had a transistor radio in their unit. Foochow news and Chinese songs were the highlights of the day.

The transistor radion was placed on a ledge high above a kid's head and only the elders could change the channels. No kids were allowed to finddle with the treasureed radio - our connectivity with the rest of the world! And by the way even the record player (with a Lion's Head) was battery run. When it was time for the announcement of the rubber prices on the radio every one would stop whatever they were doing and sit around the radio...RSS1 is 50 dollars per ton..."chiew nen RSS 1 mui tan se 50 doi ".The voice of the late Lau Kiing Hiing or the pleasant  voice of Hsiung Kwo Hua can still ring in my head every now and then......

Also Eveready Batteries were the favourite. I was far too young to understand the graphic significance of a cat jumping through the figure 9!! Cat has 9 lives!! Now whenever I see the Eveready batteries I would smile and think of the past.

In the same way the longhouse people knew about rubber cloning and oil palm seedlings today via the transistor radio. Rh Aling and folks like Numpang do not have 24/7 electricity even in the 21st century....so visiting Rh Aling has always been like a time warp for me...being hurtled back to a strange 1950's kind of lifestyle yet there would also be trappings of 21 century lifestyle like Hilux...iPhone...netbook...and the latest Crocs!! Not to mention dyed hair!

Gawai Batu in Rh. Aling of Limbang Division

Gawai Batu or the Iban Whetstone Festival is one of the most important Iban festivals, celebrated mainly by longhouse farming people.

It takes place before the clearing period, i.e. before July usually.

A whetstone is a stone used for sharpening knives and is blessed during this festival. The whetstone after being blessed is considered holy and must be kept safe by the farmer until the farming session is over. It cannot be borrowed or disturbed by anyone. It is kept in the SADAU or attic of the family unit.

The GAwai Batu at Rumah Aling recently is a Christianized ritual, to bless the farmers in the RC way.


Each farming family prepared their "farming items" for blessing.

During the ceremony many women cried because they reflected on their farming history and remembered their beloved family members who had passed on.

According to one elder in the longhouse the Gawai BAtu also reminded them to remember the blessings which came from their ancestors.

The following stages of the Gawai Batu is taken from Benedict Sandin's article :

Summary of the Stages in Gawai Batu :

1. Baum Begawai: Preliminary Meeting
2. Ngambi Ngabang: Invitations
3. Ngenselan Menoa: Land Purification
4. Beranchau: Readiness in long – house
5. Mupu Ka Antu Rua: Offering to the spirit of extra-vagance
6. Ngalu Batu: Welcoming the whetstone
7. Meri Batu Mandi Enggau Ngeminyak Batu: Washing and oiling of whetstone
8. Malam Mantar: The eve of the feast
9. Niri Ka Pandong Batu: Platform for whetstone
10. Ngerandang Jalai: A ritual dance to clear a path free of spirits
11. Belaboh Nimang Pantar: Song to bless the feast
12. Ngelulun Asi: Roasting glutinous rice
13. Sabong Gawai: Cockfight
14. Gawai Nyadi: Feast proper begins
15. Nyugu Babi: preliminary combing of pig’s hair
16. Bedijir: Seating accommodation
17. Ngeradang Jalai: A ritual dance to clear a path free of spirits (Second time)
18. Ngelalau: A dance to improve the path already cleared
19. Ngalu Petara: Welcoming God an d the Spirits
20. Makai Tengah Malam: Midnight feast
21. Ngerandang Jalai Umai: Clearing of paths leading to the farms
22. Makai Dini Hari: Meal at an early hour
23. Dudok Mangkang Pandong Batu: Seating arrangement of elders near the platform of holy whetstone
24. Ngalu Sempulang Gana: To welcome Sempulang Gana
25. Nyugu Babi: Combing of pig’s hair (Second time)
26. Nenjang Indu: To sing a song of praise to the women
27. Sempulang Gana Nganjong Batu Ka Umai: Sempulang Gana sends the holy whetstone spiritually to the farm lands.
28. Mulai Ka Samengat Antu: To send away the spirits again
29. Mulai Ka Samengat Lemambang: To send away the souls of the singers to their own houses
30. Nganjong Batu Ka Umai: Whetstones are taken by the farmers to the farm (the final and “secular” act).

Limbang Government Secondary School 1974

My first year of government teaching service was in Limbang in 1974.

There were many firsts for that year. And I am dedicating this post to the students of SMK Limbang who will be having their reunion in Limbang on 20th Dec 2011. I would like to thank Lanie Belayong (my Form 4 C student in 1974) for without his photos I would not be able to write this article. He is working in Belaga now and thanks to FB we have re-connected after more than 36 years!!



The students were amazing and my colleagues fairly exceptional in many cases.

Let me count the blessings of that year.
1. A remarkable Head and his equally brilliant wife..Mr. and Mrs. Phang.
2. A smart team of teachers from all over the world and from Malaysia. It was a mini United Nations.
3. A beautiful crop of students who were hardworking and focussed in learning.

Non-academic staff - cooks- gardeners and matron with the late Datuk Mustapha Besar (this is a 1973 photo)

4. A very humble team of non-academic staff who worked beyond their office hours ...walking the extra mile.

Photo courtesy of Lanie Belayong (@Belaga)

(The school had a special Boarders' Prefectorial Team to help run the hostels 24/7 very effectively). And I truly believe that they would never forget their experiences staying in the hostels.

5. The students were mainly all-rounders - active in sports - attentive in class - and willing to be leaders and followers.

6. We had a horse called Puteh.
7. The late Balang Lasung became our good friend!!
8. There were three American Peace Corps teaching in the school and they were very fond of the students. Most teachers would hit town at about 4.30p.m. and waited for the hot buns from the kedai kopi next to the cinema.

9. We did everything BY HAND - cyclostyled notes...(getting our hands dirty) - typed our own notes - (no photostating machines) - drew our own teaching diagrams on manila cards etc.- cut grass with parangs - washed toilets every day with the students - and planted peanuts on the school hill slopes!! Vaccum cleaners were not heard of at that time. Below is a photograph by Lanie Belayong - he said "In those days exchange of photos was a must to remember friends and colleagues..." A perfect sample of handwritten messages at the back of black and white photos!!" Poignant moments in our lives in Limbang.

Form 4 C 1974......each individual student had already formed their strong and independent personality and ready to take on the world!! It was never a difficulty to get them to learn!

Lanie Belayong, George Mathias,Balang Rining Mathew Sultan & Martin Labo. Taken in 1974, akademi limbang

Our work party - the building was our main staff room which included the Principal's office. A poignant incident - an Ulu parent came to visit Mr. Principal and he took of his shoes at the door. You would never see this kind of humility and courtesy in any town in Malaysia. I teared up immediately!!

10. We worked in the staff room until past midnight sometimes...with almost all the teachers who lived in the school campus. Even the Principal and his wife came to work at night!

A class photo...the boys wore all white and looking so clean. With the late Mrs. Kumar. Photo from Lim Lee.(You would notice that today students do not sit down on the floor like this any more...) 1975.

The school prefects and the Principal and Assistant Principal - The prefects practically helped the two to run the school!! They were very effective leaders!!

the school badge was designed by the late Datuk Mustapha Besar who was Principal of SMK Limbang in 1973.

1974 was a great year indeed. the batch graduated in 1975 and remained best of friends ....and I too remember them well for they taught me about teaching and learning in a real and unique Sarawakian environment more than I had learnt at a university!! I was really blessed!


May God bless you all and your reunion!! Happy Memories always...

Nanga Medamit in Pictures - History and the future

Nanga Medamitis a small rural outpost set up by the government as long ago as 1940's probably because of the need to have a more permanent "tamu" or market place. When the first row of wooden bazaar shop houses was constructed the Colonial government meant to provide an opportunity for some of the Iban headmen like Temenggong Ngang to own at least one shop and the rest for the enterprising Chinese.

Nanga Medamit has served the timber industry well in a sense but it is a chicken and egg story. Today it is considered a timber outpost. Thus the history of Nanga Medamit isvery much like the cowboy towns which grew up because of gold mines. And when the gold was finished the towns disappeared in the 19th century USA.. Perhaps the real timber industry is now on the decline....

The colonial government provided some social support to this small outpost by the building of one room school - the Nanga Medamit Primary School in the old days. An illustrious son of Nanga Medamit - Cikgu Stephen Bejit was sent there as a trained teacher cum hostel master. There were about 20 students then. In fact all these students are now in their 60's and Cikgu Stephen Bejit still lives in Ng. Medamit.

Fast forward to the 1990's the present Malaysian government has constructed a fairly large secondary school - SMK Nanga Medamit - to provide for the education of the new generation. Many of the teachers are from West Malaysia and other parts of Sarawak.

A road which is full of pot holes reaches this school and Pasar Nanga Medamit from Limbang - it takes more than 2 hours usually over the bumps and pot holes. The road was only tar-sealed very recently. Lots of timber trucks continue to use the road. These days new trucks carrying river gravel grace the road too.

The ever popular longboat continues to ply the Medamit River. RM10 per ride to go to Rantau Kiran or Tanah Merah.

Simple jetty to the old Bazaar of Nanga Medamit All these shops are Chinese owned.

Capable Iban boat woman

Young lady waiting for her family boat (in the same context as family car) to return home after shopping in Limbang

Waiting Lounge built by the local people....a welcome rest in the hot sun. Here you can negotiate for a boat ride but it is once a day and you may have to "over night" or spend the night or arrange for a special charter...Petrol now at premium price forbids the boat men/women to ply their boat too often.

Water is still from the rain.....

A woman entrepreneur....She lives here and does her business while her children go  the primary school. During holidays she will go upriver - where home is her upriver longhouse. Her husband is one of the company truck drivers. So she is multi tasking in fact...mother - wife - business woman.

Besides owning a long boat many families have at their disposal a "land transport" or car

Will this outpost shop house continue to survive for the next two decades?

Today the Nanga Medamit (Nanga means confluence) boasts of one row of modern shop houses and a few concrete bungalows owned by the locals. A very nice government clinic is available besides a police station.

A Dewan Mesyuarakat (Civic Assemly Hall) has made its appearance and is only used when the local YB comes to visit.

The timber company continues to dominate the scene and 60% of the working force still "belongs" to the company. The local Iban language continues to code mix with English terms like

 "Aku besi - truck.." - I own a truck.

" Nuan ka ngirup beer?" - Would you like a beer?

"Aram meh kitai karoake..." -  Let's karaoke.

"Nadai news kitu..." There is no newspaper here.

" Ni Baby nuan?" Where is your baby?

"Anak aku udah baduk school." My son has left school.

"Hari tu nadai diesel." There is no diesel for sale today. (We are out of diesel today)

"Aku besi temu Principal XX tadi." I did meet the Principal XXX a while ago....

And  naturally many more today also speak a smattering of English but slowly Bahasa Malaysia has become their official language and perhaps one day because of lMalaysia all the kids would be speaking BM only and Iban as a language might disappear because of its lack of commercial value....

Interestingly many of the Ibans here who are in their 60's and above speak excellent English - a remnant effective of the colonial government and impact. You will be surprised how many boat men who can give a good and decent explanation in English to any tourist looking for some out of the normal route tourist spots like the Buda Range...or back packing into the interiors following the small tributaries.....

And proudly some of the younger ones would have a good amusing conversation with you.....

Nadai bukai wai....no difference my friend...Same language? Sama jako. kitai ulih jako...We can speak BM...

Although Nanga Medamit is a complex gathering of different races - it definitely still has its quaint characteristics of a commercial centre  like a border market town in Yunnan or Laos...the people are friendly and ever ready to help any one in need....if they are not in a hurry to catch their longboat or eager to send their few pieces of rubber sheets to Limbang.

Man made lake at Rumah Aling (Ulu Limbang)

Years ago Mumin decided that he could overcome the problem of water supply by digging a pond the size of half a football field between the newly planned long house and his own block of houses shared by him and his cousins. He carefully paved the bottom of the pool with river gravel ranging from the size of a human head to a small rambutan.

The soil he excavated from the land belonging to his father provided the foundation for the soon to be built long house. It was necessary to build the new long house because the older one was razed by an early morning fire. Wooden longhouses in the past were often fire hazards.

A good deed and a creative idea led to the formation of a "living pool".

The pool is no ordinary pool because there is a spring at the head of it and Mumin made an outlet on the opposite end. Today the man made lake is full of fish (kaloi and semah). It is also useful when the weather is dry and washing can be done too without affected the health of the fish. If Mumin's experiment is successful this year he will be able to harvest two kilo sized semah and kaloi. He has done all this by himself without any funding from any agency. Mumin is himself a farmer who plants padi and oil palm. His wife is his partner and is an expert in weaving besides farming alongside him.

Small children learn to swim in this pool from a young age.

This is one of the views of the pool in the morning. Mumin is seen feeding the fish. the spring is behind him. The brick wall on the left the end of the longhouse. Mumin's block is to the right.

Beauties in the pool.

Washing of clothes.....

Teachers and Parents Working Together in Bukit Batu

The recent haze and heat wave have been causing great concern and river water level is dropping.

In the past many rural primary boarding schools would request pupils to bring some water to school when they return from home on Mondays as the school water supply is not really adequate. One such school is the SK Bukit Batu run by the present Guru Besar Laurentius thomas who has been proactive to ask for parents to help install more water tanks for the boarders.

I am using some of his photos for my blog today....Congratulations to him and the parents who rally together to capture rainwater for their children. bukit Batu is about 3 hours from Limbang Town in the Fifth Division of Sarawak. Thanks to Ann Chin for making me realise even more that we in Sarawak are also having to save rain water in many different ways.

the primary school is populated by children from the surrounding longhouses situated along the Sg. Medamit which is a tributary of the larger and once formidable Limbang River.. When these school pupils complete their primary school they will attend Medamit Government Secondary School or some may even be sent to SMK Limbang or other premier schools according to their results. Needless to say not many of the them score 5A's because of so many adverse factors.

. The River Medamit is too polluted by logging and oil palm. Government piped water has not been able to reach Medamit and Bukit Batu. It is definitely a challenge for the people here to produce university graduates and to raise the income level. Hovever it may surprise many that there are several university graduates and many professionals from this area since 1960's and have made it to the Who's Who in a recent book by a Lawas historian.

Many of these professionals have tales of their barefoot childhood and youthful scrounging for five sen or ten sen in Limbang river at low tides..

Fathers get together to put up a strong wooden platform for the water tank -more captured  rain water for toilet and bathing from now on. You can see the pretty pink toilets which is so typical of rural Sarawak primary school scene.

Mothers also do their share with great enthusiasm.

Parents and teachers meet to discuss their plans for the gotong royong or cooperative activity.

Here mothers with their rattan baskets roll the tank to be installed. Now they do not have to worry about sending water in jerry cans or orange bottles for their children for teeth brushing and drinking(boiled).

Little children may sometimes be so thirsty that they drink the polluted water if available and they all get stomach upset thus causing them to lose many hours of studying time.

Teachers are surrogate parents and change agents amongst other roles. And I am sure the teachers in this school are playing more than their expected roles. The local community places its hopes in their children and schools like this. A pro active Head Teacher is a ray of hope! And teachers bring sunshine to this little rain forest opening.. The future of these children is definitely in the hands of these respsonsible adults.