Ulu Sarawak : The Pig Head

To the long house folks, the pig head is a delicacy. However there is more about the pig head than a dish on the table.

Since olden days, life among the Ibans has always been very communal. You help me I help you. A former Prime Minister of Malaysia loved to quote the saying.

The pig actually occupies quite a central feature in the socio cultural life of the Iban longhouse.

Whenever a pig is to be slaughtered, a group of relatives would come together to do the deed. Perhaps 6 men are to form the team for the slaughter of the poor animal by the river side.

A good fire is started and wood is collected in a pile.

the ritual will begin by putting the pig in a sack and brought to the river side or karangan (pebble beach). Usually the pig would be killed by a spear through the heart. The person striking the spear has to be very accurate to reduce the crying of the poor victim.

Once the deed is done, the gunny sack is opened up and the blood of the animal drained. Blood is usually not saved by the Ibans for any form of cooking. 

The dressing of the animal is done, hairs all burnt and scraped. Then the cutting up of the animal.

If the animal is shared, every part is cut up and portioned for the sharers. If six are to share the pig, six piles will be made on banana leaves or any local leaves. For exxample, the liver would be divided into six portions, the heart also six...and so on. This is the meaning of equal sharing in the Iban culture of sharing of food.

Now back to the head.

The head will be cut off and it is the reward for the team which slaughters the animal and cut up all the meat for the families sharing the pig.

However if the pig is for the whole community, e.g. a wedding, then all the meat will be divided in such a way the cooks want them....

But the head still goes to the slaughter team.

I often wonder if there is a reason behind eating of the head by the slaughter team.
 

(Note: Source : Ulu Sarawak Iban's Accounts - Unpublished )

Ulu Sarawak : The Chainsaw

 

BE WARNED..there are lots of responsibilities involved in owning a chainsaw in SARAWAK.

The Chainsaw has been a very important modern tool for the Ibans. A happy Iban man has a sharp parang tied to his waist and a lovely Stilh Chainsaw in his hand.

I am often reminded of a story related to our favourite Iban Resident of Third Division, the late Mr. Ignatius Angking.

As the story goes, which has been passed on for many years, so it might not be that accurate like Chinese Whispers....

At one meeting in Sibu, the late Mr. Ignatius Angking was humourous about it when some one at a meeting suggested that the Ibans should not be allowed to buy chainsaws indiscriminately and therefore licence should be applied for by chainsaw owners!! This would mean that every Iban who wanted to own a chainsaw must bring the chainsaw to see the Resident personally to get a licence in Sibu or anywhere in Sarawak....

The meeting was to discuss deforestation and its impact on the river valleys of Third Division.

He replied, " Then better don't allow them to buy chainsaws...."

The Iban way of pronouncing the word is "Chien soh".

The proposal to make Ibans get licenses in order to own a chainsaw did not go down well at all with the general population of Sarawak.

Thirty years down the road in history, there are ways to stop deforestation. No need to stop selling chainsaws to the Ibans.

These two photos are from a friend who recently had to apply to the Forestry to fell two trees on the land he and his father own in order to process timber to build his longhouse.

Another friend 20 years ago, also had to apply to the Forestry for permission to cut down the timber (on his own land) he needed to build his own house in Bakam.

I am wondering if you are a happy chainsaw owner .....And dont forget you need to apply for permission to cut down trees in your own compound today....or you have been warned by the Forestry Department when you happily swing your chainsaw around??

Ulu Sarawak : Kalimantan Border, Murum

Recently I visited Ulu Murum.

It was a quiet time as all the Chinese were off for their Chinese New Year. The estates were quiet, Sg Asap was quiet and the roads were quite empty of traffic except for one road block mounted by the Malaysian Traffic Police squad.

The 8 hour drive from Miri to Sg. Asap and then the Murum valley right up to Long Metalun proved to be scenic, and at times breathtaking.

The road was rough, but it was privately curved out of the hills and mountains by the timber companies, hence logging road. So no stretch was paved for good driving.

A few logging trucks passed us and I was surprised that we met a few lonely motor bikes. They were fishermen having t heir off day from work.

From one of the estates, I could see the Kalimantan Border. It was an awesome trip.

Ulu Sarawak : Ikan Enseluai

Bang ngiyan, meaning small fries is the name given by the Foochows to any small fish coughed up by the sea or the river. It can be white bait or the small anchovies. But there is this ikan enseluai which is really a nice little river fish which is only thumb size and some times bigger or smaller.

Fresh enseluai from the Rajang, or the Baram, the Limbang and Trusan rivers are really tasty . It can be steamed as a paste, deep fried, or just boiled. Some people even salt it.

The fish is usually caught by a casting net and quite a lot can be caught because they swim together in the rivers.

Figuratively the Foochows would say that girls should go and catch a big fish and not just any small bang ngiyan.

There is the story of two women. One was made match to marry someone of the same back ground, rich, good looking and educated. Well she has a comfortable life and no one would really kow what she thinks,whether she is really happy. Another woman, from the same town worked hard and married her colleague who was generally considered the poorest guy among the work force. But they were really in love and they struggled to make ends meet. Not a bad love match with the bang ngiyan because he would always remember to carry water for her bath when young. And at the end of her life, he looked after her very faithfully.

Just before she died she said to him, "In my next life, I would like to be your wife again." What better statement is that?

Marry rich and all your problems will be solved is generally the advice. Most just have to settle for bang ngiyan. But may be a bang ngiyan is a dream husband!

It really depends on your destiny. That's what my maternal grandmother would say.

Ulu Sarawak : A Bridge across the Murum Lake

It was a good visit to the land of the Penans during the lunar Chinese New Year. My friends organized a visit to the Penan villages of Long Metalun and Long Singu and I was invited to come along. On the way we visited several oil palm estates where some acquaintences were working during the Lunar New Year break.

The drive was more than 8 hours from Miri, to the Bakun Junction in Bintulu and then onwards to Sg. Asap where we met some friends. It was the eve of the Chinese New Year and everything seemed to be at a stand still, even in Kayan Land!!

Soon we were driving around the huge Murum "lake". A arge tract of land was submerged by the building of the Murum Dam, starting in 2013. The first generator was "commissioned in 2014. A year later, Murum was full speed ahead.

^{There have been concerns raised about the displacement of the former population of the area and deforestation as a result of the construction of the dam.}

The Murum River is in the Uppermost part of the Rajang River Basin, 200km from Bintulu. The Upper Rajang Basin covers the Pelagus, Bakun, Murum and Belaga. Bakun is 70 km below Murum.

The Murum bridge, across the impounded lake was built by the timber licencee and a big toll was charged. It was RM300 for a return trip. The people in the Murum area and those who work there made huge protests. Later, the Chief Minister, Datuk Adenan stepped in and the toll was removed.

the Penans were the original nomads who moved in the Murum forests several decades ago. Today they have been settled in villages like Long Metalun, Tegulang, Long Silat, Long Singu etc.

Sarawak : Pa Adang -A Slice of Paradise

 Having be to some severely polluted places like Guilin, China, Fujian, China and other parts of Indonesia and Malaysia, I often think of one particular place where I spent 10 days, cutting hair, finger nails, washing hair, cleaning cooking pots, cooking, and teaching simple English.
Pa Adang is decisively a Penan settlement carved out of a small valley of the River Adang .





Here the government had set up a fishery research centre about 50 years ago but has been sort of abandoned. About 15 years ago, a scheme was to settle some Penans who have been nomadic in this region for hundreds of years. It was successful and around 1997 the Penans harvested their first rice from a fairly large (small may be to some people) area. This small beginning led to a change in their mind set.

A kindergarten was mooted and a timber company provided all the materials for the Methodist Church, which has long been famous for establishing kindergartens, to start a one room school.



Today several volunteer teachers and some pastors are in charge of the educational development of the valley.

Believe it or not, my left knee, which was suffering from thinning of cartilage, was healed because I walked into the cold water of Adang, and a miracle happened. I can testify to that moment of joy.




In days to come, some of my first kindergarten students will be able to write about their school experience and they may even read in English, the inspiring book, "How Green was My Valley" by Richard Llwellyn. This is a place where you too can be inspired to WRITE.


source : wikipedia

 I will not forget the early  morning I left Adang when I met the Penan hunter carrying probably a 40 kg bear. He himself was barely 60 kg. My thoughts were : he could be an Olympic representative for light weight lifting..

He asked me to stay a while longer so that he could give me some of the meat. I declined politely.

I asked him "Susah cari binatang?"

He replied, " Tidak, satu shot sahaja."  The Penans are very good marksmen. There went my thoughts again...He could be in the rifle team of Malaysian Olympics.

Leaving them was like leaving a whole loving family behind. They embraced all of us like brothers and sisters.

Will I go back to Pa Adang again for a visit?

Floating Houses in Bakun, Sarawak

The floating homestays and "hotels" and normal "houses of the displaced people" of Bakun Lake have been attracting a lot of interested tourists.

However, often the tourists can get the foul smell emanating from rotting organic matter submerged at the bottom of the lake.

Will the water become more and more foul smelling?

the people are often without clean water supply and have resorted to buying bottles and bottles of mineral water for their own use. tourists are usually advised to bring their own fresh water just in case the homestays run out of fresh water.

There are now signs warning visitors/hunters/travellers against drinking or swimming in the water because of the risk of melioidosis and leptospirosis.

Hopefully the government authorities will make an effort to study the issues of the water quality .....