The Land of the Hornbill

Sarawak is the largest state of Malaysia’s rainforest region of Borneo; smaller regions are Indonesia’s Kalimantan provinces in the eastern state of Malaysian Sabah, and the smaller kingdom of Brunei. It lies along the North Western Coastline of Borneo, and comprises of the largest amount of rainforest than any state in Malaysia. Its raging rivers, too, are important for the ecosystem, as all manner of life depends on them for their daily existence.

Sarawak, with its impenetrable jungle, dense mountain structures and long rivers, contains some of the most fascinating wildlife on the planet. Amongst them can be found; the orangutans, hornbills, flying squirrels, and deer the size of a housecat. Here, too, grow the insect eating plants and the worlds largest flower; Rafflesia arnoldii. All of this natural splendour is under the protection of the 10 National parks and 4 wildlife reserves.

There are 27 indigenous groups that inhabit Sarawak and among them the remnants of the head hunting and cannibalistic tribes.

The story of this area probably began in 1839, when the English adventurer, James Brooke, reached this unexplored region of Southeast Asia, known as Borneo. After exploring the country, he eventually met the Sultan of Brunei. The Sultan informed him of the many tribes living in the south of his kingdom, and how they were constantly at war with each other and with his sultanate. He confessed his inability to control or sustain the tribes and instill peace.

Brooke had a simple solution; that the Sultan should join forces with some of the tribes and to conquer the others. This plan was a success, and peace followed. The Sultan of Brunei, to show his gratitude, gave Kuching to Brooke in 1841, granting him the power of a raja.

James Brooke, ‘the ‘White Raja of Sarawak,’ became an admired governor, and he appointed tribal leaders to important positions within his administration, such as in the government and the army. Although an Englishman, his loyalty rested with the people he now ruled, and when the British tried to incorporate Sarawak to colonial rule, he rebelled and denied them the authority.

The results arising from his decision of keeping Britain out of the province subdued the development of Sarawak, and without the guidance of the crown, traded mostly with Singapore.

The Brooke family retained their position within the community until the invasion of Japan during WWII. With the conclusion of the war, Sarawak was declared a British colony.

In 1963, Sarawak and Sabah gained their dependence and joined the new Malaysian federation.

Kuching was the capital of the White Rajahs of Sarawak, and today is the largest capital city of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. It has a population of 600,000 people. Here, there exists many and varied ethnic communities, of which the Iban is the larges group. The Iban were once the legendary warriors of Borneo, and the most feared of the headhunting tribes. Other groups include Chinese and non-Malay. Other smaller groups contain the Bidayuh, previously known as the ‘Land Dayaks,’ and the Melanau, the fisherman of Central Sarawak. Numerous smaller communities exist here such as the Orang Ulu, (Malay for “upriver people”); they are regarded as nomadic guardians of the rainforest.

Each group has its own customs and traditions and there are various festivals throughout the year.

Christmas in Sarawak is celebrated by the Christian community, a belief held by the majority of its residents. Here, Christmas is a time of celebration and church services, a festival which emphasises the true meaning of Christmas. They believe that this is the time to express their joy and goodwill to all men and as the carols emanate across the country their joy and goodwill is shared by everyone.

The Chinese community celebrate the Chinese New Year, regarding it as the most important date in their calendar. Again, it is a time of joy and goodwill, where visitors are honoured by being served cakes and delicacies. Children and unmarried people who visit are given little red packets (Ang Pow) containing money; at this time, the colour ‘red’ is everywhere.

The festival is to drive away evil spirits, and it opens with the Lion dance, where performing acrobats undertake acrobatic feats to the beat of drums and the clash of cymbals. The festival runs for 15 days, from the new moon through to the full moon.

The final day is called ‘Chinese Valentine’s day,’ or Chap go mei, and on this day, young girls go to the temple to pray for a good husband.

The Islamic people (Malaysia’s State religion is Islam) celebrate Hari Raya,
which represents the end of the fasting month of Ramadan and is the major Muslim festival. For two days, Muslims dress in their best clothes, attend prayers at the mosque, and give alms to the poor. During this time, they visit others and entertain any who call; here there is always food for those that want it.

The festival to mark the end of the rice harvest is called Gawai Dayak, which begins on May 31st and ends on the 1st of June. During this time, many urban dwellers return to their villages to take part in rituals that go back centuries. On the days leading up to the festival, the women prepare their traditional food to be eaten during the festival. It is a time of dancing, merriment and feasting, and the traditional time when many weddings take place.

The Melanau community celebrate their festival Kaul between mid-March and early April. It is a time for appeasing the spirits of the sea at the beginning of the fishing season. In the ritual miniature wooden boats containing offerings for the sea spirits are released into the rivers; during this time the river mouths are closed and ships are prevented from putting to sea. The highlight of the festival is the game called tibou where men compete to see how many can swing from a metre rope.

All of these diverse people are represented by the Sarawak Cultural Village.

The Sarawak Cultural Village is a project which incorporates the many diverse ethnic groups which inhabit Sarawak. Sited on the foothills of the Gunung Santubong, we see the cultural showcase of the Ibans, Bidayuhs, and Melanaus. This Cultural Village, which is 35 km from Kuching town, is built in 14 acres of equatorial vegetation and presents a living history of the people of this region, and acquaints one with the seven major cultures of the state.

The Cultural Village, although a synthetic environment, contains 7 authentic replicas of ethic homes: each house is occupied by people from the appropriate ethnic group, dressed in their traditional costumes and they live traditionally keeping alive the arts and crafts of their own tribe.

The 7 ethic homes are the Bidayuh centre house and longhouse; the Iban longhouse; the Penan hut; the Orang Ulu longhouse; the Melanau Rumah Tinggi; the Malay house and the Chinese farmhouse. On display in the houses are many artefacts made by the individual people; this includes their arts and crafts such as beadworks, wood and bamboo carvings, pua weaving and straw weaving.

Yet as it is a living cultural heritage the people who inhabit the houses, reproduce the dances and music unique to them for the many tourists who visit the village. Here, they see the Penan warrior demonstrating his skill with a blowpipe; an Iban warrior carrying a wooden shield (ngajat,) with his mouth as he danced around with brightly dressed women dancers. Their handicrafts are also presented; Malay cloth with gold inlay; wood carving and Chinese ceramics, all items reflecting the people.

This spectacularly designed cultural village has won many national and international awards and is a showcase of the area.

These people are proud of their origins and their identity and eager to share them with the world.