Inspired by a letter from a rural schoolteacher, travel 3Sixty° visits Sarawak, Malaysia, and is invited into the homes of the Bidayuh people to learn about their unique customs and traditions that connect them with the land.
Words: Chitra Santhinathan Photography: Affandi Abd Hamid/FND
“Maan, maan (eat, eat),” she implored, inviting me to sample the small feast that must have taken her all morning to prepare. Peeling back the outer layer of a bamboo culm to reveal a perfect cylinder of cooked rice, the petite septuagenarian gestured for me to come closer. Not wanting to offend my host, I leaned forward as the kindly grandmother scooped a ball of rice from the split bamboo and transferred the sticky grains into my mouth. As I slowly savoured the mouthful of rice, my host, Lambet Muri, eyed me expectantly, lips pursed in anticipation. Sensing her gaze on me, I gave her a thumbs up, and her mouth relaxed into a wide grin, as if to indicate that I’d passed a test.
Fish cooked in a banana stem is among the traditional dishes of the Bidayuh community. Here, the cooking vessel itself – banana stem – adds to the dish’s flavour profile.
Seated cross-legged on the mat next to me, Lambet’s granddaughter, 16-year-old Ivy Lillea Michael, whispered softly, “The pangkang (glutinous rice cooked in a young bamboo culm) is very special to us Bidayuh. Sharing our food is our way of welcoming guests into the community. You’re no longer a stranger now.” Ivy went on to inform me that refusing pangkang when offered is considered not only disrespectful, but an act that the Bidayuh believe invites bad luck for the refusing party. Boy, was I glad I’d made the right move!
Interrupting our chatter, Lambet pushed plates of food in my direction: kuboh siyok (rice and chicken cooked in bamboo), stir-fried dawu sabi (mustard leaves), tubes of boiled cassava, kasam dihan (fermented durian) and a translucent sticky substance called sagu (a starch made from the pith of the sago palm, similar in texture to tapioca starch) accompanied by a sweet cane honey dip. Genuinely hungry – I had skipped breakfast that morning – I was grateful for Lambet’s hospitality and the hearty dishes laid before me, a feast that reflected the bounty of the land.
TRAIL TO TEBEDU
As I sipped a cup of tea flavoured with local wild honey, I reflected on what had brought me to this village and the home of Ivy, a fourth-former from a rural school in Tebedu, Sarawak. You see, travel 3Sixtyº receives hundreds of letters from readers from all over the world every month, and these include messages full of praise, notes that detail exciting adventures made possible by AirAsia, and even the odd missive to notify us of typos. We are always grateful for kind and constructive feedback that helps us to improve the magazine, but in May this year, we received a letter that tugged at our heartstrings. The letter was from Larrie Jessika, a teacher from a small town in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak. Larrie apologised for ‘nicking’ a copy of our magazine while onboard a flight, telling us he had done so only to share the stories he had read with his students. He informed us that the travel articles in the magazine had introduced these schoolchildren, many of whom had never experienced the world beyond their small town, to diverse cultures around the globe, giving them a window to the outside world and of life in faraway places.
Larrie incorporates articles from travel 3Sixtyº in his English lessons.
Larrie, who teaches English to fourth and fifth formers at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tebedu, a secondary school in the town, made copies of the articles in the magazine and used the information in his lessons. Inspired by his letter and the photographs he’d sent of his class, we decided to pay a visit to the school, to share our stories with the children, but more importantly, to learn theirs.
Getting there was not easy. Our trip was put off, not once but twice, due to unavoidable circumstances; thick haze had enveloped most of Peninsular and East Malaysia, and caused us to postpone our plans. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, my photographer, Fendi, and I arrived in Kuching, the state capital, located about 120 kilometres from Tebedu.
A GENTLE PEOPLE
The landscape changed dramatically as we left the city limits; the lush green of the rainforest came into sight and majestic mountain ranges dominated the view. As we approached Tebedu, the flat terrain transformed into a hilly route. Navigating slopes, we wove our way through a cluster of tiny villages and rice paddies. The morning mist lent the villages an ethereal quality, and it felt as if we were worlds away. I was eager to meet Larrie and his students, who hail from the area’s Bidayuh community. I had lots to learn from them about their rich culture, and I could not wait to start.
The Bidayuh are known for their colourful headdresses that also indicate the sub-ethnic group they belong to. Here, Biannah girls model their traditional beaded headdress called bung buok tumih.
The Bidayuh, literally meaning ‘people of the land’ and also known as the land Dayak (the indigenous people of Borneo), are the second largest indigenous community in Sarawak after the Iban. During the British colonial era, the Bidayuh were referred to as the Dayak of the Hill Country, as they predominantly inhabited hilly areas. Historically a peace-loving farming community, it is believed that the Bidayuh made their homes in the hill country to avoid conflict with other indigenous groups, and to defend themselves against headhunting parties, as well as pirate attacks. Today, the Bidayuh of Sarawak still inhabit villages in the hill country to the south and west of the state capital, Kuching. At last count, the Bidayuh account for about eight per cent of Sarawak’s estimated population of 2.4 million.
An elderly Bidayuh gentleman dressed in a vest made of tree bark. The natural material was traditionally fashioned into clothing by the indigenous community. Today, tree bark handbags are also available.
When we arrived at the school, Larrie and his students were waiting to greet us. The fourth-formers cheered as we entered their classroom, and presented us with handcrafted rattan purses, a gift they said, to thank us for our presence. It felt surreal to finally be standing in front of the students after months of anticipation, correspondence and a couple of aborted plans. Fielding questions from the students about the magazine’s workings, I tried my best to answer their queries and encourage them to dream big and explore the world beyond their classroom whose walls were plastered with several examples of the students’ work.
English projects pasted on the classroom walls of Form Four Amanah, one of the forms Larrie teaches, based on articles from travel 3Sixtyº.
A warm, fuzzy feeling came over me when I noticed, among their work, photocopies of my own articles that had been used as a guide for an English project. After I’d indulged in rounds of happy selfies with my new-found friends, one of the young girls, Ivy, invited me back to her village, Kampung Temong Bengan. And that’s how I came to sit across from Lambet, enjoying warm Bidayuh hospitality and learning about her people.
THE BIDAYUH WAY
There are six main sub-ethnic groups within the Bidayuh community: Bisadong, Bibukar, Biatah, Bijagoi, Bisingai and Biselakau-Lara. The name of each group is derived from the locales they inhabited. Though outsiders often refer to the Bidayuh collectively, each sub-ethnic group is unique in its own way, with differences in dialect and costume being the most distinct. Larrie and his students hail from the Bisadong tribe that resides in Serian, a newly-accorded division (Sarawak is divided into 12 divisions or administrative areas) in the state.
A young Bisadong woman in traditional attire. Though headdresses differ among the different Bidayuh sub-ethnic groups, their costumes feature two main colours: black signifying loyalty and red, bravery. In the days before artificial fabric dyes, these colours were the shades that could be obtained from plants to naturally dye fabrics.
The sub-ethnic groups are commonly distinguished by the dialects they converse in, and many Bidayuh refer to themselves by their dialect group. For instance, Larrie and his students who are Bisadong, refer to themselves as Bukar-Sadong, though the latter actually refers to the shared dialect of the Bisadong and Bibukar communities.
A young woman in traditional Bidayuh attire.
The Bidayuh are renowned for their gracious hospitality and I was fortunate to experience this first-hand. Lambet was waiting at the doorway of her single-storey abode, and welcomed our party of 10 into her home with open arms. We stepped inside her house and into the ramin bahas (living room), its centrepice an altar with a framed photograph of Christ. The Bidayuh originally practised animistic beliefs but now, most have embraced the Christian faith. A small feast had already been laid out on a rattan mat, and Lambet gestured for us to take our seats on the floor.
A typical Bidayuh meal consists of rice cooked in bamboo, local greens such as mustard and tapioca leaves and fermented fish. Dessert is often boiled cassava or for festive occasions, bananas stewed in sugar syrup.
Traditionally, the Bidayuh resided in wooden longhouses, but today, most live in single-unit brick homes. In fact, in Sarawak, only a handful of Bidayuh longhouses remain standing while others have transformed into modern dwellings. Despite this update, the Bidayuh still adhere to their old customs, which includes partaking in meals while seated on the floor of the ramin bahas. This is a common practice, especially when there are guests, as the Bidayuh believe that the casual atmosphere fosters closer ties and community spirit.
Lambet Muri offers a Bidayuh delicacy, chicken cooked with tapioca leaves, to schoolteacher Larrie Jessika, while Philip Nandy Jameson, a fourth-former from SMK Tebedu looks on.
Seated cross-legged on the mat, tea and conversation flowed freely, and I was accepted as part of the ‘family’. Lambet was an entertaining and generous host, and it was almost impossible to refuse her repeated offers of food and drink. After our meal, Lambet invited us to visit a small plot of land near her house where she tended to pepper vines. While the younger generation of Bidayuh now seek employment in Kuching and other cities, the older folk still continue to till the land, maintaining ties with their agricultural heritage. Most plant cash crops such as pepper, paddy, rubber and in recent decades, oil palm. Almost every home in Kampung Temong Bengan housed a patch of pepper vines in their back yard as the crop fetches a good price. To learn more about the traditional way of life of the Bidayuh, we headed to Annah Rais, believed to be the site of one of the oldest Bidayuh longhouses in Sarawak.
INTO THE WOODS
Our hour-long journey to Annah Rais, which translates to ‘village in the valley’, was just as picturesque as the route to Tebedu had been. The climate here was several degrees cooler than in the city, owing to the elevation of the village, located in the foothills of the Borneo Highlands. Several kindergarteners had just returned from school when we arrived, and we followed them as they raced up the front steps of the longhouse – a collection of buildings linked to one another, and housing an entire community, with generations of families. Annah Rais dates back some 200 years, but the village’s original longhouse had been improved upon over the centuries.
Young Bidayuh women in front of a replica balu’ at the Sarawak Cultural Village. The octagonal roof of this structure is a unique architectural feature of the Bidayuh headhouse in Serian, Sarawak.
This longhouse, home to a community of Biannah Bidayuh, is one of the few remaining that offer an almost authentic Bidayuh experience, save for requisite modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing, electricity and satellite TV. A longhouse traditionally features a central space that serves as the community awah (common area), flanked on either side with bamboo-walled thatched-roofed homes that in the old days were little more than one-room dwellings. As families expanded, extensions were added to house the new additions, and now, some of the bamboo walls have turned to stone and roofs sport zinc coverings, as well as thatch.
Making our way through the warren of homes and public spaces, we came across longhouse folk going about their daily affairs undeterred by the strangers in their midst. Women wove rattan baskets and exchanged gossip while wrinkled old men carved tools out of wood in the awah outside their homes. Roaming freely along the bamboo-floored main walkway of the longhouse were happy cats and chickens.
Hearing a melody playing in the breeze, we followed the sweet strains and found a resident strumming a pratuong, a guitar-like instrument made of bamboo. These days, few Bidayuh play the pratuong, and so, it was an immense honour that we were treated to a performance and welcomed into the home of a longhouse resident.
Cynthia Dominic Neng, a Biannah from Annah Rais is skilled on the pratuong, a traditional Bidayuh musical instrument.
It was here, around a hearth, that I learnt about one of the Bidayuh people’s most important festivities: Andu Gawai. Though many Bidayuh have embraced Christianity, the community still observes customs and traditions passed down from one generation to the next. Andu Gawai is celebrated to give thanks for the annual harvest. Festivities kick off on May 31, with feasting and merrymaking. Tuak (rice wine) and traditional delicacies are shared with family and friends over three days of celebrations. Traditionally, festivities culminate in the nguguoh, a ritual in which the rice goddess is summoned and invited to partake in a feast offered by the community in gratitude for a good harvest.
OLD WAYS, NEW EXPERIENCES
The one thing that has remained constant – undiluted by the passing of time and the temptations of modernity – is the hospitality of the Bidayuh. These are people who truly believe in sharing their blessed bounty with their guests, regardless of colour or creed. Welcomed with open arms into their community, I was surprised – and I have to admit, a little embarrassed – that I’d known so little about the Bidayuh, who were my own countrymen and women.
Septuagenarian Lambet Muri tends to her pepper vines as her granddaughter Ivy looks on.
Before I bade farewell to the residents of Annah Rais and the students from Tebedu who had accompanied me on my journey into their community, patiently bringing me up to speed with details of their traditions and way of life, I offered a silent prayer in thanksgiving.
Lambet Muri weaves a rattan basket with a little help from her granddaughter Ivy. Rattan baskets are used by the Bidayuh to collect forest produce and also for decorative purposes.
It was not the students of Larrie’s class who were fortunate to have us visit them, but in truth, the other way around. It’s us who had been blessed with the opportunity to learn about the Bidayuh people and their unique culture, and to be so warmly welcomed into their homes.
And to think it all started with a simple letter. Till we meet again or in the words of the Bisadong, aduh masa kita bidapud lagi!
INVITE travel 3Sixty°
To celebrate our 100th issue, travel 3Sixty° has launched a contest called INVITE travel 3Sixty° that offers readers the opportunity to invite the editorial team to visit their community or hometown for a special cover story. By shining the spotlight on readers and their communities, the editorial team aims to nurture a greater bond with readers.
A group of fourth and fifth-formers of SMK Tebedu, a secondary school in rural Sarawak, pose with their English teacher Larrie Jessika.
The idea for the contest was inspired by Larrie Jessika, a school teacher in Tebedu, near Kuching, Sarawak, who emailed the magazine explaining how he uses travel 3Sixty° as a teaching tool to help his students learn about other cultures. The teacher admitted to photocopying the magazine for his class, with the original copy circulating among his students, but wrote to travel 3Sixty° requesting that old copies be donated to the school. travel 3Sixty° has been sending copies to the school since June 2015. Inspired by this reader’s efforts to teach his students about the outside world, beyond the classroom, the travel 3Sixty° team decided to pay a visit to the school to meet this amazing teacher and learn about his Bidayuh community. While on location in Sarawak, the travel 3Sixty° team was invited into the homes of students for a thoroughly local experience.
Fourth-form students from SMK Tebedu flip through the pages of the latest issue of travel 3Sixtyº.
The INVITE travel 3Sixty° contest will be held annually, with a winner announced in the magazine’s anniversary issue in August each year, along with a cover story highlighting the winner’s hometown.
To participate in this contest, email travel3sixty@airasia.com with ‘INVITE travel 3Sixty°’ in the subject line, and tell us about your hometown or community. We would love to hear from you.
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