MELANAU PEOPLE

The Melanau are a people who live on the island of Borneo, primarily in Sarawak, Malaysia, but also in Kalimantan, Indonesia. They are among the earliest settlers of Sarawak, and speak a Northwest Malayo-Polynesian language (see Melanau languag.The Melanau were in the 19th Century, settled in scattered communities along the main tributaries of the Rajang River in Central Sarawak. Melanau or problematic Kajang  speaking tribes such as the Sekapan, the Rajang, the Tanjung and the Kanowits gradually moved and assimilated into Dayak migrations settling in the Rajang. The Punan  (or Punan Bah) today are closely linked to the last riverine dwelling Melanau communities previously inhabiting the middle and upper Rejang tributaries. The Kajang language is kept relatively alive by the isolated Sekapan communities Kapit division of Sarawak.

The Melanau are considered among the earliest settlers in Sarawak. The name Melanau was not used by the Melanau to refer to themselves until recently. They call themselves a-likou meaning 'people of the river'. Legend has it that the name Melanau was given by one of the Sultans of Brunei to the inhabitants of the coastal swamp flats and riverbanks of central Sarawak.

Eda Green, writing in 1909, referred to "...the Milanaus, whose girls are as fair as any Europeans and the belles of Borneo.

IBAN PEOPLE

                      

It was the biggest ethnic group in Sarawak. they comprising  approximately 34% of Sarawak population.The Ibans are a branch of people of the 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. In ancient times the Ibans were a strong and successful warring tribe in Borneo.The word Iban, in Kayan dialect “livan” means “wanderer” or iban’s own version means “person” .They are formerly known as Sea Dayak because they use boats and stay along the rivers. Pre-brooke Ibans identified themselves with the river system where they stayed such as Batang Ai Iban , Skrang Iban , Saribas  Iban and Batang Rajang Iban. In the term ” Sea Dayak ” was coined by the Iban originated from Kumpang Valley which includes the northern of Kapuas and Ketungau , West Borneo ( Kalimantan, Indonesia ) as early as 1540s. They entered Sarawak by way of the low-iying water-shed between Kapuas and Batang Lupar /down to such places as Lingga and Sebuyau today . Besides , Iban population one end and up to Lawas district at the other end Sarawak.The Iban culture, typically known for their gruesome tradition of head-hunting, are a race who can offer us a great deal of information into the complex societies of southeast Asia and who are fascinating to learn about.

PESTA BENAK

Sri Aman,

The Batang Lupar flows 200km from its source in the Kapuas Mountains to the Teluk Datu of the South China Sea. At its mouth the river forms the broadest estuary in Sarawak, as well as accommodating the largest of the four benak’s that occur in Sarawak.Tidal bore or locally known as benak, occurs everyday with different wavelengths and heights. However, during spring tide, normally on the third and eighteen day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar, tidal bores with high magnitude can be observed clearly.

 The ‘benak’ continues its journey another 30 km inland, ending near the small village of Engkilili.

Pesta Benak (Tidal Bore Carnival) in Sri Aman is one of the yearly activities in the Sarawak tourism calendar. The objective of Pesta Benak Sri Aman is to introduce Sri Aman town through tourism and encourage tourist from in and outside the country to visit Sri Aman. Apart from it, Pesta Benak is also to promote harmony among local community.In conjunction with this phenomenon, many events were organized such as exhibition, food fair, karaoke competition, culture and art performances and others. Tidal wave festival has made the area a popular spot in Sarawak for visitors; you can join in the fun and hitch a ride with the longboats or just watch the boatman braving the waves. You can even immerse yourself with the local culture at the food fair, good music and dance performances that are part and parcel of the festival.

TRADITIONAL DANCE-NGAJAT IBAN FROM SARAWAK

Iban people are also talented musicians and dancers. During the main festivals of Gawai Dayak (Harvest), Gawai Kenyalang (Hornbill) and Gawai Antu (Festival of the Dead), the people will bring out their traditional instruments and celebrate but playing and dancing. Some of the Iban dances such as ngajat  are pretty amazing when you see them live.

The Ibans perform a unique dance called the ngajat. This type of dance is the most popular in Sarawak and Borneo island itself. There are many

types of dances, including;

1.           Ngajat Induk

2.           Ngajat Bebunoh

3.           Ngajat Lesong

4.           Ngajat Semain

5.           Ngajat Berayah

6.           Ngajat Ngemai Antu Pala

For the Iban people, ngajat is the dance to celebrate the Gawai festival, as well as celebrating the war victory. Dancers will wear traditional clothing such as ‘mesh’, ‘gagung’ or dress the bird. They also wore hats decorated with bird feathers. Gagung is a bold and loud clothes made from animal skin like leather bears , but not sewn up the left and right.Each rhythm is played in accordance with the ritual. For Ari Gawai Sandau, Rayah drums  played for the guest of honor and celebrate Gawai to ber’Rayah’ while carrying the skull of  an enemy.

AYAM PANSOH

The Iban tribe are from Sarawak, Borneo. Their traditional foods are called 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. This natural way of cooking seals in the flavours and produces astonishingly tender chicken with a gravy perfumed with lemongrass and bamboo.

PUCUK PAKU

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.

Batang Ai Hydro Dam

  

Batang Ai, Lubuk Antu Sarawak..

The Batang Ai Dam is a concrete-face rock-fill dam in Batang Ai National Park in Sarawak, Malaysia. The power station comprises four 25 MWturbines, totalling the installed capacity to 100 MW. The station is operated by Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation. Preparations for the dam began as early as 1975, before the design was published in 1977. Construction started 1982 with the river diversion work and the last turbine completed in 1985. The Batang Ai project, a relatively modest dam financed by the Asian Development Bank, caused the displacement of approximately 3,000 people from 26 longhouses. (These people have since been accommodated in the Batang Ai Resettlement Scheme to cultivate cocoa and rubber but the programme has not been successful.