A Kenyah Wedding, the bride & groom as well as their ‘bakeh’ (friend). Photo by Thomas Kok Photography.
A Kayan Wedding. Photo by Alyssa Chin (2010).
A Berawan wedding. Photo by Alyssa Chin (2013).
A Kenyah couple in full traditional costume. Photo by Alyssa Chin (2012).
Sarung, one of the wedding dowry signifying different stages of the bride in life. Photo by Alyssa Chin (2012).
Parang, one of the wedding dowry signifying “cutting”down possible challenges as well as a tool to provide life to the newly weds. Photo by Alyssa Chin (2012).
A specific bead as a wedding dowry, provide as an inheritance to the bride. Photo by Alyssa Chin (2012).
A Berawan’s wedding dowry. Tawak (gong), food bowl and plates, parang, tikar (mat). Photo by Alyssa Chin (2013).
Jakok or rolled tobacco, the self-made cigarette of the Orang Ulu. Photo by Alyssa Chin (2012).
Another example of jakok house. These cigarettes are then distributed to the guest. Photo by Alyssa Chin (2010).
The newly weds are served with the ‘jakok’ by Temenggong Pahang Ding, the Orang Ulu Paramount Chief. Photo by Alyssa Chin (2012).
A traditional musical instrument is the sape’, a plucked lute instrument. It is carved from tree trunk in an elongated rectangular shape with a homogenous neck extending from one end of the body. Formerly, its three or four strings were made from finely split rattan, but today they are made of wire strings.
The Kelabit also play the pagang (tube zither), which is made from a length of bamboo tube closed at both ends by its natural bamboo nodes. The strings are finely cut strips from the surface of the bamboo tube itself, which are still attached to the tube at either end.
On special occasion such as Iraus or during visits by VIPs (Very Important Persons), the school children will form a bamboo band where all the musical instruments that are played are made from bamboo.
Performance by Kelabit tribe -Alena Murang – Sape Musical Instrument
Performance of songs and dance by the Kelabit ladies.
Kelabit long dance
Reference List:
farshad parsa. (2013, March 8). Performance by Kelabit Tribe of Borneo – Alena Murang – Sape Musical Instrument [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-5tZCC4KOk
calmaritima. (2013, January 6). Kelabit Highlands – Bario, Borneo, Malaysia. GoPro Full HD [1080] [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FpYJAm0e7w
“I saw behind me those who had gone, and before me those who are to come. I looked back and saw my father, and his father, and all our fathers, and in front to see my son, and his son, and the sons upon sons beyond.
And their eyes were my eyes.
Richard Llewellyn
The population of the Kelabit was estimated to be 5,059 with 18 longhouses in 1987. Today, most of the young and educated Kelabit have moved out of the highlands to work in the larger towns in Sarawak. The Kelabit live in an open-system longhouses where the community live with mutual help and harmony.
The Highland Kelabit are mainly wet padi planters, who produce the famous “Bario Rice”.
They also rear buffaloes and cattle for sale. In the traditional Kelabit social organisations, the nobles are known as Paran while the middle group are called Pupu or Upaupa. The third strata of social hierarchy are the auak lun ian oda ‘commoners’.
The Kelabit of the highlands also process salt from the natural licks which they used as a barter item in the past.
With the advent of Christianity, most of the ritualistic dances are no longer practised. However, traditional songs are still commonly sing by both men and women. Sekunuhor story telling is still a common oral tradition today.
The most unique aspect of Kelabit Culture are related to those of megalithic practices, greetings and the naming ceremony.
Video above: Megalithic and dragon jar cemetary visit, Long Peluan, Kelabit Highlands.
Video above: Name-changing irau or irau mekaa ngadan in Kelabit.
Monica Janowski. (2011, January 4). Megalithic and dragon jar cemetery visit, Long Peluan, Kelabit HIghlands [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHmOfttfr-A
Datun Julud or Hornbill Dance is a traditional dance from Sarawak. The dance is from theKenyah tribe from Kabupaten, Balungan, Kutai Berau and Pasir. The dance was traditionally performed to greet returning warriors, as well as to mark the end of the rice harvest season. It is believed to have been conceived by a Kenyah prince named Nyik Selung to celebrate happiness and gratitude.
The dance is performed by female dancers. The dancers wearhead dress of hornbill feathers. The woman hold feather fans of hornbill feathers, which she moves up and down gracefully, to depict the hornbill in flight. Some times the dance is performed one dancer at a time. When the first dancer finishes her dance, another woman takes her place. Occassionally, up to four women perform the dance together. Nowadays, in performances to tourists, there is no limit to the number of dancers. Some times a male dancer dressed as a warrior is added to depict the returning warrior. The dance is accompanied by the music from the sape.
Depiction of a Kenyah woman dances the Hornbill dance while at the background is the male warrior preparing for Sagah (warrior dance) during a wedding ceremony. Taken by Alyssa Chin.
A single woman Kenyah hornbill dance.
A group Kenyah women hornbill dance
Sagah Ngayau – One Man Warrior Dance
One man warrior dance. Taken by Alyssa Chin.
These dances are usually accompanied by one, two or more sape players.
