Hari Gawai Dayak must be preserved as an occasion to meet, exchange visits, interact and understand each other’s customs and traditions so that a celebration, which has been given a public holiday, can help to strengthen the unity of all communities not only in Sarawak but in Kuala Lumpur and Johore too.
– Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, Tuan Yang Terutama Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak
Over the last few days, most Dayak community members must have been in a rush to return to their respective homes, especially the longhouses for my fellow Iban folk.
Just like the ‘balik kampung’ episode in Malaya during Hari Raya Aidilfitri this ‘pulai gawai’ has been absent for the last couple of years due to the country still very much restricted in terms of movements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And now, as we move forward into the endemic stage, many standard operating procedures pertaining to moving around have been relaxed.
This certainly returns the typical Gawai smiles, excitement and enthusiasm among celebrants, especially Iban celebrants who prefer the longhouse ambience to the urban setting.
Many would agree with me that this festive anticipation and eagerness are topping the many factors that make longhouses perennially relevant. But it is this year that such enthusiasm surpasses the others after the two-year hiatus of noisy celebrations. There were a good number of longhouse Gawai celebrations in the past for me, including at Bebangai Stanie in Betong, Bejait in Kanowit and my own original longhouse Kedap in Saratok.
There was a trip made to celebrate Gawai in Kapit in 2007 – where a few of my family members, including myself became victims of conjunctivitis. This was when a few of us from Bejait (Rumah Unchin) in Kanowit visited my sister-in-law and her husband who were (still are) teaching in two Kapit schools – now both have attended courses to head respective schools as both are graduates.
I recall having to see Dr Ali Puji at his Sibu Jaya clinic immediately after coming back and so did my mother-in-law and nine-year-old nephew. It was my first infection of the ‘red eyes’ virus.
Gawai Dayak celebrations in the Rajang basin are a bit different to those in Krian and Saribas basins. I attended two in Bintangor in the early 80s, two in Julau (in 1988 and 1989), a few Gawai visits to Kanowit longhouses in 1983 and 1984 while since 2003, I used to be home for the festive do in Bejait as well as Kedap in Saratok.
In the past, one would always see a totally packed express boat terminal in Sibu as people bound for Kapit, Song or Belaga would be using the boats to reach their destinations. But now, perhaps the scenario is a bit different as Kapit and Song are reachable by road. And one would come across a congested road going to Kapit. Prior to this, there were very few small vehicles such as Perodua Kancil and Viva in Kapit.
During my few trips for Elvis show there, I noticed that the common vehicles were mostly four wheeled and bigger sedans such as Proton Saga and Toyota. These would prevail better with the terrains, including timber trails. My brother-in-law who heads one of the Kapit rural primary schools goes to his school in a Toyota 4WD as a sedan car is not suitable for the steep – and at times – slippery terrain.
On the roads from urban areas, there are jams everywhere as early as May 29 or even earlier. I remember in 2009 during a trip using our sedan to Kedap from Kuching, we got stuck for almost an hour on the Serian Bypass – on May 30 around 11am. Such thing can kill your Gawai enthusiasm but luckily it didn’t do any damage to our festive spirit.
It is the festival’s eve that everyone is in full anticipation about. What happened in Bebangai Stanie circa 1988 was shared by me with our Kedap longhouse as well as Bejait. Initially done as a fancy dress contest, some inventive individuals – especially mothers and grannies – used the idea to go a step further in making themselves look like Sophia Lauren, Brigitte Bardot or Elizabeth Taylor, using makeups to disguise themselves as these movie legends.
Even their husbands and children or grandkids could mistake them for somebody else. Perhaps, these are some secrets of going incognito. But the Gawai fancy dress has no other objective other than for the purpose of hilarity.
There are other contests and entertainment items held as well. In Kedap, Bebangai enggau Bejait we used to have karaoke, betabuh (traditional music) and other competitions. For Kedap, our regular band boys are always in attendance too. During the day there are contests such as nyumpit (blowpipe), tug-of-war, badminton as well as sepak takraw.
One item that stands tall during Gawai do in Rajang basin is the ranyai. Krian and Saribas are slowly adapting to this. The nyelai ranyai (cutting all the hanging food and drink items) ritual is the culmination of a festive do for longhouse folk in Rajang basin and lately in Krian and Saribas.
I wish celebrants a jolly Gawai Dayak 2022. Selamat Gerai Nyamai Gayu Guru….ooohhaaa
