One fine day, after the Gawai Dayak celebrations of 2019, my elder brother Jon, who was six years older than me and known as Chandi, approached me with an intriguing proposition.
“Would you like to join our hunting trip to Ulu Melupa in two days? Uncle Guang will be leading the hunting party,” he said with a playful tone.
He informed me that around ten others would also be participating in the expedition.
I was filled with excitement, especially at the mention of Uncle Guang, who was in his early 80s and happened to be our father’s first cousin. I eagerly agreed and looked forward to meeting Uncle Guang and his dogs.
It was rumoured that he always shared his food, reserving two leaves for his loyal hunting dogs and one for himself, while the rest was for his beloved canine companions.
It was also widely known that he would tolerate scolding and insults directed at his children, but any mistreatment towards his dogs would undoubtedly anger him.
Curiosity piqued, I inquired of Jon, “Which part of Ulu Melupa are we heading to?”
He responded that our destination would likely be the Betaang and Meramuh regions, with Meramuh being the more probable choice.
Meramuh was situated further up the Melupa River, a tributary of the Krian River. The journey on foot from Tanjung Sikup, Uncle Guang’s longhouse, would take approximately two hours.
Although my father was born in the Munggu Embawang longhouse further up the river, he moved to Kedap in the late 1920s after marrying my mother, which was about an hour’s walk downstream along the Melupa.
In anticipation of the hunting escapade, we would be meeting our relatives from Tanjung Sikup and Munggu Embawang.
During the Gawai celebrations, we had recently reunited with our cousins and relatives from these two longhouses.
Three of us brothers, led by Edward, embarked on a goodwill “ngabang” visit to our extended family in Tanjung Sikup and Munggu Embawang.
On the second day, the weather was pleasant, and around seven in the morning, Jon inspected his shotgun, a Steven, while ensuring that I had a torchlight in case we returned from the jungle late in the evening.
Equipping himself with a torchlight as well, he assigned me the task of carrying packed meals for lunch. After enjoying a hearty breakfast, we departed from Kedap in my Viva Elite, reaching Tanjung Sikup in just 15 minutes thanks to the well-maintained feeder road.
Upon arriving at Tanjung Sikup longhouse, we received a warm welcome from Tuai Rumah Untan Sajok, the husband of our first cousin Sudan, who would also be joining the hunt.
Since it was Sunday morning, most people were at home, and we were once again treated to breakfast. Untan then guided us to Uncle Guang’s residence, where our presence brought great delight, particularly to me, as it marked my first hunting expedition with them.
Uncle Guang’s son announced to the others who were joining the trip to prepare themselves. Before setting off, Uncle Guang gathered everyone for a brief briefing.
He said, “I am thrilled to have our dear friend and brother Tawi join us on this hunt. May his presence bring us good luck. Let us support one another and handle our guns with caution.”
It was decided that four shotguns would be permitted, including Jon’s. The hunting group comprised a total of 14 individuals, accompanied by approximately seven hunting dogs.
Setting off from the longhouse around 9:30 am, we made our way slowly up the Melupa River, passing by the renowned Letung Naga (Dragon Lake), where my father, as a teenager in 1926, claimed to have caught a glimpse of a dragon, as previously recounted in my column titled ‘Dragon by Day, Keling by Night’.
Continuing our journey, we ventured further up the river, passing our durian orchard in the Betaang region known as Bila Dua.
At that point, our group split into two, with Uncle Guang leading one group and Tuai Rumah Untan leading the other.
I remained with Uncle Guang, while Jon joined the group of three others armed with shotguns, making a total of four shotgun bearers.
We proceeded cautiously as we entered the hunting grounds of the Meramuh region. Once the dogs began barking, we quickened our pace.
Armed with spears, I and the others in my group followed the dogs closely, mindful of the presence of another group armed with guns.
Eventually, we encountered the gunners, who signalled for us to maintain silence.
At that moment, we acknowledged the valuable contribution of the dogs, as they had led us to our prey.
One wild boar was successfully shot and killed, followed by another, adding to the one my brother had shot earlier.
Both boars weighed approximately 70kg each, making them significant catches.
By the time we finished the hunt and began the process of butchering the animals, it was already around 3 pm.
The detailed slaughtering would take place later at the Tanjung Sikup longhouse.
Consequently, by 5:30 pm, we returned to the longhouse, where a thorough butchering of the animals ensued.
The final item on the day’s itinerary involved dividing the meat among the participants.
Jon and I were entitled to three shares, as one share was reserved for the gun used.
However, we decided to give one share to Sudan, who cooked it for our dinner. That evening, before departing for Kedap, we enjoyed a sumptuous meal of wild boar in a typical Iban soup.
Around 9 pm, after partaking in a few rounds of beer courtesy of TR Untan, we set off for Kedap.
It was a moment of pure joy for both Jon and me, as we reminisced about the day’s successful hunting expedition.
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the New Sarawak Tribune.
