I’m off to Sarawak’s northern-most region Lawas, on another adventure and a pilgrimage of sorts.
In the early 80s, this evangelical Christian enclave was best known as the home of the Lawas river monster – a strange phenomenon in which a serpent – like creature would emerge from the river during the dry season, causing a great turbulence just opposite the old district office.
Later, I was told that the “monster” could have been a dugong (sea cow) that had tunnelled its way from the Bay of Brunei up the Lawas river.
After several years, the “Loch Lawas” monster stopped appearing; by then the dugongs were almost extinct and maybe the “monster” felt it was to appear in the midst of our human kind!
When I first visited Lawas in 1985 at the invitation of Sarawak’s evangelical Christian minister Datuk Joseph Balan Seling, I was a lukewarm Christian.
He had showed me a video of a group of born-again Christians from the Lun Bawang community during an evangelical mission worshipping at the remote border village of Ba’Kelalan.
Wearing white skirts, yellow blouses and flowers in their hair, they were looking up to the sky, singing hymns and clapping hands, before a small ball of light appeared.
Their clapping seemed to bring the ball of fire closer and slightly larger and now it looked like a glowing ball of fire which zig-zagged across the sky as the congregation continued singing “Hallelujah”.
They were witnessing a strange phenomenon; mysterious dancing tongues of ethereal light, a burning bush and the miracle of rice being turned into flour.
There was also an excerpt two women including a lady pastor Maria Gugkang were speaking a strange language as she worshipped God; I later learnt she was speaking in tongues.
Why Datuk Balan – an old family friend who had started life as a pastor with the Borneo Evangelical Mission (BEM) – sent me to remote Lawas was anybody’s guess.
Was he trying to convert me?
As I was still a rookie in religious affairs, I sought the advice of then chief minister Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud and his wife Laila Taib, and showed them the video at their Rumah Sarawak residence in Kuching.
Staunch Muslims, both Laila and Taib agreed that Maria was speaking in ancient Javanese.
So I was on my way to Lawas by Boeing from Kuching to Miri and from there, a Twin Otter ride to Lawas and Ba’Kelalan.
It was here that I met “Pendeta” (evangelist) Yohanis Sakai, a Lun Dayeh pastor from the Indonesian village of Long Bawan, a village in North Kalimantan adjacent to Ba’Kelalan.
The village elder Pastor Tagal Paran, Up-River agent Jackson Labo, former Border Scout officer Penghulu George Sigar received me with open arms and I felt at home.
Apparently, the miracles had started as far back as 1973 when the strange dancing lights were seen by a “holy man” Agung Bangau. A police report was later made about the occurrence.
My December 1985 visit was a revelation because being a Sunday church-goer, I wanted to share the same experience that my old friends did.
I did not find God in my inaugural trip to Lawas but I had a close call with some strange spirit, I believe.
The night before I left Ba’Kelalan, I felt the presence of a black shadow that engulfed the room where I was staying in the home of Ramina Tadam.
It was at that very moment that I decided to make peace with the Almighty.
The upshot of the occasion is that I became a regular visitor to Lawas, have written a book about Lawas and its people and even scaled the 7,500ft-high Gunung Murud in Ba’Kelalan, location of Southeast Asia’s highest evangelical church.
But 35 years is a long time and the old timers Agung Bangau and ex-Penghulu Labo Kapong have gone to be with their maker.
Even my dear friend Pastor Tagal Paran’s son Dr Judson Tagal, who died in a tragic air crash not far from Ba’Kelalan, is resting in peace.
Even so, there are others waiting to welcome me; Pastor Tagal who runs a homestay called “Apple Lodge” – he once had an apple orchard and horse farm, Penghulu George Sigar, Maria Gugkang and her family, Agung Bangau’s son Samuel and a long list of other Lun Bawang whom I am endeared to.
While on a soul-searching journey, I may trek across the border to the Kerayan valley for the umpteenth time and discover a few more tales.
I may even seek out the abode of another great mythical leader called Upai Semaring.
There is a mountain named after the giant and they say that if you are a punter, who knows what a short prayer will bring?
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
