Salako, one of the Bidayuh tribes that can only be found in the Lundu district of Sarawak, is rich in traditional customary ceremonies and celebrations. After a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Salako’s traditional Gawai Narakng makes a return on the second day of this year’s Gawai celebration.
For a prosperous, peaceful, and plentiful harvest ahead
Salako is one of the Bidayuh tribes that can only be found in Lundu district. Among the early settlements of this tribe is Kampung Pueh in Sematan.
In the village lies the oldest ancestral Salako longhouse, one that existed when the early Salako settlers arrived in 1875. The longhouse is known as Bantang Nek Bujur, which is also a place for the tribe to hold traditional ceremonies and celebrations.
After a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Salako’s traditional celebration of Gawai Narakng returned on the second day of this year’s Gawai celebration.
Gawai Narakng is one of the special ritual traditions of the Salako community to ask ‘Jubata’ (God) to give prosperity, peace, safety and a plentiful harvest from the crops grown by the villagers.
Gawai Narakng is manifested through a procession led by ‘Tukang Bayiatn’ (the leader of the Narakng ceremony) and joined by the villagers. In this year’s Narakng, there were approximately 1000 participants, comprising not only the residents of the nearby villages but also the Salako community from other villages.
What is more meaningful this year is that Salako relatives from Sungai Bening Sajingan in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, also participated in the parade.
People began gathering at Bantang Nek Bujur as early as 7.30am to witness the ritual ceremony known as ‘Nyangahatn Pamadah’ (telling the ‘guardian spirits’ that the procession is coming to their place) before moving out for the procession.
Narakng participants walked around four villages of the Salako community in Sematan, starting from Kampung Pueh Kayak, Kampung Pueh Kenek, Kampung Sungai Merah and Kampung Siru Dayak, covering a distance of 10 kilometres. The procession is also accompanied by music from traditional Bidayuh instruments.
They stop at each specific place; there are 13 places that have ‘guardian spirits’ in the four villages. ‘Tukang Bayaiatn’ is the one to present ‘Kobetant’ (a serving of food consisting of Tumpik, Bontokng, Po’ek and chicken fillings wrapped in leaves) to the ‘guardian spirits’ in each of the 13 places as supplies so that the spirits would not be hungry while looking after and protecting the village from threats.
After completing the 10-kilometre march, participants then returned to Bantang Nek Bujur to surround ‘Apar Buis’ (a food platter consisting of chicken and traditional Salako foods for the ‘guardians’ of the village) inside the longhouse as a sign that they had finished marching. After that, they were served traditional food from the Salako tribe and entertained by cultural performances by the children of Kampung Pueh.
