Through the vibrant ngajat dance and the rhythmic beats of traditional music, the Ngajat Asal Iban (NGASI) Association keeps the spirit of Iban culture alive.
Upholding Iban heritage through dance, music
The highlight of every Dayak celebrator’s year comes as June 1 approaches — the Gawai Dayak, a day to celebrate the year’s harvest and honour their cultural heritage. Its significance lies among the indigenous people of the island of Borneo, a tradition that has persisted for decades.
In today’s modern society, remembering our ancestors becomes vital, and many longhouses remain vigilant in ensuring that. At a longhouse in Saratok, the festivities come alive with numerous programmes and activities leading up to the Gawai Dayak festival.
“Growing up, I would dance the ngajat in the kampung during Gawai. Before the festival, there would be activities such as pekit kumang (a cultural pageant) that often showcase the beauty of ngajat and the art of bertabuh (playing Iban musical instruments),” said ngajat trainer Easter Mudit.
Attached to the Ngajat Asal Iban (NGASI) Association, Easter, who fell in love with any form of cultural dance from a young age, had joined the Cultural Club in school. When NGASI was established in 2015, the 49-year-old began learning in-depth about the art of Iban dance movements — Ngajat — and understanding the meaning behind them.
Gracefully beautiful, the swaying and spinning of the ngajat dance each hold a symbolic meaning of their own. Easter disclosed that the dance movements of the girls often imitate the movements of birds found in the rainforest.
“Back during our ancestors’ time, there was little to observe but the birds that roamed the skies. Each bird has its own characteristics, which the ngajat dancers beautifully learned to portray,” she said.
In NGASI, Easter tries her best to portray the dance movements as traditionally as possible, without missing a step or adding any conveniences. Each movement, including the way it’s danced, the way the body bends, and the way the fingers move, is essential. The way the dancers spin “Ayun lundai” is also important.
Sharing the different bird characters ngajat dancers portray, she names a few: “The peacock movement shows pomp and grandeur, while the eagle movement is slow and sharp. The hornbill dance is portrayed by the way they walk.”
Despite years of practice and performing the Iban traditional dance, Easter is still adamant about regular practice of the art. This is because, when dancing in a group, each member has to be in sync and show good chemistry, especially between the male and female dancers.
Offering classes every Monday and Wednesday from 8pm to 10pm, the NGASI association has seen over 100 members to date coming to practice the art. From primary school children to working adults, Easter said that practicing this requires a huge commitment. Many parents bring along their children, so many children grow up within the association.
As a trainer, I feel proud of our members because even though we live in a modern world with other more hyped and interesting dance genres, there are still teenagers who want to learn this traditional dance.”
Being part of the older generation of the Iban community, Easter also feels that it is her responsibility, along with other elders, to continue preserving the traditions so that younger generations will be encouraged to follow suit.
“Through this way, we can also encourage them to follow in our footsteps,” she added, mentioning that the youngest member in the association is 10 years old.
Vital to continue
At NGASI, the organising team and its members remain well-versed in the knowledge of Iban culture and traditions. When the women dance, the male dancers accompany them. In the background, the bertabuh session begins — a symphony of tunes from the olden days plays as the hallmark of an Iban performance.
NGASI’s male dancer trainer, Joefrazier Jeffrey Kemping, has been upholding the Iban art forms of dance and music since his teenage years. Now, at 53 years old, he has spread traditional arts to many under his tutelage.
During his 20s, he secured a job as a dancer and musical instrument player at the Sarawak Cultural Village, where he further honed his skills. With his wisdom, he hopes to encourage younger generations to not forget the asal adat Iban (original Iban heritage).
“It is therefore vital for us to remember the musical instruments, the dance movements, and the traditional attire of our Iban natives, so we can teach the younger generation, and they can continue to preserve it in the future.”
Sharing more about the male ngajat dance movements, he said the common ones are bujang berani, where the male carries a shield to perform acts of bravery, while another is known as gigit lesung, where the male bites onto a mortar to symbolise a day in the paddy field.
Typically dressed in elaborate headgear made of feathers and a loincloth, the male dance movements are more vigorous and feature high jumps, precise steps, and dynamic arm movements that demonstrate agility and strength.
As for the art of bertabuh, Joefrazier said that in NGASI, the percussion instruments include the canang, gedebung, enkerumong, and tawak. With differences in the ways they are played, he shared that they all share a similarity: the eyes of their players must be alert and vigilant to follow the rhythm of the dance movements.
“If the dancers move fast, then you need to play fast too. If they’re slow, then the playing is slow too. Usually, the enkerumong, with its nine mini gongs laid flat, is the hardest to follow due to their distance from each other.”
A way of continuance
As Gawai approaches this year, the identity of the Dayaks remains strong in many. Through its food, attire, and arts, their heritage remains the epitome of various individuals. And though modernity has paved the way for many advanced technologies and innovations, it is hoped that the roots of the origins will not be forgotten.
Sharing further, NGASI’s President, Bartholomew Sirow Chong, believes that if we don’t start to preserve the original heritage of our culture, one day it will cease to exist.
“When I established NGASI in 2015, I did so to unite everyone to continue preserving the original heritage of the Ibans together. Such heritage that I want to preserve includes the art of ngajat, the art of bertabuh, as well as the traditional art of Iban attire. Preserving the mother tongue is equally important too,” he said.
To date, NGASI has helped improve the socio-economic status of its performers by providing them with opportunities to perform on stage, either through dancing or playing traditional musical instruments.
Bartholomew also revealed that the performers were previously invited to perform in Korea as well as Kuala Lumpur.
With Gawai as the highlight event of the year, today’s Ibans, under NGASI (and others), continue to honour their ancestors by preserving their wisdom and knowledge — a profound connection between the old and the new. Remembering the sacrifices and hardships gives us a reason to honour the festivity each year.
