The Unfolding Phenomenon
EVERY time I return to my traditional homeland in the Kelabit Highlands, I seldom stay longer than necessary in the small town of Bario. Maybe the term ‘town’ is a misnomer since, more accurately, the term ‘Bario’ is interchangeably used to refer to both the largest concentration of several villages in that one general location in the whole plain of Ba’a, located on the northern part of the Kelabit Highlands, and also to one specific village that originally sat in the centre of the wetlands.
I guess one can call “Bario” a village town and also, from afar, use the word as a generic term to refer to the whole region that makes up that particular part of the Kelabit Highlands or, in some contexts, the whole of the highlands itself, where we use the terms “Kelabit Highlands” and “Bario Highlands” interchangeably.
Inevitably, on almost all these trips, I will find myself being inexplicably drawn to Pa Mada, a small village further south of Bario and located within a smaller enclave of villages that includes the Pa Dalih, Batu Patong and Pa Ramudu villages. These southern villages are closer to Long Peluan and Long Banga villages, another enclave that represents the furthest collection of villages inhabited by the Kelabit people, one of the smallest ethnic groups in Sarawak. “Pa” is the shortened version of “Abpha” — the Kelabit word for river.
Perhaps it is the river that is the main draw for me to Pa Mada village, which sits on the banks of the Pa Mada river, a tributary of Pa Kelapang. Or maybe it is something much deeper that mysteriously draws me there. Or both.
My fascination with Pa Mada village stems from my desire to comprehend the phenomenon of “rural hollowing out,” or the emptying out of the country side, which appears to be unfolding across the nation and, as I understand it, even globally in the form of rural urban drift.
The term “rural hollowing” is characterised by the out-migration of population, abandonment of agricultural land, idle and unoccupied rural houses, depression of rural economic activities or industries, and the degradation of social-economic functions in rural areas. In other words, the decline of human-related activities.
Based on my observations, the Pa Mada longhouse is a good case study of the hollowing-out phenomenon. The village is a live manifestation of the ongoing phenomenon that has been playing out in the highlands and is very likely being repeated in most parts of rural Sarawak. A phenomenon that somehow clearly shows or embodies something that is still unfolding, first starting as a theory or an abstract idea but surely and certainly turning into a reality with multifaceted manifestations as time marches on relentlessly, leaving tortured souls in its wake, as Tennyson asserted.
The village of Pa Mada is located in the Central Kelapang area, with the Kelapang river being a tributary and the main source of the mighty Batang Baram, the second largest river in Sarawak after the Batang Rajang. At its height in the 1950s and 1960s, Pa Mada had a healthy and thriving population of several hundreds, maybe close to a thousand.
Now, hardly a handful call it home or treat it as a permanent home. There are probably more visitors than permanent residents in a year. The year-end school holidays tend to see more young people returning to their homelands or visitors making a beeline for these parts. In between, the holding of special events such as traditional “iraus” or parties, and the annual Bario Food and Culture Festival called “Pesta Nukenan” also help pull people back to their villages, along with tourists and visitors.
The dwellings or houses in the villages are still there, but many of the homes are virtually empty; some of the family hearths and fireplaces have long gone cold and untended.
In this context, the rural hollowing phenomenon is clearly manifested, literally and metaphorically, in the actions of many of the owners and inhabitants who have left their houses idle and empty as they migrated to the towns located down the coast, and even beyond, in their search for a better life.
In essence, rural population decline is caused by both rural-to-urban migration patterns and the ageing of those who choose to remain in their communities. The elderly frequently outnumber the youngsters and children. There is no middle grouping between the elderly and the very young. The hollowing-out process is also accelerated by changes in the cultural and social structure of these communities due to changes in the economy and to the rapid industrialisation that takes place in the wider economy.
The hollowed-out villages in the Kelabit Highlands were once communities that traditionally relied on farming, agriculture, fishing and foraging in the rainforests and rich natural environment that existed in the rural areas where they lived. During those times, they were able to work the land, making farms and planting gardens and orchards with varied fruit trees, rearing domesticated animals, and opening up new areas to grow rice in the form of wet paddy fields as well as the traditional slash and burn method that was practised for aeons before.
The number of people in the community and villages was sufficient to allow all these socioeconomic activities to happen. In other words, the community was thriving as well as being kept intact as a whole unit.
Things began to change as the depopulation in the villages started occurring almost in tandem with the onset of so-called modernisation and industrialisation in the towns and cities. Due to these developments, people migrated in search of a better life in a new environment.
As a consequence, the population loss from the countryside amplified, as houses and whole villages lay empty or were poorly occupied. Even the herds of domesticated buffaloes were left to roam freely and were barely tended to, turning them into wild herds roaming the countryside as they willed.
In the case of Pa Mada village and the surrounding village of Pa Main, once the largest settlement in the Highlands, the hollowing-out process was also triggered and accelerated by the event known as the Indonesian Confrontation, which occurred soon upon the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
Due to the risk of possible attacks from the Indonesian forces against the villages dotted along the border areas with Kalimantan, whole villages were relocated to Bario by the allied and Commonwealth forces in the early 1960s. They used helicopters to evacuate the entire population of Pa Main and some others from the nearby villages to Bario.
The people from the surrounding villages were very reluctant to leave their villages. Maren Katu, my own dad, was one of those most reluctant and amongst those who were ‘outright unwilling’ and vehemently opposed to being involuntarily evacuated to Bario.
The majority were somehow convinced to leave, albeit reluctantly. Perhaps the stark choice was “be safe or otherwise!” Without the extraordinary event of the Confrontation, I believe that everyone would have chosen to stay put. Some of those who were evacuated to Bario, including my late dad, still have their herds of wild buffalo roaming the village and surrounding areas to this day.
Globally, rural hollowing is not a recent phenomenon and has been happening around the world in areas that have experienced rapid urbanisation. Some have had to leave their homes and homelands due to wars, armed conflicts, famines, or natural disasters. The hollowing out of the countryside happens as many houses are left empty or sometimes whole villages are abandoned, while at the same time whole new communities and housing, or sprawling “tent cities,” are springing up elsewhere, forming bigger towns, slums, and sprawling cities where people have migrated to.
Very often, many of these places are not well supplied with or supported by basic necessities and amenities. I have seen some of the slums and poor neighbourhoods in Africa and other places, and pictures of appalling refugee camps and enforced settlements from around the world. Multitudes of mainly innocent people became victims of events, forces, and developments beyond their control or even comprehension. To me, it is an abomination inflicted upon humans, a reflection of our collective failure to create a humane habitat and a secure living environment for all.
Of course, the manifestation of the rural hollowing phenomenon will come in many forms and dimensions. These manifestations can be viewed in many aspects or dimensions, each requiring detailed and in-depth studies. From a reading of the related literature on the subject, these aspects could include the following: Land hollowing, population hollowing, economic hollowing, physical hollowing, infrastructure and social services hollowing, and cultural hollowing
Each of these manifestations has its own characteristics, but they all follow from the phenomenon of rural hollowing. Briefly, these are described as below:
- Rural Land Hollowing
Land hollowing refers to the change in the use of land, which is increasingly lacking in farming practices, especially the deployment of traditional methods, in the countryside, and which is always closely related to human activities. Land hollowing refers to the process of land use changes influencing the spatial pattern within villages and refers to the changes in cultivated land and the land used for construction. The spatial changes in land use are mainly caused by demographic change due to depopulation and are directly reflected in the abandonment of farmlands and houses.
- Rural Population Hollowing
The population hollowing out of rural areas is due to population decline as well as changes in the cultural and social structure of these communities due to rapid industrialisation. Hollowed villages are communities in which depopulation and housing modernization have led to the abandonment of a significant number of properties, spread throughout the settlement and population loss.
- Rural Economic Hollowing
In terms of economics, due to urban industrialisation, a large number of young people have moved to the city all year round, with the exception of major festivals, when they stay at home. This makes the rural population mainly composed of the elderly and children, hence the phenomenon of hollowed out villages.
- Rural Physical Hollowing
Physical hollowing refers to the neglect and vacancy of rural houses, both of which can lead to the rundown condition, damage, and ultimate abandonment of rural homes and buildings. These houses have been left vacant because the occupier or owner has more than one dwelling or has migrated out of the village (in the search for long-term employment in urban areas). After the villagers have moved out of the village, no one is left to maintain the old houses, which are gradually abandoned over time.
- Rural Cultural Hollowing
Rural cultural hollowing is a state of cultural setback that results in cultural practises being abandoned by the community. Cultural hollowing is therefore a major impact of urban civilization on rural culture. Conversely, more modern city cultural practises have influenced cultural practises in rural areas.
Conversely, working in the city is an important way for farmers to step into modern society and absorb modern culture. Traditional rural culture, especially agricultural practises and traditional lifestyles, will be gradually replaced, adapted, or assimilated into new practices.
Conclusion
This article is based on the writer’s own observation and upon a review of relevant materials and a literature search on the problem of the existence of vacant and idle houses in traditional villages due to the phenomenon known as “hollowing out”. In summary, the six manifestations mentioned above reflect many countries that face massive rural-urban migration, causing the rural hollowing effect. Obviously, each of the manifestations listed has its own characteristics that describe the nature of the manifestation itself.
Obviously, further studies are required to understand and examine the phenomenon in more depth, to decipher possible solutions to the rural hollowing problem, and to suggest viable recommendations so that vacant and idle houses can be transformed into beneficial solutions that meet the current and future needs of society as a whole in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way.
Comprehensive policy frameworks, robust strategies and effective execution plans are long overdue and urgently needed in order to reverse the rural urban migration, repopulate the countryside, and rebalance the rural-urban divide. A ‘no regrets’ move, one would submit.
