MUKAH: The famous exotic food among the Melanau community is not only the reed caterpillar or better known as Si’et among the community here, but another type of edible leaf caterpillar called ‘Lelamas’. It is a type of exotic food that is also very popular in among the Melanau community either in Mukah or in Dalat.
All of these food items are traditional food passed down from generation to generation from the ancestors of the Melanau community. The Lelamas caterpillar is a type of caterpillar that can only be found in tropical rainforests. In the Mukah Division, the most popular area with the presence of Lelamas is the forest area of village Balan, Kampung Sungai Kut, Hulu Tellian, Dalat and several other areas in the district.
Among the areas that are usually focused on are the areas of Sungai Betei, Sungai Udut, Sungai Bunut, Ulu Sungai Tellian and several other rivers where the forest area still grows Nyatoh wood.
However, this Lelamas caterpillar is not the same as the reed caterpillar (Si’et). Thatch caterpillars are available or in other words easy to get because if there is thatch that has already been cut down and only wait four to six weeks to get Si’et.
Lelamas are also seasonal, usually they can be found from January to August. If Si’et is in the stem of Lelamas reeds, it can be found in the leaves of Nyatoh wood because this caterpillar only eats fresh leaves in the forest.
In that regard, the special thing about this caterpillar is that although it can only be found in the rainforest, it is not found in any tree – it can only be found in a tree called ‘Nyatoh’.
Although there are other trees, this caterpillar only eats the leaves of the Nyatoh tree and then the leaves continue to be used as a place for them to make a house or cocoon.
When the Lelamas season arrives, almost all the villagers in a village will go to the forest to get this exotic food and the activity is called ‘Melamas’ which means the activity of looking for Lelamaih caterpillars.
This melamas activity is an annual activity of the Melanau community and Lelamas is a source of good part-time income for the Melanau community.
This is because, if siet has a high price up to RM60 per kilogramme, even Lelamas has a higher price up to RM300 to RM600 per kilogramme, now.
Lelamas catchers are able to generate income of RM1,000 to RM3,000 in a day if they catch a lot. Usually the caterpillars will be sold in the Mukah and Dalat areas after being cooked or smoked.
According to Moon Idal, 48, a resident of Dalat who told Suara Sarawak that the price of Lelamas is too high because it is seasonal and it is very difficult to get it. These caterpillars can be found once a year and sometimes up to once every two years. Meanwhile, the process of searching for the caterpillar is not as easy as it seems because it requires a lot of patience.
In addition, it tastes good. Fat is also a factor that causes the price of the caterpillar to be expensive.
Kimi Lambang, 62, from Kampung Kekan also said that usually when the Lelamas season arrives, orders for these caterpillars are non-stop; so they are willing to buy at a higher price than the normal price.
“This means it does not get to be sold outside the Mukah area. The people around Mukah alone have had enough and are scrambling to get it,” Kimi added.
Meanwhile, currently the areas that are still active as nests or the presence of Lelamas are in Kampung Kampung Balan, Sungai Kut, Ulu Sungai Tellian, Mukah and around the forest area in Dalat, Kimi pointed out.
He also intends to make the existing Lelamas area to be continued to be maintained as a forest reserve for future generations.
“What is difficult is that the area to search for Lelamas is getting smaller and smaller every day because many forests have already been explored for the purpose of development, plantation, logging activities and so on.
“This matter is of great concern to the villagers. If this area is destroyed indirectly the Lelamas will also become extinct and the next generation will not be able to see and enjoy the deliciousness of the Lelamas anymore.
“If this forest continues to be explored then the place for wild animals to take shelter will be destroyed and if it is destroyed the wildlife will disturb the gardens of the villagers,” Kimi, who lives in Kekan Dalat village, pointed out.
