Last Saturday 1 July, my longhouse Kedap in Saratok officially closed Gawai Dayak for this year with a symbolic simple yet joyful Ngiling Tikai do.
Held in the early evening, the affair involved our longhouse residents only. It was certainly a far cry of the very grand Gawai do held a month ago whereby no less than 600 guests from few other longhouses converged there for a wedding ceremony of my niece. The two-in-one celebration on last 1 June involved big resources as every family had to play host to at least a dozen guests and as such was a good reason to hold just a simple symbolic closing of Gawai Dayak last Saturday.
Nevertheless members of each family took time to gather among themselves at their respective open gallery (ruai) for dinner. Thereafter they gathered at the open gallery of longhouse chief Robert Lin Malina, great-great grandson of Anya ‘Lebur Menua’ the pioneer of the Kedap and Burui area. After a prayer led by Robert Lin, participated by most of the longhouse residents, a number of items were held such as karaoke session and live music entertainment led by my nephew Ir. Marshall Minggu. They performed quite a mixed repertoire comprising English and Malay songs ranging from hits of the 70s to the 90s and Iban songs by the likes of Andrewson Ngalai, Ricky Andrewson, Stevenson, Masterpiece, Ricky El, Taju Remaung and a few others.
Around 10pm, an announcement was made requiring all those who were still around to proceed to the open gallery of my eldest brother Edward Jelani Salok. A veteran Elvis Tribute Artiste, Edward turned 75 last Saturday 1 July. His children and grandchildren gave him a surprised birthday cake apart from loving hugs and kisses. Guests comprising our own longhouse residents were treated to simple ‘makai’ and some drinks.
Tuai Rumah Robert Lin, who led the longhouse residents to wish Edward many happy returns on his 75th birthday, later led the official rolling off the mat to mark Gawai closing at Edward’s ‘ruai’. Lin was joined by Edward, Edward’s son-in-law Cr. Edmund Uda and my cousin Minggu Awi, the Assistant Tuai Rumah.
Meanwhile, in longhouses along the Rajang basin from Bawang Assan below Sibu to Nanga Mujong up the Baleh River and to Kaki Wong Pelagus above Kapit up the Rajang, the Ngiling Tikai do is always marked with splendour whereby the tuak rice wine took centre stage. Iban community in Sibu, Kanowit and Kapit usually end their Ngiling Tikai do with the rolling of the mat and thereafter the ‘Nyelai Ranyai’ or symbolic cutting of the ‘Ranyai tree’. During the headhunting and warring days in the nineteenth century, after a successful outing, Iban headhunters put their head trophies obtained during a raid on the ‘Ranyai tree’ before the heads were taken to be smoked elsewhere. So the act of ‘nyelai ranyai’ is a symbolic act of cutting the heads from the ‘ranyai tree’. Essentially those involved in ‘cutting the items from the ranyai tree’ must be adults – both men and women – of special social standing. This, however, is not always the case in modern practice. For that matter, ‘ngiling tikai’ or also known as ‘ngiling bidai’ is a newly created item to mark the official closing of Gawai and was not done in the early days. In the Saribas and Krian basins, this closing of Gawai was done much later than those in the Rajang, Batang Lupar and Kemena basins. According to an understanding, this closing of Gawai should be done within the month of June. I remember some years ago, some longhouses and Dayak organisations in the state held Ngiling Tikai even as late as September with guest-of-honour being Dato Sri Michael Manyin, my friend and former colleague. At that time, then President of the Majlis Adat Istiadat Datu Nillie Tangai came out with a statement that Ngiling Tikai should be done within the month of June.
