MUKAH: A three-day Lamin Dana Heritage Showcase event at Kampung Seri Tellian here which ended yesterday highlighted the rich Melanau heritage which has become part of the local tourist attraction.
Themed ‘Sunhat Affairs’ and staged at Lamin Dana Cultural Boutique Lodge, it was organised by Lamin Dana Event Team and Youth Art Club Mukah, while the sponsors were the Federation of Melanau Association Sarawak and Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad (CMSB).
Diana Rose (event chairperson) said it was created based on the need to promote local tourism.
She said the event was also aimed at harnessing and showcasing local talents, products and heritage, and to endorse the objective of preserving and conserving the Melanau heritage.
“The sunhat refers to the common wide-rimmed multi-functional Melanau headgear which can be used to protect the wearer from the weather; as a costume accessory; as an object to denote certain occasions; and in the past as an ornament to denote one’s status or rank within the stratified Melanau society,” she said.
Diana added that the sunhat has three referral names in the Melanau world depending on geographical location.
In south Sarawak the sunhat is known as sera-o (or serao) or sera ong, and in the central and northern regions it is called tapou or teridek (a variation of the Malay terendak).
Diana further explained that the ‘Sunhat Affairs’ was developed based on the idea that Mukah (or Malano as it was known in the distant past) was an ancient port known to seafarers from other regions such as Sumatra, Java, Sulu, Pulau Pinang, Malacca, Singapore and Terengganu.
“I believe the event can be held indefinitely befitting its objective as an annual event. It is owned by Lamin Dana. It has been promoted as a tourist attraction to make Melanau heritage known far and wide,” she said.
Last Saturday night, Mukah MP Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib launched the event which featured a fashion show displaying various traditional and contemporary Melanau costumes with sunhats created by Lyona Stephen from My Studio, and various contemporary Melanau costumes with sunhats presented by Latip Collection.
Also during the event, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on training, consultancy and research was signed between Lamin Dana and University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS) in Sibu.
Traditional and creative dances were performed by students of Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Kampung Tellian, Politeknik Mukah, Tunas Tari Warisan Dalat, Lamin Dana Cultural Team and UiTM.
