The Gawai Dayak celebration is here again but we will not be able to celebrate it in the way we are familiar with. It will be a different, in fact subdued and cautious celebration this time.
– Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Deputy Chief Minister
None of the pioneers of Gawai Dayak such as Datuk Michael Buma, Datuk Seri Tra Zehnder and even Sarawak’s first chief minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan would believe that the celebration would be held during a lockdown and just confined to a maximum of 20 people comprising family members only.
And of course, plus the strict compliance of the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to curb the spread of Covid-19 that typifies this unprecedented phenomenon.
Certainly, this new pandemic was never in their minds or for that matter in the minds of us all, until it reared its ugly head last December.
All the planning done since had gone down the drain. My Saratok longhouse Kedap actually celebrated last Gawai in grand fashion whereby the 30-door community dwelling was divided into two.
Doors No. 1 to 15 did the ngabang (visiting) to the other half of the longhouse comprising doors No. 16 to 30.
So the plan for this year was for the hosts to go ngabang to the visitors. Unfortunately, due to the lockdown and strict compliance to “the new norms”, this had to be cancelled.
All longhouses and Dayak community dwellings and settlements were frustrated by the lockdown SOPs but nevertheless complied, knowing fully well that health is more vital.
Through our longhouse’s WhatsApp group, I found out that there was strict compliance with the SOPs, including no handshakes, proper social distancing and others.
Even the ngirup ai pengayu (drink of longevity) whereby the youngest family member would serve the drink (either tuak or soft drinks) starting with the eldest family member and subsequently to other family members using just one cup (as a symbol of bonding and unity) needed to be changed.
This time around, each family member had to use his or her own cup or glass. But of course this was not taken as a disunity symbol but a strict compliance with the SOPs. RTM’s WaiFM Iban section for many weeks since the early days of the movement control order (MCO) had been trying its best to promote Gawai joy by playing various songs. I was quite attracted to a duet by Achan and Swaylin entitled ‘Sakit Maya Gawai’.
Composed at least a decade ago, the duet tells a story of a husband who always gets sick when it comes to Gawai time. He keeps on asking the wife to give him a massage, telling her that she needs to stay by his side.
This is for the simple reason that this would prevent her from going out from their room whereby she may come across other men who might interest her. This is actually a case of jealousy. He even tells the wife to keep their door shut in order to keep away visitors.
Perhaps this year’s Gawai is the true reflection of such song. Many doors were closed most of the time as there was no ngabang allowed, resulting in the husband in the Achan/Swaylin duet a happy, contented man, without having to be massaged by the wife of course.
In real life, in most longhouses and community dwellings celebrating Gawai, there are cases of these jealous husbands or wives. I have seen such instances in Kanowit, Kapit, Sibu, Julau, Betong, Saratok, Limbang (Medamit) and even in Temburong, Brunei Darussalam.
For example, during a Gawai visit to Kapit in 2007, we (my spouse and I) came across two cases of husbands and wives throwing items (plastic plates and bowls) at each other because their spouses paid great attention to the opposite sex.
While spending my 1998 Gawai at a Medamit longhouse in Limbang, my companion whispered to me her old flame was unhappy with my presence but no untoward incident occurred.
A fight reportedly happened between two men during Gawai in 2016 at a Saratok longhouse due to jealousy. The jealous husband was badly injured and landed in hospital.
To me, jealousy is a common nature of human beings, irrespective of ethnicity or locality so one cannot blame our fellow Iban folk for this shortcoming.
This year’s celebration perhaps did little or none at all to arouse such insecure feeling, especially when neither the husband nor wife could go out to visit others.
Meanwhile, a hopeful Gawai love and courtship of veteran crooner Christopher Kelly in his song ‘Segelas Ai’ certainly did not materialise this year as no ngabang is allowed.
Hopefully there is no repeat of this, and other celebrative lockdown in future.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
