Longhouses

In Sarawak, the dominant tribal groups are the Dayak. Tribal people live in longhouses. There are the Iban (Sea Dayak), and the Bidayuh (Land Dayak). All of Malaysia’s tribal people feel a strong spiritual connection to the rainforest. The Iban grow rice and fruit, and hunt and fish.The longhouse is the very centre of communal life in Sarawak. There are over 4,500 longhouses in Sarawak. These communal houses, built on stilts, may contain up to 100 individual families in separate 'apartments' built under one long roof.
The rainforest is home to 27 ethnic groups each with own distinct language and culture.The real longhouse experience begins with the journey upriver. River travel in a perahu - a shallow draught canoe - affords you the pleasure of seeing Sarawak at its best. Longhouses differ slightly from tribe to tribe but share the same basic characteristic. The Iban are the largest tribe in Sarawak and one of three native peoples whose past includes the practice of headhunting.
Heading upstream, your boatman will take you along idyllic waterways with white pebble beaches, under the over-arching branches of tropical hardwoods, whose dense emerald foliage allows through only a dappling of sunlight. As you meander upstream, and your boatman punts through the river's shallows, kingfishers glide past, hornbills fly overhead, and local children dive from the riverbank into the cooling waters. Longhouse inhabitants are very well known for their hospitality. It is normal for people to just turn up and expect to be invited in by the headman (gifts are expected in return). As you arrive at the longhouse, it is customary to be greeted by the longhouse maidens and young men performing traditional dances and playing ceremonial gongs. At the entrance to the longhouse there is a wooden arch with small baskets made of palm leaves hanging from the top. Offerings such as a few coins or a cigarette are occasionally put into the baskets and help keep evil spirits out of the longhouse. From the moment you step inside the longhouse you will be treated as an honoured guest. Visitors will be offered a glass of tuak - the very palatable local rice wine. Or more often than not, several glasses of tuak will be offered to wash down a banquet of local delicacies. Then your hosts will start beating the gongs. This is the cue for the traditional dance, usually the Ngajat. The inspiration for the graceful movements of the dancers comes from the effortless flight of the hornbill, Sarawak's emblem. Then your newfound friends will enthral you with stories of Sarawak's legendary past. Usually a longhouse party lasts all night. As the sun is eclipsed by the moon, weary from your day's travel, and a night of dancing and feasting, retire to the ruai- a covered verandah - for a good night's sleep.

PUNAN GIRLS IN SARAWAK

The government has made public a shocking report on sexual abuse of Penan girls and women by logging camp workers in Baram, Sarawak.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil yielded to pressure from civil society groups to investigate the claims.
The report was handed over to PKR women’s chief Zuraida Kamaruddin on Sept 8, almost a year after media accounts of rape of Penan girls by loggers first appeared.
The report lists at least eight cases of sexual abuse of Penan girls and women by logging camp workers. The report said several of the victims were schoolgirls as young as 10.
Local NGOs claim these documented cases were only a small fraction of the total number of cases of sexual abuse.
The ministry’s National Task Force was commissioned by the cabinet on Oct 8 last year, to investigate the claims.
The ministry’s team visited Long Item, Long Kawi, Long Luteng, Long Belok, Kampung Ugos, Jambatan Suai, Niah between Nov 10 and 15 last year.
Shahrizat’s predecessor, Ng Yen Yen, had promised a transparent investigation. The team was led by director-general of the Department of Women’s Development, Dr Noorul Ainor Mohd Nor.
The team was made up of several federal ministries, Sarawak government agencies and NGOs, Women’s Aid Organisation and Women’s Centre for Change, Penang.
The team concluded that “allegations of sexual abuse of Penan girls and women by outsiders dealing with the Penan, including logging company workers and merchants, did indeed take place”.
The protracted delay in releasing the report opened Shahrizat to accusations of trying to cover up the scandal which displeased powerful logging companies in Sarawak.
Shahrizat (right) had previously refused to comment on the delay and instead invited “interested parties” to view the report at her ministry’s office in Putrajaya.

Native Customary law system prevailing in Sarawak is peculiar to our State. What is "native customary law" must be determined with reference to the laws of the State, and what constitutes "native customary rights" over land must also be determined with reference to the relevant State laws.
Native Customary Rights to land is also a system which recognises the rights of the native community to occupy and use land which by law belongs in the old days to the Crown, but nowadays by reason of Section 12 of the Land Code, belongs to the State.
The system of native customary rights over land had evolved over near one and half centuries; since 1841 when the Rajah James Brooke decided to make his first pronouncement pertaining to Land. Through this process of evolution, native rights to land were recognised, under certain conditions spelt out in the various Proclamations and Orders made by the Rajahs and subsequently, in various legislations passed by the Council Negeri (now Dewan Undangan Negeri of Sarawak).
As such, land occupied by natives under native customary tenure, are untitled i.e. there is no document of title to show ownership. Whether a native has rights to such land would depend on whether he or his forefathers fulfilled certain requirements under the laws prevailing at the time which rights to the land were said to have been created.
Native customs which could create rights over land had been modified in Sarawak by laws made by the Rajahs and subsequently by the Council Negeri. At this juncture, it ought to be pointed out that in all legal systems, indigenous rights may be modified or extinguished by legislative or executive action. Professor Douglas Sanders in his Paper on "Indigenous And Tribal Peoples: The Right To Live On Their Own Land" (presented at the 12th Commonwealth Law Conference held in Kuala Lumpur in September, 1999) stated;
"A leading Australian constitutional text summarises the basic rule from the Mabo decision as follows:
The indigenous population had a pre-existing system of law, which along with the rights subsisting thereunder, would remain in force under the new sovereign except where specifically modified or extinguished by legislative or executive action."
It must be emphasised that the evolution of our laws on native customary rights over land over more than 11/2 centuries was a peaceful and orderly process, without any serious discord amongst the various communities in Sarawak or between them and the Government, and has enabled the Government of the day to improve the social and economic position of these communities and bring about overall development and progress to the rural areas.

PESTA BENAK ( TIDAL BORE FESTIVAL IN MY HOMETOWN )

One of the main tourist main attraction to Sri Aman, Sarawak or Batang Lupar great river is a Tidal Bore or known as Benak by local Iban or Malay.
The benak of the Batang Lupar first becomes visible in the estuary region of Pulau Seduku. It reaches its peak as it passes the town of Sri Aman, 90km from the estuary. Along the banks of the town a tidal watching festival was inaugurated on the King Tide of 5th May 2001 - the Pesta Benak. This gave the local boatmen an opportunity to show their skills to tourists, surfing the bore in longboats. Prior to the event, several days were spent flushing crocodiles out of the river for the safety of tourists!
The benak continues its journey another 30km inland, ending near the small village of Engkilili.
For those who would like to see Batang Lupar Tidal Bore or Benak the best time for you to see benak is in month of May.
Welcome to Sri Aman the city of Bujang Senang and Benak...