My Small World: Festival

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Friday, June 3, 2011

Gawai Antu (Part 1)

Introduction

Gawai Antu is the greatest of all the Sea Dayak feasts for the dead, celebrated in honour of those that have died since the last Gawai Antu feast was held. Sarapoh, who was taught by the spirit Puntang Raga, originated this feast. As the feast is expensive there is no fixed date for the celebration. It would take at least one or two years to prepare for the ceremony financially.

The Gawai Antu ceremony has strong significance to every Sea Dayak heart. Those who fail to celebrate it from negligence are considered disloyal to the religious duty of marking the graveyard with sungkup. Thus all Dayaks for every generation should celebrate at least once in a lifetime.

Ai Garong and Ai Jalong Timang

Before proceeding further, it is necessary to explain in full the qualification demand of the “brave” who are to be selected to drink the sacred libations offered to the spirit of the dead.

The most sacred ai buloh or ai garong as it is sometimes called used to be lavishly thrown away at the foot of the house ladder at the termination of the Gawai Antu.

Later as time passed by, men were inspired by the spirit in dream to drink the ai garong, if they have completed the following deed in battles.

They must have taken the head (bedengah) of an enemy.

They must have picked out the brain of the enemy from his skull (udah ngerok) to entitle them to handle the offerings of the Gawai and the Gawai Burong festivals. The man who has done these things is known as tau nasak.

By these rules, they must have drunk the ai jalong timang wine on a previous occasion before they are entitled to drink the ai garong wine.

A war leader is the highest rank amongst the Sea Dayaks. Due to his exalted status he is not to drink the ai jalong timang which is to be drunk by his leading warriors. The ai jalong timang that is offered to the soul of a dead hereditary chief or war leader (which no ordinary warrior would dare to drink) is to be drunk only by any war leader present. As far as the sacred ai garong is concerned, he who has not completed the above deeds or has not been told to do so in a dream, must not drunk it merely for the sake of fame.

Not to confuse the two sacred wines - ai garong and ai jalong timang, the former is traditional, while the latter was recently invented and has become a feature of the Gawai Antu in the Saribas and Krian areas only.

After the fall of Sadok in 1861, all the principal war leaders of the Saribas and Krian held a historic meeting to honour their brave warriors in one of these feast.

At this gathering, it was agreed that it was vitally necessary for them to honour these warriors by declaring that they alone should drink the wine ai jalong timang at future Gawai Antu.

The Balau, Undup, Lemanak and the Ulu Ai Dayaks do not drink ai jalong timang, which only originated from the Saribas and Krian Dayaks.

Other Dayaks only drink the traditional sacred ai garong originated by Sarapoh following his teaching of the spirit Puntang Raga. Today, only the descendents of past war leaders and leading warriors are selected to drink ai jalong timang.

Summary of the Gawai Antu Ceremonies

The following description is based on observation at five different Gawai Antu celebrations.

Four took place in the Saribas district and one in the Ulu Krian district.

1. Preliminary meeting.

2. Beban: Preparing wood for the making of sungkup.

3. Ngambi buluh : Collecting of bamboo for the nganyam ceremony.

4. Ngeretok: The making of sungkup

5. Ngalu Antu: A welcoming ceremony for the Gods and spirits at dark and dawn on several

occasions (including cock fighting).

6. Nganyam : Preparation of miniature baskets.

7. Minta manok: Begging for chicken.

8. Mandok: Preparation for making tuak (rice wine)

9. Tubai Gawai: Fishing with derris root.

10. Second meeting: To discuss date for holding Gawai.

11. Ngambi Ngabang: Invitation is send out to guest for the celebration.

12. Mantar and Ngeraran: Preparation for the Gawai.

13. Niki Ka Orang Ngirup Buluh: The welcoming of the braves.

14. Makai Lemai: Supper.

15. Bedigir: Seating of guests.

16. Begeliga: A lecture by the senior hosts or the Feast Chief (Tuai Gawai).

17. Ngalu Petara: A procession to welcome the Gods and spirits.

18. Ngerandang Jalai: A dance in order to clear a path free from the spirits of the departed.

19. Ngelalau: A dance performed by the brave to enclose the path.

20. Berayah pupu buah rumah: A dance performed by one old man from each village to lead the

spirits along the cleared and enclosed path.

21. Nimang Jalong: The lemambang sing songs to bless the sacred wine, which shall be drink

by the brave.

22. Muai Rugan: Destruction of the tabernacle.

23. Bebungkar Ruang: The eating of meat with wine after the destruction of the tabernacle.

24. Ngambi Tebalu: Ending of the mourning period undergone by widows and widowers.

25. Nganjong Buloh: The drinking of the sacred wine ai garong.

26. Berangap: The presentation of food and money to the homeward bound guest.

27. Nganjong Sungkup: The erection of monument in the graveyard.

Gawai Open House

I need to write more here...so here we go....

Yesterday I made open house for Gawai celebration. I invited all my friends; my ex-colleagues, my best friend, Siput and also my church members. The day before, some of them texting me and said they couldn't make it since they have their own agenda.

But yesterday, first, Siput called me and she said she will be arrived at about 1 hour from the time she called me. After that when Siput arrived, Auntie Agnes called me as well, and then I said I will fetch them all in one place. After that Auntie Vero called, and Angela also called. Waaaa.....but at last I managed to gather everybody.

3 large groups come together at the same time...I hope Angela and Siput understand my situation. So sorry coz I couldn't entertain you all. The priority is always for the elders right? So glad that the church members came to visit me. Auntie Mary Law hugged me and she said she missed me a lot. Not to mention Auntie Agnes that really close to me, she passed the Scheme Of Works to me. I told them about my life as a KPLI student. And I also told them about all the blessing that I received. It's all because of their constant prayer towards me.

After church members went back, then I talked to Angela. She told me that she will get married by next year and end of this year, she will register the marriage first. Owh.....congratulation! I'm happy for her....

After Angela went back, then I talked to Siput. Hmm....i guess we were not really talking. We were more to watching tv....just so coincidence that the story was about Rentap, Iban warrior. We kept commenting the movie. We gave bad comment actually. Wahahahahaha.....so funny when they tried to talk like Sarawak people but at the end the slang become Indonesian accent. Then they tried to speak Sarawakian....wahahahaha....so hillarious.....and also tried to speak Iban. One part that so funny when the guy wanted to 'ngayap' the girl....so I asked Siput, "How does he entered the house?" And Siput told me, "By front door!" Wahahahahaha......

Then, Ivan Sia called me, he wanted to come to my house, so I said please do come. He was alone and he thought that I will be mad if he didn't go to my house during Gawai. Hmm....how come? Anyway, we talked so much, and he revealed so many things. About Ambrose (Priscilla's husband) works at Jaya Tiasa now. Then Alex Ling also resigned after I resigned. Peter becomes Assistant Manager. And uncle (my boss) always closes his door. Hmm.....so many things happen now. So I asked how was everything at work? And he said that everything change, and the situation is not like when I still work in Jaya. He said when I still there, everyday always cheerful. The environment also cheerful, but after I left, everything changed. Hmm.....is that my impact so big until like this? I never thought that people like me, always thought that I'm worthless.

And I asked Ivan whether he still chasing for his ambition to be a priest. So he told me that his grandma wants him to get married. I asked him, "Do you have a girlfriend now?" and he said, "No..." and I asked, "Do you think it is easy to find a girlfriend?" And he said,"Can, easy...just walk on the street and grab somebody." Whoaaa...... and he added,"As long as my grandma happy, then enough for me." ZzzZzzz......he sounded so sulky right now.

But I said, "No...you better go for a priest.....thats a calling for you. You will be happy..." We talked a lot about religious issue. Siput and her sister also joining us in the talk. And I really thank God that I'm getting matured now. At least I can answer the questions that direct to me. For example why we need priest inside the confession box? My answer is very simple, "The priest is like our mentor, he guides us to make a good confession. We're not confessing toward him but toward God, but he is there to help us so that we won't miss anything that we wanted to confess."

At around 4.30pm, Ivan went back and then around 5pm Siput went back. After I took my bath, then I went upstair to talk to sayang. Just realized that I get sms from him at around 3pm. He was at KL Sentral to send Des. Owh....so I told him to call me after he done with everything.

At almost 11pm he called me, and we talked like 1 hour 4 minutes and 57 seconds. ZzzZzz....I wonder how much money we spent for telephone bill. As usual, our story is like never ending one. He told me that he cried when Des went back to Sarawak. Hmm....but not crying when I went back for holiday. Hahahahaha...... Hmm...such a sensitive guy.....but I like! Hahahaha.....still remember the time when we watched Insidious together and he kept screaming while I have no feeling at all. I kept laughing at him. ZzzZzz...That's the guy that I love...

Anyway, we start saying "I love you" to each other to end our conversation. Hmm...no more awkward for that part. I wonder whether I will feel awkward to say those 3 words in front of him. Hahahaha.... But for sayang, it's still awkward for me. But I wish to call him that.

It's a good practice....I just want harmony in my family (ah....my own family)....and hope God really blessed us on this relationship. I want to practice all the good things in my family and I wish that people around us will look at us and follow our step as well. God, will You use me and him for this 'mission'? I'm okay with that coz our world now getting worse and worse... I wish to change the situation.