I am a Iban

Finally...after many attempts..i made it..make what? you must have ask this, don't u? Well, i finally post something in this blog after a long time... i won't story-tell about Iban culture or heritage but i will talk about my feeling as an Iban surrounding by non-Ibans. Let me begin my story...

After form 5 (or high school), i continued my study in Labuan, but Labuan is not so strange and different as i still mixed around with Ibans. Then, I continued my study in Kelantan. Now, i feel quite as a stranger as i was one of two newly intake Ibans (dont ask about the seniors because as far as i still can remember, i only have 1 iban senior that time). I learned living like I was a very strange girl. People couldn't tell what race I am as I look like Chinese or Malays or they just couldn't guess. When i talked with my Sabahan friends, we were mistaken as Siamese or Phillipines. Hahhh.. And when I mentioned I'm a Iban from Sarawak..people again mistaken me from Sabah even if I have mentioned I'm from Sarawak hundred times. Why?!!
Now, I study in KL and i stay with my Malay Semenanjung friends. Funny when i keep hearing them don't want to be job posting in Sarawak and Sabah. As if they will be doomed! What is so scary about us Sarawakians? True we Iban hunt people's head but that was a very long time ago. I travelled and lived for so long in West Malaysia why they don't have the courage to do so? I've been asked what do Ibans eat. I just answered we eat just the same as they eat just the way we cook the meal is different (but deep in my heart i wanna tell them, we eat pork as our most enjoyable meal but don't want to say that as my friends are malays..i respect them).
I also keep thinking why Ibans sound so strange while in the History subject, every Malaysians have been introduce the races in Malaysia. Pelik kan?
Nahhh...whatever... I always proud to be an Iban no matter what...

My Long----------------------house

Now: 1.42pm Sat, 7th of March. I'm alone in my room because my roommate went back to Sarawak already. Oh i miss Kuching so much but what can I do, just sitting here in front of my lappy and trying to be in Sarawak mentally.. *huhhh how pity* So, here i am.. storytelling you about my house, my longhouse, the Iban longhouse.

Looooooooonggghouse? is this long enough? hehehe.. Anyway, while searching in the internet about longhouse, it is such a surprise for me that the Westerners are very interested in longhouse because they just can't imagine how hundreds of people living harmoniously under one roof. But then again, maybe because they live life individually, that's why they are impressed by our life style.

Facts about Iban long house:

1. Long house is not only can be found in Iban community but also in other Dayak community such as Bidayuh, Orang Ulu etc

2. It usually faces the river.
3. Chief of long house is called as tuai rumah. Any wrong doings or matters in the long house can be refer to tuai rumah.


4. Every rumah panjai usually has a few main parts, namely the bilik, ruai, tanju, sadau and dapur. Bilik is a family living room which is separated with other bilik by wall. Ruai is in front of bilik but no wall. So it is a big open space in long house. Usually it is used by the longhouse members to held activities during gawai festival or any other gathering. Sadau is the small space above the bilik and functions to store family possesions like mats, cane baskets etc. In the olden days, tibang (huge bins) that contains padi is stored here too. Tanju is adjacent to ruai except that tanju has no roof. It is unprotected from the sun because it is the place where padi that has been harvested is winnowed and sunned before being stored in tibang. Dapur is the kitchen.
5. As many of the longhouses are situated deep in the Sarawak forest, the only accesible transportation is by boat ride. The boat used is called perahu which is a long and thin boat.

Notice how thin the boats are?








Nowadays, many long house is modernised. The design might be the same as the old design but now you can easily find long house which is made of brick. These longhouses are equiped with modern electrical devices and usually easily accesible by cars.





As you can see, this what tanju look likes.. (Huhu...Astro?)






Members of the rumah panjai are chatting with each other at ruai..


p/s: Next time if you visit Sarawak, don't forget to visit the longhouse. We, Ibans love visitors... trust me.. See this picture, how Westerners enjoy our hospitality...

Pantang a.k.a Tattoo

You heard the word tattoo before... and you know what is pantang in BM.. But here, pantang and tattoo are the same thing.. It is simply the tattoo, the body art. Pantang is what we Ibans called tattoo. Nowadays, among educated people, tattoo is always associated with something bad. But among we Ibans, tattoo is something we are proud of. At least for people who appreciate this body art. A few facts regarding Borneo tattoo:

1. Among the tribes in Bornoe, tattoing is mainly associated with headhunting (a visible sign of success) for men and the coming of age of women.
   
2. Nature is the main focus when designing a Borneo Traditional Tattooing such as leaves, animals, fruits, trees and branches.
3. This original traditional method of tattooing is a real pain. How it was done?

   One stick is held onto the skin with the needle or sharp stick going into the skin and the other is used as a type of hammer, tapping ink into the skin. The thickness, durability and type of stick are varied to which the tattooist prefers.

   Stretching of the skin is very important to the process. Like with the sticks each artist has their own preferred way of having the skin stretched. Stretching is different on each part of the body and the correct stretching reduces the time taken to do that tattoo, considerably. A good assistant doing the stretching can reduce the time a tattoo takes by half.

4. Tribal tattoo is what the West called tattoo from borneo.
5. Tattoos are like a diary. The young man would go out on his own to find knowledge. As he travels he is marked by the tattoos that not only tell of where he came from but also where he has been. For each place the tattoos will have different styles and so the regional differences would tell of his journeys in life.
6. Many of the designs no longer exist. In the 1950s and 1960s many people in Borneo converted toChristinity and a lot of the traditional tattooing stopped. The tattooing and designs almost died away. About 10 years ago there was a resurgence when a lot of journalists and researchers came and asked questions about the old ways. This caused a lot of the younger people to look back and now many of them are getting these traditional tattoos done again.

Now, at Sarawak, Kuching particularly, there are many tattoo studios. The price of a tattoo depends on how big or hard your tattoo is. Might reach hundreds for one tattoo. One that i know is, for a ring tattoo, you can get it for Rm80 (if i'm not mistaken).
My dad has his tattoo done at his thigh and my brother has his at his arm. My uncle has one tattoo of his girlfriend's name on his arm (not his wife now though...uhhuhh). Me? I don't have any. I used to want to make one at my back, but after a lot of thinking - i stopped my intention. But now, quite interested to make one at my ankle...but maybe will never do...due some reason..hehe..

Something about bungai terung design...

The Bunga Terung (eggplant flower), marks the start of a journey called bejalai, the mark of a passage from boyhood into manhood. The Bunga Terung has a spiral at the center of the eggplant flower the Tali Nyawa, which means "the rope of life" and is identical to the underside of a tadpole which symbolizes the beginning of a new life. The bunga terung is supposed to guard the wearer from evil spirits. The bunga terung should always be done in pairs. They can be on the back, buttocks, shoulders and/or chest. NEVER, should they be done singularly. They are supposed to protect both sides of the body from evil.

This is an example of bungai terung...

About other tattoos... Some represent big life events, such as fathering children. For example, there is a tattoo a man can have done on his hand called the Entegulun. You can only have this if you have taken heads! Some tattoos can be for protection, for example the tattoos on the throat (Ukir Rekong) are meant to give strength to the skin on the throat, to stop enemies from being able to take your head.



Tattoo on hands usually for women...

Bahasa Iban

'Nama berita nuan kaban?' Do you what language is that? the meaning? Well, it simply means 'apa kabar kamu kawan?' or 'how are u friend?'. In Iban language.

Iban language is spoken by the Iban but don't be supprise if you visit Sarawak you will find many other races such as Chinese, Malays and other Dayak tribes speak Iban also. The language is understood my many Sarawakian maybe because it has some similarities to Malay language especially the Sarawakian Malay.

'Previously during the colonial regime (1946-1963), the Iban language was recognized and even used during the Council Negeri meetings. The Borneo Literature Bureau was set up to help popularize the language through its Iban magazine called Nendak and through the printing of Iban books.'

'When Sarawak obtained her independence through the formation of Malaysia, the Borneo Literature Bureau (BLB) was abolished and in came Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) some time 1978 to take its place. The abolishment of BLB saw several hundreds of Iban books and magazines destroyed.' (Source from thebrokenshield blog).

But after vigorous efforts of the Iban Comittee, the language began to be accepted again by the government and the teaching of the language in primary and secondary schools were approved until today and it is tested in PMR and SPM examinations. However, from my experience, even if the Iban is my mothertongue, it is hard to score due to the difficulty to access the reading materials in Iban. In fact, the Iban dictionary is also hard to find. Plus, Iban may be a language but it also has different dialects in different areas in Sarawak. For example, 'you 'in proper Iban language is 'nuan' but mostly spoken as 'dek' or in areas such as Kota Samarahan, Sadong and Lundu, you is 'kuak'. The differences in term may be minor but the phrases of Sibu Iban may sometimes mean something else in Sadong Iban. Unique, isn't it?

Sapa nama nuan? - "What is your name?"

Brapa rega utai tu? - "How much is this?"

Dini alai ___? - "Where is ___?"

Ari ni penatai nuan? - "Where are you from?"

Aku datai ari ___. - "I come from ___."

Pukul brapa diatu? - "What is the time now?"

Selamat lemai! - "Good evening!"

Selamat datai! - "Welcome!"

Anang manchal! - "Don't be naughty!"

enda ulih datai - "cannot come"

Anang guai - "hold on" "Don't spoil it"

Nadai ngawa nya - "nevermind that"

Nyamai wai - "nice taste"

Pulai dulu-"I'm going back"

Aram bekelala-"Let's introduce ourselves"

Pengerindu-"Love, Passion"

Aku rinduka nuan-"I love / like you"

Manah-"Good, Great"

Jai-"Bad, damaged"

Sapa enggau nuan?-"Who came with you?"

Aku enggau ___-"I came / went with ___"

Ninga meh-"Please listen"

Anang inggar / ragak-"Silent, please"

Kini nuan?-"Where are you going?"

Mar amat! - "too expensive!"

Kapanya! - "Whatever!"

Selamat pagi pengajar. - "Good morning teacher."

Aku enda nemu - "I don't know"

Aram meh kitai ngirup - "Let drink together"

Aku lelenggau ka nuan - "I miss you"

p/s: if you ever heard of Sleeping Dictionary, it is not a way we Ibans teach our language to others.. we have a place call school ok? not bed..

About this..

It took me very long to think about what i want to include in my latest blog. Finally i came out with the idea to introduce everything about Ibans. The culture, the music, the lifestyle, the taboos, the legends, the food etc..

I am a pure Iban girl. But i don't really live in a long house because i was born in the urban city of Kuching and my village is also very near to the Malays village. I am assimilated with other cultures. But still i am an Iban in heart.

Talking about my iban blood, people seemed to confuse my look. Commonly people will mistake me as a Chinese but sometimes i do get mistaken for other races such as Malay, Bidayuh and the weirdest was Lun Bawang (Lun Bawang is one of the many ethnics in Sarawak). I don't know if i really look like that, but i know i don't look like a typical Iban because i also have mixed blood. My mum's dad was a mixed Iban-Chinese (means my ancestor was a Chinese), that was what my mum told me. I believe that.

So, here my first blog is to tell you how an Iban usually look like (what i discussed with my roomate).you can see for yourself the look of ibans below...

1. Chinese eyes
2. Prominent cheek bones
3. Square shaped face
4. Usually straight hair, sometimes wavy

a beautiful iban girl...




















remind me to my grandpa..