Sarawak - Articles
Bujang Berani Festival
A festival of resistance

THE Bujang Berani (Warriors) Festival is a decade old fest, originally celebrated for the release of a group of brave natives of Uma Bawang in 1989 who were wrongfully arrested for performing a blockade on their ancestral land to protect it from encroaching loggers. Today it is an exhibit of communal strength, a resistance festival, a politicising experience for the dispossessed.

Overwhelmed
At 4pm on Thursday, October 28th, while cruising the ancient fearless Balui, we were instantly galvanised by the mighty echoes of the traditional gong vibration afar. The rainforest, the rhythm and the piercing Balui flow were simply overwhelming - the scene revealed itself majestically as we advanced. At last, we sighted other Batu Kalo bound boats. One, two and more. Ahead of us was an unbelievable view. Various boats were performing the traditional greeting - gracefully circling the water before finally "arriving". Hosts, young and old in the best of their apparel filled the steep stairs. A welcome banner stood proud on the cliff. A male dancer was performing the ngajat by the river bank, elegantly swaying the feathers in his hands.

Some guests came from another interior of faraway
Sarawak, some came from another part of the globe.

Songs, smiles and tuak greeted us as we climbed up. Before entering the Uma Baloi Ukap longhouse, guests were presented with bead necklaces. The evening then continued with reception, music and of course, the splendid gentle ngajat.

Empowerment and Solidarity
The festival officially took off the next morning. Seven males were chosen to be the ceremonial "Bujang Berani" and a procession began from the river bank to the longhouse. In colourful traditional costumes, it swelled into a roar of songs, cheers and foot stomping.

A wild boar was to be an ancestral sacrifice. Ceremonies begin only with ancestral blessings - such is the immense respect for their genealogy. An elderly woman whispered to the boar, comforting it. Then, after the boar was slaughtered, the elders bravely soaked their hands in the blood and threw lumps of it out of the house, a share for their ancestors. Then a miring ensued, the sacrifice of a hen.
Foot stomping, loud singing and wild cheering.

The atmosphere was charged with life-affirming colours and resonance. This was tradition and there was nothing that "development" could do to take it away from them.

The day continued with presentation of each representative's provincial difficulties. Each predicament was local - but the source was organised and regional. Logging, oil palm plantations, pulp and paper industry and Bakun - indulgences financed by outside private pockets that have little respect for their Native Customary Rights, ancestral lands, their legitimacy in Sarawakian history and their place in Sarawakian future. Pain was felt when accounts of the fate of the resettled Balui communities in Asap were discussed. Those who resisted the move were clearly right decision-makers.

These were proud people with courageous valor. Many have been wrongfully detained for performing blockades to protect their rights on their lands. Systematic intimidation by the powers and money-that-be plagued their lives. "Our race has lived in the Sarawak forests since forever. Never be afraid to defend what is yours."

To them, "development" means a defence of their land - these are essentials that money is trying to plunder. Betterment isn't cash but happiness and warmth. It is a responsibility - schools, clinics and information, not necessarily salaries and wages. Money is irrelevant if the land is misspent. Change is unnecessary if it isn't equipped by a sustainable civilisation.

There was so much to be learnt from these insightful, principled people.

Luxury and freedom

Men and women, hosts and guests; the right to cultural identity is more sustainable than money.		 Food was plentiful in Uma Batu Ukap - it was earned, not bought. The guests' parting gifts could've easily totalled near RM2,000 in the market. But why bother about the market when the best things in life are free? The women were in charge in a wise society that harbours little concern for surveillance and paternalism. They weren't finer exotic things that toiled silently in the kitchen. They danced, sang, laughed and drank alongside the men, breastfed in the public and their beauty was never objectified. Men prepared the food with the women side by side. Children weren't scolded publicly. Parents called to them gently. The polite little ones would even offer guests sweets after being photographed. The elders wouldn't hesitate to kiss younger guests' hands as a gesture of gratitude.

Saying goodbye
The festival managed to document the Statements and Resolutions of the Meeting of the Sarawak Pribumi Peoples, a result of the presentation of their problems. Legal discussions were also pursued.

The last evening saw an incredibly politically correct sketch. A pregnant barefoot wife in worn clothes, a doll on her back and two hands full, endured ignorance from a prancing husband, the perpetually sexed, affluent male. Imagine our surprise when "he" turned out to be an elderly woman! Gender and class analysis could have not been more articulate.
The final night closed with the vote for the next location. Representatives tried competitively to convince the voters why their longhouses deserve to host the next celebration. In good nature they debated the accessibility and potential of their homes.

We parted on a bright Sunday morning. The guests were sent off with the hope that their plight will be heard by the rest of the world. Our boat was graced by the welcome banner. Hands waving, off it sailed, leaving as it arrived, gracefully circling the water before finally "leaving". "Wave, wave! Until you lose sight of them."
Lavish gifts: the Longhouse Chief's grandaughter presenting a traditional mat to a guest.

"We are simply protecting our rights on our own lands..."

Linus Yurud ak Mumin, Rumah Buga, Tubai Ukong, Limbang
Logging has been a problem for us for a long time. I have even performed blockade against the trespassers on our land. The land belongs to the villagers. We have our boundaries from village to village. We know from the letter given to us by the British. After the independence, from 1958, we began to have a lot of problems with the authorities. But the pribumi have stayed in Sarawak long before 1958!

I was arrested twice by the police while doing blockades against the company owned by Datuk Amar James Wong (former Minister of Environment and Tourism). But then the police could not press any charges against us because we were not wrong. When they interrogated us we simply replied that we were protecting our rights on our own lands. We did not violate other people's rights. We are not foreigners. We did not thieve on other people's lands. We were then released from police custody. Then we sued the police for wrongful arrest. The case had been settled and we have received our claim for damages.

I urge the pribumi of Sarawak not to be afraid to defend your own rights. Don't be afraid of having to go to the jail.

Ajeng Kiew, Chairman, Penan Association of Sarawak
Our main problem has been logging. The Penans do not have much access to a lot of facilities like schools or connections to Ministers. We are the people of the forest and the river.

I have been arrested three times. We have been in our area since Brooke's rule; that is why I dare to be jailed. Once, the Land and Survey Department came to my village in Apoh. They claimed that they wanted to check on the trees. We blocked them and demanded an official letter.

SAM has been helping us a lot. Certain quarters would come to us and ask us to sign things and they'd say - we would be getting RM1 million a year. These are all lies. They'd say that if we sign, we'd be getting such wonderful projects. When I demanded that they show some proof of their words and what the projects were really about, they'd tell me to sign first, "it's an oil palm project." What absurdity. I never signed anything.

I have been threatened that I'd be chased out of Apoh. I will not run away, this is my ancestral land. Today, herbal medicines are all gone, the water is muddy, the forest produce depleted. The Penans are in the worst circumstances among all the Dayaks.

 Tuai Rumah Bangga of Bakong
There are many village chiefs in Bakong, but only a few are willing to fight for their rights. They are afraid of threats of being imprisoned - that they'd only be released after all the oil palms have been harvested. I am the only one who is fighting on for our rights. I have been telling to all those plantation companies, I have never asked for them to come. I told them that I would never surrender our land to them.

There even was death in our longhouse last year. I maintain that we did not begin the shooting. They shot us first. One of our men died, three were injured. My nephew was one of them.

I beg the lawyers to speed up the case. Five times we have attended court sessions. No judgement has arrived - their lawyers were not present. I advise everyone not to be afraid. Now they have not come to trouble us anymore despite the fact that the land titles are already in their possession.

Uloi Jauh of Uma Bawang
We were the first ones to be arrested in Baram. In the 80s they began logging without our knowledge. When we found out, we went there. They said that we did not have any rights. Are we trash, without any rights? They said that we didn't have any right to demand for anything. We reported the matter to the police, there was no swift action, so we performed a blockade, we built a fence.

The police came and arrested 42 people. In the Marudi lockup, we had no food for one whole day. We were clad only in our undergarments. For fourteen days, the 42 of us shared one toilet, even the eggs that they fed us were rotten. After fourteen days, we were released but we refused to plead guilty. We claimed trial. On the day of the trial, everyone was present. On that day the police were not present. We were found not guilty because we were not in the wrong.

So we sued them because they arrested us wrongfully. Are we animals? Finally after ten years we managed to get a favourable verdict. We received RM200,000 in damage claims.

I am very happy with the judgement of the court. But when I come here, I feel like crying seeing all these empty houses, all left for Asap. I urge all of us to unite. Let us be like blood vessels. If they want to disconnect us, they have to sever all of us.

Tuai Rumah Reggie of Ulu Teru
We defend our rights because the land is under our customary rights. The Village Chief won't do it for us. He has his allowance. Perhaps he fears that if he fights, his privileges to receive salary and pension will be revoked. But we are not afraid. Our grandparents did not have any allowance.

We are fighting against two companies and the police. Before we fought in the court, we have prepared a map of our land. 4621 hectares in all.

I have been in the lockup twice. Fear nothing if you are defending your rights. We are not going to die. The youngsters are the backbone of a longhouse. You must never turn your back from your home. If we unite, nobody can defeat us.

Dato Lian of Long Bulan
Long Bulan will not be inundated by Bakun. Plenty of our crops in the perimeter have not been surveyed properly. Some have been surveyed but no payment. Two or three years from now, we will move back to Long Bulan. Is this is the price of development? This is not development. This is a burden for the rakyat.

Anyi Udau of (New) Long Jawe
20 families refused to move to Asap because we don't have the money. The compensation money varies greatly. We, who refused to move, are not facing any food shortage. Those who have moved may have many more problems.

Johnny Kieh of Sibu
Our Native Customary Rights is on our land, the pribumi's land. That implies that we have been toiling the land for a very long time. Often, the parties who would like to oppress us will question our rights on the land. If we are ignorant, people will take advantage of us and oppress us. Today, the authorities can easily extinguish our rights and acquire our lands for "development". They can easily grant land titles to private companies. This is not right.

But then, the land is our soul. The soul cannot be extinguished.

Man of substance
A SPECIAL mention must be made with the immense success of the 10th Bujang Berani Festival in Uma Baloi Ukap, Batu Kalo. An honour must go to Bapa Bato' Bagi, 63, the Tuai Rumah (Longhouse Chief) of the Kayan longhouse, which stands proudly on a cliff by the Balui River.
Bapa Bato possesses an imposing disposition - this sturdy stoical built, all muscles and broad shoulders, an assured, firm way of moving. His unclouded intelligence is transparent - it is endorsed by a dignified steady voice with a big distinct tone, one that cannot be dismissed easily every time he asserts. And yes, he sings very well too.

The festival was so organised and excellently executed, guests speculated that the next host would have to work very hard to match his house's hospitality and generosity. It was obvious that his community stands behind him firmly, their efficiency in co-ordinating the event is a mirror of his own.

Batu Kalo' isn't going to be inundated by the smaller Bakun and thus he and some of his people see no point in moving at all. (They are units that have moved to Asap.) Nevertheless, Bapa Bato is still protesting against the manner the land surveying was conducted, without much transparency, without a clear open system. He still demands the right to be compensated if his people's Native Customary Rights are going to remain extinguished on their Balui ancestral lands - he views the mandatory move to Asap as not only a violation of his peoples' rights, it is an impossible, irrational non-choice.

"What's the use going to Asap? The land is 3 acres, the house is a mad deal - so small at RM52,000. Electricity and water have to be paid for. What's the use? Here, it is blissful."

You know he is a man who honours his standing when he passionately speaks about a classic authoritarian manoeuvre that has long been used to control longhouses' communities in the interior - to restrict a longhouse community, first, you have to restrain the Tuai Rumah. Here is responsibility and ethics at their best - Bato has never let himself be sold. "They would always try to pit you against your own people by giving you allowances and privileges. That's the way they suppress us."

Here at last, is a patriot who understands that the best of leaders are those without politics. If only the world made more leaders like him...