The Natural History of Sarawak and Alfred Russel Wallace

The picture of Alfred Russel Wallace may not be instantly recognisable to many Sarawakians but he is a 19th century British naturalist who had put Sarawak on the map with his book 'The Malay Archipelago' AND his monumental paper 'Sarawak Law'. This paper prompted Charles Darwin to publish his ideas on 'The Origin of Species'.

Two mountains outside Kuching are synonymous with Wallace's work; Mt. Santubong, Damai Peninsular and Mt. Serambu at Siniawan, Bau. Both these mountains and the areas surrounding them are now a part of our natural history attractions. 

  

Mt.Serambu is also where the remnants of James Brooke's summer cottage can still be seen. Located at Bukit Peninjau at 424 ft above sea level, it was built by the first white rajah of Sarawak to escape from the heat of Kuching. Bung Muan, the former site of three ancestral villages of the Serambu ethnic Bidayuhs in the Bau Distric of Sarawak is located halfway of Bukit Peninjau.

The 2nd International Conference on ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE will take place in Kuching from 7-8 November 2013. If you wanna be part of an exciting conference/tour/scientific expedition, here's how.  

Ben Fogle's Sarawak Adventure - A longhouse experience at Annah Rais

In this three minute video we see adventurer and explorer Ben Fogle spend some time at an authentic longhouse about 40-min drive from Kuching.

Escorted by his amazingly knowledgeable guide, Rose, he savours the local brew -- a rice wine called 'Tuak' which is particularly potent, enjoys a delicious chicken meal cooked for him in 20 minutes in bamboo, tries his hand at being a blacksmith's apprentice, discovers the secrets to the blowpipes and how to make the arrows and also listens to some local musicians.They play him some music using bamboo instruments that have been used for hundreds of years, having been passed down through the generations and played by striking, plucking and drumming. Its called 'pratuokng' (pra-tua-k-ng)

Overall it is clear,  as Ben points out at the end, that Longhouse living is a wonderfully communal existence where all the families live together in peaceful harmony.

Ben sampling the 'tuak', rice wine usually served to welcome visitors

Sarawak... where adventure lives

A Bidayuh Jungle Survival experience

The theme for the trip was "Bidayuh Jungle Survival" but after the trip I was convinced that it was more than just a jungle survival experience. The outing took us to the foothills of the Padawan Highlands; at a place called Kampung (village) Peraya - a 50-minute drive from Kuching city.

What we did during the trip:

• Visited the first settlement of "Pinyewa Bidayuh" - a sub-group in the Bidayuh community)
• Visited the ancient head house or known as "Panggah" in Bidayuh dialect, where they keep old human skulls.
• Went jungle trekking, visited the waterfall & learned about the jungle from our local guide.
• Learned the cooking process with bamboo - Bidayuh style .
• Had picnic lunch on the riverbank.
• Experienced the wooden canoeing activity in Peraya Village, Padawan.
• Dined with our host family at Peraya Village.
• Did bamboo rafting to our jungle camp at night.
• Observed wildlife such as few species of insects, frogs and birds during the night rafting.  However, we were not able to do fishing because the river water were not clear due to the heavy rain that evening.
• Visited a modern village & traditional longhouse of the Bidayuh community.

Here are some of our photos of the trip. Enjoy! :-)

You still need a guide regardless :-) 'Bung (mountain) Gayu' was the original settlement of the "Pinyewa Bidayuh" before the 'Old Settlement' came about.

Entrance to the past - this leads to the 'Old Settlement of the 'Pinyewa Bidayuh' before it split off to thirteen villages that are scattered in the vicinity of the area.

What footwear to use? Rubber shoes or affectionally known locally as "Adidas Paya" - 'Swamp Adidas'. Many swear by it because it is studded, doesn't absorb water, cheap... real cheap and performs as good as pair of branded hiking shoes.

We were actually walking underneath the ancient longhouse of "Pinyewa Bidayuh" which, according to our guide, there were more than a  hundred-door families living in that longhouse at that time.

'Panggah' (head house) at the old settlement area.

Another view of the head-house

Lifting the zinc sheet without being told earlier gave us mild shock!

These are enemy skulls.

In the olden days..this pool was used to soak the enemy skulls so that all the skin, flesh and hair would peel off by itself.

Fresh and clean water supply from the mountain.  Bidayuh called their aqueduct; 'Ayak' and made from bamboo no less.

 Village and farm tour - Pepper garden with our guide - Val Ritong

"Terung Pipit" (Wild Brinjal)

Wild berries - rule of the jungle, if they are pretty and untouched, they are NOT edible.

"Daun Lirik" is use to wrap rice with.

 Stingless bee known as "Kelulut" locally. 

The team from Sarawak Tourism Board - Hisyamuddin (left), Sarah Berdugo (French intern)  and Deckson (author)

Wild ingredients - 'Terung Pipit' (Wild brinjal) was one of them.

Cooking utensils and equipment from the jungle

Chicken cooked in the bamboo (Manok/siok Pansuh)

Fresh water fish cooked in the bamboo (Ikan Pansuh)

Rice cooked in the bamboo, wrapped in 'Lirik' leave

Flame-roasted chicken wings

Lunch served in 'plates' fashioned out sago tree bark... and it can't get any healthier and fulfilling (the beer?:-)... Yummylicious!

Ready for the wooden canoeing...

This is the reason why it's called 'wooden canoeing'... wooden canoe was used instead of the modern fibreglass version

From canoeing to white-water thrills... even the rafts came freshly-made

Let the adventure begins... the locals having their fun...

... and a milder one for city dwellers

No TV nor lights for reading. The jungle beckons

It's not what one can see but what one can hear also... and ironically, there's a lot of noise in the jungle at night.

Spot Mr. Froggy

Bedfellows with jungle critters for the night

Checking out...

Making a side-trip to the nearby Annah Rais longhouse on the way home. Popular destination for a longhouse experience. Entrance fee is RM8 for adult and RM5 for children.

The walkway of the longhouse

Winnowing rice - hand-picked and wind-assisted

Spreading out Sarawak black peppercorns for drying

Basket weaving a la Bidayuh style

To get the most out of this experience, we recommend that you go for a 3-day/2-night or 4-day/3-day tour programme.

For further enquiry, please contact Mr Valentine Ritong at:
Mobile: 019 8785013
Email: valritong@yahoo.com
Website: www.perayahomestay.com

Valentine Ritong is a licensed tourist guide and a member of "Pinyewa Bidayuh" sub-group.


Sarawak Malaysia Borneo... where adventure lives

By: Deckson Bundak - Tourist Coordinator Visitor Information Center Kuching.
Photos: Deckson Bundak and Mohd. Hisyamuddin 

Edited by: Michael Lu and Erivina Jihel

Our People - Bidayuh

Bidayuh is a collective name for several indigenous groups of  people living the southern part of Sarawak. They are noted for their hospitality and warm smiles. The name "Bidayuh" means "people of the land". "Bi" mean "people" or "orang" and "Dayuh" mean "Land". They are also known as the Land Dayaks, a term first used during the time of James Brooke, the first White Rajah (king) of Sarawak. 

Bidayuh costumes in the trade mark black and red colour combination. The hat, known as 'Tirinak', belongs to the 'Bukar Sadong' Bidayuh group (Serian area). And to the right is a Selako Bidayuh (Sematan area). 

They are the second most numerous group of Dayak tribe after the Ibans. They come from the areas around Kuching and Samarahan divisions. The Bidayuh of different areas speak their own dialect. These dialects are not mutually intelligible, and as a result, the Bidayuhs often have to depend on using English or Malay as a common language.

The Bidayuhs are known for their 'Ogong' gong ensemble, gigantic drums and a unique bamboo percussion instrument known as the 'pratuakng'.

'Pratuakng' of the Biannah group (Padawan)

'Bukar Sadong' Bidayuh from Serian

Wearing of brass rings by the Bidayuh ladies from Kpg (villlage) Semban, Padawan is a dying culture.

Districts where the Bidayuh form a majority include Lundu, Bau, Penrissen, Padawan, Siburan and Serian. There are a number of tourism attractions in the region they live in such as the boutique rivers and limestone caves to enjoy kayaking and caving activities, longhouse visits, homestay, village stay, orang utan and rafflesia experiences and; the coolness of the Borneo Highland Resorts. You can find more information at Sarawak... where adventure lives