Celebration of Bidayuh tradition

BY SHARON LING

The Bidayuh community in Bau district of Sarawak presented their traditions with much fun as they celebrated their cultural festival recently.

Called Pirami Litik Adat Bidayuh Bau or Bau Bidayuh Cultural Fest, it was hosted by Kampung Suba Buan, located 8.5km from Bau town.

The one-day fest featured stalls selling Bidayuh delicacies and handicraft as well as a telematch of traditional games, a blowpipe contest, a children’s karaoke competition and a Bidayuh beauty queen contest.

The traditional games required skills not usually associated with telematches.

Instead of running or jumping, competitors needed to know how to grate coconut, sago and tapioca, pound padi and chop wood.

There were also contests involving the making of a nesting place for hens, carrying water in pieces of bamboo and walking on stilts.

Teams from four villages – Kampung Stass, Kampung Stenggang, Kampung Seromah and the host Kampung Suba Buan – took part in the telematch.

The karaoke competition, on the other hand, was open only to children from Kampung Suba Buan aged 15 and below. They were required to sing one Bidayuh song each.

According to village headman Jimbey Nyaim, it was the second year running that Kampung Suba Buan was chosen to host the fest.

He said it was an honour for the village as well as recognition of the village’s motto Bersatu Berusaha Maju and its achievements.

Kampung Suba Buan was the winner in the district-level Fly the Jalur Gemilang contest last year, runner-up in the Kuching division village beautification and cleanliness competition in 2003 and champion of the district-level Love the Environment competition in 1999.

Courtesy of The Star