By Rahmat bin Haji Abdul Rahman
With the fine weather, the ethnic Lun Bawang celebrated the Irau Acau Lun Bawang 22nd Lun Bawang Festival in a happy atmosphere. The festival with the theme "Sehati Sejiwa" or "Do Ruyud" or "One Heart One Soul" organised by Sarawak Lun Bawang Association, was held at the football field in the heart centre of Lawas town in Sarawak.
The Lun Bawang, or "people of the country", are indigenous to to the highlands of East Kalimantan, Brunei's Temburong District, Sabah's Interior Division and Sarawak's Limbang's Division.
The chief guest at the launching ceremony was Datuk Amar Haji Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Minister of Planning and Resource Management II and Minister of Public Utilities of Sarawak.
After leaving Kota Kinabalu city at 4.30am and reaching Lawas district at 6.45am, I noticed it was very quiet. Curious, I asked the Malay waitresses why. They said it was a public holiday in Sarawak. They told us not to miss the chance to witness the Lun Bawang celebration just across the road.
In the vicinity, we could see ethnic Lun Bawang men with their red triangle scarves and women with their colourful embroidered "seraung" and black embroidered attire and beads standing in line, holding bamboo musical instruments and bamboo flutes ready for the march pass.
The drums and various sizes of flutes were made from bamboo and wild animal skins. A Lun Bawang said the goat skin has a thin layer that is good for the traditional music when compared to the skin of the water buffalo or cow, which is thick.
The Lun Bawang Association has branches in villages in Lawas, Kuching, Bintulu, Miri, Limbang, Lawas, Sabah, Lun Dayeh in Sabah and Lun Bawang in Indonesia.
Upon the arrival of the chief guest, all the Lun Bawang ethnics on the field performed their traditional music by blowing bamboo instruments.
The traditional welcoming of the chief guest, using the 'parang' and shield, was similar to the Iban ethnics in Sarawak.
The ethnic Kedayan (Gadaian origin of Java during the Majapahit Empire and Kutai, "Kedaian" in Sabah of Mile two, Lawas did not miss to participate in performing traditional music from pieces of wood called "gulingtangan" at the festival.
Some members sold ribbons for the Women's Association welfare fund.
Indoor and outdoor games were organised: futsal and badminton for the women in group, open championship category for both men and women's volleyball and badminton.
The Kebaya Queen fashion show contest and traditional dances of various ethnics were amongst the events listed to end the three-day Lun Bawang Festival.
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin Sunday
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