KajoMag

KajoMag is a Borneo-based digital publication exploring culture, heritage, travel and contemporary life.

National Geographic enthusiast turns orangutan devotee

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Orangutan in canopy_LH
Orangutan usually lives up around the canopy area and is very agile in travelling across canopy. Photo credit: © Lukmann Haqeem

Be it exploring something new or to re-learn our history, the documentaries brought by National Geographic have drawn Lukmann Haqeem to be part of the conservation world.

Working as senior field biologist in WWF-Malaysia under the Sarawak Conservation Programme, Lukmann reminisced, “The show instills the desire to explore nature in me. I have always liked the idea of becoming a pioneer and taking human civilisation to a new level.”

When he was in secondary school, he developed an interest in Biology. During his final year of high school, he won the overall best student for the subject. This propelled Lukmann to pursue his studies in Ecology and Biodiversity at the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur.

“I figured that I will do something that I’m good at and passionate about at the same time. Becoming a field biologist is like a dream come true as it incorporates both exploring nature and my love for biology,” said the 29-year old conservationist.

Lukmann, who is fondly known as Bob, now spends most of his time researching wild animals, especially orangutans. He began developing an interest in working with orangutans after watching several documentaries on the charismatic species.

“Although orangutans are popular animals, not much is known about them. I decided to study them because I wanted to find out the answers myself.”

He also mentioned that the orangutan has the slowest breeding rate of any primate and is one of the most slow-breeding mammals. The interval between one birth to the next can be as little as three years or as long as eight years.

“That is why it is important to conserve them. There is no certainty on when the next generation will be born. The death of an orangutan is always a big loss to their community,” he added.

He usually spends about two and a half months to complete a survey on orangutan nests. Within that period, he will conduct three sets of field surveys, about two to three weeks for each survey with short breaks in between.

Like any other field biologist, Bob also faces many challenges. In Sarawak, the orangutan lives in rugged terrains and so Bob has to hike up and down several mountains before reaching any orangutan habitat. Besides that, he also needs to carry his own supplies into the jungle which can weigh more than 20kg.

“Another challenge will be with the orangutans themselves. They are elusive and very hard to detect. Orangutans are known to hide themselves among the canopy when they sense potential danger. Sometimes it takes me weeks before actually seeing one.”

Currently, Bob is assisting in a new transboundary green economy project area in the Heart of Borneo (HoB), funded under the International Climate Initiative (IKI), Federal Ministry for the Environment Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety of Germany.

This two-million hectare site stretches from central Sarawak, Malaysia to northern West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The project site in Sarawak includes two important orangutan areas which are also biologically rich – Batang Ai National Park and Lanjak-Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary.

One of Bob’s tasks is to investigate species presence within the HoB landscape, and to advocate for the conservation of areas where they are found so that they can have the opportunity to thrive.

“Both sites are where most orangutans in Sarawak live. Although they live in protected areas, they don’t know what a boundary is. There are always possibilities that they will travel outside the protected areas and into the hands of hunters and poachers,” he explains.

Currently there are about 1,600 orangutans left in Sarawak. This figure is nothing compared to 11,000 orangutans found in neighbouring state of Sabah.

Bob hopes that his efforts, along with that of other experts and stakeholders, will help the orangutan population in Sarawak continue to thrive for posterity.

In Sarawak, some communities, like the Ibans, have a cultural connection with orangutans. The orangutan is revered by them as they believe that humans either are descended from the orangutan, or they turned into orangutans when they die. It is also a taboo to kill orangutans according to the Iban native law.

“The people in Batang Ai still practise this cultural connection and hence orangutans are able to survive there. However, this connection has diminished in other places and orangutans have been wiped out as a result of habitat destruction and illegal killing.”

“I hope our conservation efforts will help people to re-establish their culture and connection with orangutans. With the taboo in place, orangutan populations will hopefully recover naturally and they can live harmoniously with these communities,” he said.

The orangutan is Asia’s only great ape and is found only on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. In Malaysia, the orangutan sub-species, Pongo pygmaeus pygmaeus, occurs in Sarawak and West Kalimantan; and Pongo pygmaeus morio occurs in Sabah and East Kalimantan. In Sarawak, most orangutans occur mainly in protected areas, but incidental poaching cannot be totally ruled out due to lack of management presence in many of the orangutans’ habitats and protected areas. The orangutan is classified as Totally Protected under the Sarawak Wild Life Protection Ordinance (1998).

 

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Lawatan ke Kubu Hose di Marudi

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Lawatan ke Marudi, sebuah bandar yang terletak di utara Sarawak, tidak akan lengkap tanpa lawatan ke Kubu Hose.

Terletak kira-kira 100km dari Kuala Baram, Marudi dulu pernah menjadi pusat pentadbiran kawasan ini sebelum bandaraya Miri diasaskan.

Hari ini ia adalah bandar terbesar di daerah Baram.

Semuanya bermula pada tahun 1883 apabila Sultan Brunei, Sultan Abdul Momin menyerahkan wilayah Baram kepada Charles Brooke, White Rajah yang kedua.

Bahagian Baram menjadi bahagian keempat Sarawak dengan Mamerto George Gueritz dilantik sebagai Residen pertama.

Apabila pentadbiran Brooke memperoleh kawasan baru untuk mentadbir, perkara pertama yang akan dilakukan adalah membina sebuah kubu.

Pembinaan kubu bermula pada tahun 1889 dan telah siap pada tahun 1901. Kubu tersebut dinamakan sempena Charles Hose, yang dilantik sebagai Residen bahagian tersebut pada tahun 1891.

Kubu itu dibina dengan kayu belian di atas bukit yang menghadap ke sungai Baram.

Terdapat juga dua meriam besar yang diletak di hadapan kubu untuk melindungi bangunan tersebut daripada penceroboh.

Fort Hose juga digunakan sebagai pejabat pentadbiran dan rumah Residen.

Pada tahun 1899, bangunan itu menjadi tempat termenterai nya perjanjian damai yang akan mengakhiri peperangan di kalangan semua kaum di kawasan Baram.

Sejak itu, bangunan tersebut digunakan Pejabat Daerah, Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, Jabatan Imigresen, Jabatan Tanah dan Jabatan Penerangan.

Apabila orang Jepun menyerang Sarawak semasa Perang Dunia II, mereka menggunakannya sebagai ibu pejabat Kempeitai atau Polis Tentera.

Ia kali terakhir digunakan sebagai pejabat Pembangunan Komuniti Pusat Pameran Kraf Tangan Orang Penan.

Pada 24 Ogos 1994, sekitar tengah malam, Fort Hose telah terbakar hampir 100 tahun selepas ia dibina.

Pada tahun 1995, komuniti di sekitar kawasan Baram menyumbang batang kayu Belian untuk membina semula kubu.

Ia kemudiannya dibina semula mengikut dimensi dan reka bentuk asalnya.

Ia secara rasmi dinamakan semula sebagai Muzium Wilayah Baram pada 25 Mei 1997.

Di muzium ini, pelawat boleh melihat koleksi gambar yang diambil oleh Hose sendiri.

Kebanyakannya adalah potret Orang Ulu yang diambil pada awal abad ke-20 serta kehidupan seharian mereka seperti pemprosesan garam.

Tekstil tempatan, barang-barang manik, ukiran kayu dan barang upacara seperti topeng kayu yang digunakan oleh masyarakat Orang Ulu juga dipamerkan.

Ia juga menempatkan sape yang sepanjang 30 kaki panjang, sape terbesar dalam Buku Rekod Guinness Malaysia untuk menjadi yang terbesar seumpamanya.

Dibina pada tahun 2008, alat muzik seperti lute dibuat oleh pembuat sape Anyie Wan, Hillary Tawan Achai dan Noel Along Anyie.

Walaupun ia agak kecil berbanding dengan muzium lain di Sarawak, ia menawarkan panduan komprehensif untuk sejarah Baram dan rakyatnya.

Ia mungkin satu-satunya muzium di Malaysia yang memberi tumpuan terutamanya kepada budaya dan sejarah masyarakat Orang Ulu termasuk Kayan, Kenyah, Penan dan Kelabit.

Pengunjung juga boleh berjalan-jalan di taman sekitar kubu kerana ia menawarkan pemandangan sungai Baram yang indah.

Muzium ini dibuka Selasa hingga Jumaat (9 pagi hingga 4 petang), Sabtu dan Ahad (10 pagi hingga 4 petang). Masuk adalah percuma.

Read this in English.

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Misteri dan kejadian aneh Batu Nabau di Engkilili

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Batu Nabau yang terletak di 3km dari pusat pekan Engkilili terus menjadi tarikan pelancong baik dari dalam dan luar Bumi Kenyalang.

Batu Nabau Engkilili (7)
Batu Nabau, batu yang dipercayai seekor ular.

Terletak kira-kira 230km dari Kuching, pekan Engkilili dinamakan sempena pokok Engkilili yang mudah dijumpai di kawasan ini.

Pelbagai misteri yang dikaitkan dengan batu tersebut membuatkanya sering dikunjungi pelancong.

Batu tersebut berbentuk silinder dengan panjang kira-kira sembilan meter dan diameter dua meter.

Batu itu, yang kelihatannya mempunyai hujung runcing seperti kepala ular, nampak seolah-olah keluar dari tanah, menyebabkan orang ramai percaya bahawa batu tersebut sememangnya ular yang bertukar jadi batu.

Batu Nabau juga dikenal sebagai Batu Lintang oleh penduduk tempatan sebelum ini hanyalah batu biasa yang mereka lalui dalam perjalanan ke kebun mereka.

Sekitar 20 tahun yang lalu, beberapa lelaki Cina tempatan membawa seorang lelaki Thailand untuk melawat batu tersebut.

Lelaki Siam itu berkata beliau termimpi mengenai batu tersebut dan batu itu sebenarnya adalah ular sebenar dan dia harus memuja ular itu.

Orang-orang rumah panjang menunjukkan kepadanya apa yang mereka panggil Batu Lintang ketika itu.

Batu Nabau Engkilili (11)
Penduduk tempatan membina sebuah pondok di sebelah Batu Nabau.

Orang Thai mendakwa bahawa doa dan persembahannya yang dibuat di atas batu itu telah dijawab, menyebabkan ramai orang berkumpul di kawasan itu untuk mencari keajaiban.

Penduduk Iban yang menetap tidak jauh dari batu tersebut erkejut pada mulanya untuk melihat semua kemenyan dan lilin yang dipasang di batu tersebut.

Pada mulanya, pelawat melemparkan telur mentah, duit syiling dan menuang susu di atas batu sehingga orang tempatan meletakkan tanda yang melarang mereka berbuat demikian.

Orang-orang Cina tempatan juga melukis jalur kuning pada batu tersebut untuk menjadikannya lebih mirip seperti ular.

Lama-kelamaan, penduduk Iban mula memanggilnya Batu Nabau (sejenis ular di Iban) dan bukannya Batu Lintang.

Ada yang mendakwa mereka menang hadiah loteri selepas meminta nombor ekor dari Batu Nabau.

Ada juga komuniti Iban yang membuat upacara ‘miring’ di Batu Nabau.

Batu Nabau Engkilili (10)
Batu tersebut berbentuk silinder dengan panjang kira-kira sembilan meter dan diameter dua meter.

Sekarang, ramai Iban tempatan telah percaya bahawa ‘ular’ tersebut adalah dewa yang melindungi kawasan itu dengan kuasa mistik.

Salah satu kejadian aneh yang berlaku di kawasan tersebut apabila musim hujan.

Selebat hujan mana sekalipun, penduduk tempatan menyedari bahawa batu itu tidak pernah terendam dan entah bagaimana kelihatan terapung tepat di atas air walaupun seluruh kawasan tersebut dibanjiri.

Tambahan lagi, ada surat khabar tempatan melaporkan beberapa tahun lalu bahawa huruf abjad Jawi dikatakan telah ditemui di Batu Nabau.

Huruf alif, lam, nun, mim dan sinwere dikatakan telah ditemui terukir atas batu tersebut.

Sehingga kini, tiada siapa yang benar-benar tahu kebenaran sebenar di sebalik Batu Nabau.

Batu Nabau Engkilili (4)
Batu Nabau terletak tidak jauh dari pekan Engkilili.

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Pastor Ding, ahli sejarah Kayan luar biasa

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PHDing-left-with-two-men-from-Uma-Aging-Belaga-20150704-AZAM-IIC
Pastor Ding (kiri) bersama lelaki-lelaki dari Uma Aging, Belaga.
PHDing-right-with-women-of-Uma-Pako-Tubau.-20150704-AZAM-IIC
Pastor Ding (kanan) bersama penduduk Uma Pako, Tubau.
PHLiiLong-and-his-wife-Ipui-Lahe-20150704-AZAM-IIC
Lii’ Long (kanan) bersama isterinya Ipui Lahe.

Pada tahun 1970an, terdapat seorang lelaki berbangsa Kayan di Mendalam, Kalimantan Barat, Borneo dikenali sebagai Pastor Aloysius Johannes Ding Ngo yang bertungkus-lumus mencatat tradisi dan mitos kaum Kayan.

Beliau mendapat pendidikan beliau di Belanda dan merupakan orang Dayak pertama yang menjadi paderi Katolik.

Beliau bekerjasama dengan Lii’ Long, seorang penyanyi yang juga berasal dari Mendalam untuk mencatat cerita-cerita dongeng tersebut.

Pada tahun 1974, beliau memulakan perjalanan beliau ke Baram, Tubau dan Balui (Belaga) di Sarawak dan kemudiannya ke Kapuas dan Mahakam di Kalimantan Barat, seterusnya ke Samarinda pada tahun 1977 dan Apo Kayan pada tahun 1980.

Sepanjang perjalanan beliau, Pastor Ding akan menulis pengalaman beliau dalam bentuk diari dan gambar etnografi dan kemudian menghantar buku tersebut kepada rakan-rakannya.

Beliau juga menemu-bual mana-mana orang Kayan yang beliau terjumpa terutamanya mereka yang berpengetahuan dalam tradisi kaum tersebut.

Pastor Ding mempunyai kelebihan yang unik, beliau pandai menulis dan fasih bertutur dalam enam bahasa iaitu Kayan, Belanda, Latin, Indonesia, Jerman dan Inggeris.

Antara catatan terpenting beliau ialah Takna’ Lawe’, cerita mengenai legenda orang Kayan.

Lawe’ dianggap sebagai hero oleh Kayan Mendalam dan ceritanya tersebar ke orang Kayan di Balui, Baram, Mahakam dan Apo Kayan.

Namun di Balui, Lawe’ dikenali sebagai Belawan.

Pastor Ding juga menulis buku setebal 900 muka surat yang berjudul Sejarah Orang Kayan dan kamus Kayan-Indonesia yang termasuk perkataan-perkatan lama yang jarang diguna pada zaman sekarang.

Sepanjang hidup beliau, satu-satunya buku berjaya diterbitkan ialah ‘Syair Lawe’.

Buku tersebut diterbitkan pada tahun 1984-1984 oleh Gadjah Mada University Press.

Selebihnya buku-buku beliau dikumpulkan dan disebarkan dalam bentuk salinan karbon dan foto di antara orang Kayan tempatan.

Antara manuskrip yang belum diterbitkan ialah Takna’ Idaa’ Beraan dan Takna’ Kabuk Buaang oleh Juk Linge dan Lii’ Long, Takna’ Bakunng Dawing dari Mahakam dan Lung Jalivaan Hajaan yang terdiri daripada 22 cerita dongeng orang Kayan.

Malangnya, Pastor Ding meninggal dunia ketika menulis autobiografi beliau berdasarkan perjalanan hidup beliau semenjak 1940s.

Beliau meninggal dunia pada 6 Jun, 1995 di Sintang, Indonesia, 10 bulan sebelum hari jadinya yang ke-80.

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Memperingati mangsa tawanan perang di Kundasang War Memorial

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Dedicated to the lasting memory of the 641 British servicemen
Who died in terrible circumstances
In the Sandakan prisoner of war camp
On the death marches and at Ranau 1943-1945
They shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them

Demikianlah ayat yang termaktub pada batu plak hitam dengan bendera United Kingdom di English Rose Garden, salah satu taman bunga yang terdapat di Kundasang War Memorial (Tugu Peringatan Kundasang).

Di sana terdapat juga taman-taman lain termasuklah Australian Garden, Borneo Garden dan Contemplation Garden.

Terletak di Kundasang, tugu tersebut memerlukan dua jam perjalanan menggunakan kereta dari ibu negeri Sabah, Kota Kinabalu.

Ia dibina untuk memperingati tentera Britain dan Australia yang terkorban di kem tahanan Sandakan dalam perjalanan ke Ranau.

Pada tahun 1942, seramai 2,400 tawanan perang dibawa dari Singapura sebagai buruh paksa untuk membina landasan kereta api di kem tahanan Sandakan.

Dari bulan Januari ke Ogos 1945, pada pengakhiran Perang Dunia Kedua, para tawanan perang dikerah untuk berjalan sepanjang 260 kilometer dari Sandakan ke Ranau.

Kebanyakan mereka dipercayai terkorban akibat serangan penyakit, kebuluran dan penderaan tentera Jepun.

Hanya 6 orang, kesemuanya warganegara Australia terselamat setelah mereka berjaya melarikan diri.

Penduduk tempatan turut membahayakan nyawa mereka dengan memberi makan dan menyorok tawanan sehingga berakhirnya Perang Dunia Kedua.

Dibina pada 1962, tugu tersebut juga memperingati pengorbanan dan kesengsaraan penduduk Sabah.

Ide untuk membina tugu tersebut datang daripada Major G.S. Carter, seorang warganegara New Zealand pada awal 1960s.

Ia kemudiannya dibina menggunakan dana dikumpul oleh penduduk tempatan dan asing di Sabah.

Malangnya, tugu tersebut telah terabai sehinggalah seorang lelaki Thailand Sevee Charuruks berjaya memulihnya pada tahun 2004.

Tugu tersebut sangat sesuai dibina di kaki Gunung Kinabalu kerana penduduk tempatan percaya awan-awan yang menyelaputi gunung tersebut melindungi roh-roh mereka yang telah meninggal dunia.

Surat-surat khabar mengenai perjalanan maut Sandakan (death march) tersebut turut dipamerkan.

Apabila memasuki kawasan tugu, para pengunjung akan memasuki Australian Garden dimana terletaknya bendera Australia dan plak berjudul ‘Kinabalu Kundasang War Memorial and Australia’.

Terdapat juga sebuah panel ditulis dalam bahasa Inggeris dan Melayu tentang sejarah sebalik tawanan perang di Sabah.

Sementara itu, Borneo Garden pula memperingati mangsa-mangsa peperangan di Sabah yang cuba menolong pihak tawanan namun terkorban.

Di Borneo Garden juga, terdapat pokok-pokok bunga yang boleh dijumpai di Sabah.

Manakala di Contemplation Garden, berdirinya panel-panel dibina pada tahun 2011 yang mempamerkan kesemua nama-nama mangsa peperangan tersebut.

Amat menyayat hati apabila melihat lebih 2000 nama yang terpampang sepatutnya diingati bukan sahaja sebagai mangsa tawanan perang, malah sebagai seorang sahabat, anak, bapa dan abang.

Yang lebih menyedihkan, sebanyak 38 nama tidak sepatutnya termaktub pada panel tersebut kerana mereka berjaya sampai ke Ranau walaupun dalam keadaan yang lemah.

Namun demikian, mereka telah ditembak mati oleh pihak Jepun kira-kira 12 hari selepas Jepun menyerah diri pada 15 Ogos, 1945.

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A visit to Fort Hose, Marudi, Sarawak

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A visit to Marudi, a quiet riverine town in northern Sarawak, would be incomplete without a visit to Fort Hose.

Located about 100km upriver from Kuala Baram, Marudi used to be the administrative centre of this area before Miri was founded.

Today it is the largest town in Baram district.

Fort Hose 1
Fort Hose, now known as Baram Regional Museum.

It all started in 1883 when the then-Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Abdul Momin ceded the Baram region to Charles Brooke, the second White Rajah.

The Baram region became the fourth division of Sarawak with Mamerto George Gueritz installed as its first Resident.

Whenever the Brooke administration attained an area to govern, the first thing it would do is build a fort.

Fort Hose 2
A detailed wooden carving decorating one of the wooden poles of Fort Hose’s gateway.
Fort Hose 3
The archway leading to the fort.
Fort Hose 4
Mannequins showing how it might look like to visit the resident at his office at Fort Hose during the Brooke administration.

Construction on the fort began in 1889 and were completed in 1901. The fort was named after Charles Hose, who was appointed as Resident of the Fourth Division in 1891.

The fort was built with durable belian hardwood on top of a hill overlooking the Baram river.

Two large cannons positioned at the front of the fort would protect the building against invaders.

Fort Hose was also used as an administration office and Resident’s house.

In 1899, the building became the site of a historical peacemaking ceremony that would end bloody ages-old wars among all the tribes in the Baram region.

Since then, various authorities have used Fort Hose over the years: the District Office, the Welfare Department, Immigration Department, Land and Survey Department and Information Department.

When the Japanese invaded Sarawak during World War II, they reportedly used it as a Kempeitai or Military Police Corps’ headquarters.

It was last used as a Community Development office of Penan Handicraft Exhibition centre.

On 24 Aug 1994, around midnight, Fort Hose was razed to the ground almost 100 years after it was built.

In 1995, the communities in and around the Baram area contributed Belian poles towards the fort’s reconstruction. It was then rebuilt according to its original dimensions and design.

It was officially renamed Baram Regional Museum on 25 May 1997 and declared open by former Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu Numpang.

Fort Hose 4
Traditional shields, wooden baskets used by the Orang Ulu communities.
Fort Hose 6
Some of the traditional music instruments used by the Orang Ulu communities on display inside the museum.
Fort Hose
A tribal mask usually used during an Orang Ulu ceremony.

Baram Regional Museum

Fort Hose
A view of the inside of the Baram Regional Museum.

At the museum, visitors can find a collection of photographs taken by Hose himself.

Most are portraits of the Orang Ulu taken in the early 20th century as well as aspects of their daily lives like salt processing.

Local textiles, beaded items, wood carvings and ceremonial items such as wooden masks used by the Orang Ulu communities of the region are also on display.

It also houses a 30-foot-long sape which made it to the Malaysian Guinness Book of Records for the being the biggest of its kind. Built in 2008, the lute-like musical instrument was made by sape makers Anyie Wan, Hillary Tawan Achai and Noel Along Anyie.

Although it is relatively smaller than other museums here in Sarawak, it offers a comprehensive guide to the history of Baram and its people.

It may be the only museum in Malaysia focusing mainly on the culture and history of Orang Ulu communities which include the Kayan, Kenyah, Penan and Kelabit.

Visitors can also take a walk in the park surrounding the fort as it offers an excellent view of the Baram River.

The museum is open Tuesdays to Fridays (9am-4.45pm), Saturdays and Sundays (10am-4pm). Admission is free.

Fort Hose
Fort Hose overlooks the mighty Baram river.
Fort Hose 9
There is a hanging bridge located right behind the fort.
Fort Hose 10
Take a walk at the park near the fort.

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Five bands you need to listen to after Rainforest World Music Festival 2017

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Missed the 20th edition of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF)? It’s okay because KajoMag has got you covered.

Here are the five bands you need to listen to even when the music and dancing has stopped in the Sarawak rainforest.

  1. O Tahiti E (Tahiti)

I would not only recommend this band for you to listen to – it is a group you have to watch.

Founded in 1986, O Tahiti E is one of the oldest dancing groups in French Polynesia. When the women dance, their rapid hip-circles and powerful hip slides are mesmerising to watch. The men are equally captivating as they move their legs to beats faster than the naked eyes and ears can follow.

A dancer in O Tahiti E.
A dancer in O Tahiti E.

This group made the crowd scream “I am moving to Tahiti!” during their performance on the second night of RWMF 2017 from Aug 14-16.

Watch their video below and you might be screaming the same thing as you stare at your screen.

  1. Okra Playground (Finland)

What made Okra Playground stand out during the RWMF was the harmonisation of its three vocalists – Päivi Hirvonen, Maija Kauhanen and Essi Muikku.

Their voices immediately catch your attention from the first note. Added to the melodious tunes of this band are the sounds of the kantele, a Finnish plucked string instrument, and jouhikko, a stringed bowed lyre.

As you close your eyes and listen to their songs, you can almost feel the freezing winters of Finland.

Watch their video here.

  1. Achanak (UK/India)

It is fun, upbeat and makes you move your shoulders to the beat of Bhangra music.

Achanak is a multi-award winning, six-piece band based in the UK but still holds true to the band members’ Punjab roots.

The result of this east meets west concoction is a nice blend of traditional Indian percussion and Western rhythms.

The band also sings in traditional Indian vocal style, transporting listeners to the sets of Bollywood movies.

Watch their video here.

  1. Calan (Wales)

Grab your clogs and step dance along to the traditional Welsh tunes of Calan.

It is easy to tell this five member band is proud of their Welsh background, as they sing Welsh folk songs and play traditional instruments such as the fiddle, pibgorn (an early Welsh musical instrument similar to the clarinet) and harp.

One member who really stands out is Bethan Rhiannon. She easily draws the audience attention in with her vocals, clog dancing and accordion playing.

Bethan Rhiannon from the Welsh band Calan.
Bethan Rhiannon from the Welsh band Calan.

Listening to Calan will make you jig, step and hop to the vibrant sound of the Wales. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Watch their video here.

  1. Hanggai (China)

If you think that playing the morin khuur is not cool, Hanggai from China will prove you wrong.

And if you have no idea what that is, allow me to enlighten you: also known as the horsehead fiddle, the morin khuur is a traditional Mongolian bowed stringed instrument.

What makes this instrument buck the trend of other traditional musical instruments is how it surprisingly fits in perfectly with the punk rock genre.

This Mongolian folk music band from Beijing successfully combines Mongolian throat singing (khoomei) with rock music, making their songs almost like nothing you have heard before.

Watch their video here.

About Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF)

The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) is an annual three-day music festival celebrating world music. It’s been held in Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching, Malaysia every year since the music festival’s debut in 1997.

It has daytime workshops, a crafts bazaar, food stalls, and main-stage evening concerts.

If you were there during RWMF 2017, let us know in the comment box which band was your favourite!

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Feeding the Penan community in Long Urun, Belaga

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It’s 8 am and the rented four-wheel drive is already packed with food, cooking utensils and anthropometric measuring equipment.

These tools – weighing scales, height measures – will help nutritionist Nicholas Alvin George and his team of nurses later on in the day when they visit the Penan communities in Long Urun.

For now, having a heavy breakfast is a must since they will have no time to lunch later in the afternoon.

Ironically, they are going to a place where they will be cooking but the food is not for them.

Nicholas and his team are part of Community Feeding Programme under the Malaysian Government Transformation Programme, GTP 2.0.

It is a plan to improve the nutritional status of Orang Asli children aged 6 months to below 6 years of age in rural Perak, Pahang, Kelantan and the Penan community in Sarawak.

The programme became one of the Ministerial Key Performance Indicators (MKPI) for Ministry of Health in 2013.

“They don’t have the same conveniences we have,” Nicholas said of the remote Penan communities they will be visiting. “We have food to cook at home but they depend on nature and their environment.”

The Penans are known as a nomadic indigenous people in Sarawak but over time most of them have settled in longhouses. They still prefer hunting and gathering jungle produce as means of survival.

“It is easy to say that these ‘nomads’ can survive since they live in the forest,” said Nicholas. But these days the forests they are living have become ‘sawit’ or oil palm forests.

“One of the elders told me, ‘We never had problems like this before. When I was young we had more than enough (to eat).'”

The journey to the Belaga interior

Long Urun Belaga
The nearest towns to Belaga is Bintulu which is 2-3 hours’ drive away and Kapit 4.5 hours away by boat.
A road map shows the distance between Sungai Asap Clinic to Long Urun.
A road map showing the distance between Sungai Asap Clinic to Long Urun.

The journey from Sungai Asap Clinic, where Nicholas and his team are attached to is one to two hours away from Long Urun, Belaga.

“The length of the journey depends on the weather. If it is raining, the road will be slippery so we need to take our time.”

The road to Long Urun is bumpy and untarred as it is a logging road. Nicholas described the journey like getting a ride on a massage chair except the ‘massage session’ resulted in muscle ache.

The Community Feeding Programme in Long Urun currently covers six longhouses – Rumah Ating, Rumah Adih, Rumah Besi, Rumah Dang, Rumah Labang and Rumah Pait.

St. Anthony De Padua Catholic Church near Rumah Ating.
St Anthony De Padua Catholic Church near Rumah Ating.

There are 83 children registered with this programme. This number includes those who are malnourished and those who are of normal weight.

This is to ensure the children with normal weight are still being monitored and do not fall into the malnourished category.

They also have Penan volunteers helping in the programme, preparing food for the children from Mondays to Fridays around 7 to 8am.

A volunteer helps preparing the food for the children.
A volunteer helping to prepare food for the children.

Instilling healthy eating among the Penan communities

Nicholas and his team usually visit the centre every month for five days.

“During the visit, we send one month’s food ration stored in a room which has been agreed upon by the longhouse chief to be used for this programme.

“We will measure the registered children’s anthropometry with a measuring mat for babies, a stadiometer (to measure height) and weighing scale. This is important for us to see the nutritional status of the child and the effectiveness of this programme.”

They then plot the children’s growth rate against the World Health Organisation growth chart for infants 0 – 5 years old and children 5 to 10 years old.

The team also has to check for head lice and cut their fingernails if necessary as well as check for any visible signs of health issues.

Once they’ve completed the health checks, they cook for them.

Nicholas cooks for the Penan children.
Nicholas cooking for the Penan children.

Nicholas said they designed the menu to provide them with the right amount of calories and nutrients. Some of the menu items they introduced are porridge with eggs and green vegetables, ‘linut’ (a kind of sago paste) with fried eggs and fern.

“For them, it is luxury food. Usually the food I prepare for them are high-calorie and high-protein food but most importantly a balanced diet.”

According to Nicholas, there is a small-scale sundry shop in the area which could take them 20 minutes to reach by foot, but essential foods like eggs, meat, fish and chicken won’t be available all the time as it is a small family business.

“Being a nutritionist, it won’t be enough just to provide them with the right food to eat,” he said as educating and raising awareness of healthy eating are the most important parts of their job.

He also observed that the remnants of their hunter-gatherer lifestyle means that they don’t eat a balanced diet and that they tend to skip meals.

The children line up for food.
The children lining up for food.

Healthy eating in a challenging environment

Nicholas found communication easy with the Penans as they understand and converse well in Malay.

But getting them to practice healthy eating is difficult in the interior when they live a low-income, subsistence lifestyle.

“For them eating is simply just eating—nothing more than that and as long as they eat,” he said.

Without the programme, the villagers may typically eat ‘linut’ or tapioca leaves.

“They will usually hunt for animals but its not like going to a grocery shop where you just pick up what you want and that’s it. It may take them awhile to hunt – the fastest would be a day but it may take days and up to a week,” Nicholas explained.

He added that once they’ve returned with the spoils of their hunt which could include wild boar, they divide it up among themselves and eat it that same day as they have no refrigerators.

Hygiene is another concern for Nicholas and his team as the children can be spotted playing with mud or dirt on their hands. Plus, it is normal for them to see the children running around without slippers, another concern as it can lead to worm infection, one of the causes of malnourishment in children.

Nicholas noted that educating the parents is not a ‘one-time thing’.

“We can’t tell them everything at a time. It has to be gradual and done repeatedly,” he said. “This may take time but it is necessary for them to understand.”

 

Porridge with egg and green vegetable.
Porridge with eggs and green vegetables.
‘Linut’ with fried egg and fern
‘Linut’ with fried egg and fern

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Rainforest World Music Festival to feature Tai-Chi sessions

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Tai-Chi practitioners at the Sarawak Shenlong Tai-Chi Chuan Society.
Tai-Chi practitioners at the Sarawak Shenlong Tai-Chi Chuan Society.

KUCHING: The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) will be holding Tai-Chi sessions as a part of its wellness programme.

The sessions will be hosted by the Sarawak Shenlong Tai-Chi Chuan Society and led by one of the Society’s instructors, Lai Cho Sin.

Focusing on the Tai-Chi Chuan method, Tai-Chi is a mind-body exercise is classified as a martial art, with principles of relaxation that can be applied in daily life.

Originating from China and believed to be founded by Taoist Zhang San-Feng, Tai-Chi Chuan holds principles and practices that are in sync with nature and shares philosophies based on Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

Thanks to its low-impact and slow movements, Tai-Chi does not tax the body.

Grace and fluidity of movement are important in Tai-Chi and the slow movements have led the practice to be called “meditation in motion”.

The Sessions will be open to all ages and any level of physical fitness and will be held in the morning on July 14 to 16, in the Festival grounds at the Sarawak Cultural Village.

The Sarawak Shenlong Tai-Chi Chuan Society was established in 1988 under Master Wu Kuo-Chung and has an office located at Jalan Wan Alwi bin Tuanku Ibrahim, Kuching.

The Festival features a variety of other wellness programmes such as meditation, yoga and Zumba sessions.

Among the various activities lined up for this year’s 20th anniversary celebration include the Festival’s mini sessions, cultural talks, arts and crafts for children, traditional cultural food and crafts bazaars, as well as over 20 bands on the three-day stage shows.

For further information on festival activities, logistics or tickets, please log on to rwmf.net

Rainforest World Music Festival is organised by Sarawak Tourism, endorsed by Tourism Malaysia and is jointly supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Youth & Sports Sarawak and partnering with Malaysia Airlines as the presenting sponsor with Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad (ZIMB) and Zurich Takaful Malaysia Berhad (ZTMB) (Zurich Malaysia) as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partner.

Can you smell what the Rainforest is cooking?

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Vendors and event organisers at the vendor briefing.
Vendors and event organisers at the vendor briefing.

KUCHING: The East Asia Inter-Regional Tourism Forum (EATOF) Asia Food Kitchen will be among the coming attractions at the upcoming Rainforest World Music Festival to be held in Santubong.

The kitchen will, among others, feature exotic foods from EATOF member countries such as Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam and of course Sarawak.

For foodies, the Sarawak Culinary Heritage area will provide a spread of authentic traditional food from the different races in Sarawak, such as Bidayuh food prepared by the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) and the Kayan food provided by Lepau restaurant.

Meanwhile, preparations have begun at full swing as festival vendors for the Rainforest World Music Festival were briefed on the festival’s layout, health and safety, as well as security of the venue.

The Food and Village Mart, EATOF Asia Food Kitchen and Sarawak Culinary Heritage vendors attended the briefing earlier this week at the Sarawak Tourism’s office.

Kamarul Bakeri of Borneo Tru Events Sdn Bhd, the event partner for the Festival’s Food and Village Mart, along with the Board’s Director of Events and Corporate Relations, Angelina Bateman explained the do-s and don’t-s of the Festival grounds.

The Food Mart, located in front of the Orang Ulu & Iban Longhouse, will have 13 food and seven beverage stations, each with exclusive menus to ensure an exciting variety for festival-goers.

The Village Mart will be located around the venue and will comprise sales of festival memorabilia, various types of tattoos, hand & leg massages and many more.

Eddie Libau, Assistant Officer of Environmental Health was also present at the briefing to explain the Department of Health and Safety’s requirements for the Food & Beverage vendors.

Among those presenting at the briefing was Grace Wan, from Adeco Marketing, which will be supplying vendors with biodegradable plates and cutlery.

While vendors have the option to seek other sources for their biodegradable dishes, every vendor is prohibited from using Styrofoam, plastic, or other non-biodegradable utensils.

The Festival will be held at the Sarawak Cultural Village on July 14 to 16.

There will be wellness programmes, informative talks, interactive ‘mini sessions’ in the afternoon as well as night concerts throughout the three-day festival.

Some 20 international bands will be performing, while many local bands such as At Adau will be taking center stage with their cultural performances of Sarawak.

This event is organised by the Sarawak Tourism Board, endorsed by Tourism Malaysia and is jointly supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Malaysia and Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Sarawak, with Malaysia Airlines as the presenting sponsor.

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