Traditional Bidayuh Dance

BIDAYUH TRADITIONAL DANCE By Robert Sulis Ridu, Lawrence Sinos Sabo and Ahi Sarok#

Ritual Dance Although out human history, ritual dance has been used in worship. Messages are derived through the symbolic gestures performed with the various movements of the different parts of the body. Ritual dance is common to the civilization of all people at all times, and they are viewed as primarily functional and generally devoid of artistry. Ritual dance is performed because through these dances, they could communicate ideas and messages that cannot be said in ordinary words.

In the past, the Bidayuh believed in spirit and the world being populated by both good and evil spirits . According to the traditional Bidayuh beliefs, these spirits are real and if they are disturbed, they can do a lot of harm to the villagers and the environment. They believed that the rhythmic movements of the body, and while in a state of trance, they could possess an excellent medium through which they could get in contact with the good spirit ieng.

Langi julang, nguguoh or simutur, tulak bala, rejang nyijikau bayang, wek jongan, langi nantang sirige? - purom, nantang julang sambuh and rejang padi or ngirindang are ritual dances.

Footnotes
The good spirits are called the ieng, jerong and kemang-triu, and the evil spirit is called muat-mindu or umot mindo in Biatah. Please see for example Low, Hugh - Chapter VIII, Pp. 249 - 254. (Back?)

ieng in Bau-Jagoi means the spirits or souls, which also means simangi in Biatah and ihang in Bukar-Sadung. (Back?)

Langi julang
Langi julang is a ritual dance performed at the closing of the harvest festival. The main purpose of the dance is to give thanks to god tampa for bestowing good health and rich harvest. At the same time, it is performed to appease the unfriendly spirits muat mindu so that they do not harm or disturb the village and the villagers. The dance is also to call back the stray souls of people and padi to return from the padi fields.

In the olden days, langi julang is also performed during a ceremony when a new chief is installed. This is to give thanks to god tampa and to give him the blessing so that he will do his job well for the benefit of his people. The dance is also performed to welcome distinguished guests to the village.

The dance commences with a lead dancer (the shaman), wielding his ceremonial sword buko ba?ee, and is accompanied by two warriors armed with a spear jerok and a shield pinangin. They are to pave the way, to drive away the evil spirit muat mindu and at the same time inviting the good spirits kemang-triu to come together and partake the offerings sadih , placed in the offering tray julang. The climax of the dance is when the shaman triumphantly dances on the julang, while the other dancers and the dayung barih dance around the julang sambuh to the melodious rhythm of the gongs and drum amidst the joyous shouts of "tara! tara! tara!"

Footnotes
langi in Bukar-Sadung means a dance. It is called rejang in Biatah and Sigar in Bau-Jagoi. (Back?)

julang in Bukar-Sadung or karas in Biatah is a brass tray. (Back?)

tampa in Bukar-Sadung means the good spirit god. In Biatah it is called tapa, while in Bau-Jagoi, it is called topa, and juwata in Salako. (Back?)

buko ba?ee in Bukar-Sadung is a kind of Bidayuh sword. (Back?)

jerok in Biatah or sangkuh in Bukar-Sadung means a spear. (Back?)

pinangin in Biatah or paapan in Bukar-Sadung means a shield (Back?)

sadih in Bukar-Sadung or sadis in Biatah and Bau-Jagoi are food offerings for the spirits. (Back?)

dayung barih in Bukar-Sadung are women priestesses who perform the red hat ceremony. (Back?)

Nguguoh or simutur
Nguguoh or simutur or nyigar is a ritual dance performed at the closing of the harvest festival gawai sawa. It is usually performed after midnight to call back the souls ieng of padi that are straying in the farms and also to bring home the padi seeds so that they can be mixed together with the other seeds for the next planting season. This is to ensure that they will have good and bountiful harvests at the next season.

The most significant center of attraction in gawai sowa is a rectangular sort of platform bawal, where food offerings, sadis are placed. There is an ayak padi in the form of two long white cloths, which are attached to two bamboo canes (with leaves) to serve as a link ayak or steps for the souls ieng of the padi to descend to the storage bin bigamis underneath the bawal.

The dance is performed accompanied by the pulsating rhythm of gongs and drums which culminates in tantalizing sequence. Lead by the Tua Gawai, followed by the pinginang, dayung boris and other dancers, they will dance around the bawal in clockwise and anti-clockwise movement eight times. At the climax of the dance, the dancers while in a state of trance would receive gifts in the form of padi seeds or stone or other items. These gifts signify blessings from god for their prosperity. Finally, they shake the ayak padi. In some areas, the pinyigar or pinginang will climb to the upper eight steps of the bawal and shake the ayak padi. The other dayung boris will birujuo? around the bawal.

Footnotes
bigamis in Biatah or kurit padi in Bukar Sadung is a paddy storage bin made of flattened-split bamboo sheets or bark of tree. (Back?)

Pinyigar or pinginang in Bau-Jagoi is the chief dancer in nguguoh, a ritual dance performed during harvest festival. (Back?)

Tulak bala
Tulak bala is usually performed at the end of a fruit season, to drive away sickness in the village caused by the visit of mindo Ngolah and his companions. In the dance, the Tua Gawai (who is believed to be able to see the visiting umot-mindo) will dance together with other dancers (three males and three females). While dancing, they imitate the cries of umot-mindo to appease them so that they would follow mindo Ngolah and his companions to return to the sea happily. The dancers will dance while carrying a young coconut, mayang bai, coconut oil candle panyut, a woven bamboo basket, taya and a model boat, ajung. The taya and ajung are filled with food offerings, sadis. At the end of the dance, the Tua Gawai and the dancers will bring the taya and ajung to a stream to send off the sickness, ondam so that they would follow mindo Ngolah and his companions back to the sea.

Tulak bala is also performed to drive away diseases and pests of padi, for example, jarau, bangas and pengu.

Footnotes
taya in Bau-Jagoi is a woven bamboo basket for putting the sadis offerings. In Bukar-Sadung it is called ayog-ayog or anchak. (Back?)

Rejang nyijikau bayang
Rejang nyijikau bayang is performed at the Gawai hut, Bari gawai at the junction of the path leading to the padi farm. The main purpose of this dance is to heal the paddy diseases and to drive away paddy pests, jikau bayang. The dance is performed by two female dancers in a circle. Each dancer will bring a winnowing tray, tapan or bayang containing the diseased padi plants. After dancing a few rounds, the bayang is placed on the floor. The dancers then continue to dance a few rounds before jumping over the bayang. After that, they continue to dance in a semi-kneeling position in order to watch over the bayang. The dance becomes more lively when other four male dancers join the dance. The male dancers will each carry a knife pandat and a wooden shield pinangin each. This is to protect the padi from pests. The dance reaches the climax, the following morning when the female dancers, accompanied by two male dancers then bring the bayang to the river. The bayang with the diseased padi plants are thrown into the river to be swept away by the current to the open seas.

Wek jongan
Wek jongan signifies a dance of revelation and miracle. Based on the legend, there was a little girl by the name of Jongan. One day, her father was struck by an incurable disease and died leaving behind her and her mother. Following her father?s death, her mother felt very sad and lonely. She spent most of her times at her husband?s grave. Eventually, she also fell ill and died. Thus, Jongan became an orphan. She missed her parents very much and was constantly living a lonely and a miserable life. One day, during one of her visits to her mother?s grave, she fell down and was unconscious. In this state, her mother?s spirit came to comfort her by singing and dancing. When she regained consciousness, she was very happy and returned to the village. Later she taught the people in the village how to sing and dance. From that day, onwards the dance was called Wek jongan.

Langi nantang sirige?- purom
Langi nantang sirige? -purom is performed at the closing of the harvest festival. The main purpose of the dance is to send off the spirits who have been invited earlier to the celebration, in a proper manner. This is to ensure that they go back to their own places peacefully. The dance is performed by two female and two male dancers facing each other directly. In between the dancers there is a twisted vine purom tied to split bamboo sirige?. Squatting at the end of the purom are two men beating the floor with the split bamboo canes, sirige'. At the end of the dance, the purom, which is tied to the two sirige', is then chopped-off into equal pieces. This is to inform the invited spirits that the festival has ended and they have to return to their own rightful places. However, they would be invited to attend the next harvest festival. According to old beliefs, if the purom cannot be chopped-off completely into equal pieces, bad luck will befall the village.

Nantang julang sambuh
Nantang julang sambuh is performed during the harvest festival. The purpose of the dance is to give thanks to god tampa for bestowing good health and bountiful harvest. At the same time, this is done to appease the bad spirits muat-mindo so that they will not disturb or harm the villagers. The dance is also to call back the souls of the people and padi that might be left straying in the paddy field.

Julang sambuh is a tray where offering of cooked food sadih is placed. The sadih, provided by each household in the village for the appeasement ceremony. Julang sambuh is then placed on the altar, sangar pinyambah. The dance is performed to the accompaniment of the melodious and pulsating rhythm of gongs and drums, agung sijinjie?. The shaman, tukang tabur attired in his ceremonial dress will proceed and stand in front of the altar and began to recite the tabur asak gawai while the dancers which comprise two male and two female will dance around the altar.

The dance will take a new form with the changing of the gong beats to agung `mpuyon when the dancers (joined by another four female dancers) will then perform a special dance called ngilangi julang sambuh. The dance will reach the climax when the gong beats change to that of agung rayu when four other dances join in (two on each side) holding bamboo containers, sambang ajau containing rice wine, tuak and cooked glutinous rice in bamboo, pangkang. Shouts of ?tara! tara! tara!? adds to the merry making.

Rejang padi or ngirindang
Rejang padi or ngirindang is performed during gawai tupien, gawai sawa and pinanguh. The purpose of the dance is to gather the paddy souls, simangi padi that may remain in the field and bring them back to the village. The dance is also to bless the new padi seeds for the next planting season.

An altar, sangar is erected in the center of the verandah, awah, where the sadih are placed. These sadih are for the spirit god, tapa, who will be invited to partake them. A smaller altar in the form of a cooped-bamboo, tikarak is placed outside the awah at the open platform, tanju where food offerings for the evil spirits umot-mindo are placed.

The dance comprising three female and three male dancers will dance around the sangar in clock-wise and anti-clock movement four times. First, all the dancers stand in a line. The female dancers will proceed while the men follow behind. The men dance by bringing woven baskets, containing food offerings and new padi seeds. These are then placed on the altar sangar. The female dancers dance by bringing the coconut oil lamps, panyut in their hands. These panyuts are to light the simangi padi while they are on their way to the village to avoid them travelling in the dark. At the end of the dance, the male dancers will carry the baskets containing new padi seeds, bine? padi which are to be placed inside the padi storage bin bigamis for the next planting season.

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* This paper was presented at the Bidayuh Traditional Music, Song, Dance and Costume Workshop held at Dewan Tun Abdul Razak, Kuching on 15-16 May 1998.

# Encik Robert Sulis Ridu is currently a Research Assistant with Majlis Adat Istiadat. The information and recording of the traditional dances were obtained from his research and recording from different informants in Bau, Kuching, Lundu and Serian District. Encik Lawrence Sinos Sabo was formerly a Cultural Officer of Dayak Bidayuh National Association and now is a Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, while Encik Ahi Sarok is a Lecturer in Public Administration at the Faculty of Social Science, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

Received on November 16, 1999.
Published on the Internet by courtesy of Mr. Ahi Sarok (January 05, 2000)
Re-Published for bidayuh dotcom by courtesy of Mr. Ahi Sarok (May 03, 2000)

Citation:
Ridu, R. S., L. S. Sabu and A. Sarok. 1998. Bidayuh Traditional Dance. Paper presented at the Bidayuh Traditional Music, Songs, Dance and Costume Workshop held at Museum Tun Razak, Kuching on 16 - 17 May 1998. 16p. (http://www.geocities.com/dayung_biatah/biddance.html)

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