Gagung club strives to uphold Iban traditional elements in every activity
KAPIT: Members of Kelab Gagung Sibu Sarawak ( KGSS) strive to uphold traditional elements whenever they run an activity.
According to KGSS chairman Jabang Juntan, the club committee would hold the ‘ miring’ (ritual to seek blessing) for any of their programmes.
“This has become our tradition – a ritual passed down from generation to generation. Although the majority of us are Christians, we strive to maintain our culture,” he spoke prior to the ‘miring’ at the residence of one of club members, Penghulu Pasang Tubak at Jalan Selirik here recently.
The ceremony was held as part of the preparations by the club for this year’s Kapit Festival.
Adding on, Jabang called upon all KGSS members to be versatile, innovative and cooperative with one another towards enabling the club to move forward and remain relevant.
“I’ve observed that we have the strength – many of our members are multi-talented and versatile as far as their skills are concerned. We have members who are experts in the Iban martial arts ‘kuntau’; we have talented sape players as well as those who can play the ‘gendang pampat’ really well; some are good in ‘ngajat’ dance; there are also those who are wellversed in ‘bebiau’ and ‘betaboh’.
“These individuals are our invaluable assets. If we could blend all these packages together, we could move forward and charter the name of KGSS not only in the local market, but also in the international arena,” he pointed out.
The key objective behind the formation of KGSS is to preserve the Iban culture and traditions particularly through the warrior costume comprising the ‘gagung’ (vest) and the ‘ ketapusilong’ or ‘lelanjang’ (the headgears).
“We strive to stick to the Dayak Iban ‘gagung’ own identity, without having to blend or combine it with accessories and headgears from other communities like the Orang Ulu,” said Jabang.
At present, KGSS has 117 registered members from across the state – two are the honorary members: Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi who is also Kapit MP, and Kanowit MP Datuk Aaron Dagang.
Of the total 117, 92 are life members, 22 associate members (women) and one youth member.
Present at the ‘miring’ ceremony were Kapit Resident Joseph Belayong Punan, Kapit District Officer Elvis Didit, and Bukit Mabong District Officer Douglas Pungga.
In his remarks, Joseph advised KGSS to set up its own website or Facebook page to promote the club further.
He also called on KGSS members to diversify their activities, in accordance with their respective skills and expertise.
“If you could promote these products and package them together with your activities, it could become a stepping stone for KGSS to move forward not only on the local stage, but also on the international arena,” said Joseph.