Guides explore tourism potentials in Mukah
SIBU: Sarawak Tourist Guides Association ( STGA) is exploring the heritage of Mukah and the Melanau people with its first Mukah Heritage Workshop held recently.
STGA chairman Abang Azahari Zaidan said the workshop, held on Dec 5-7, was organised by STGA in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Sarawak.
A total of 33 tourist guides attended the workshop held in Lamin Dana and went on a study tour to Oya and Dalat, visiting Melanau villages.
Of the 33 tourist guides, 26 were from Kuching, six from Sibu and one from Miri.
They had hands- on experience on Tabaloi and Sago making and interacted with the community.
“All these while, we have been promoting cultures such as Iban and Bidayuh, but nothing on the understanding of the cultural background of the Melanau.
“Mukah is part of the central region and we have to highlight Melanau tradition and culture. In fact, most of the culture and tradition of the Melanau are still being practised today and still very much alive especially in Mukah,” Abang Azahari told The Borneo Post yesterday.
“This tour gave us an opportunity to understand in depth the Melanau culture and settlement,” he said.
He said the existence of Melanau had been there for hundreds of years and the obvious proof was through their architectural structures and traditions.
He believed that the ‘ Kingdom of Melanau’ is worth exploring where the kingdom is linked to Johor and Brunei.
“This is very interesting. When we look at the history, Santubong
Mukah is part of the central region and we have to highlight Melanau tradition and culture. In fact, most of the culture and tradition of the Melanau are still being practised today and still very much alive especially in Mukah.
was part of Johor in the olden days, but I never thought that it could go deep into the interior of Mukah.
“It is a great story that I think is worth exploring and promoting,” he suggested.
He said there are many other elements of Mukah and Melanau people that can be promoted, and that STGA will try its best to assist in the promotion.
He suggested that the local authorities look into providing better facilities in Mukah to promote the town as a tourist destination.
On the heritage workshop, he said the participants believed that the trip to Mukah was a different experience from what they had in Kuching and Sibu.
“This is because, during this workshop, when we saw the existence of Melanau culture especially in Kampung Telian, and we saw the Jerunai, we got to know more about Melanau, something that we don’t get from books,” he pointed out.
He said STGA hoped to organise a similar heritage workshop next year so that the tourist guides in Sarawak could understand more of the place.
“We have about 160 tourist guides in the state, so in order to do that we need support from the ministry.
“If we don’t have the support from the ministry this time, this heritage workshop would not be successful,” he said.
Abang Azahari Zaidan, STGA chairman