FOLLOWING PROCEDURES
A group of 20 tertiary students queue for temperature checks at the Limbang Customs Wharf. The students, who completed their 14-day quarantine in Miri, were transported home to Lawas District in an express boat yesterday. The quarantine period is part of the Conditional Movement Control Order standard operating procedures.
KUCHING: The prohibiting of Gawai ngabang or house to house visiting under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) is not against Iban rituals, said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing.
He said the CMCO would merely reduce the merrymaking that accompanies religious ceremonies during this year’s Gawai Dayak.
“Iban Gawai and its religious ceremony like miring or offering, which accompanies the rituals is very individualistic.
“Each family is asked to give offerings to the gods or spirits who are in attendance,” Masing said in a statement.
He said these ‘ divine beings’ would be asked to assist the family who hold the Gawai, and the assistance sought would be very specific in nature and would focus only on their own family’s benefit.
“It is for this reason that each bilek or household is asked to make their own offering during
Gawai festivity in the longhouse.
“Thus CMCO prohibiting visitation during Gawai is not against the Iban ritual ethics. It just reduces the merry making activities which accompany the religious festivities. Because divine beings are in attendance, human beings therefore are asked to join the festivities,” he explained.
Masing said the more the merrier philosophy comes in because of this, and thus tuak (rice wine) and food are essential ingredients during Gawai celebrations among the Iban.
He said the gods who were invited to attend Gawai festivities would leave behind good blessings for the family who held the feast.
“The other Iban rituals which involve the whole community, however, have different focus and for different reasons.
“They are more sober in nature and its purpose is for the general good of the community. Merrymaking is not one of them,” explained Masing.
He added the miring ceremony, which accompanies the state Gawai Dayak celebration every year is just a symbol of Gawai festivity and not so much to literally evoke or make offerings to the gods.
The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) secretariat has released a directive prohibiting open-house visiting from house to house or even longhouse to longhouse this Gawai Dayak.
This is part of the efforts under the standard operating procedures (SOP) of the CMCO to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission in Sarawak.