Color of Boats

My collection of boats photo during my visit to my wife hometown.What I found out during my visit, I'm attracted to the variant colors of the longboats that have been made by the locals. Just like our car, we identify our car by the registered number that appear at the front and back of our car. But for the local that own a longboat, their identify their longboat by color or the shape of the longboat. Most of the longboats are handcrafted. In the future, I would like to see the crafting of the longboats with my own eyes and off course to capture it with my camera. For the time being, it is hard to find a local here that are expert in longboat crafting.

Thanks for viewing. Enjoy!.

A local paddle off the wharf to depart to his longhouse.

Moment of boarding the longboat.

Locals return back from town. The common transportation for the local in Song to their longhouses.

Local crowded the express boat during the back to work day after Gawai. This overloaded express boat should be avoided as there are few cases of express boat capsized due to the heavy load it carried. This doing is the act off the unresponsibility person that disregard the safety of the passenger who onboard their express boat service.

I managed to captured the incoming express boat from Kapit during our cruise to cross the Rejang River. It took nerved out of me if we didn't manage to avoid the express boat at that time. But for the local, they dealed with this situation almost everyday. The skill of their's to navigate the longboat is well trusted.

Longboats mooring along the Song River.

Local preparing the longboat before setting off to town.

Local transfering their luggage.

A local having a chat in his handphone surrounded by coloful longboats.

Variant colors of longboats and even a express boat mooring at Song town wharf.

Song in B&W Part 2

This post is the continue from the Song in B&W Part 1. Most of the photos taken at my wife Rumah Panjai which is at Song River. The Rumah Panjai is belong to Tuai Rumah Sugai (Long House Leader). It takes 20 minutes to reach it from Song Wharf and perhaps an hour if dry season due to river low tide which need to haul long boat along the shallow river bed.

It is my 3 nights stay there, below are series photos to be shared.

Enjoy.

Waiting.

The picture above taken while riding on long boat. The man waving his hand, a welcome sign from the local :)

Ruai of Rumah Sugai.

Tuai Rumah Sugai himself.

Chipping wood, one of the activities of the local as to preserve their wood stock for cooking purposes.

Children enjoying bathing at Song River.

Swimming in the river could be a cold experience and quite refreshing since the weather is hot.

Preparing Umbut(Malay word) or Upa(Iban Word) or shoots in english.

Maintenance net for fishing while his sons are watching.

Back from collecting fruits and vegetable to be sold at Song Town.

View one of the local houses along the Song River.

 “Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is a dream, realize it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.” 

-Mother Teresa-

Thanks for viewing.

Song in B&W Part 1

Song is a small town in Kapit district with 2 hours of boat express ride from Sibu. Song mostly populated by Iban followed by Orang Ulu, Melanau, Chinese and others races.

In history, the town located on the Song River was originally a Malay trading port. "Abang" (patrician of Sarawak Malay) is a well-known figure Hj. Ahmed b. Hj. Omar and Melanau where they exchanged their forest products such as Nyatoh, resin and rattan in 1820s with local Iban people in Song. The Iban indigenous people inhabited the area along the Rejang River, Katibas River, Song River, Lajan River, and Iran River. The traders brought products to Sibau (Sibu) to sell, where there were ships, such as the Ang Bee from Singapore and the Kampar from Peninsular Malaysia. These ships stopped at Sibau before bringing goods to Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia at that time. Similarly, the trader brought essential households items like salt, apong Sugar, salted fish, platter bowls, pottery, clothing, gongs, fabric and clothing to be used as exchange with the local traders. A source from Wiki.

What I heard from local people at Song, along the Song river is where the original town located but have been burn down to ashes. Then the local move the town to Katibas. That is why the original Song located opposite the new town of Song which is located at Ketibas. (Advise me if my story are wrong)


Below are series of photos in B&W during my visit to my wife hometown.

Enjoys.

Children enjoys their ice cream cone during the hot day.

People gather to buy fuel for their long boat at the one of the fuel station in Song.

The old man aware of me taking picture of him, so he turn away from me.

One of the walk way at the oldest shop row in Song. A Canon advertisement above head.

One of the Kuih Muih stall at the main market.

Kuli Batak.

Behind alley of the old shop row.

One of the main transportation for local people to their  rumah panjai.

Boat express wharf at Song. During the Gawai Festive, the wharf will be full with people back for holiday. The picture was taken during I return back to Sibu which is on 6th day of Gawai.

Song wharf view from Sungai Rejang. This picture is taken while traveling with long boat.

There are more series of photos while my visit to Song. The photos will show the environment of my wife rumah panjai which is located at Sungai Song. To be continue in Part 2.

Gawai 2014

More than a week past Gawai Festive for Dayakians, not that much to celebrate in my Rumah Panjai at Sibu. The atmosphere here a bit different than the past years which fill with lots of fun. This year no Ranyai stands in the Ruai. This present year during Gawai festive, Rumah Panjai fills with modern music with people to dance with, there are no more Ngajat which are played by Tabuh music. This is what happens in my Rumah Panjai. I hope that in the future there will be a lot to improve, to conduct a Ngajat Dance competition instead of Poco-poco, Betabuh competition and others that related to Iban tradition. Perhaps, the new generation will love to see it and they will learn about it.


“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi

Here are the series of photos for Gawai Festive 2014.

Enjoy!

One of the sacrifices during Gawai.

Piglet. Not to be sacrifice this year. Reserve for next year or so on.

The pig is captured.

Cook with gas stove.

Traditional cook with fire wood.

  

Gawai Offering (Miring)

 

Miring event.

The leader of the Miring event in the person in the middle.

 

Grandfather plays Tawak.

Gawai Eve. Children and adults played with fireworks.

Bertabuh session.

Alcohols drink is a must during Gawai especially tuaks.

Love is in the air. Tourist came to the Rumah Panjai for a visit to taste the local delicacies such as Tuaks & Pansuh.

My cousin playing Sape (traditional music instrument originally from Kayan/Kenyah) to welcome the tourist.

People gather at ruai. Sharing stories.

Grandfather weave a Kelinkang.

One of the unexpecter visitor during Gawai.

The owl stares to people surrounding it.

People preparing sacrifice for the owl as it is good sign for them. A rooster is set to sacrifice in the event.

Other with their offering to be given to the owl.