Those born in the fifties and early sixties in the Betong, Debak, Saratok, Roban and Sarikei areas would certainly have heard of Dunging anak Gunggu (1904-1985). He might be known for his Iban Alphabet also known as Urup Dunging, thanks to his grandson Associate Prof. Bromley Philip but many of Dunging’s inventions are not known by the world.
One could easily find literature from the Internet on ‘Urup Dunging’ or his 59 alphabets improvised by Bromley and made available as computer software Laser Iban For Windows launched in 2012 by then Senior Minister Tan Sri Dato Sri William Mawan Ikom.
I per sonal ly encountered Dunging thrice, namely in 1964 as a timid 10-year-old during a Gawai Antu at Sungai Belong, Melupa in Saratok; in 1968 at Saratok town and thirdly in 1981 in Sarikei. In 1964 I collected a number of his discarded posters/papers that he sold to the Gawai Antu guests. These contained drawings and writings which I later came to know as ‘Urup Dunging’.
Prior to the Sungai Belong episode we had already heard of Dunging through some of his inventions, especially Wellington boots made of pure rubber sheet smoothened to fit the feet of adults. I did try my father’s pair but found them uncomfortable.
These ‘artefacts’ (the discarded drawings) have been with me, travelling the width of Borneo, since 1964. By the time I encountered the strange Iban inventor in 1968, I had come across a few of his other inventions, especially ten sen and twenty sen coins crafted from materials almost similar to the minted Malaysian coins but with rougher edges.
Dunging was reportedly imprisoned for such offence but before he could be bailed out by the late Penghulu Limbing, the community leader in-charge of longhouses in Debak, including Dunging’s Nanga Ulai longhouse, Dunging was said to have escaped through a very small hall, that they said was not humanly possible to pass through.
Thereafter he was just left free to do whatever he wanted. His other well-known invention was the ring known as ‘tinchin tusah ati’ which I bought from our 1968 encounter at Saratok old cowboy town. It was named as such because the ring, made of inter-twined threepiece material (usually out of wire) would be impossible to put back into its original shape, once these were disengaged or detached, thus causing one to ‘tusah ati’ (sad).
Dunging taught his alphabets to followers in the Rimbas basin and around Debak and Betong towns at his school named ‘Sera Gunting School’ ( Sera Gunting Sikul in his own handwriting or alphabets). In 1981 I got lucky as he willingly talked to me while vending a few of his ‘wares’ at a Sarikei five-foot way in his signature self-made matching suit and hat.
“Aah tu mesti orang perintah (This must be a government man),” he said when I came close and sat next to him in my working attire that included a necktie. “Yes I am a lecturer at Rajang Teachers College in Bintangor,” I told him adding that I knew his grandson Rambuyan who was one year my junior in school and had trained as a teacher by 1981.
So we had a common topic to converse but he refused to answer some very personal questions. Being aware that curiosity killed the cat, I opted not to ask too many questions. Anyway, I was happy to have met and talked to him alone. Throughout the years, I came across a number of people who knew Dunging one way or the other.
Because of my union with a lady from Ulu Bayor between 1984 and 1997, I had the opportunity to pass through Dunging’s special rubber plantation on the steep gradient along the jungle path between Danau longhouse at the side of Ulu Paku Road and Ulu Bayor longhouse, a journey on foot that would take about three hours for strangers and half of that for locals.
This is one of his failed ‘projects’ whereby the initial intention was to use one central collection stop or container for the latex. The rubber trees were planted on steep gradient, by the river thus enabling one long stem of the ‘payan’ bamboo cut into half for the latex to be collected into a big container from several trees. But somehow, the latex failed to reach the container as it coagulated halfway, a scientific issue which Dunging failed to contemplate. I understand that special rubber plantation had no less than 2,500 trees.
It has become another abandoned project. Another failed attempt by Dunging was to build a jungle trek from Nanga Ulai to Ulu Bayor involving a distance of about four kilometres.
He spent a lot of money in employing the longhouse residents to build this trek during the rubber boon in the 60s – his intention was to promote his bicycle whose wheels were made from ‘semambu’, a rattan species which was found to be too ‘bumpy’, thus attracting no taker. Between the years of 1985, after Dunging’s demise and now, I came across three individuals who provided me more stories about Dunging. One of them was my late father-inlaw Edward Kechendai @ Enday (1932-1989) who was very fortunate to have been invited to Dunging’s special workshop at Nanga Ulai.
Papa Edward was from nearby Ulu Bayor. This was where he (Dunging) experimented with his ‘hydro’ as well as aeroplane projects which did not get going beyond the site. It was probably at a pool below Nanga Ulai that Dunging experimented with his underwater vehicle to shoot fish using harpoon but not getting much success. This was told by my Uncle Stephen Sembilan Ambas, a resident at nearby Nanga Tut longhouse along the Rimbas basin. In fact Sembilan, my father second cousin, told me about a number of inventions by Dunging, including those successful ones.
For example, he was known for making ‘sadin rambai’ or canned miding fern; dentures, perfumes and a few others. During a Gawai Antu at his Nanga Ulai longhouse circa 1930, Dunging experimented his ‘hydro’ project whereby he used the power from water as a source of ‘electricity’ to man the special fan made of thin, twisted wooden plank that when switched on blew away the guests’ head gears out of pheasants and hornbill feathers stuck into a woven turban for men.
Many of the ladies’ head decorations were also reportedly blown off, thanks to the speedy spins of the ‘special fans’ that had no speed control. According to Uncle Stephen, the concerned victims were looking hign and low for the culprit, most of who knew it was Dunging but he was nowhere to be found then. It was during that time too, that Dunging experimented with his ‘wooden aeroplane’. Yes it flew but hit the trees every now and then and this again became another failed project.
Pertaining to his invention of a special denture for those needing it, Dunging also practised ‘tooth pulling’ or extraction, thanks to his knowledge of ‘puchau pemenat’ (anaesthetic chant) that would render the extraction painless. One of those using Dunging-made denture was my late granduncle Jerampang anak Saat. It looked good on him. Another informant is my friend Morris Unong, a retired primary school headmaster, who originates from the same longhouse as Dunging’s.
Morris said, Dunging’s bilik (apartment) in Nanga Ulai looked better than any part of the Sarawak Museum. It was a museum by itself, unequalled in this part of the world in terms of contents and arrangement. Dunging put on his door Raja Menua Sarawak (The Ruler of Sarawak). So upon his demise, people in the area, including his longhouse mates sadly said: “The ‘Raja’ has left the building” which reminds me about my idol Elvis Presley, also known as ‘The King’. There are other tales of Dunging that I might share with readers later in this column.
