Iban bards ‘lemambang’ are known for their special sing-song incantation skills. They are a popular group among the Iban tribe, especially those still practising paganism.
The most revered of these special breed of Iban elders are the ‘timang jalung’ bards with their special voices and endurance performing all night long, usually from early evening, starting at around 7.30pm until around 4am without break. Their service is only required during Ibans’ biggest and grandest festival ‘Gawai Antu’.
This is a festival to commemorate the deceased relatives and family members of a family and is usually held by the whole longhouse that extends invitation to other longhouses with guests numbering in the thousands. Ours in Kedap, Saratok was held in 1973 just a few days after the death of Bruce Lee, my idol.
I remember stopping decorating when the radio announced his death in Hong Kong. Among others, those present were late Tun Jugah Barieng who was then federal minister of Sarawak affairs — he was giving support to his then private secretary Musa Giri (now Dato), Tan Sri Datuk Gerunsin Lembat (then state secretary), Datuk Amar Dunstan Endawi Enchana (then Krian assemblyman) and Dato Tawi Sli (then former chief minister but still serving as Simanggang assemblyman).
I remember helping an intoxicated Jugah move from our room to Uncle Musa’s around 4am during the Gawai night — he signed as a witness to my Federal Scholarship award two years later (in Kuching of course, whereas Musa became my guarantor).
Apart from the ‘timang jalung’ bards, there are other bards for other festivals who are mostly ‘pengap’ bards performing also throughout the festival night for occasions and festivals such as ‘Gawai Kenyalang’ (Hornbill Fest), ‘Gawai Umai’ (Farm Fest), ‘Gawai Batu’ (Sharpening Stone Fest), ‘Gawai Burung’ (Omen Birds Fest), ‘Gawai Tajau’ (Jars Fest) and other events such as ‘belian’ (shamans performing healing sing-song chants) as well as ‘sabak’ (weeping for the dead).
This ‘sabak’ describes the journey of the soul going to the world of the dead ‘Sebayan’ (changed to Heaven or ‘Serega’ for Christians). This journey is the opposite of the ‘timang jalung’ sing-song chant which describes the souls being invited to attend a feast in their honour at their original longhouses.
The world’s grand honour and admiration of Iban language and its literature as well as poetry is attributed to the very existence of these bards who were mostly lacking in formal education with most being illiterate.
My late dad Salok (1910-2002), a lead bard for ‘timang jalung’ and various ‘pengap’ was a crucial example of an illiterate making it big in the bard practice. He told me about being taught how to memorise the order of the journey through the bird world, the world of those dying due to various ailments and causes, the animal world, the world of spirits and demons and many other abodes passed by the dead from ‘Sebayan’ or ‘Serega’ to the abode of the living when they return home for ‘Gawai Antu’.
This ‘timang jalung’ is done in a sing-song fashion with rhymes ending in similar sound just like in poems and poetry. Dad said he was coached by a well-known bard named Belayong who taught him and other illiterates using ‘papan turai’ whereby pictures or sketches of creatures and demons and other spirits were carved on various belian plank.
I have met a number of academicians who have written books on Iban language and literature. One of the two most well-known anthropologists that I met was Prof Derek Freeman of Australian National University (ANU) who wrote no less than three books on the Iban tribe.
His most well-known protege in ANU in the early 70s was Masing (Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing).
I met Freeman in Penang during my first Christmas Eve there in 1975 and shared stories as well as durian plus Hennessey and beer, an almost fatal combination. But we survived, though I doubt whether he is still around at this moment.
We were hosted for the celebration by my lecturer and friend Prof Dr Clifford Sather, a writer of various articles and books on the Iban, who in the late 90s sat on the chair of Asian Studies at Unimas in Kota Samarahan.
In 1976, I translated four Iban books, namely ‘Bujang Penerang’, ‘Raja Langit’, ‘Stangkai’ and ‘Dayang Ridu Bujang Kerimpak Labu’ into English. Thus earning more than my yearly Federal Scholarship just within two weeks. He also asked me to translate a number of Iban articles and write-ups on the hilarious character ‘Apai Salui’.
I had a few meetings with Sather between 1988 and 2002 in the state. He and his wife remain my friends till today.
Apart from Freeman and Sather, other authors known to have said good words about the beauty of the Iban language include Malcolm Macdonald, Vincent Suttclive Jr, Ling-Roth as well as a handful of other writers since the early 1900.
“Ibans are the masters of language and poetry,” Freeman said to me, Sather and others at the gathering citing our ‘lemambang’ and their exploits.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the New Sarawak Tribune.
