It just the beginning

Heard about ‘my people’ from Sarawak struggle with the word of Allah in their worship. I wonder how they pray to God now. I imagine my illiterate grandparents, my aunties and uncle, kneeling on their knee, while their mind was hijacked with the prohibition use of Allah in their praying. Pity them. We are suggested to convert to Muslim if we insist to use the word of Allah in worship. Is this a joke….?because I immediately imagine Christian people convert to Muslim simply just because of word of Allah. Just imagine, an obedient and loyal Christian by force convert to Muslim, pray to Allah…but it not Muslim Allah but Christian Allah! If he/she privately pray to Christian Allah, using ‘Abdullah’ as her last name, who would notice right? as long can pray in peace to Allah? But nah…our Christian fellow are honest people, and our God won’t like it as well. Our religion does not promote dishonest and always speak and act the truth.

Anyway, mumbling too much already. What actually I wanted to say is...maybe this is wake up call from heaven. We are living in a good life so far. Not perfect, but enough to have food to eat, to have cloths to wear and we are blessed with abundance resources around us that keep us survive. We go to church every Sunday, we praise and worship God. It is routine to most of us in Sarawak. Our life like a circle, no change.

But God has promised us, He will never leave us once we follow him. In fact, he always wanted the best for us, His children. So, I consider this Allah issue as wake up call from Heaven. We've been 'sleeping' for quite sometime. This is the time for us to move forward as how He wanted us to be. Remember, He knows what is the best for us.

This Allah never been an issue in our own land. But here, in Peninsular it became an issue because majority people here are Muslim and it seems they are concern about Allah being misused by Christian people. I did not blame them. First; they are not well informed of the real situation are, second, they do not understand how to feel in minority shoes and third; common people....leave Allah to them. Our God much more greater than the word of Allah! Praise the Lord!

Majority Christian in Peninsular using God in praying. Those minority people use Allah in their worship and praying are those do not speak in English. well, since our government encourage the use of Bahasa Melayu in our land of Malaysia verbal or writing,  we are Sarawak people as loyal as ever to their government...we are using bahasa baku even to our Buku Al-Kitab. We translate everything to Bahasa Melayu.  But those people who undoubtedly more expert in history believes that Sabah and Sarawak are using Malay in their worship since ages ago, and Allah been used for centuries. I kind of agreed with them, otherwise how my grandma and grandpa knows who is Allah? Don't forget my grandma and grandpa illiterate, they only can speaks in Malay.

But hey Sarawakian, where is this bahasa baku bring us? Going up or down? or roller coaster? Don't you think it is time for us to move upfront? We've been left behind for so long, we've been a follower for centuries, being minorities, we've been pushed down for so many time in so many area...do you think, our Lord Jesus like that to happen to His people? Remember how God take His people out of Egypt?

Remember our God is full of mercy and graciousness? Remember our God only wants the best for His people? Don't you think this is the best time to prove it?

So, most of people who affecting by this issue, mostly in Peninsular. Those people in Peninsular are youth people who came here to work and this youth are quite naive to think that people in Peninsular are generous and friendly people. For some reason, they can be so defensive and feel threaten. This is the time for us to unite and become more stronger, not to give up. I perceive, this is a good thing and only good thing will happen to the follower of Jesus Christ who have faith in Him.

He said “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself”. When he was crucified, he did not curse, he did not complaint. He even pray to God on that very cross to forgave his enemy. Now, that what I call as peace and love.

So, i totally believe that we shall rise and shine people! As how He promise us. Amen!

Multi-Cultural - A Throwback of my perspective on that moment

Introduction              
My name is M.Missy, coming from Sarawak, known as Bumi Kenyalang (Land of Hornbills) on the Island of Borneo. There are eleven administrative divisions in Sarawak such as Betong, Bintulu, Kapit, Limbang, Miri, Sibu, Kuching, Mukah, Samarahan, Sarikei and Sri Aman. There are about 28 ethnics in Sarawak including Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Orang Ulu, Kelabit, Melanau and others. Every each one of the ethnic has their own distinct language, culture, beliefs and lifestyle. Overall, Ibans is the largest percentage with about 30% population in Sarawak. Cities and larger towns populated more by Malays, Melanau and Chinese. Ibans and other ethnic groups who have migrated from their home village contribute a small percentage in city or town area.

As for me, I am an Iban who lived in Kuching, Sarawak, the most populated division and also the most diverse multi-racial place in Sarawak. Ethnic composition of Kuching is somewhat different compared to the other areas of Sarawak. Malay and Chinese are the majority in Kuching, followed by Bidayuh and then Ibans. While, other division in Sarawak mostly occupied by Ibans people followed by the rest of other ethnics. Our medium language in Kuching is Sarawakian Malay dialect, which is different compared to the rest of Sarawak area where most of people regardless of ethnic can speak Ibans. Even Chinese in remote area of Sarawak can speak fluently in Ibans. While most of Ibans in Sarawak could not speak other language other than their own language. Good example; me, myself :).

Autobiography

I was born to a mix marriage family, my father was an Iban from Kapit, Sarawak while my mother is Chinese by blood from Kuching, Sarawak. Therefore I had black eyes and thick eyelids, fine, straight, dark hair and very fair skin compared to my other cousins who are pure Ibans. My sibling and I do look different among my fellow Ibans friends and relatives. I have always mistaken as Chinese girl wherever I go since young.

I inherited my father’s Ibans side culture. He was born at longhouse at  Ulu Kapit, Sarawak. My father migrated from longhouse since his teenage time and joins an army in Kuching, where he married to my mother and settle down in Kuching. The whole of my life, I only tasted the living in longhouse when we came to visit our family at Song. We still go back to our longhouse every now and then to visit our relative over there. 

Our longhouse located deep in the jungle at the riverside of Sungai Rejang, Sarawak. Along the Sungai Rejang there a lot of other longhouses from other villages. My father’s home village, has three separated long house. Every long house called after their head/chief name. Each long house has 10 to 20 different room occupied by different families. In one room occupied by few generation such as grandparents, husband and wife and their children and grandchildren. In my father longhouse, we have more than 20 rooms occupied by different families but tied to each other by relative. Our neighbor from other room could be our aunties, uncles, cousins or grandparents.

Whenever I go back to longhouse with my family then only I really felt that I am living in real Ibans environment, with real Ibans people and real Ibans culture. All the people there speak ‘real’ Ibans language (did not mix with other language such as Malay and English), living in the longhouse deep in the jungle, they are still planting paddy around the high hill beside the river, their main transportation is still river and long boat, their source of food were coming from forest, fishes from the river and plenty of variety of fruits found around the village or behind their longhouse. If they need other material such as sugar, cloth, etc, they will need to go out to small town which half an hour journey by long boat from our long house. Animal for food such as pig, chicken, rooster and duck all around under the longhouse.  I just wonder how people living together in such a big community in longhouse can get together and living in such harmony environment.

In terms of social class, we as Ibans do not practice an obvious social class system in our society. Even when I get back to my home village I can’t see if there are any classism practices in our society. In our long house, we practice egalitarian or classless system. We Ibans believe that everyone is sebaka or equal. However, in every longhouse we do have ‘respectful’ people which are our ‘tuai rumah’(house chief), ‘manang’ (shaman), pastor or father from local church and ‘orang tuai tuai’ (the elders who have certain knowledge and specialties in Ibans adat). When there are any issues or misunderstanding among members in the long house we will ‘bergempuru’ or ‘baum’ (gathering/meeting) and talk about the issues with whole community in the long house. We will discuss together and look for the solution. Usually our ‘tuai rumah’ appointed by generation is a respectful person because he is wise in term of ‘adat’ (customary law). Adat is customary law to maintain and assure harmonious relations among community members. ‘Tuai rumah’ appointed must have knowledge and fluent to this 'adat' as well any traditional beliefs related to community well-being such as ritual, health and material prosperity.  We also highly respect and honor the person or individual who are resourceful or holding high position in authority such as school’s principle, police officer or army. Whenever we having gathering or meeting, we will take their opinion seriously. 

My family living in Kuching city, but my parents still practice some of value from longhouse. My mother trains me to cook and look after my younger sibling since I was 9 years old. I was expected to help my mother to cook simple dishes and rice, tidy up the house and taking care of my younger sibling. My father is an army, so he is consider as the breadwinner in our family. My mother, few times a week will join her other female friend going to small forest to look for green leaf. At the same time she also keeps a bunch or chicken and rooster behind the house apart than her small garden. So that, she do not have to go far to look for food to cook for our family. My father, even though he in army, he still hunting and went to fish over the weekend with his friends. He said, it is in his blood and he has to do it. 

As the elder in my family, my elder brother expected to inherited my father’s knowledge in repairing the house, making tools for fishing and hunting. He also expected to do well in school because my parents putting a high expectation on him to be a breadwinner when he get older and become an adult, same as my father.In our early years as child, my parents putting a high expectation to my elder brother, especially my father. He keep on pushing my brother in his study. As a girl, I wasn’t get the pressure in my study. In fact, my parents was surprise when I said, I wanted to continue my study to Bachelor Degree after my STPM. In their ideal thinking, I will get my certificate, work as clerk or normal teacher in order to help my future husband. My resource of income expected more lower and my career suppose to be more humble compared to my future husband. There is a belief saying among our society such as “no matter how high a girl in her education, she still needs to go to kitchen”. That mean in their eyes, our place always in kitchen. Although such believe a practice in our society, but women never been stop to pursue their advancement in lives. 

Originally, Ibans were animist in religion, however many converted to Christian, and recently some of them converted to Muslim. In general, other ethnic in Sarawak such as Malays and Melanau are mostly Muslim. The rest of ethnic such as Bidayuh, Kayan, Kenyah, Orang Ulu, etc are Christian, and some other still Animist or no religion at all. In my family, my father used to claim himself as a Christian, while my mother no religion but practicing animist. Even my father animist beliefs were stronger than his Christian beliefs. We celebrate Gawai (Harvest Festival) every year and very seldom celebrating Christmas. My eldest brother who always travels across the country converted to Muslim at his young age and my sister who married to Sarawak’s Malays converted to Muslim about two years ago. My mother, my younger brother and my little sister confirming themselves as Christian about four years ago. Me, myself still stuck in the between and pretty much confuse that I practice free thinker until recently when I decided to converted myself to Christian.  

When I back to Kuching town area we mix a lot with other ethnic. I speak Bahasa Melayu with my other friends in school, while outside of school we using Sarawakian Malay dialect with each other. My own mother tongue at home mix a lot with Malays and English words. When I back to my hometown at longhouse, they said we spoke ‘broken Iban’ and they laugh at how we talk.  My family also adapted a lot to other ethnic culture, especially Malays and Chinese culture. We watch only Malay, Chinese and Indian movies and sing only Malay songs. I was ashamed of my own race in terms of entertainment industry because we do not have one good movie or songs to sing or to be proud of.

Since I was young, I have little Ibans friends. My close friends usually coming from other ethnics. When I came to Peninsular Malaysia, I met with other Ibans, mostly from village. They will laugh at my language and love to make fun of my Chinese appearance. At the same time, I started to understand the reason I avoid Ibans people. Ibans are very direct and bold people when they talking, sometime can be rough in their joke. Their direct talking and joke sometime hurting my self esteem and pride that I rather avoid them at all. As an Ibans, I always associate with the negatives impression such as Iban people love to drink ‘tuak’ (alcoholic beverage made of fermented rice). I was asked frequently about the culture of ‘ngayap’ (traditional dating method in Ibans society) and they will make joke out of it. Ibans also always associate with poverty, dirty and simple minded. 

However, as I grow up I become more aware of my own identity as an Iban and I started to become defensive when others stereotyping Ibans people with negative perception. I started to learn and understand my own culture and proud to say that we Ibans have a unique culture attract a lot of outsider try to understand our culture. In fact, we are consider strong community that still maintain our culture even until now. As I am coming from mix marriage family and exposed to many other races and ethnics since young, my mind are open and adaptable easily. I understand and respect other race as how they are respecting ours and based on that understanding it much easier for me to blend in with any other races or ethnic wherever I go. Now happily, I started to accept of who I am and where I came from and what is my root.

Conclusion
 
It was a struggle for me at first to understand this topic. But once I started, it become clearer to me of who and where am coming from. The topic force me to see my own background that try to forget all these time. I wasn’t so sure who I am because am coming from mix race family. By looking at my appearance, people or outsider will judge me quickly as a Chinese. Sometime ago, I was happy to disguise myself in this natural Chinese looking of me. One of the reason is I do not want to resemble as Iban (my own root culture). For me Iban people are primitive, stupid and unattractive. 

But as time goes by, I saw a lot of educated Iban who looking stunning in Iban custom, they proudly stand up defend their own culture from any negative perception of other races. They make me proud. Iban not stupid, they are just not enough education and exposure to open their mind. One of the reason is our education system that do not fully reach remote areas and not all people out there has the same privileges.

I used to think that Iban are volatile people, they easily assimilate themselves to other race and religion. But again, when I look back, a lot of teacher governments sent to remote area are Malays and other races. Who does not fully understand Iban culture, language or adat and their religion. As a result many Ibans people gave up and drop off from school, and these teachers does not care much about these youngsters. All they know their existent to that school is just to teach and that all they do. However, I know my good fellow friends who are teaching at remote areas and what are challenges they facing. I know it's not an easy task.

As the awareness come to Ibans people, now a lot of them educated, and I myself start to understand why they behave or become of who they are right now. As I learn and getting more understanding about my own culture I become more fascinating with my own roots. No wonder a lot of western and outsider are attracted to our culture. It makes me frustrated and angry to certain parties that have the power to change my people for a better one but instead let them drown in the middle of other races development instead and try to change the way they live and thinking. I am a multi-diverse person who coming from multi-cultural family background, but as long there is Iban blood in my vein, I know that I also inherited some of their characteristic and I proud of it!