Rites of Passage
About 30 years ago a midwife or an experienced older woman normally delivered an infant. A child then was required to go through different stages of ceremonies or rites at the irau ngelua anak. It was held primarily to initiate and bless a child and to publicly affirm the parenthood and grandparenthood of the child’s parents and grandparents. One of the most important elements of the occasion was the burak or rice wine, which was served lavishly through out the feast. The burak was prepared well in advance and in abundance, and was kept in belanai or jars. This irau involved 5 different rites/ceremonies: ngelua anak or the initiation of the child, ngutek or skull spearing ceremony, ngebpar/nganuk anak or dressing up the child rite, nuwat anak or Blessing the child rite and nui ulung or Rising of the Pole Ceremony.
The nuwat anak or invocation of blessing ceremony was performed on the first night of the feast. It was the act of invoking and pronouncing blessing on the child involved. Two older men or women, depending whether the child was a boy or a girl performed the rite. They were preferably people who have been successful in their endeavors. The child was usually seated on the lap of one of them. Meanwhile the other facing the child placed some items into the hands of the child would pronounce the blessings. These items were a small sharpening knife, a carving knife, an uwat or awl and a deren leaf for a boy, and a tiny hoe, a wooded ladle and an uwat or awl for a girl.
The other ceremony was the ngebpar anak, which is also known as the nganuk anak ceremony. It means to dress someone up. While the rite was performed outside the longhouse for the boys, it was performed within the longhouse for the girls. An old man would put a new ebpar or loincloth around the boy’s waist, while an older lady would tie a new tekip or sarong around the girl’s waist.
The ngutek or head spearing rite was conducted if the child was a boy. The boy was asked to spear a skull placed/submerged in the river. The spear was placed in the boy’s hand and was guided to spear the skull, accompanied by a war cry or nekit by the older man who conducted the rite. The primary purpose for the rite was to encourage the boy to be a good hunter.
Meanwhile, the nui ulung or raising of the pole ceremony was performed. The ceremony symbolised the raising of the child and his status in later life. It also marked the prestige status of the family. This ceremony involved the erecting either of a tree or the longest bamboo obtainable, or both. However, it was only the well-to-do (upper class) family who could afford to erect the former. For others, the bamboo pole was acceptable. The ulung or pole was gaily decorated with a small gong, young ilad or palm leaves and kelulung or wood shavings.
The ngelua anak or blood smearing rite was performed almost towards the end of the feast. The rite involved the slaughtering of one pig or a few pigs to examine its/their liver/livers and gall bladder/gall bladders. This was done to discover the fate and fortune of the child concerned. The pigs were tied up and hang on poles and were slaughtered by slashing its head and beheaded with a single stroke of the cleaver. The child was then carried back and forth twice under the dripping blood for a blood shower, while the other people smeared themselves with the blood. One of the reasons for this rite was to ask for protection and long life for the child and family.
As a teenager, a child is trained by her or his parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncle to do chores. While, a girl is trained by her mother, grandmother and aunts about cooking, washing, and working on the field, a boy is trained by his father, grandfather and uncles how to hunt, fish, collect firewood and build huts or houses.
The birth of the first child amongst the Kelabit signifies a transition in an individual’s life. The Irau Mekaa Ngadan (Name Changing Ceremony) which is held to affirm one's transition to parenthood and grandparenthood marks this transition. The new parents and grandparents are required to take up new parenthood and grandparenthood names to mark their new status. These new names are chosen and announced at the Irau Mekaa Ngadan which involve the whole community. Guests at the ceremony are served with a big feast by the hosts (new parents and grandparents).
Today, a death amongst the Kelabit is often followed by a lot of mourning and weeping. Relatives and friends come from all over to pay their last respect. A dead person is normally buried within twenty-four hours. It was quite different about 40 years ago, when the Kelabit observed the irau ate/ burak ate or the death feast. It was a feast that was held at secondary burial, usually after a year a person has passed away. Similar to the irau ngelua anak, burak or rice wine was served generously during this week-long feast. One important aspect of this feast was the bones of the dead person being sent to the cemetery for the secondary burial. Prior to this, the dead body was kept in a coffin or a jar, which was left in a small hut, erected outside the house or was laid at one corner of the family’s home. It was kept in that position for a year, and was only sent to the cemetery during the death feast. (However, it is important to note here that both irau, the irau burak lua and irau burak ate, are now discarded since the Kelabit embrace Christianity).
Interpersonal relations A hospitable and friendly person is highly respected and valued by the Kelabit. It is considered rude not to offer hospitality to any visitors at the longhouse. The members of the community are expected to at least greet one another. In fact, in the past, greeting practices amongst the Kelabit were elaborate and very thorough. There was a different kind of greeting for different occasion. For example, a formal greeting was normally used when a guest or stranger arrived at the longhouse.
Villager: When did you come? (Tunge idan teh metaluh?)
Guest: Just came. (Tunge kinih)
To whom are they going? (Ngen I’ih deh nangei)
Villager: How do you do? (Kapah muyuh?)
Guest: They are fine. (Doo tidah)
Villager: Who came with you? (I’ih teh ruyung metaluh)
Guest: Here, only all of us. (Nih teh kamih nih na’ah)
Do the children bath? (Ken diu teh anak adi’ dih?)
Villager: The flu never leaves them (Buro used dih ngedah)
Or they are no better. (Edteh nuk doo ngedah)
However, today everybody is expected to greet one another by shaking hands and asking simple questions like “Where are you going?” “Where are you from?” “Who came with you?” and “How are you”? A person who doesn’t greet others particularly elderly people is considered rude, unfriendly and to a certain extent bad mannered. It is considered improper to wear shoes or slippers in the house. Helping the host or hostess with cooking or cleaning up is most welcomed. Taking gifts when visiting a friend or relative is highly favored.
Living conditions The Kelabit, like many other ethnic groups in the island of Borneo live in longhouses. The longhouses are always kept clean. This is encouraged by constant inspections by the health officers. All the longhouses have tap water and some long houses have generators to give light in the night while the others have to depend on kerosene lamps or candles. In order to be safe to drink, the tap water needs to be boiled.
Most Kelabit in the highlands are free from common diseases that can be found elsewhere in the tropical interior. Their constant involvement in vigorous work on the farm keeps most of them physically fit. The consistent supply of fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and fish keeps them healthy. They buy or barter these goods from each other.
A government clinic with a hospital assistant is stationed on the highlands. The villagers have a constant supply of medication except for major or serious illnesses and accidents. In these cases, the patient is sent down by aircraft to the nearest town for better medication.
Family life
Family life is highly valued amongst the Kelabit. The family is not only a social unit, but also an economic one. A large family consists of 6 to 12 children. Often the grandparents will live with the family, and sometimes other members of the extended family live with the family as well. Consequently, there are cases where a family consists of 12 to 15 members. However, this has changed over the years as many children have migrated to urban areas. The husband is considered to be the head of the household. He is responsible for making political or leadership decisions for the family. This involves being the spokesman for the family. If any members of the family have problems, e.g. misunderstandings with other members of the community, the father is responsible for making peace. The wife, however, makes most of the economic decisions. She decides when to start the farming each year. While the husband is responsible for bringing back meat and fish for the family meals, it is her job to collect vegetables and mushrooms for the meals. Their children are trained from a young age to help carry out these tasks. A son will help his father and a daughter is expected to help her mother.
Not many families rear animals as pets. Some rear cats to keep pests away, and some rear dogs for hunting. Poultry like chicken and ducks are reared for their meat and eggs. Water buffalo are reared to prepare the fields for farming and also to carry heavy loads.
Clothing
Traditionally, the Kelabit wore very simple clothing. A man used to wear a loin cloth and a jacket made from tree bark. A woman used to wear a knee length skirt and adorned herself with bead necklaces and a bead cap. However, the western style of dressing is now very common among the Kelabit.
Food
The Kelabit always have a supply of fresh meat and vegetable from the jungle or garden.. They collect wild vegetables from the jungle and hunt or fish for their protein. Besides that, each family has farms for growing their own rice, not only for domestic consumption, but also for sale. Poultry like chicken and ducks are reared for domestic consumption.
The Kelabit also produced their own salt called the Kelabit or Bario salt. This salt is obtained by evaporating salty water from salt springs, which are found in the highlands. The salty water is boiled until all the water is evaporated, leaving the salt at the bottom of the “kawang” (big cooking utensil). The remaining water is completely dripped from the salt before it was put in bamboo pipes to be burnt in the fire. This is to harden the salt, which is later wrapped in big leaves to be kept in dry and safe places. The salt is used in cooking and also to preserve meat.
Traditionally the Kelabit used clay pots, made locally by women, to cook or to prepare their food. However, today most of their kitchen utensils are obtained from urban areas, for instance spoons, forks, plates, and metal cooking pots.
Labo Belatuh (Smoked Meat) is a traditional Kelabit food. Meat, particularly wild boar and venison, is salted and smoked over an open fire. The meat will later be boiled and pounded into small strips, and eaten with rice.
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