GAWAI ANTU – "THE EXTRAVAGANZA"
Ditulis Chris Buda Assan
April 1998
I may not be called a real Iban in the sense that I do not believe the preservation of what so called "THE TRADITION OF DAYAK" or Iban in particular. It has been in our culture that whatever traditional value and culture we have shall be passed from older generation to younger generation – just like from father to son kind of arrangement. Therefore, it is the responsibility or rather an obligation of parents to disseminate or teach their children of how to make a living at the same time to maintain our rich cultures.
The point that I would like to share with you is that we emphasize so much on this Gawai Antu and therefore, we tend to deviate from its original destinations or values.
If we hear that people is going to organize GAWAI ANTU, it comes across our mind that these people will be spending a lot of money on the preparation and allocation of food and drink. What makes it even worst is that people spend a whole sum of saved money on hard liquor or best to be called ALCOHOL. Alcohol, socially and economically deprives us from progress. This statement may be too general and may be too exaggerated but this is the fact which Iban in particular cannot deny.
I have one genuine case and it happened to be my own worker, named Mr. Anding. Mr Anding and his wife were painters in November 1997. They made $30 and $25 per day respectively. One day, he asked for early pay so that he could go back and celebrate the GAWAI ANTU, somewhere in SARATOK division. OK!. One week later, he and wife turned up for work at site. With little surprised, I asked them why they came back so fast. He told me that he had spend all his money and now he totally broke. He added that he and wife spend about $12,000.00 and the saddest thing is that they had saved that money for the last 5 years. Out of $12,000.00 they spend about $5,000.00 for ALCOHOL only. (Beer, Samsu, expensive and branded liquors). Ba iya wai, nitih ke orang bukai, deka enda nunda, malu ke temuai datai. What a saddest thing to say!!!!.
Summarily, $12,000.00 saved in 5 years and spend 2 or 3 nights????? You may ask yourself, is it wise to celebrate this kind of occasion at the first place??. Competitiveness in term of showing to people that you are so rich and yet your are a kuli in the real sense. Why not being a competitive to, perhaps, sending their children to University or College or perhaps business. They could spend the money on sending their children to private colleges or technical schools!!!!. Why do our people work so hard for "cap apek" than to send their children to go for tertiary education?. Perhaps, you know the answer better.
I apologize for literally not knowing what is the real purpose of Gawai Antu, and my views may insult some of you people to some extend. But, I cannot help in asking myself over and over, that Dayak or Iban in particular are so rich and yet so poor.
In some longhouses, people who have member of family died, have to spend some money to buy "cap apek" just to attract people to attend the funeral and stay until morning. The idea is to get people awake all night and stay at ruai instead of sleeping in bilik . It is a good idea, if the "cap apek" is consumed moderately, however, people tend to forget what is the purpose of them being there. As "cap apek" being more and more apek, the crowd suddenly turn into a party. There will be soon a loud noise and dancing and laughing and pulling and fighting and drunking and and and !!!!, instead of a silent moment of mourning and sorrow. To me, it is disrespect of the family members who are not dead and it defeats the purpose of attending and showing your moral support to the affected family.
What kind of a culture is this?. Are we heading for a change or do we want to pass this kind of value to our next generation????. Is this sort of the progress in nature that we have talked about or do we want to show other society that we are so rich in cultures????.
May be I am too emotional or too conservative about this social ill. Why am I so bother, after all it is not my money and I don’t feed the society, I never give them anything so far. Why do I care so much????.
Nya aja , mupok aku
Tabi semua,
Aku tetarit ati amat enggau pun randau tauka kenang ti ditulis Unggal C.Buda Assan ka bisi di kirum ia nuju bala kitai sebuat. Ba runding aku,maioh amat points ti dipansut ka patut diperunding kitai enggau tuku tilebih positive. Utai ti ditulis ia ukai penanggol siko kitai Iban tang mega penanggol majority kitai Iban, kitai berasai tau ka enda.
Iban+Tuak+Gawai+Mabuk+Bebuti+Belaya. Tuak nya ai ti diirup kitai Iban arikelia menya. Tuak suah bendar nyadi ka tanda kitai nerima temuai, tandabasa kitai Iban. Nadai salah kitai ngirup, tang meh bemaia, bisi awak tipatut. Ngambi ka chonto, orang putih bisi ai bisa sida baka wine, wisky,vodka etc... pia mega bala Jipon bisi sake. Kitai sama nemu bansa sida tumaju ba pengidup. Indah bala menyadi kitai cina mega ngirup arak. Pia megadia lebih agi nyulut maju ari kitai Iban. Anang nyalah ka ai ti diirupkitai tang salah ka attitudes kitai empu. Kitai Iban patut bisi megai aturpengidup ti lebih manah agi.
Munyi ti disebut aku ba "thequote" dalam homepage aku, kitai Iban rindu'bepakit' enggai alah enggau pangan, enggai mimit tang kitai bedau bulihmaioh!. Chonto baka dalam cerita unggal C. Buda Assan tu.
Aku kala ninga pasal rita jalai Gawai Antu ari sebelah menoa bagi kedua.Ninga rita pengawa tu besai amat. Enda sebaka enggau kami di menoa sebelahBintulu tauka ari menoa asal kami Batang Tatau (Annap) ba atur chara ngintuGawai Antu. Sekumbang ka udah Christian adat ngintu orang ka udah nadailebih simple agi ari kelia. Berantu pan nadai sampai sanggup bebelanjaberibu ringgit. Suah agi tuak pan udah cukup diirup serta enggau sebutuldua sida chap langkau tauka chap apek. Ia ka penting amat kitai cukup aturpemakai ka bala temuai, cukup bebuti lalu berami. Pia mega cukup adat ti dikena ngintu sida ti udah nadai, nya baka belanja kena meli semin, taukameli tiang+papan kena ngaga sungkup. Enti bisi belanja lebih tau ka sinuagi, bisi ga kala ka sanggup belanja lebih mimit kena meli tiles ka dikenangias kubur belayan ti diperantu maia nya. Utai tu ka lebih penting agi ariti bebelanja ba bebeli ka tuak-arak. Laban tuju Gawai Antu endang maiakitai ti idup ngintu kubur tauka pendam sida ti udah nadai.
Pengawa ngirup nadai takat sampai mabuk tu endang enda manah amat lalu tutau nyadi baka pisa ti tau ngelubah ka singkang bansa kitai maju nitih kaorang bukai. Kitai Iban ti pengirup, ukai mabuk maia gawai aja tang sebelahnegeri, sebelah kedai cina, ba aku empu berasai sambong asai, malu ngambusida tu bala kitai Iban. Aku endang meruan temegah diada ka bisi darah Iban. Ka salah ukai laban kitai tu Iban tang laban agi bisi Iban ti enggaingubah pendiau diri menyana, deka merinsa selalu lalu enda malu medapendiau diri ka merinsa.
Kira ka 80-90 percent kitai Iban endang datai ari rumah panjai, lalu papungia sida ti endang ada ari nengeri. Nadai ngira ari ni penatai kitai,peluang kitai ngubah singkang nuju pemansang diri endang sebaka (equal).Semina kitai rumah panjai tau ka bala ti diau jauh mimit ari nengeri engkabisi dudi agi nemu penerang pemansang enti dibanding ka sida di nengeri. Tumeh peluang kitai unggal, menyadi, aya, bakih tauka ibu nguna penemu kitaiari nengeri tau dikunsi enggau bala enambiak kitai di menoa. Kelebih agigawai Dayak kitai nyau semak. Kitai ka olih pulai tau meri chonto. Entienda bebeli ka ai bisa ti mal-mal ukai kebuah tua lokek tang deka belikunenggau duit. Enda mega patut kitai ti ari nengeri tu bebelanja lebih agiari ti patut sampai orang ka di menoa meda pemisi kitai. Munyi ti ko akumadah ba 'thequote' perati ka bala anak menyadi tua, anak betunggal tua,anak bala kaban belayan tua tau ka sapa bala tua ti bisi pengerindu kapenemu sekula (pun pemansang). Beri jako peransang. Aku ukai ngumbai dirimanah. Deka meri sida mata duit, indah aku empu pan bedau bisi tang ati tideka meda bala sama-sama mujur endang meruan bisi. Dia chara aku seminameri jako peransang sida sekula, madah ka dini alai tau bulih form kenaminta schoolarship tau ka masuk university, pia mega meri sida contactperson ti tau nulong sida jemah. Nulong ukai maia tua kaya, maya tua miskinpan olih nulong ngambi kitai sama bela mansang. Buai jako orang ti madah kakitai Iban kepapas. Laban enda semua kitai Iban kepapas ka pangan diri.Diatu maia kitai muai semua stereotypes Iban ti enda manah nya. Ibanpemabuk, Iban kepapas, Iban rindu berekak, Iban enggai segempung tauka Ibanenggai sekula. Tu semua tau diubah. Siko kitai berubah udah manah. Endaibuh nganti bala menteri kitai Iban ti ngubah kitai tang kitai empu mupuk.Nyadi siko individu Iban ti deka baka orang bukai ti udah maju dalampengidup, dalam sekula pia mega ba batang pengawa.
Deka ngubah attitute kitai Iban aku nemu nya ukai jako ti senang, ubah tidiarap ka kitai ukai nyadi sehari dua tang enggau pupuk. Ngambi ka chontoaku enda olih ngubah pendiau sida apai indai aku lalu ngasoh sida nitihchara pengidup aku. Endang sida enda olih nitih baka nya. Tang ba penemuaku, ubah ti nuntung sida ti agi biak, lalu ti agi di dalam sekula. Sekulakitai sama bela nemu, dia meh kitai katai belajar ukai semina ABC tauka 123tang pasal cara pengidup orang ka rebak diatu, munyi ti ko sida radioenggau TV 'zaman IT'. Kiba-kanan tua nyingkang endang IT meh ti ko orang.Dia kitai patut enchelak, muka mata kitai, nyengau enggau orang bekelala kaIT. Sida ka tuai tau meri sukong tauka peransang ka anak tau ka uchu balaka agi sekula.
Minta ampun deh Unggal, pelaba ka aku berasai panjai ga utai ti ditulis akutu. Laban ukai ketegal aku rindu nulis tauka nadai pengawa bukai tang labanutai ti datai ba runding aku nyau majak datai. Manah enti aku nulis ka utainya ngambi ka dikunsi bala kitai. Enti bisi enda patut ko kita, minta ampunmeh. Tang enti kita bisi penemu ka tau nyadi ka peransang kitai Iban/kelebih kitai Dayak tau dibai ketengah ngambi kita bela ninga lalu beratika penemu nya.
Pengujong ia "anang nyalah ka Iban enti enda mujur tang salah ka kitaisiko-siko Iban ti enggai ngubah diri manah". Mupuk meh naka alah, besaupenggau pangan diri.
....ari Louis Ringgah Kanyan, May 1998
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