Tabi basa & greetings everyone. In this post, I’d like to share about one of the almost forgotten aspect of Bidayuh – the kitupeng, which means “mask”.
Bidayuh in Ancient Times
Back in the past, these masks were an integral part of Bidayuh’s religious belief. However, not all people have the knowledge. Only a selected peoples have.
The knowledge are granted to them by the gods (or tampa) via dream. Dream is the realm where the spirits can communicate with the living.
In Bidayuh, we used to have seven gods (iju tampa), which governs how Bidayuh live. Birds are their messenger, hence that’s why Bidayuhs in the past do their business based on the messages from the bird, or bird sounds.
Bidayuh in Early 20th Century
Based from the story told by my late grandfather, Gawai used to be a spooky event for a child (he was still a child that time), where during Gawai, once the shaman invoked the gods / spirits, suddenly, the longhouse felt a sudden chill as if there are something else there.
The longhouse design was above the ground. The ground suddenly went dark, and out of nowhere, comes the mist. It is usually a sign that something coming.
No one dares to leave the longhouse until dawn breaks.
Back then, the elders will sing songs about Gawai, or we called it “birayun”. The elders will share the story of the ancient times too, which we call “bitanǔn”, using fire wood as the source of light since gas lamp is considered a luxury.
Bidayuh in Late 20th Century
During this time, electricity is abundant and fluorescent light is everywhere. Since everyone is Christian, there is no reason to celebrate Gawai using the old ways.
However, this actually poses a problem down the road. Because the old ways are considered blasphemous, no one actually bothers to document the beautiful poems / stories of the ancient times.
Those who can write are occupied with their profession, and those who know can’t write.
That is one of Bidayuh’s dilemma.
Preserving Bidayuh Culture
However, the language that we speak, although is not as deep as it was in the past, is still there. Dances as well, which we call Langgi / Rejang / Sigar also actively being performed.
Kunto, Bidayuh’s martial art, is also being practiced by some.
I also wrote about masks in the past. The pictures are taken from a researcher that went to Sarawak in the past.
Kitupeng & Bumbo Bijabuh
Certain village, such as Kpg Jenan, Serian, still have an annual “kitupeng” (literal translation, mask) show, where a group of people wearing mask and costume will go to the hall where they celebrate Gawai & showcase their mask.
It is considered similar to a cosplay show, but for Bidayuh culture.
They will not do anything in particular but doing it for the sake of preserving the culture.
If you noticed, they are dressed in various ways, since the spirits have different shapes and sizes, and appearance.
In case you didn’t notice, there is a box for donation, where it is written “Sumbang Ikhlas Asǔng”, meaning please donate sincerely since most of them are doing this voluntarily. A little bit of donation can used to repair and fix their costumes for future usages.
Hopefully this sharing enlightens you a bit about Bidayuh culture.
Have a nice day! ☀️
Your Tukang Rantek,
Claudius Weson @ Del
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