THE Orang Ulu National Association (OUNA) of Sibu is proud to form the most comprehensive Kenyah dance group in the country. The called themselves as Naga Berua Dance Group, which has 26 members. It was formed in 2003 to preserve and promote the Orang Ulu culture.
In the Kenyah language, the term Naga Berua means inspirational or waking up your soul. The group has the complete set of the required instruments, the traditional instruments were made by the members and the modern ones were purchased.
Youthful: (From left) Roni Sedin, Alicia Eput, Sharon Annabelle and Connelia Eput performing the datun julut.
Kulong said the group was formed seven years ago when he was the branch secretary.
The idea was mooted following an invitation to some branch members to perform at a ceremony to welcome the former Yang DiPertuan Agong during his visit to Sibu.
At that time, the branch did not have a full team of people and the set of musical instruments was incomplete, he said.
“I felt the need to form a group which could showcase our traditions and culture,” Kulong explained.
He then gathered a small group of OUNA members at his house to make the traditional musical instruments of his community.
Youthful: (From left) Roni Sedin, Alicia Eput, Sharon Annabelle and Connelia Eput performing the datun julut.
Kulong said the group was formed seven years ago when he was the branch secretary.
The idea was mooted following an invitation to some branch members to perform at a ceremony to welcome the former Yang DiPertuan Agong during his visit to Sibu.
At that time, the branch did not have a full team of people and the set of musical instruments was incomplete, he said.
“I felt the need to form a group which could showcase our traditions and culture,” Kulong explained.
He then gathered a small group of OUNA members at his house to make the traditional musical instruments of his community
Kulong said the group was formed seven years ago when he was the branch secretary.
The idea was mooted following an invitation to some branch members to perform at a ceremony to welcome the former Yang DiPertuan Agong during his visit to Sibu.
At that time, the branch did not have a full team of people and the set of musical instruments was incomplete, he said.
“I felt the need to form a group which could showcase our traditions and culture,” Kulong explained.
He then gathered a small group of OUNA members at his house to make the traditional musical instruments of his community.
Youthful: (From left) Roni Sedin, Alicia Eput, Sharon Annabelle and Connelia Eput performing the datun julut.
Kulong said the group was formed seven years ago when he was the branch secretary.
The idea was mooted following an invitation to some branch members to perform at a ceremony to welcome the former Yang DiPertuan Agong during his visit to Sibu.
At that time, the branch did not have a full team of people and the set of musical instruments was incomplete, he said.
“I felt the need to form a group which could showcase our traditions and culture,” Kulong explained.
He then gathered a small group of OUNA members at his house to make the traditional musical instruments of his community
*****************************
Among the unique musical instruments played by the group are the 2.3msampe bio (big guitar) and the jatung otang (wooden xylophone). Thesampe bio is a rare one-string bass guitar which requires two musicians to play. It weighs 30kg to 40 kg.
“Because of its size, one person is needed to pluck the string at one end and the other to hit it with a wooden stick at the other end,” Kulong added.
Four members of the group trained to play the sampe bio are Gung Lang, Agu Tingang, Peter Sadung Eyat and Kulong himself.
Kulong said the jatung otang was the most difficult instrument to play as it was not easy to tune its wooden bars to produce the perfect sound.
“A musician needs a lot of patience and great skill to tune it before the start a performance and the dance will begin only after music from this instrument is played,” he pointed out.
Playing together: Agu Tingang (left) hitting the big guitar’s string while Gung Lang (centre) plucks with both hands
The Naga Berua Dance Group presents only three dances at every performance. The opening dance is the kancet lasan (warrior dance) performed by a male dancer followed by a female dancer.
The datun julut is performed by six to seven female dancers in full costume. Traditionally, they danced with hornbill feathers attached to their hands, but the Naga Berua dancers replaced them with the kenyah saong (hat).
The last dance is the liling (long dance) which involves as many as 20 dancers.
In the longhouse, liling, which means going round in Kenyah, could involve more than 100 people – the longhouse residents and guests join in to dance in a straight line throughout the length of the longhouse.
“Traditionally, liling is performed after datun julut, but we changed it to the last dance so that more people could join in,” said Kulong.
He said the group was willing to take up offers to perform outside Sibu, and more importantly, continue to train young dancers and musicians.
“My wife Julie Lain, a secondary school teacher and the person in charge of OUNA’s cultural section, is the main dance instructor. Our daughter Sharon Annabelle is also a member of the group,” he said.
The group charged RM300 to RM500 for a performances in Sibu.
The charges would be more if they were invited to perform outside Sibu to cover transportation and accommodation costs, he added.
The Kenyah, a sub-tribe of the Orang Ulu, are a closely-knit community.
The majority of them, especially those residing in Long Busang, Long Dungan and Data Kakus in Belaga, migrated to Sibu 10 to 15 years ago.
-----------------------------------------------------
Story and photos by DIANA ROSE
original documents/ appreciation:
No comments:
Post a Comment