Tom’s Note: This article was hard to read and decipher as well as being long. I read it over three times coming back to sections several times. Please remember these are old beliefs and do not reflect the Melanau of today.
The earth is an egg riding on the horns of a water buffalo. When the animal moves its head back and forth this causes the tides. The egg is divided into three sections, the upper, middle and lower worlds. Man lives in the middle world.
Distance and Direction
In the middle world is a river (ikou). Man lives and belongs in a kampong along the river. The river may flow in both directions according to the tide. To paddle a river towards the interior is called aju and to paddle the river towards the sea is called aba. One may want to paddle along a tributary that comes off the main river that is called aba’ sungai. When one wants to paddle off that tributary it’s called li’ang. When he reaches the end of the li’ang it is called ‘ud. The river and its tributaries are the main focus of telling direction.
A man stands and faces the sea. He looks right or northeast and that is called wab and to the left or southeast, it is called la’an. The coastline, Ti’ is treated like a riverbank and the sea (daat) as if it were a river. To be at sea close to the coast is called alud while further out in the sea is called udai.
To determine length, the Melanau used parts of the body. Setaang is the span of one hand while setaa is the distance from the elbow to the fingertip. The depa is the distance between the fingertips of two outstretched arms. Long distances were determined by the number of days paddling. Thus, on a favourable tide, a man can paddle from one point to the next in two days, the time it takes to paddle there. A jungle walker could measure by the number of days it took him to cover the distance between two points.
Time
For long periods, the full moon was used. A wedding could be three full moons away. Similarly, the beginning or end of the monsoon season also tells time. For example, the buying and selling of sago begin when the northeast monsoon winds begin to drop. The harvest of the rice crop, fishing at sea was resumed and the sago boats from Brunei and Kuching arrived was depended on the end of the monsoon season. Kaul, a ceremony whereby the spirits and non-human entities were escorted from the village and sent on their way, was held. “Before the last Kaul was a common phrase.
As for more recent events si’iu means before, ajau translates to now while mudei infers tomorrow. To extend the time a bit further, japan translates to recently ajau’h means at present while na’ah infers not long after. To extend even further sebei means ago or formerly and sunih translates to come.
Age was recognized by biological development. Children were not provided with clothes until they demanded them. When he became ashamed and wanted to wear clothes he was about at the age of 10 years. Old men, when asked their age, said I was born during the last Krakatoa eruption or I was born during the last smallpox epidemic or I first paid poll tax (to the Rajahs) when the Japanese came.
The Calendar
The Melanau divided the year into 12 months. There are three calendars recorded but I find this one to be most interesting: 1.( January ) Pemali-The wind blows hard and it rains. It is forbidden to fish. 2. Sigeng -The wind comes north down the coast and blows very hard. 3. Pengejin-The sea and the wind begin to calm and can begin to fish. The hands of the fisherman begin to get dirty like the spirits. 4.Pela ume’- It is now easy to fish 5. Pekawah yat– there are all sorts of fish and nets to catch them that can be used. 6. Paka ume’– all types of fishing and beach fishing is profitable. 7. Paka nyat-all types of fishing is possible and women and children can fish from the beach 8. Nyoh-Wind and showers return from the south .9. Pegalan-The winds are from the south. Fishing is still possible.10. Suah-A little wind. Fishing is possible. Winds begin to veer from the north. 11. Pidai-Sudden and unexpected squalls. Wind changes to the north. Fishing still possible. 12. Penangeh-The wind now comes from the rough open sea. No more fishing.
Humans
Humans occupy the middle plane and have four parts. The body (badan) has two separate parts. The physical being and the bieh which is the personality. Next is the soul (bedua) which is the vapour part of the body. The emotions (naseng) and the principle of life (nyawa) make up the other two. To be alive and healthy all four must be undisturbed. When attacked by spirits or a shaman, the emotions become upset. If the emotions become really upset, the soul begins to move into the land of the dead. This leaves only the body and the nyawa behind. Some souls do not enter the land of the dead and try to steal the souls from the living. The souls that do gain admission to the land of the dead are guided by Balou Adet or adet. Once the soul has passed into the land of the dead it is not permitted to return to the land of the living.
Spirits
“Spirits do not worry humans if their lives are comfortable. If the spirits are poor and cannot find enough to eat, they attack and eat man. A strong tou, which is useful to the shaman, keeps them in order. Some of the worst spirits are slaves. ” (from a shaman.)
Many stories govern the relationship between man and the spirits. One tells of a woman and her son fishing for prawns. The son laughed and said the prawn reminded him of a pregnant woman. The mother also laughed. Both were turned to stone. This is a mockery of the natural order of things and not to be tolerated.
Animals
Dogs and cats are considered domestic animals and should not be eaten. The dogs help in the hunt while the cat controls vermin in the rice storage areas. Chickens are in another category. These come from humans who were turned into cocks and could be eaten. Since they were once human, this is the reason they fight.
Wild Animals and Plants
There are many wild animals and plants which cannot be eaten because of stories handed down from the elders. They bear no rhyme or reason for this prohibition.
Crocodile
The crocodile is probably the most feared predatory animal. It is believed the reptile can call the man’s soul (and hence the man) to the edge of the river where he is attacked. The following myth illustrates how the crocodile originated:
“Once upon a time a prince passed a very beautiful woman. He was so moved by the sight he immediately spilt his semen on the ground. It turned into a crocodile but could neither eat nor walk. Later, when the prince passed the place again, the crocodile explained the problem to the Prince. The Prince said “I will allow you walk and eat but you must eat only other animals, not humans. The crocodile agreed. When he does take a human or steal a soul to force the body to come to him, it is a mistake.”
” The wedding of a chief’s daughter was being celebrated with great magnificence, and on the veranda of the longhouse at night there was dancing and festivity. A poor man passing by saw two crocodiles climb out of the river and he climbed a coconut tree. They were named Bujang and Radin. They stopped and asked the man to guard their skins while they went up to dance. Then they took off their skins like coats and revealed themselves as human beings. When they came down from the dance they put their skins on again and gave the poor man turmeric, which became gold. They also told him never to be afraid of crocodiles.”
“The next night a stranger from Sambaran saw the same two crocodiles climb out of the water, and agreed to guard their skins. Instead, he burnt them. When they returned he asked for gold before he gave them the skins. They said “Come with us and get it from the house of our father and mother. They walked to the riverbank and the two crocodiles dived in. And because of this crime by one man all the people of the village were attacked by crocodiles and fled far and wide. After that, moreover, all human beings were attacked by crocodiles.”
From: The Melanau View of their Environment by H.S. Morris in the Sarawak Museum Journal December 1981
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