Traditional Earthen Crocodile Effigies of the Lun Bawang in Sarawak by Ipoi Datan
The Lun Bawang are one of the oldest indigenous groups who have inhabited Borneo for several centuries. They were traditionally agriculturalists, practised wet and dry rice farming, reared livestock, exploited jungle produce and were animists.
During the pre-Brooke era, before 1840, headhunting raids and blood feuds were rife among the Lun Bawang. Headhunting expeditions could be spurred by revenge, spite, love, to prove manhood, enhance status or reinforce alliances.
After a successful expedition, ie the taking of heads, the warrior would make preparation to hold a “nuwi ulung buayeh” and erect the ceremonial crocodile poles ceremony. Large of amounts of rice, wine (tuak) and animals were slaughtered.
A huge crocodile effigy would be constructed from mud. The soil was watered to harden it, so the effigy would last for a considerable period. Pebbles were used as scales and eyes. Two wooden posts adorned with wood shavings were erected on either side of the midsection. Old skulls were hung vertically from two poles.
The ceremony begins with the host cutting notches from the tail end, one notch for every head he had taken while boasting loudly the details of each deed. The cradled head, wrapped in large leaves, was led in a procession around the effigy. Other men who also took heads would then follow the host. The men would ritually slash, spear or shoot, affirming their powers and bravery over fierce and strong forces which they had overpowered. The climax of the ceremony was the symbolic slaying of the crocodile. Meanwhile, food and drink were liberally served to everyone.
The most frequently asked question was why this image of a crocodile was used by people who stayed in the remote highlands. Some people suggest the image could be a monitor lizard. However, the Lun Bawang trace their ancestry to the coastal Kaltim and other riverine areas. They then migrated into the highlands.
In the past, the Lundayeh of the Melinau regarded the crocodile as a symbol of man, while the vase was reserved for a woman. In the ceremony, the crocodile was the symbol of the adversary overcome by the warriors.
Thus, it has been postulated the tradition of making a crocodile on the ground originated from the Melinu or Kerayan region. The Lundayeh emigrated to Lawas and Sipitang they brought along their grisly pastime of headhunting and the subsequent erection of crocodile effigies.
It can be seen that the construction of the crocodile effigies was closely intertwined with the headhunting culture of the Lun Bawang. In Sarawak, the practice largely ceased after Lawas was annexed in 1905 during the reign of the second white rajah and headhunting had been banned.
A second contribution was the mass conversion of the people to Christianity in the early 1930s which resulted in the abandonment of all traditional culture. The realization and awareness that their unhealthy living conditions had been the primary cause of the gradual decimation and degradation of their population plus their heavy expenses and waste of time incurred in upholding such an archaic tradition was the final straw of its abandonment.
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Ipoi Datin Traditional Earthen Crocodile Effigies of the Lun Bawang in Sarawak Sarawak Museum Journal December 2011