Traditional Earthen Crocodile Effigies of The Lun Bawang in Sarawak: Functions, Origin and Significance.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
Traditional Earthen Crocodile Effigies of The Lun Bawang in Sarawak: Functions, Origin and Significance. |
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Author :
Ipoi Datan |
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Abstract:
The presence of huge outlines of monsters, snakes and crocodiles was notably widespread in central and west Borneo (Harrisson,1958). However, not much academic attention was afforded to these features as compared to literary documentation on the more obvious features like the megalithic structures such as dolmens (batuh nangan), menhirs (batuh sinuped), stone mounds (perupun) and engravings (batuh narit) or the ridge clearings (kawang) and big ditches (nabang) as reported by St. John (1863), Banks (1937) and Harrisson (1958). The former outlines referred to were possibly the mud images of crocodile (ulung buayeh) and of serpents or dragons (ulung darung) made by the Lun Bawang (formerly Murut) of Sarawak and the Lundayeh of Sabah and Kalimantan Timur (Kaltim) in connection with their ancient head hunting rituals (nuwi ulung buayeh/darung). In 2004, the Sarawak Museum initiated preliminary surveys on the mud effigies of the Lun Bawang in the Lawas District where a few sites were located and inspected. From 2007, intensified surveys were carried out in collaboration with the Centre for Global Archaeological Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang to investigate the sites. This article presents the findings of these surveys and will focus primarily on the functions or reasons for the construction of the mud effigies made by the Lun Bawang, the origin of the tradition and their significance in the present context.
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| DOI: XXXX |
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How to cite:
Ipoi Datan. (2011). Traditional Earthen Crocodile Effigies of The Lun Bawang in Sarawak: Functions, Origin and Significance. The Sarawak Museum Journal, LXIX (90): 23-42 |
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References
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