Selako Circumcision.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
Selako Circumcision. |
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Author :
Awang Hasmadi Awang Mois |
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Abstract:
Rituals are an important aspect of Selako life. Theyare held to accompany every important stage in life as well as in the annual cycle ofpadi cultivation. Selako claim that tliere are many reasons why rituals are observed. One is that ritual have been taught to them by supernatural beings who relate events in the mythical past. One good example is the ngebayan ceremony, a padi ritual held after the end of every harvesting season. The ritual was first known by a couple known as Bungka and Kumuh (Awang Hasmadi Awang Mois: 132—135) who were two miserable farmers until the appearance of three spirit figures Ne’ Kechang, Ne’ Rode and Ne’ Angkir. These were spirits who taught them how to grow padi and what rituals to perform before planting the padi. It was through help from them that they had a good harvest. However this state of good fortune did not last. After their abundant harvest they overlooked the need to express their gratitude to the three spirit figures who had assisted them. Naturally Ne’ Kechang, Ne’ Rode and Ne’ Angkirwere offended by the attitude of Bungka and Kumuh particularly by their greed especially after they had worked nonstop. To express their anger the three spirits destroyed a bridge that the couple had to pass throughon their way home. The couple were therefore quite unhappy with the incident. But what astonished them even more was that when the bridge broke not only the padi that theywere carrying vanish but also those which they had painstakingly stored in their padi huts (dango padi).
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| DOI: XXXX |
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How to cite:
Awang Hasmadi Awang Mois. (1981). Selako Circumcision. The Sarawak Museum Journal, XXIX (50): 59-72 |
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References
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