PUNAN BAH, a small Iban village in the interior of Belaga, is a must-visit for tourists.
The inhabitants here are still rooted in their unique traditions.
The star attraction of this village are five kelirieng (totem poles) and batu dong used in special ceremonies. The poles, each nearly 5m high, are said to be about a century old.
Sarawak Tourism Board central region executive Rudy Anoi recently visited this village with a group from the Kapit Resident Office.
“I have heard so much about this place from my friends and finally I get to see it for myself,” he said.
To get to Punan Bah, one needs to take an express boat from Kapit town. Another alternative is to board the boat from the Sungai Assap resettlement area. This means that one would have to take a three- to four-hour ride in a four-wheel-drive from Bintulu to Sungai Assap.
For Rudy and his group, their 400hp twin-engine boat was waiting at a jetty in front of Fort Sylvia in Kapit.
For an urbanite like Rudy, there was the trepidation of facing the notorious Pelagus Rapid along the journey. However, his fear was soon overtaken by excitement.
As a safety precaution, the boat skipper asks the passengers to put on life jackets before they start the journey. They are also told to hold tightly to the boat when there are strong waves.
“It’s a scenic journey with plenty of flora and fauna, especially birds, to marvel at,” said Rudy.
“We could hear the rapids long before we came up to it, but our boat skipper was very experienced and knew exactly how to navigate over it. It took us about half-an-hour to get through the rapids,” he recalled.
Arriving at Punan Bah feels like a homecoming even for a first-time visitor.
Rudy said they were warmly received by the longhouse chief Tuak Levok and his people at the Punan Bah jetty.
They were then ushered to their bilik (room) and served refreshments.
After the formalities came a tour of the village.
The visitors headed straight to the original site of the Punan Bah longhouse.
They found the five totem poles still standing tall along with the batu dong. The visitors were told that in the old days, the remains of members of the upper class were placed on top of poles like these.
Tuak Levok acted as tour guide, briefing the visitors on the history of his longhouse and its many cultural and farming activities.
There are 40 families in the village and the spirit of neighbourliness is ever present and strong.
A trip to this longhouse will indeed be a memorable one for anyone, especially when the villagers treat visitors like their fellow neighbours.
Source : The Star Online - 26th January 2010
