At about 7.00 am early next morning, a traditional cockfight takes place on the open-air varendah or tanju of the feast chief. This is followed by the morning meal. After the meal, a ceremony to drive away bad spirit, similar to the previous day, is conducted. Then the old head trophy or skulls in the longhouse is taken down from their respective cluster and brought to the feast chief’s gallery (ruai) in a winnowing basket, which contains the offerings.
Shortly after the skulls have been brought to the feast chief’s gallery, one man kills a chicken and smears its blood on the sacred hornbill statue (Kenyalang) in the longhouse loft (sadau) of the longhouse. As he smears it with blood, he shouted three times. Then the statue is carried down to the feast chief gallery and is placed near the skulls.
Nyambut Pengabang (welcoming the guest). When the invited guest arrives from their respective longhouse at the host-landing place, they are assembled and welcomed in the same manner as the warriors and the bards earlier. But the individual share of rice wine served to the Warleader, Penghulus and Tuai Rumah are different. Warleader are given 18 glasses of rice wine, Penghulus 17 and the longhouse headmen 12 glasses. Other people receive 8 or 9 glasses each.
Antu Pala dibai ngabang (old smoked skulls are brought to the feast). If any guests brought their old smoked skulls to the feast, as custom requires, the bard who carry them will start to sing the timang antu pala chants as they lead the procession of the guests into the longhouse and along the gallery.
Kenyalang Lama dibai ngabang (The old sacred statues of the Rhinoceros hornbill are brought to the feast). Descendant of past great chiefs and warleader who have kept old sacred statues of the Rhinoceros hornbill (Kenyalang) are expected to bring these with them from their longhouse to the feast. Before the statue is taken away from the loft where it is kept, a fowl must be killed and a man smears its blood on the statue whilst shouting war cries three times in succession.
The statue is then carried reverently along the path to the host longhouse. Near the longhouse, after dressing themselves at the host landing place, a bard and his team, including the host, welcome their guest similar to the previous event. A chief bard, who leads at the head of the procession, chanting their timang Kenyalang song, carries the hornbill statue. His fellow bard, who sings the chorus, follows him.
Ketanju lemai gawai deka nyadi (Celebration on the tanju on the eve of the feast). At about 3.00 pm of the festival day, the feast chief waves a rooster along the gallery and ask his people to spread their mats on his open air platform (tanju) and about two tanju or more next to his on both sides depending on the size of the invited guest. The women also decorate the tanju fence or railing with a selection of their best pua kumbu (woven tie-dye blankets). A noble warrior then kills a medium-size pig (babi sengajap), whose blood is smeared on the ritual pole (the tiang chandi or the kalingkang pole for the first stage of Gawai Burong), which will be erected at the centre of the tanju. A number of leading weavers will then decorate the pole with coloured cotton balls, an event called nali kalingkang. When the pole is raised, these leading weavers will then throw eggs and balls of glutinous rice at the pole from a distance, for according to Iban beliefs, whoever hit it and stick the glutinous rice there will become expert in weaving.
Warleader, noble chiefs of the area and their senior relations are seated in places of honour close to the tanju fence. The warriors sit around the foot of the ritual pole, and others crowd around the rest of the tanju. The bard will then come out to the tanju carrying the host longhouse smoked skulls and start chanting rituals song for the skull. After finished with this, the host rhinoceros hornbill statue is brought out together with the skulls brought by the guest to the tanju accompanied by bards who will chant the ritual song (timang Kenyalang) for the hornbill statue. After finished chanting their ritual songs, the bards then place the hornbill statue and the skulls at the foot of the ritual pole.
A miring ceremony is then conducted accompanied by gendang rayah music. First, a leading warrior and six other warriors divide the offerings into seven or more plates. Then a leading warrior recites a long prayer, nyampi, to summon Sengalang Burong and his associates to come down from heaven and join the celebration.
Berayah Ngelingi Pun Sabang (Dancing around the foot of cordyline plants). After the miring ceremony, gendang rayah music is again played. At the same time, ketebong drums are beaten and steel adzes resound; this music called gendang pampat to call Sengalang Burong and his followers to come down from the sky. With repeated war cries, a band of warriors performed the war dance (ngajat rayah) around the cordyline fronds at the foot of the ritual pole (tiang chandi).
Antu Pala enggau Kenyalang dibai lemambang pulai ari tanju (The skulls and the hornbill statue are brought back by the bards from the open-air varendah to the longhouse gallery (ruai). As the ceremony on the tanju ends, the skulls are brought to the ruai and placed in the winnowing basket with one bard left to look after the skull while the other bards enter the family room starting with the feast chief’s own room, chanting their ritual songs called mupu ka antu pala (collections for the skulls).
As they bless each family with ritual songs from room to room, the bards are rewarded by senior lady representative of each room with rice wines, penganan buns, gold, silver, brass rings or money, which they bring back with them.
Kenyalang dibai Lemambang pulai ari tanju (The hornbill statue is brought by the bard from the open-air varendah). The hornbill statue are brought back by the bard to the ruai and placed near the skulls. Their ritual songs accompany this and thus end the event at the tanju.
Makai lemai (dinner). After all the guests have returned from the tanju to the ruai, they are served supper.
Nyugu babi (combing the sacrificial pig’s hair). After the supper, the feast chief waves a rooster and announces that the nyugu babi procession is to take place. A senior man of the host longhouse is selected to carry a flag and leads the procession, followed by a second senior man carrying a spear for stabbing the pig and followed by the third man carrying a plate to be used for carrying the pig’s liver. Two influential ladies follow them carrying popped and coloured rice, the second, a brass container filled with water and a comb. They are followed by a group of maidens in traditional festive attire, who are followed by young men in full festive attire adorning ceremonial swords decorated with hornbill feathers and head dresses decorated with local pheasant bird (burong ruai) feather. Gendang panjai music is played as the procession marched around the whole length of the longhouse gallery three times. This procession ends at the feast chief tanju where the first influential lady throws the popped and coloured rice to the air whilst beseeching favourable omen, luck, fortune and well being from the pig liver. The second women then pour the water on each pig and comb its hair as she prays along. This done, the procession disperses and the guest are seated again on the feast chief’s tanju to listen to the evening chants by the bards.
Before the bard could start singing their chant, the warriors performed the ngerandang jalai, ngelalau and berayah pupu buah rumah ceremony similar to the event at the start of the gawai eve. As soon as the warrior’s event is finished, the bards start to perform their gawai chants, which is a continuation of the first evening chants. This time the narratives (pengap) started with Wind God arrival, which scared off the slave of Sengalang Burong, Bujang Pedang, due to its awesome noise and might as the Wind God blows its way into their country in the dome of the sky.
Shortly after the skulls have been brought to the feast chief’s gallery, one man kills a chicken and smears its blood on the sacred hornbill statue (Kenyalang) in the longhouse loft (sadau) of the longhouse. As he smears it with blood, he shouted three times. Then the statue is carried down to the feast chief gallery and is placed near the skulls.
Nyambut Pengabang (welcoming the guest). When the invited guest arrives from their respective longhouse at the host-landing place, they are assembled and welcomed in the same manner as the warriors and the bards earlier. But the individual share of rice wine served to the Warleader, Penghulus and Tuai Rumah are different. Warleader are given 18 glasses of rice wine, Penghulus 17 and the longhouse headmen 12 glasses. Other people receive 8 or 9 glasses each.
Antu Pala dibai ngabang (old smoked skulls are brought to the feast). If any guests brought their old smoked skulls to the feast, as custom requires, the bard who carry them will start to sing the timang antu pala chants as they lead the procession of the guests into the longhouse and along the gallery.
Kenyalang Lama dibai ngabang (The old sacred statues of the Rhinoceros hornbill are brought to the feast). Descendant of past great chiefs and warleader who have kept old sacred statues of the Rhinoceros hornbill (Kenyalang) are expected to bring these with them from their longhouse to the feast. Before the statue is taken away from the loft where it is kept, a fowl must be killed and a man smears its blood on the statue whilst shouting war cries three times in succession.
The statue is then carried reverently along the path to the host longhouse. Near the longhouse, after dressing themselves at the host landing place, a bard and his team, including the host, welcome their guest similar to the previous event. A chief bard, who leads at the head of the procession, chanting their timang Kenyalang song, carries the hornbill statue. His fellow bard, who sings the chorus, follows him.
Ketanju lemai gawai deka nyadi (Celebration on the tanju on the eve of the feast). At about 3.00 pm of the festival day, the feast chief waves a rooster along the gallery and ask his people to spread their mats on his open air platform (tanju) and about two tanju or more next to his on both sides depending on the size of the invited guest. The women also decorate the tanju fence or railing with a selection of their best pua kumbu (woven tie-dye blankets). A noble warrior then kills a medium-size pig (babi sengajap), whose blood is smeared on the ritual pole (the tiang chandi or the kalingkang pole for the first stage of Gawai Burong), which will be erected at the centre of the tanju. A number of leading weavers will then decorate the pole with coloured cotton balls, an event called nali kalingkang. When the pole is raised, these leading weavers will then throw eggs and balls of glutinous rice at the pole from a distance, for according to Iban beliefs, whoever hit it and stick the glutinous rice there will become expert in weaving.
Warleader, noble chiefs of the area and their senior relations are seated in places of honour close to the tanju fence. The warriors sit around the foot of the ritual pole, and others crowd around the rest of the tanju. The bard will then come out to the tanju carrying the host longhouse smoked skulls and start chanting rituals song for the skull. After finished with this, the host rhinoceros hornbill statue is brought out together with the skulls brought by the guest to the tanju accompanied by bards who will chant the ritual song (timang Kenyalang) for the hornbill statue. After finished chanting their ritual songs, the bards then place the hornbill statue and the skulls at the foot of the ritual pole.
A miring ceremony is then conducted accompanied by gendang rayah music. First, a leading warrior and six other warriors divide the offerings into seven or more plates. Then a leading warrior recites a long prayer, nyampi, to summon Sengalang Burong and his associates to come down from heaven and join the celebration.
Berayah Ngelingi Pun Sabang (Dancing around the foot of cordyline plants). After the miring ceremony, gendang rayah music is again played. At the same time, ketebong drums are beaten and steel adzes resound; this music called gendang pampat to call Sengalang Burong and his followers to come down from the sky. With repeated war cries, a band of warriors performed the war dance (ngajat rayah) around the cordyline fronds at the foot of the ritual pole (tiang chandi).
Antu Pala enggau Kenyalang dibai lemambang pulai ari tanju (The skulls and the hornbill statue are brought back by the bards from the open-air varendah to the longhouse gallery (ruai). As the ceremony on the tanju ends, the skulls are brought to the ruai and placed in the winnowing basket with one bard left to look after the skull while the other bards enter the family room starting with the feast chief’s own room, chanting their ritual songs called mupu ka antu pala (collections for the skulls).
As they bless each family with ritual songs from room to room, the bards are rewarded by senior lady representative of each room with rice wines, penganan buns, gold, silver, brass rings or money, which they bring back with them.
Kenyalang dibai Lemambang pulai ari tanju (The hornbill statue is brought by the bard from the open-air varendah). The hornbill statue are brought back by the bard to the ruai and placed near the skulls. Their ritual songs accompany this and thus end the event at the tanju.
Makai lemai (dinner). After all the guests have returned from the tanju to the ruai, they are served supper.
Nyugu babi (combing the sacrificial pig’s hair). After the supper, the feast chief waves a rooster and announces that the nyugu babi procession is to take place. A senior man of the host longhouse is selected to carry a flag and leads the procession, followed by a second senior man carrying a spear for stabbing the pig and followed by the third man carrying a plate to be used for carrying the pig’s liver. Two influential ladies follow them carrying popped and coloured rice, the second, a brass container filled with water and a comb. They are followed by a group of maidens in traditional festive attire, who are followed by young men in full festive attire adorning ceremonial swords decorated with hornbill feathers and head dresses decorated with local pheasant bird (burong ruai) feather. Gendang panjai music is played as the procession marched around the whole length of the longhouse gallery three times. This procession ends at the feast chief tanju where the first influential lady throws the popped and coloured rice to the air whilst beseeching favourable omen, luck, fortune and well being from the pig liver. The second women then pour the water on each pig and comb its hair as she prays along. This done, the procession disperses and the guest are seated again on the feast chief’s tanju to listen to the evening chants by the bards.
Before the bard could start singing their chant, the warriors performed the ngerandang jalai, ngelalau and berayah pupu buah rumah ceremony similar to the event at the start of the gawai eve. As soon as the warrior’s event is finished, the bards start to perform their gawai chants, which is a continuation of the first evening chants. This time the narratives (pengap) started with Wind God arrival, which scared off the slave of Sengalang Burong, Bujang Pedang, due to its awesome noise and might as the Wind God blows its way into their country in the dome of the sky.
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