The Legend Of “Nabau” (a Giant Snake)

According to Iban legend, Nabau is a giant snake comparable to the size of a drum and is more than 100 feet in length. The recent sighting of Nabau cruising along the Baleh River in Kapit has some resemblance to the ‘Loch Ness’ monster known as Nessie in Scotland. Judging by the photographs taken of Nabau, could the two animals of a similar breed?
Before going into the Nabau story, let me give the readers some information on the Loch Ness monster. It was first sighted by St. Columba in 565AD when he and his followers crossed the loch (lake) and since then it has been sighted now and then. The last sighting was reported on 17 June 1998. Many have described it just like a log, then up-turned boat or a large object with long tail.
On 30 November 1989, George Edwards discovered what looked like the hiding place of the monster in a depth of 812 feet of the loch. So many people including scientists have conducted a search for the elusive monster. One American, Robert Rines, now aged 85, has spent 37 years searching for the animal.
Now back to our Nabau, a member of the disaster relief committee, Sibu on 31 January 2009 was monitoring the flood situation in Ulu Rajang in a helicopter when he saw a monster that looked like a big snake cruising along the river. He took photographs of the monster at 5.30 pm at one of the Sungai Baleh tributaries from the helicopter.
According to Chuat Radin, the monster was Nabau, a python-type of snake, a much bigger in size and much longer in length. Among the Iban folk tales, super Nabau is like a “petara” (god) which has super natural powers. Seeing it alone will bring luck to the man. Its scales used by Iban as “pangkor” which give super strength, someone like the incredible Hulk.
Nabau has also been seen at Stambak Ulu and Ili in Betong and else where in Sarawak. In Africa and Sri Lanka this type of snake is known as ‘anaconda’.
There were tales among the Ibans in Kapit that when Temenggong Koh, Datuk Kenneth Kanyan’s father passed away in 1950s, he became a Nabau and used to appear in dreams. Koh was one of the pioneering Ibans who migrated to Entawau during the Brooke regime. As he was knowledgeable in Iban Adat and had the respect of the Brooke regime, he was made a Temenggong, the paramount chief of the Ibans.
But does Nabau really exist in Sarawak? And is the one seen at Sungai Baleh a Nabau or not?

12 iti Tekat Ai??

Ngaga Tekat Ai (Dam) sampai 12 iti agi di menua Sarawak. Ba menua ni semua Dam nya digaga? Semua ba menua Dayak. Kapa semua tekat ai ngemayuh nya? kena ngerampas menua kitai! lalu ngemansang ke bangsa orang! Bakani enti nyadi penusah sema dam nya tau pecah. ingat menua kitai dikelingi menua ke selalu nyadi tanah berenyang (earthquake), bangsa ni ke kena laban penusah enti utai bakanya nyadi…Dayak!Tanya aku ngagai YB-YB dayak ti madahka diri ngeringka Bansa dayak,enda tepeda ke utai bakanya bala kita ke ngari ke BN? Nama bangsa orang aja tau idup? bangsa kitai diasuh mati merinsa lalu semampai diau dibaruh punggu pia? Dini tunga runding kitak YB?!

Siapa Lebih Penting??

1. Siapa yang pihak pengusaha balak dan BN pentingkan, balak atau penduduk rumah panjang?
2. Kalau benar namanya peduli: mengapa hampir semua sungai di Sarawak sudah keruh?
3. Ratusan dan mungkin ribuan ikan mati di sungai yang padat dengan lumpur AKIBAT AKTIVITI PEMBALAKAN ini.
4. Adakah penduduk rumah panjang menerima “pampasan” dari pengusaha balak setiap bulan?
5. Penduduk rumah panjang hanya dipedulikan selama 10 hari (bergantung kepada SPR) semasa pilihanraya. Itu pun RM20.00 seorang pengundi. Itukah nilai seorang penduduk rumah Panjang?
6. Selepas tempoh itu - Siapa peduli penduduk rumah panjang lagi?
7. Pihak yang menjanjikan “pembangunan” untuk penduduk rumah panjang ini akan membuat “pembangunan” seperti ladang kelapa sawit, mencari “balak” selagi ada.
8. Penduduk rumah panjang ? Siapa peduli kerana tiada nilai berbanding balak sebatang.
9. Bahkan hasil TULANG EMPAT KERAT PENDUDUK RUMAH PANJANG seperti pondok, rumah, kebun, dan tanaman juga khabarnya “ditebang”.
10. Yah semua di atas adalah namanya “PEMBANGUNAN”. Ya hanya BN yang dapat membawa “Pembangunan”.
11. Bagaimana hendak menghentikan “Pembangunan atau mungkin juga penganiayaan” ini?
WAHAI PENDUDUK RUMAH PANJANG, BANGKITLAH MELAWAN BELENGU PENGANIAYAAN INI.
BERUBAHLAH. MASIH ADA HARAPAN. BANGKITLAH BERSAMA PERUBAHAN.

I Fully Agree With Stanny Embat

I fully agree with Stanny Embat. Jabu shouldn’t have said that against the Ibans. It was like slapping your own face!

You know the problems the Ibans are facing. You are the top Iban leader and you are in the seat of power. What are you doing about it? Nothing? Do you expect other people to do it or do you expect the problem-ridden Ibans to sort themselves out? Just like drug addicts - do you expect them to cure themselves without any outside help?

Just like any organisations or teams - if the organisation or team failed, who will take the blame? Definitely, the leader or coach will be blamed. The same here. The leaders of the community must take the blame for the community’s failure. Jabu must take the blame for the Iban’s failures and must take the lead to show them the light at the end of the tunnel!!!

Are Ibans Bad???

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Layar branch chairman Stanny Embat said he was saddened by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang’s statement that said Ibans are prone to indulging in “wasteful habits” like cock-fighting, drinking and gambling.

Stanny said the Ibans as painted by Jabu during a function organised by the Kelabits here recently, did not depict the truth about the Iban community whom he described as an active player of the borderless world.

He said it was unfair for Jabu to generalise the community which now numbers close to a million people “when there are only a few bad apples”.

“Like any other active community of people, there are few Ibans who drink, gamble and waste their time but the majority are in fact responsible and hard-working. This majority treasure precious time and practise healthy lifestyle,” he said in a press statement yesterday.

Both Stanny and Jabu, who is Rural Development Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communications, are Ibans. While Stanny is Layar PKR chairman, Jabu is Layar assemblyman.

“Not few Ibans now are highly educated and qualified people. Some hold top posts in both the private and public sectors,” Stanny pointed out.

According to Stanny, the Ibans are today an advanced race whose mentality has gone beyond labouring in estates and plantations.

“The Ibans of today aspire to be contractors, traders, managers and owners of businesses; not daily paid harvesters of oil palm fruits,” he said.

Stanny said speaking ill of the community and making it look like Ibans were an irresponsible race was not only unfair but a mockery of the achievements and contributions that many members of the community had made both in personal life and public forums.

He said if there were challenges, shortcomings and problems within the community, these should be best discussed and solved through proper forums.

“There should be seminars - better if they are closed-door ones - to talk about one’s community so that members’ welfare and well-being can be discussed and resolutions passed for the benefit of all,” he said.

On the cock-fighting issue, Stanny said it is in fact a well controlled pasttime associated with rituals and ceremonies.

Stanny, a former high-ranking police officer, said the police are strict when issuing licences for cock-fighting sessions.

Without good reasons, applications for a licence would be rejected, he said.

During the Rurum Kelabit Sarawak (RKS) annual education excellence award presentation last Saturday, Jabu said some Ibans still spent their time and money in ‘wasteful habits’ like drinking, gambling and cock-fighting.

He said these ‘wasteful habits’ had hindered the Iban community from producing many successful people like the Kelabits did.

“I always tell the Iban community that when their wives are pregnant, they should start saving money for their children as well as their education.

“But some Iban parents still believe in cock-fighting and will spend RM100 to RM1,000 on a bird (instead of spending on their children who need every chance at good education),” he claimed.

Jabu said he was happy that the Kelabits as well as the Lun Bawangs had long discarded drinking unlike some Ibans who drank until they suffered from hangover and would be unproductive for up to two days.

He said he hoped other Dayak communities would emulate the Kelabits in their pursuit for excellence and progress.