Home ATTRACTIONS City/Village Muk Ayun Gawai Opening, Bengoh Dam Padawan

Muk Ayun Gawai Opening, Bengoh Dam Padawan

August 28, 2015

Location : Kampung Ayun, Padawan, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.

We kick started our Gawai visit for the year 2015 with Kampung Muk Ayun about 90 min trek from the Bengoh Dam in Padawan.

authentic, bamboo bridge, Bungo Range, culture, Gawai Sawa, indigenous, Kuching dam, Mount Jogong, native, outdoor, Padawan, paddy harvest festival, thanksgiving, traditional, trekking, tribal, tribe, Dayak village, — Entrance to Muk Ayun village

Started under heavy rain on the eve of the celebration so we could make it to the Gawai opening at midnight at the tanju of Mr Mupug. The new road via Kampung Kamas is still under construction and may be very tricky in wet conditions.

bamboo bridge, Bengoh Dam, Bungo Range, culture, Gawai Sawa, Dayak Kampung Ayun, Kuching, Malaysia, Mount Jogong, native, outdoor, paddy harvest festival, spiritual, traditional, trekking, tribal, tribe, — New road leading in from Kamas village

Next Gawai may see lots of cars lining the new village road which could spell accommodation problems for visitors sleeping over at Ayun. Luckily, Stanley our host managed to get hold of an empty bachelor’s house otherwise we would have to camp out in the tanju. May not be a bad idea as long as it does not rain.

Bungo Range, culture, Gawai Sawa, Dayak Kampung Ayun, Kuching, Malaysia, native, outdoor, Padawan, paddy harvest festival, spiritual, thanksgiving, traditional, trekking, tribal, village, Lemang, — Our host Stanley, busy with the lemang

Anyway, the first cultural orientation for our European guests was the consumption of betel nuts and sireh. Small kicks but fun to see them blushing red. Next was smoking the local way with the bamboo pipe they called supak. Eating of ‘tempoyak’ came as no problem during dinner time. Funny how fresh durians can be such a big turn off for most foreigners while ‘tempoyak’ works just the opposite.

When midnight came, Ayun’s awesome gong resonated through the air at Bungo Range.

authentic village, bamboo bridge, Dayak Bidayuh, culture, Gawai Sawa, indigenous, Kuching, Malaysia, Mount Jogong, native, outdoor, Sarawak, ritual, thanksgiving, traditional, trekking, tribal, tribe, — Tanju of Mr Mupug

authentic, antique, dayak Bidayuh, culture, indigenous, Kampung Ayun, Malaysia, native, Padawan, paddy harvest festival, spiritual, thanksgiving, traditional, tribal, tribe, village, — Village headman Mr. Tasir

It was time to gather at Mapug’s tanju. The Pastor gave a brief prayer, thankful for a bountiful harvest.

authentic kampung, bamboo bridge, Bengoh dam, Borneo, culture, indigenous dayak, Kuching, Mount Jogong, native, outdoor, Padawan, paddy harvest festival, ritual, thanksgiving, traditional, tribal, tribe, — A solemn moment for God

Speeches followed by key members of the village before the presentation of the cultural dance and music. Except for the 3 young girls the dancers were all seniors.

What happened to the young men like Stanley and Billy? They should be replacing the older generation soonest possible. We hope to see a younger team as well next year. Thanks to Stanley, Ketua Kampung Tasir and all the beautiful villagers of Ayun for sharing the Gawai with us. Not forgetting Madam Tarek for her wonderful cooking. (Click here for Gawai Closing 2014)

authentic village, Dayak Bidayuh, Bungo Range, culture, indigenous, Kampung Ayun, Kuching, Malaysia, native, outdoor, Padawan, paddy harvest festival, Sarawak, thanksgiving, traditional, trekking, tribal, tribe, — Kibik all dressed up for the occassion

bamboo bridge, Bengoh, Bidayuh kampung, Bungo Range, Bengoh dam, Gawai Sawa, indigenous dayak, Kuching, malaysia, Mount Jogong, native, outdoor, Padawan, paddy harvest festival, traditional, trekking, tribal, tribe, — Pepper planting is gaining importance over rice cultivation

adventure, authentic dayak, bamboo bridge, Bengoh dam, Bidayuh village, Borneo, Bungo Range, Gawai Sawa, indigenous, Kuching, native, outdoor, spiritual, thanksgiving, traditional, trekking, tribal, tribe, — Bung (Mount) Jogong

authentic village, bamboo bridge, Bengoh dam, dayak Bidayuh, Borneo, Bungo Range, Gawai Sawa, indigenous, Kuching, Mount Jogong, native, outdoor, Padawan, thanksgiving, traditional, trekking, tribal, tribe, adventure, — The picnic spot

Since our guests requested not to have their photos published, those villagers who had their group photos taken with them may request for these photos through our INBOX. Apologies.

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