Page 75 - The Guide To Sarawak

THE GUIDE TO SARAWAK
73
The Melanau Today
Major social changes have taken place in the Melanau environment over the past fifty years and Mukah
town – the administrative and economic centre of
the region – now has the facilities, institutions and infrastructure of any large town or city in a modern state. As might be expected, the old traditions have
not been exempt from the modernization process. Hereditary rank has become muted; virtually only acknowledged at weddings and funerals. Very few Melanau still follow the old animistic beliefs, known
as Likou. The majority
are Muslims and a smaller percentage Christians, mainly Roman Catholic. However, awareness of a collective Melanau identity
is a strong continuing source of social cohesion and it is common to find Muslim and Christian family members living together in a single household. This is recognized within Sarawak as unique to this community.
In the last decade there has been a revitalization of traditional Melanau culture. Local sago-related cottage industries are flourishing
in the villages. Culture and heritage groups such as WarisMu (Mukah Culture and Heritage Organization) are committed to the documentation and preservation of Melanau traditions such as music, dance and the arts. The
Melanau Association (Persatuan Melanau), established in Kuching in the
1970’s, has branches today in a number of other cities and towns in Sarawak.
Tibou. Traditionally a game played in the Melanau villages – mainly by young men, when the fruit trees were in blossom, to encourage a good fruit season. Today, the giant tibou swing is a popular sporting activity at Mukah Kaul.
The Mukah Kaul Festival 2014. Organizing Chairman Dato’ Sri (Dr) Muhammad Leo Michael Toyad Abdullah (3rd left) and his committee host a lunch reception replete with traditional local delicacies for the Chief Minister and his wife (4th and 5th left).