Sarawak Scout's Gawai Dayak 2025 bash a celebration of culture, unity
KUCHING (July 7): The Sarawak Scout Gawai Dayak 2025 celebration ended on a high note on Saturday night with a vibrant display of culture, unity, and camaraderie.
Organised by the Sarawak Scout Council and Bau District Scout Council, the event featured colourful cultural performances by the members and was attended by the Scout leaders from various districts, turning the celebration into a meaningful gathering that reflected the diversity and strength of the scouting movement in Sarawak.
Officiating at the closing ceremony was Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh, who represented advisor in the Sarawak Premier's Office and Sarawak Scout Council president Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom.
In his remarks, Miro hailed the celebration as not only a harvest festival observed by the Dayak community, but also a valuable platform to foster unity among Scouts of various backgrounds as well as members of the community.
'I am very proud to be invited to attend and officiate at this event, which not only celebrates the harvest festival but also showcases the strength and diversity of the Scout movement in our state,' he said.
According to Miro, Scouts play an important role in developing a disciplined, competitive, and patriotic younger generation, also pointing outs that values such as brotherhood, unity, and service are crucial to the future of the country.
'Scouts need assistance in all aspects such as training, logistics, guidance and opportunities to serve and grow.
'Therefore, I would like to announce a contribution of RM10,000 to the Bau District Scout Council to support these noble efforts,' he said.
Miro also called on Scout members and Sarawakians alike to carry forward the spirit of Gawai as a symbol of community strength, unity, and cultural heritage.
The celebration concluded with the symbolic rolling-up of the 'kasah' (rattan mat) by the invited guests, marking the end of Gawai festivities.
Also present were Sarawak Scout chief commissioner John Lim Boon Beng, honorary commissioner Capt Zainuddin Hamdan, Sarawak Scout Council vice-president Mohadi Mobin, Bau District Scout commissioner Nelyson Kinot, and Sarawak Scout Foundation chairman Arthur Lee Cheng Chuan. Dayak community Miro Simuh Sarawak Scout Gawai Dayak
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The Gawai Dayak parade is now a feature of this celebration in Sarawak. I HAVE often been asked by a number of young people in the Iban community about the origin of the Gawai Dayak. Most of the time, I oblige them – relating as best I can by repeating what I have heard from verbal or read from written sources, or from my own memory. It is quite possible that there is more than one version. Today's column is based partly on information obtained during conversation, some 30 years ago, with the late Dato Sri Tra Zehnder, the first Iban woman to be appointed as a state legislator. Another source was Michael Buma, once a teacher at the Anglican Mission School in Quop. Tra expressed her inner thoughts to me thus: 'Maya Hari Raya kitai ngabang ngagai kaban kitai Melayu; maya Taun Baru China kitai ngabang ngagai kaban kitai China. Tang sida tu enda ngabang ngagai kitai, laban kitai Dayak nadai Ari Besai (We visit our Malay friends during the Hari Raya, and our Chinese friends during their New Year, but they do not visit us because we, the Dayaks, have no special day to celebrate during which the Malays and the Chinese can visit us in return).' Tra was referring to the situation in the context of the Dayaks who were residing and working in Kuching. Daughter of Sarawak Constabulary Sub-Insp Inting Jemat, she had been brought up in a cross- cultural setting in Kuching for most of her life that her world view was broad and pragmatic. In fact, for some time during the colonial period (1958-1960), the Dayak (settlers and/or residents of Kuching, mostly government servants and Christians), had been toying with the idea of another festivity that would be more traditional or cultural than religious and pious. This group, consisting of teachers and those whom we would call social activists, were more articulate and vocal in their views. Among them were Michael Buma, Ah Guan, Barbara Bay Mendu, Robert Jitam, Edward Jerah and Austin Jaga. Although Tra belonged to the community dominated by the police personnel and families, she managed to reach out to and maintain a good rapport with the ordinary members of the Dayak community in Kuching. She established a close contact with people like Malacca- trained nurse Barbara Bay (Mendu Bayang), Mrs Ang, Madam Tuyah and her daughter Susie Kitto. They formed the Sarakup Indu Dayak Sarawak (SIDS), the women's wing of the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU), for the purpose of providing educational advice to Dayak women in Kuching. She also established a good relationship with Michael Buma and the political activists. However, these 'radicals' had a vision of their own as to how Dayaks of various groups could coalesce and constitute a force in society in Sarawak. Michael Buma, leading the group, moved one step further by proposing that the government of Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan (1963) should declare a day in each year as 'The Dayak Day'. While Tra endorsed Michael Buma's proposal, she had a problem with other members of the Council Negri who thought that she was being too political. Michael Buma, watching on the sidelines, made a bold move in defiance of the attitude of those legislators. He organised a tea party at his house in Siol Kandis, Kuching, and invited people of the same mind, 'Segulai Sejalai'. They were launching the celebration called the 'Dayak Day'. Yes, that day – June 1, 1964! I was not there. I was told by Daniel Ragam, who was present, that the atmosphere was politically electrified. Apparently, the Police Special Branch had sent a couple of boys to Michael Buma's house 'just for a drink' and, obviously, to keep an official eye on things. The significance of this Special Branch intrusion intrigued me as I was listening to Tra. Peter Ratcliffe, the director of Radio Sarawak, hinted to me that the government was going to declare June 1 as a public holiday to dilute the influence of the Dayak activists, using the radio to promote the concept of celebrating a successful harvest instead of something radical. The choice of the name 'Gawai Dayak' was deliberate, a strategy to pre-empt the influence of the activists. Kalong's government, fearing that the Dayak sentiment would develop into a political issue, used Radio Sarawak to promote the 'Harvest Festival' as the Gawai Dayak. That was it! The programme producers at Radio Sarawak even took the initiative to introduce a format for the celebration. 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