RURAL BEAUTIES: Iban lasses waiting for the arrival of the ‘Puteri’ and her entourage.
MIRI: Little Tracy Genie was so excited and happy when she had the chance to meet a `Puteri’ (Princess), a real one, for the first time despite her tender age.
Adorned in her beautiful Iban traditional costume, she did not mind waiting for hours for her idol to arrive at her longhouse in Sibuti recently.
The ‘Puteri’ – Tengku Azizah Aminah Iskandariah – arrived with her delegates at 4.16pm at Tracy’s longhouse, 48 kilometres or more than an hour’s drive from the city.
“I am so happy that at last I can meet and see the real beauty.
“All this while I only saw a drawn ‘Puteri’ in cartoon shows on television,” she shyly admitted to The Borneo Post when approached to take a shot of her.
When asked if she agreed that the ‘Puteri’ was charming, the six-year-old SK Kelapa Sawit 1 pupil replied innocently in her Iban language: “Bajik baka mak aku (as pretty as my mother)”.
And in her wish, Tracy dreams to be a princess and act in a cartoon movie so everybody can watch and admire her as she admires Tengku Azizah.
Tengku Azizah, the ACWW area president for South East Asia and Far East, was on a visit to the longhouse with her delegates who were members of the Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW). They were in Miri for their 10th ACWW Area Conference for South East Asia and the Far East which concluded on Jan 18.
The visit was part of their education tour to see and learn more of the rural life in a longhouse, the culture of the Iban community and their lifestyle.
Tengku Azizah was met upon arrival by the longhouse chief, Johnson Jangu, and his subordinates to a rousing Iban greeting.
Also in the team was ACWW world president May Kidd and Sarawak Federation of Women’s Institutes (SFWI) president.