SEASONAL: King crabs are in season around May, June and July.
WHEN the Ibans were invited to migrate to Sibuti in Miri Division by the Brooke government, they had to bring a letter of introduction, requesting the Kedayan chiefs there to reply formally (to the Rajah) that they (the ibans) were welcome.
After this was done, the Ibans would settle in several places such as Mamut, Sibuti and further away Niah under the leadership of different headmen.
The new settlers planted more rice to boost the Brooke’s agricultural policy with increased staple supply to maintain peace.
Today, the Kedayans, Malays, Melanaus, Chinese and Ibans live harmoniously in their settlements where, as a shopkeeper notes, everybody knows everybody.
A visit to Bekenu, a small town (near Sibuti), buffered from sea storms by mangroves lining the estuary of the Sibuti River, will reveal its mixed social milieu.
While Hilux pick-ups and some Mercedes sedans occupy the parking lots, barefooted fishermen, among them some grandfathers with well-worn teeth, alight from small fishing boats with their hauls of river prawns or sea crabs.
The Chinese shops and the stalls at the tamu (native market) ebb and flow with the tempo of idyllic life in this quaint little town where the Kedayans, who form the majority of the population, are traditionally farmers and food gatherers.
Life seems so easy going and simple here!
The tamu where trading is done with a simple licence from the District Council is an interesting mix of modern and traditional. Imported and locally grown vegetables, live and slaughtered chicken are sold side by side.
Fried foods can be found at one end of the tamu while beautifully leaf-wrapped kuihs at the other end.
Cupping draws crowd
During our visit to Bekenu one Sunday, an itinerant medicine man (haji) from Sabah attracted the attention of a lot of men at the native market.
The haji stuck horns on the back of an elderly man, making the latter look like a horned-back alien. No, they were no making a movie about extraterrestrials. The curved antlers on the man’s back were actually buffalo horns used in the traditional and indigenous practice of cupping.
BERTANDOK IN PROGRESS: The haji from Sabah performing bertandok (cupping) on an elderly man.
According to a longhouse dweller, well-versed with bertandok (cupping), the ibans use the horns as suction cups on the back and the shoulders to promote blood circulation and remove toxins.
This traditional rest-and-relax practice is often carried out on the ruai (verandah) during the rainy season when the longhouse folk cannot go to work in their farms.
In performing bertandok, the practioner (as shown by the haji) scratches the skin with a small knife or a scalpel (sterilised with a burning candle) or just prick the skin with a small needle.
CUPPING EFFECT: Bad blood oozes out into the cup during the treatment.
Air is sucked out and a vaccum created inside the hollow horn with a burning candle before the horn is placed on the skin — for about 10 minutes.
An Iban man who has gone through bertandok, said he felt much better immediately after the cupping. The tell-tale signs are the red circles on his back.
The ‘bad blood’ taken out is not much but the red circles will definitely draw exclamations of awe from bystanders. Apart from causing large round patches of redness to appear, cupping will also result in some bleeding.
What the haji did after performing bertandok at the tamu was rubbing oinment over the ‘cupped’ skin for protection.
There is no specific fee for the ‘treatment’. It’s entirely up to the haji.
The ancient practice of cupping helps soothe sore muscles, expels excess fluid and extracts toxins from surface tissues.
I was told cupping could help with indigestion, headaches, back, neck an abdominal pains and arthritis.
Elderly people, given frequent bertandok treatment, enjoy the after-effects because they feel good and senang.
Common practice
Indeed, cupping or bertandok is a traditional practice common among medical sinsehs all over Asia.
Chinese traditional medicine approves of cupping as a good cure for many ailments.
The western media have also published photos of celebs such as Jenifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow going through cupping with the resultant tell-tale red circles.
In many local health and massage parlours, cupping is also a favourite service offered by Chinese therapists.
However, a more reputable practitioner is definitely the better choice for those in need of ‘real’ cupping.
It was interesting to see what the Sabah haji was selling at the tamu in Bekenu.
His medicinial paraphernalias in a tray were all “natural and organic and obtained from the rich tropical jungles of Sarawak and Sabah.”
AGRARIAN BASKET: A multi-purpose agrarian basket made by a Kedayan man. This is usually a life long profession.
A travelling traditional medicine man, he has traversed the whole of Borneo.
The tamu at Bekenu also sold other products such as fresh pounded sago flour which could be made into linut or ambuyat, the favourite food of the Kedayans and Melanaus.
This particular food is famous in the coastal areas — from Mukah to Miri and Kuala Belait to Kuala Lawas.
The king crabs were in season during our visit. But the kindly Chinese ah moi suggested: “If you don’t know how to eat, better don’t buy. You will feel dizzy and faint — pening. Not just headache.”
The king crab is known for its ‘blue’ blood. The eggs are a delicacy to the locals. But, of course, one must know how to prepare the dish.
Other jungle products are also popular. In fact, many people drive all the way from Miri just to enjoy a little fiesta in Bekenu.
Market day is really interesting as you get to meet all sorts of people and learn more things mingling with them.
If you follow the advice of the sellers at the tamu and buy all the local curative oils, plants and foods on offer, you could well end up a very healthy person.