Guests sitting on mats provided and eating with their hands.
KUCHING: It may be the middle of June but the Gawai celebratory mood was still going strong during the MakanMakan Gawai event at the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) hall on Saturday night.
About 200 participants from all walks of life came together to experience, learn and understand more about Dayak dinner etiquette and food practices.
Attendees were treated to mouthwatering Dayak dishes that are commonly served during Gawai such as ‘ayam pansuh’ or chicken cooked in bamboo, ‘daun ubi tutuk’ or pounded tapioca leaves, and ‘kasam ikan’ or preserved fish.
Guests were seated on mats on the floor and encouraged to eat with their hands to make the most of the whole MakanMakan Gawai experience.
At the end of dinner, guests participated in a ‘ngiling tikai’ ceremony to signify the end of Gawai celebrations.
Minister of Youth and Sports and Solidarity and DBNA chief advisor Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong was the guest of honour. He praised the event as a good way of promoting solidarity and enhancing unity among the various communities, noting Sarawak has over 28 ethnic groups.
Manyin who previously held the post of Minister of Tourism and Urban Development hoped that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and his present ministry could collaborate to make next year’s event even bigger.
MakanMakan Gawai was organised by local youth group The Champions together with Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak (YPS) and Sarawak Development Institute (SDI). The event was also supported by DBNA, Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU), Majlis Adat Istiadat Sarawak, Awah Cafe and Aroma Cafe.
The Champions had earlier organised a MakanMakan Deepavali in November and a MakanMakan Chinese New Year in February.
The next event will be MakanMakan Hari Raya.
For more information on future events, follow The Champions at www.fb.com/thechampionskch.