Antonio takes a photo of a ‘kelirieng beletik’ at Lo’o Luat, not far from Punan Ba village. The pattern on this pole is one of the earliest forms found on the Punan’s ‘kelirieng’ believed to be several hundreds of years old.
Another kelirieng a Lo’o Mia, which is in poor condition.
A kelirieng at Lo’o Luat that is almost engulfed by a tree.
A kelirieng at Lo’o Mia that still stands till today and appears well-preserved. This one
holds the skeletal remains of the ancestors of the present Punan Sama chieftain Ladang Keluka and the Punan Penghulu for Belaga, Nicholas Mering Kulleh.
A ‘kelirieng’ at Lo’o Mia that lies on the ground.
KUCHING: The Punan community is fully supportive of the state government’s initiatives towards preserving some of their ‘kelirieng’ and ‘keludan’ along the Rajang and Ba rivers.
A ‘kelirieng’ is a totem pole erected in honour of the departed, while a ‘keludan’ is reserved for warriors and high-ranking members of the community.
On these initiatives, the Punan National Association (PNA) advisor Dr Ajau Danis views it as being more than just adding to the richness of Sarawak’s cultural heritage – more importantly, they contribute to upholding the identity of the Punans and their way of life.
“We cannot afford to lose our very own identity. The richness of our culture has to be kept intact, even though now the majority of us especially our younger generation are living in a modern world,” said Ajau, who is also a senior lecturer at the Department of Basic Sciences in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam Campus, in a recent press statement.
The academician pointed out that one of the ‘keliriengs’ built for the Punan aristocratic families still standing on Mia rivermouth – slightly upriver from the present Punan Ba villages – is believed to be at least several hundreds of years old.
He disclosed that once perched atop each of these kelirieng was a Chinese jar known as ‘tajau’ where the bones of the late Punan Sama chief, Bapai – he was affectionately called ‘Ake Kelalit’ – and his families were kept.
“Sadly, these jars fell victim to looting, which has been a problem plaguing other keliriengs due to the invaluable treasures that they also store.”
According to Ajau, hundreds of Ake Kelalit’s direct descendants are still residing in Punan Sama, Biau and Ba villages, with many of them turning out to become prominent members of the community —Seburat Among, a teacher at SMK Belaga; the Punan Penghulu for Belaga, Nicholas Mering Kulleh; Punan Sama chieftain Ladang Keluka; present PNA president Donny Dhwie; and Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports special administrative officer Daniel Batin.
Back on the ‘keliriengs’, Ajau said several of those found along the Rajang River were donated to various government agencies in the 1960s and 1970s, notably the Sarawak Museum and the National Museum.
A Punan ‘kelirieng’ has intricate and distinctive patterns if compared with those adorning the ‘jerunai’ of the Melanaus, or the ‘salong’ of the Berawans.
The earliest Punan’s ‘kelirieng’ has a simple motif known as ‘ulei jalo’ – in the form of a diamond or a fish net.
Over the years, these designs have evolved to become more elaborate with carvings of human heads and ferns called ‘ulei inan benyai’.
“It is believed that we stopped building ‘keliriengs’ during the rule of James Brooke sometime in 1841,” Donny said, adding that one of the probable reasons why Brooke discouraged the practice was its association with human sacrifice.
According to old accounts, those sacrificed during the ritual of erecting a ‘kelirieng’ were either the ‘lipen’ (slaves) of the ruling aristocratic family, or the enemies captured during headhunting expeditions.
Building a ‘kelirieng’ was an expensive endeavour, involving the whole community and one would take years to complete.
Meanwhile, PNA cultural and heritage bureau chief Gebril Atong expressed his hope for the state government to help the community preserve these priceless totem poles.
“The ‘kelirieng’ is not only the cultural heritage of the Punans – it is one of Sarawak too,” said Gebril, who has been leading efforts in preserving the ‘keliriengs’ at Opai Ba.
Back on Donny, he was also hopeful that the recent preliminary survey conducted by a consultant to Sarawak Museum, Dr Antonio Guerreiro, would result in a sustainable conservation effort – far different from the ad hoc approach in the 1980s.