Longhouse folks in Ulu Niah uphold spirit of ‘gotong-royong’ as they re-establish new settlement on higher ground
Photo shows the signboard for Rumah Changgai Dali in Ulu Niah.
THE transformation of Rumah Changgai Dali began about six years ago when the floods that struck the longhouse and the nearby areas forced more than 100 families to relocate to higher ground.
That was when they decided to rebuild the community.
The villagers seen along the still-unfinished ‘ruai’.
Sited in Ulu Niah, about a 40-minute drive from Batu Niah and over two hours from Miri, Rumah Changgai is now home to the descendants of the people from Ulu Skrang who came to settle in Niah in the 1930s.
The community had rebuilt, renovated and expanded their home several times up until the last works in the 1960s.
The relocation of the Ulu Skrang folks to Niah was encouraged by Rajah Brooke at the time, mainly to increase the paddy-growing acreage of Sarawak. As farmers, the Ibans expanded the arable land, first by planting rice and a few other food crops before proceeding to rubber and oil palm.
Having prospered from the crops, especially oil palms, many members of this community have been able to acquire tools, machinery, utilities and equipment that are much more than they could ever have dreamed of.
‘Back in the days’
In the 1930s, owning a longboat and an outboard engine was almost a necessity for the longhouse community as these items would facilitate the transportation of the harvested oil palm fruits to the mills, as well as other products to the Sepupok Bazaar in Niah.
Owning one’s own rice-milling machine was certainly a huge plus.
Still, the villagers’ way of life remained very basic before the war and up until the 1950s.
The road connecting the longhouse to Niah was only constructed in the 1970s.
Up until 1965, the people had to use the motorboats to go to Miri Hospital for treatment, and those having to handle official matters had to stay at Rumah Sakai in Miri up to more than a week just to wait for any available boat-ride home.
Inggol Ranggong, the son of former ‘Tuai Rumah’ (longhouse chieftain), the late TR Ranggong, told thesundaypost: “When my sister and I first saw a big lorry in the 1970s, we jumped into the drain, thinking that it was a huge dragon or monster.
“We were still children then.
“We would also walk all the way to Niah to catch a bus or hitch a ride from any of the friendly timber truck drivers.
“Thinking about it, we really walked a lot in those days.
“A few years later, we continued our studies in Miri.”
Inggol reminisced how simple their lives were back then in their ‘plain wooden longhouse’.
Majority of the longhouse residents own four-wheel drive vehicles and lorries, meant to facilitate the transportation oil palm fruits between the estates and the mills.
“It’s a typical longhouse, compartmentalised into the ‘tanju’ (outdoor veranda), ‘ruai’ (common area or corridor), ‘bilik’ (household units), and ‘dapur’ (kitchen).
“The timber used in the construction of the longhouse was very superior in quality – it hardly showed any deterioration despite years and years of exposure.
“We lived in the original longhouse for more than 60 years, so there are at least three generations. It’s been very peaceful throughout the years, and when timber and oil palm came in, we started to see lots of changes.
“Unfortunately, the floods also struck too frequently – sometimes up to five times a year!”
Relocation and rebuilding
Due to the frequent flooding and, in part, the condition of the ageing longhouse, the villagers decided to move to higher ground and rebuild their residence.
The total 112 families would be divided into four blocks – A, B, C and D – with each set to have a more spacious unit, and also new ‘bilik’ set aside for future generations.
Those with timber available on their ancestral land incorporate it into their own units as fixtures and also decorations. Others buy items from the hardware shops in Niah.
Concrete seems to be the key building medium for the construction of the new longhouse.
“The clearing of the jungle took a few months,” said Inggol.
“The selected area had been measured out properly and the structure of the new longhouse was planned under the leadership of our present chieftain, TR Changgai Dali. The clearing works were undertaken on ‘gotong royong’ (work party) basis.”
I am just happy to see my community progressing well and enjoying decent livelihoods. — TR Changgai Dali, longhouse chieftain
Changgai succeeded Ranggong, who passed away in 2009, in a democratically-run process.
The children of the late Ranggong were content of not holding any leadership position in the longhouse as they all had their own successful careers.
Meet the villagers
In Rumah Changgai, it is common for a ‘bilik’ to accommodate up to three generations of a residing family.
Exemplifying this is Patricia Epis’ grandmother, who is living with her uncle and his children under one roof.
Construction materials and tools occupy most of the space of the ‘ruai at the longhouse’s new Block B.
Her cousins have already come of age, so it is quite possible that another generation would be added to the lineage soon.
Patricia herself lives with her parents in their own ‘bilik’ in Block B.
Patricia is a mechanical engineering graduate who is now working offshore – when she is assigned for onshore duties, she would be stationed in Lutong.
Her father is Marin Jiram, who had worked under Petronas after having graduated from Mara Institute of Technology (the predecessor of the present Univesiti Teknologi Mara) in the 1980s – he was a turbine specialist, the first Iban from Sarawak to have ever held such a job.
Hailing from Ulu Limbang, Marin married Patricia’s mother, Soondai, who was a temporary teacher at St Columba’s Secondary School in Miri at the time.
The chieftain himself, Changgai, lives in Block A.
“I’m just happy to see my community progressing well and enjoying decent livelihoods,” said the oil palm planter.
“In terms of education, we have our own primary school founded by the late TR Ranggong, who had such a brilliant foresight that made him donate a piece of his own land to build SK Rumah Ranggong.
“He truly believed in education – a man who appreciated education above anything else.
“Today, many of our young people are able to go to college because they have parents who care very much about their education. Marin Jiram, for example, gave Mathematics tuition to his daughter, who is now an engineer.
“There are many other youngsters in our community who have the aptitude for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), which makes me very happy.”
‘A matter of pride, solidarity’
It is estimated that the new Rumah Changgai would reach full completion within this year.
Marin remarked: “We have spent many weekends doing ‘gotong-royong’, with our womenfolk cooking the food and bringing it to the work site.
The womenfolk gather at a completed section of the longhouse’s common area.
“We want to make sure that our new longhouse would be built according to specifications.
“All the wiring has been done professionally. We must pay attention to every single detail, no matter how small, because we’re building our precious home.”
The view of Rumah Changgai’s Block A, photographed from Block B.
Photo shows the other end of Block A.
Inggol is among those blessed with ancestral land, where they could source for timber to furnish their respective units.
“It is very hard work and everything is done from scratch, but we know that it is going to be worth all the efforts, as we can see our new longhouse ‘emerging’ slowly from the ground up,” he beamed.