Kinship terminology of the Bau-Jagoi Bidayuh in Sarawak, Malaysia

This paper explores the kinship terms of the Bidayuh of Sarawak, focusing on the Bau-Jagoi subgroup variation as well as their cultural concept of kinship. The data for this paper was obtained through participant observation and interviews with four informants from two villages in Bau District, Sarawak, Malaysia, which are Kupuo Sarasot, located in the Jagoi area and Kupuo Barieng in the Singai area. The data analysis showed that the Bidayuh held on firmly to the Madih concept¸ in which all members of the village are considered ‘one family’.  The Bidayuh kinship terms do refer to birth order but with emphasis on the older generations. Gender is not emphasized in the Bidayuh kinship terms but refers to a specific gender. Two main adjectives are added after the kinship terms, which are dari’ (male) and dayung (female). The address terms also focus on the older generations while most of the younger generations are addressed by their names. These two areas, even though considered under one subgroup, have their unique practices when it comes to kinship terms.  However, due to modernization and urbanisation, the influence of the Malay and English language could be clearly seen in the Bidayuh address terms, replacing the Bidayuh equivalent

E-SULAM Preservation of Bidayuh Language and Culture

This project was originally a SULAM (Service Learning Malaysia - University for Society) project, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic and MCO, it was modified into an eSULAM project. The main outcome at the end of the day was that the students can come up with a way to preserve, sustain and disseminate knowledge of language and culture of a chosen community, which in this case is the Bidayuh community. The product decided after much discussion amongst the students was a website to showcase information about the Bidayuh language and culture

Reflective Writing as a Tool to Assess Affective Domain A Case Study of Educational Field Trip in a Linguistic Anthropology Course

The three domains of learning - cognitive, affective and psychomotor, are equally important for the development of students. While the cognitive domain focuses on the mental skills and knowledge acquisition, and the psychomotor domain centres on the development of motor skills, coordination and physical movement, the affective domain, on the other hand, focuses on the feelings, values, attitudes, motivation and interest of a learner. However, due to the difficulty in measuring the elements in the affective domain of learning, most instructional and assessment scheme mainly focused on the cognitive and psychomotor domains. The purpose of this study was to measure the affective learning domain based on students’ reflection writings, before and after a planned educational field trip in a Linguistic Anthropology course. 41 reflective writings were analysed using a content analysis approach. The analysis of the reflective writings revealed that learning occurred at all levels of the affective domains. However, while the majority of students achieved the two levels of receiving and responding to phenomena, not all students were able to achieve the three higher levels of the affective domain which are valuing, organization and internalizing values (characterisation)

Christian Influence in the Bau-Jagoi Bidayuh Traditional Funeral Customs

The arrival of Christianity in the 19th century has greatly affected the traditional beliefs and customs of the Bidayuh in Sarawak, Malaysia. One of the rituals affected is that relating to funeral customs. This paper focuses on the influence of Christianity and modern lifestyle on the traditional Bidayuh funeral rites in this 21st century. The data were gathered from two funerals of traditional Bidayuh in Kampong Duyoh and Suba Baru of the Jagoi area; in Bau district. Traditional Bidayuh funeral customs are heavily influenced by their animistic beliefs and pagan/traditional rituals. Typical to any of the traditional funeral amongst the indigenous tribes of Borneo, a Bidayuh funeral is advised by a traditional priest. It is also a common trait to see it as a communal event where the whole village is involved during the wake and the funeral procession. With the conversion of most Bidayuh into Christianity, the traditional Bidayuh funeral and rites have been a rarity and exclusive only to those pagan Bidayuh. Younger generations are not exposed to the rites and tradition as funerals are in accordance to the Christian rituals. Even with the last remaining pagan Bidayuh, Christian influence could be seen in the traditional Bidayuh funeral rites and rituals

Examining language development and revitalisation initiatives : The case of the Bidayuh language in Sarawak

This article examines development and revitalisation initiatives for the Bidayuh language, spoken in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Bidayuh has six main variants which are not mutually intelligible. In addition, it is mainly used in rural settings and is not the main language of choice in mixed marriages. Moreover, Bidayuh did not have a standardised orthography until 2003. These factors have affected the development of the language, which is to be contrasted with the Iban language, spoken by the main ethnic group in Sarawak, which is currently offered in primary schools as Pupil’s Own Language (POL) and as an elective subject in the secondary school Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination. The focus of this article is the language development and revitalization initiatives undertaken by various stakeholders between 1963 (the year of the formation of the Federation of Malaysia) and today. Special focus will be given to the outcome of the Multilingual Education (MLE) project, which is an extension of the Bidayuh Language Development Project (BLDP) initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Asia, and undertaken by the Summer Institute of Linguistic (SIL) and the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA). Interviews with representatives of the community were conducted to discover their perceptions towards these initiatives, and to identify factors that might contribute to their success and/or failure. The article ends with some suggestions about how to improve the success of language revitalisation initiatives for Bidayuh

Dayung Borih, The Conduits Of The Bidayuh And The Spiritual World

Dayung Borih, or Bidayuh priestess and Gawai are two important cultural elements within the context of the traditional Bidayuh of Sarawak. This paper examines the role and significance of Gawai and Dayung Borih within the Bidayuh community. The data for this study was collected through a series of interviews and participant observations conducted in two villages in the Bau district. The interviews revealed that the concept of Gawai in the olden days was a form of rituals relating human to spiritual beings with the help of the Dayung Borih acting as mediators. The role of Dayung Borih was not only limited to mediators but also healers whereby they performed healing Gawai. The traditional Bidayuh believed that these Dayung Borih were gifted women selected by the spirits themselves. It was a highly respected position within the Bidayuh community but physically, mentally and spiritually demanding for these women. However, the number of Dayung Borih is decreasing and together with it their significant in the community as well as the concept of Gawai, which has changed due to modernisation within the Bidayuh community

Intensifiers in Bidayuh Bau-Jagoi

This paper describes intensifiers in Bidayuh Bau-Jagoi, a variation of the Bidayuh language, spoken in Sarawak, Malaysia. Data were gathered from 10 informants, aged 50-80, who are native speakers of the Bidayuh Bau-Jagoi. In this language, intensifiers are used to intensify the meaning of expressions, particularly adjectives. Results show that intensifiers are categorised into lexical items and reduplication. Three general lexical items (sikia, manah and bonar) were identified from the data, and 86 specific lexical intensifiers were found to be paired with specific adjectives with the exception of posah and ngakag. There is only one full reduplication form where a lexical item is reduplicated (tok-tok) and it intensifies the meaning of the adjectives that precede it. As for lexical items, the intensifiers are placed after the adjective with the exception of sikia. This study has uncovered rules pertaining to the use of intensifiers in Bidayuh Bau-Jagoi that will lead to a proper and better understanding of the language structure