MIRI, Dec 28 — The plastic ponchos have become a common sight whenever it rains, but the Orang Ulus have been making this item out of dried leaves, which can last for years – signifying the community’s close relationship with nature.
Christie Luban Tebaran, a Kelabit from Long Bedian and a homestay operator, describes the ‘sabit ukong’ as ‘a practical and environment-friendly product’ that protects the wearer from both the scorching sun and the pouring rain.
According to her, the Kelabits commonly wear it as a regular poncho, but Kayans would use it as an umbrella-like hat, known as ‘hung’, in the rain.
“They are made of jungle palm leaves that have been dried in the sun and sewn into one foldable piece, and if kept properly, they could last for decades.
“In the old days, they were found in every door of the longhouses in the interior of Baram.
“Our community, particularly our forefathers’ generations, used the ‘sabit ukong’ to stay dry when it rained, when trekking through the jungle or paddy fields, or moving from place to place,” Christie told The Borneo Post.
According to Telang Usan assemblyman Datuk Dennis Ngau, his fellow Kayans would use the ‘sabit ukong’ as a heat-retaining item, namely to keep food warm.
“I remember as a child, that before we left for the farm at 5am, my parents used to wrap our food in the ‘sabit ukong’ to keep it warm for a longer period, and dry when it rained.
“My parents would also use the ‘sabit ukong’ to keep their clothes dry.
“This was the ingenuity of the past generations’ innovation in coming up with a container to keep their belongings dry,” he recalled.
Dennis added that the leaves of the fern family, all readily available in the jungle, were used as raw materials to make roofs and containers for the ‘selukung’ (glutinous rice), which were traditionally served at Kayan weddings.
“However, modernisation has replaced this traditional product, though it is still used in the Orang Ulu homes,” he said.
The ‘sabit ukong’ was among the Orang Ulu handicraft products exhibited at ‘theHornbill!@ICAE Fourth International Conference’, held here recently.
The product is befitting to the past needs for a long, lightweight but sturdy poncho, to be used in the Borneo’s jungles where it could protect travellers from sudden, intense downpours.
However, it is more of a novel handicraft product than a practical poncho in this modern time.
Nowadays, most travel agencies would recommend packing a plastic poncho to clients as it is smaller and easier to carry in handbags or backpacks. — The Borneo Post
