Tag: Dayak culture

The Tortoise Who Broke Its Shell | A Classic Iban Folktale

In the old days, it is said that the tortoise was not small like it is today. It was very large back then. If it stood up, it would be almost as tall as a person. It had a smooth, polished shell, unlike the patterned or segmented one we see now. The tortoise was also quite smart and could talk well, but it had one bad trait: it liked to make fun of and trick other animals. Because of this, its wicked nature often got it into problems.

At one time, a long drought struck the land. Plants in the forest dried out and could hardly grow. The animals struggled to find food because many trees had withered or died. The tortoise had the worst time since it moved so slowly. It got thinner, its stomach shrank, and its eyes got dull because it was so thirsty. It gave in to fate and thought its end was near since it was so weak. It crept slowly in search of water, using up the last of its strength while it waited for death.

The tortoise crawled for a long time before reaching a small river. It drank as much as it could because it was so thirsty, and then it fell asleep from being so tired. It looked like it was already dead since its body was motionless and its eyes were closed. A short time later, a flock of birds came to bathe in the river. The tortoise could still hear the commotion around it, even though it was feeble. It pretended to be dead. Unfortunately, at that moment, it had to fart. It attempted to hold it in to keep up the charade. But the longer it kept it, the more it wanted to let it out, and finally it did so with a loud bang.

The explosion stirred the river water and caused the tortoise to flip onto its back. The birds were startled. They turned and saw the tortoise on its back and assumed it had died.

“Oh, how pitiful. The tortoise is dead and didn’t get to fly with us high up into the sky to visit the King of the Sky,” the birds lamented, and the tortoise could hear them clearly.

The birds then prepared to leave. The tortoise quickly got up and decided to go with them to visit the King of the Sky. It opened its eyes wide, gathered all of its might, and crawled as swiftly as it could toward the group. When it reached them, it expressed its wish to follow them into the sky.

“We don’t know how to bring you along because you don’t have wings,” the birds said.

“Oh, it’s not that difficult,” said the tortoise. “Each of you can donate a feather so I can build wings and fly.”

“We refuse to give you our feathers because you are known as a liar. We do not want to be deceived by you,” one of the birds replied.

“Hah! All of you are stupid and narrow-minded,” the tortoise said. “There are many kinds of tortoises. There are deceitful tortoises, hard-shelled tortoises, spiny tortoises, hermit tortoises. In your eyes, what kind of tortoise am I? I am not a deceitful tortoise,” it continued.

The birds fell silent upon hearing its words. They looked at one another and discussed among themselves. In the end, each agreed to contribute one feather to build wings for the tortoise. Even the larger birds such as the peacock, hornbill, eagle, and rhinoceros hornbill agreed. When the wings were completed, they all flew to visit the King of the Sky.

After a long journey, they finally arrived in the realm of the King of the Sky. At that time, the King was hosting a grand gawai festival. The tortoise and the group of birds cleaned themselves in preparation to attend the feast. While they were getting ready, they could smell the rich aroma of delicious food.

Seeing this, the tortoise whispered to itself, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had anything good to eat. I thought I would starve to death during this drought. But I know I’ll live if I get to eat the food at the feast.”

Once they were ready, they lined up to enter the house of the King of the Sky. But before they went up, the tortoise announced, “According to local custom, before entering the house here, guests must change their names to new ones.”

The birds believed that the tortoise was knowledgeable because it had been to many places. They all agreed to change their names, including the tortoise. Various names were chosen. The tortoise announced right away, “My new name is… ‘All of You.’ From now until we return, all of you must call me by my new name: All of You.”

Then they all went into the house, with the tortoise in the lead. When they arrived, they were invited to sit in the ruai. The King of the Sky invited the tortoise to sit in the center, assuming it was the leader of the group. Once everyone was comfortable in their seats, all kinds of food were served. The King of the Sky delivered a speech before the guests started eating to say how happy he was to have visitors from far away. When he was done, he asked them to eat. But the tortoise spoke up before anyone could begin.

“Your Majesty, before anyone eats, since our group is quite large, who do you intend to give this food to?”

“Oh! This food is served for all of you,” replied the King of the Sky.

Hearing the words “all of you,” the tortoise turned to the birds.

“Did you all hear what the King said? Don’t say I have bad intentions,” said the tortoise. “I do want all of you to eat, but the King said this food is only for me because my new name is ‘All of You,'” it added.

The tortoise started to eat right away. It devoured the food greedily because it hadn’t had anything delicious to eat throughout the drought. The birds could only look on in shock as the tortoise enjoyed the feast. Only after it was completely full did it invite the birds to eat the leftovers. However, they refused because they were outraged that they had been lied to. The Eagle was the only one who was willing to eat the scraps, while the others would rather be hungry than humiliated. They were so angry that they ripped off all the feathers that made the tortoise’s wings and flew away, leaving the tortoise and the Eagle behind.

Seeing the birds abandon it, the tortoise panicked. It had lost all of its feathers, save for the Eagle’s. When the Eagle finished eating, it too flew away. Before it left, the tortoise begged the Eagle to alert its dear friend, the Mousedeer, to make a big soft bed for it to land on when it jumped from the sky.

When the Eagle landed, it delivered the message. The Mousedeer immediately called all the creatures in the forest when it heard it. They worked together to make a place to land. But sadly, instead of a mattress, they made a mound of stones because the Eagle delivered the wrong message.

Once everything was ready, the tortoise leapt from the sky. Without wings, it fell rapidly and crashed onto the pile of stones. The sound of the impact was deafening. Hearing it, the Mousedeer rushed over and found the tortoise’s shell shattered into pieces. The tortoise lay unconscious. The Mousedeer cried when it saw this, thinking that the tortoise was beyond help. After crying, it gathered the scattered pieces of shell and carried the tortoise home for treatment.

At home, the Mousedeer sought help from the Lizard Shaman to heal the tortoise. That evening, the shaman conducted a ritual in which he used his wisdom to put the fractured shell back together. But not all of the pieces could be found since they had broken too finely. It took a long time, but the shell was finally reassembled.

The rebuilt shell was a lot smaller than the original. The tortoise itself became smaller because of this. This is why tortoises are smaller now and not as big as they used to be. Their shells are no longer smooth as they once were. Instead, they are patterned and segmented, as if they were put together.

Note:

I translated and adapted this story into Malay (shared on Threads) and English (here on my blog), based on the Iban version originally shared by Gregory Nyanggau Mawar on the Iban Cultural Heritage website.

I write about Iban culture, ancestral rituals, creative life, emotional truths, and the quiet transformations of love, motherhood, and identity. If this speaks to you, subscribe and journey with me.

A Visit to Borneo Cultures Museum, Kuching, Sarawak

Have you heard of the Borneo Cultures Museum? It is in Kuching, Sarawak, and from the outside, it seems quiet, though the building looks very unique. However, the scale becomes clear once you get inside. It is the biggest museum in Malaysia and the second largest in Southeast Asia. My family and I visited on our last vacation to Kuching and spent a few hours there in the afternoon. We thought it would be enough, but it quickly became clear that it wasn’t.

There is too much to take in at once, so I will share a few things that caught my attention the most.

Repatriated bones of Niah Caves

The repatriated bones from the Niah Caves were one of the first things that caught my attention. However, not all of the remains are displayed. Only fragments are shown, including one from Burial 133, which is part of the Neolithic cemetery found in the cave’s West Mouth. This site has one of the largest prehistoric burial cemeteries in Southeast Asia. Excavations in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as more recent studies, have found more than a hundred burials here. The University of Nevada used to keep these bones for research and safekeeping, but they have since been returned to Sarawak. I visited Niah Cave in my youth, and I have read about these bones in the past, and standing right beside them felt so surreal.

Orang Ulu Masks or the Hudo’ masks

The Kayan and Kenyah people use these masks during harvest festivals to cast away bad spirits and make sure the crops are healthy. The masks are displayed on the fifth floor in the “Objects of Desire” gallery. I admit this section of the museum felt slightly unsettling with the masks quietly staring at you from the glass display. At first, I didn’t say anything but later, my sister said she felt the same way and even had goosebumps.

The Melanau burial pole or Jerunai

These carved wooden poles were used to bury wealthy Melanau people and nobility. The remains of the dead were placed in jars and kept in the hollow parts of the pole. The Jerunai was reserved for the Liko, or Melanau pagan nobility. Ancient rituals associated with the Jerunai often involved human sacrifice. Slaves were sometimes placed at the base of the structure believed to serve their dead master in the hereafter. This practice was long abolished when the community converted to Islam and Christianity.

Kelirieng – burial pole of the Punan Bah or Sekapan tribes

There was also a similar structure called the Kelirieng, a burial pole used by the Punan Bah and Sekapan communities. Like the Jerunai, it functioned as a secondary burial structure. The dead person’s bones were placed in large ceramic jars and then they were hauled up into a hollowed part at the top of the pole. The height of the structure symbolized status and was believed to bring the deceased closer to the spirit world.  To protect the jars, most of these poles have a huge stone slab on top.

However, the massive Kelirieng in this picture are replicas, and the original ones can be found outside within the museum’s compound. As I was staring at these burial poles, I kept thinking about the slaves. I heard that the slaves were crushed to death as they raised these poles on the ground. It’s a gruesome mental scene, but it’s part of our history. One benefit of religions is that they abolished slavery, as no one deserves to be treated as subhuman at the mercy of their masters. 

Headhunters swords

These swords were historically used for headhunting. While I was lingering near this exhibit and admiring their craftmanship, my husband had a different experience. He told me later that he felt a strong impulse, as if a voice was urging him to take one of the swords and kill someone. He felt so uncomfortable that he quickly left this section. I didn’t experience anything like that, and I believed him when he told me. The Iban people believe that such swords need to be kept properly, and certain rituals need to be conducted to appease the restless spirits of the swords. 

 Dayak human skull trophies

Finally, there were the skulls. These are real human skulls from Sarawak’s headhunting past. They are arranged in round rattan frames decorated with dried leaves. This collection is known as a tampun and is traditionally hung in the longhouse. Some of my relatives still keep them. The Iban people believe that the souls are still present, thus they should be treated with care. My family no longer keeps them, as my great-great grandparents gave up these practices after converting to Christianity in the early 20th century.

We were at the museum for about three hours, but it wasn’t enough time to view everything. If I go again, I shall go in the morning and take my time to view and read the information about every exhibit. You need to take your time so your visit will be totally worth it. 

If you ever go to Kuching, I suggest you spend a whole day there. It’s more than just looking at the exhibits. As I mentioned, I highly encourage you to understand the stories behind them in order to fully appreciate our cultures and Indigenous way of life.

I write about Iban culture, ancestral rituals, creative life, emotional truths, and the quiet transformations of love, motherhood, and identity. If this speaks to you, subscribe and journey with me.