{"id":11836,"date":"2007-01-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-01-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress\/2007\/01\/05\/sarawaks-traditional-sports\/"},"modified":"2007-01-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2007-01-05T00:00:00","slug":"sarawaks-traditional-sports-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rakansarawak.com\/v4\/2007\/01\/05\/sarawaks-traditional-sports-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Sarawak\u2019s Traditional Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nDuring the 2006 Sarawak Traditional Sports Carnival in Mukah, various \ntraditional sports were competed. Here are the backgrounds on some of \nthem:<\/p>\n
1. Sepak Raga Bulatan<\/b> <\/font><\/p>\n
Sepak \nraga bulatan is a Malay traditional sport. Historically, visitors, \ntrades people and Malay soldiers whom were stationed in Sarawak \nintroduced it in 1958 during the formation of Malaysia. It quickly \nbecame a local favourite when Sarawakians whom furthered their studies \nin West Malaysia (which was known as \u2018Malaya\u2019 at the time) brought back \nsepak raga balls and rulebooks for the sport. Players of this sport \nplay it by standing in a circle formation. A player can only use his \nlegs and head to kick and hit the sepak raga ball that is made of woven \nstrips of rattan or bamboo. A sepak raga court can essentially be \ncreated on any area\/space that is flat and wide by outlining a circle \nthat has a radius of 4 metres. A circle with a radius of 1 metre should \nthen be drawn in the middle of the first circle. The players should \nstand in between both circles during a match. 6 people per team play \nthis sport at all times with 1 replacement player on standby. The \nreplacement player can join the match if the ball is in mid-air or when \nit has fallen onto the ground. <\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
2. Tug-of-war<\/b> <\/font><\/p>\n
Tug-of-war \nhas been a staple of traditional sports in Sarawak for as long as \nanyone can remember. It started out as a means of testing one\u2019s \nstrength by competing against teams of Malays, Ibans, Melanaus and \nother races. Teams were also divided based according to their jobs, \nsuch as farmers, fishermen and loggers. Today in the 21st Century, this \nsport has become more sophisticated, attracting the likes of staff \nmembers from government bodies, private companies and members of the \npublic. Typically, the minimum length for the rope that is used in \ntug-of-war has to be at least 33.5 metres. Each team must consist of 12 \nmembers, with 8 of them competing whilst the remaining 4 as \nreplacements. For men, the total weight of the team cannot exceed 640 \nkgs whereas the maximum weight for the women\u2019s team is 560 kgs. Before \na match begins, each team must position themselves 4 metres away from \nthe centre of the rope. The side on which the team positions themselves \nis determined by a coin toss that is carried out by the referee.<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
3. Blowpipe<\/b> <\/font><\/p>\n
The \nIbans, Bidayuhs and Orang Ulus typically used the blowpipe for hunting \nwild animals in the forests of Sarawak. Nowadays, the blowpipe has \nbecome popularised and entrants competing in blowpipe competitions come \nfrom all races within the state. The Sarawakian blowpipe is made from \nwood and has a spear at the end of it. In comparison, the blowpipe of \nthe Orang Asli in Peninsula Malaysia is made out of bamboo. The small \ndarts (damak) that are used for the blowpipe can be derived from \nwhatever material that the competitor finds suitable, as well as the \nlength and size of them. In a competition, competitors must stand 90 \nfeet away from the target. To note, the size of the target is \ndetermined by the organisers of the competition. Each competitor is \nonly allowed to use 10 darts to hit the target and must use them within \n5 minutes. If a competitor takes more than 5 minutes, the darts that \nwere used after the 5-minute mark will not be counted.<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
4. Batak Lampong<\/b> <\/font><\/p>\n
Batak \nlampong is an Iban traditional sport that has been handed down to the \nIban people by their ancestors. Traditionally, the Ibans used this \nsport as a method of testing one\u2019s physical strength as well as keeping \nclose ties amongst members of the longhouse. It is usually played \nduring the Gawai Antu\/Gawai Batu\/Gawai Kenyalang celebrations. In Iban, \n\u2018batak\u2019 means pull while \u2018lampong\u2019 refers to a stick of medium length \nand proportions (2 feet in length with a diameter of 2 inches). <\/font><\/p>\n
In \norder to play batak lampong, two people are required to sit across from \neach other on a flat-surfaced floor\/area with their legs outstretched \nand their soles directly facing one another. A wooden board that is 2 \nfeet long and has a height of 6 inches is then placed in between both \ncompetitors\u2019 soles as a focal point for their feet. Next, the \ncompetitors must use their hands to hold the lampong directly above \ntheir feet in a horizontally straight position. Finally, with a signal \nfrom the referee, the competitors have to pull the lampong as hard as \nthey can in their direction, with the winner of the match being \ndetermined from the best three pulls. If there is a draw after the \nsecond pull, a 5-minute break will be allowed before the third pull is \ncommenced. <\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
5. Payu Orang Ulu <\/b> <\/font><\/p>\n
Payu \nis traditional Orang Ulu wrestling that is usually organised and \ncompeted by the men during the Do Ledoh harvest festival that is \nusually celebrated annually in April or May. Either men from the same \nlonghouse or men from various longhouses are traditionally allowed to \ncompete against each other. In the Orang Ulu community, particularly in \nBelaga, only two types of payu have been identified, these being Payu \nTelanga\/Payu Bah and Payu Pekahep\/Payu Hivan. <\/font><\/p>\n
Payu \nPekahep\/Payu Hivan is considered to be the more dangerous of the two \nbecause the competitors do not use the \u2018bah\u2019 (a belt-like piece of \ncloth that is wrapped around the competitor\u2019s waist) while competing, \nhence the Payu Telanga\/Payu Bah being the sports of choice to be \ncompeted or demonstrated during the Sarawak Traditional Sports \nCarnival. However, the wrestling techniques for both types of payu are \nstill alike. For Payu Telanga\/Payu Bah, a wrestling match takes place \nbetween two men whose opening stance is to have both hands holding the \nopponent\u2019s \u2018bah\u2019, with one hand holding the front part and the other \nholding the back part. The objective of the match is to turn, twist, \nlift or carry the opponent, leading to his fall and ultimate defeat. <\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
6. Gasing<\/b> <\/font><\/p>\n
Gasing \n(spinning top) is a popular sport in Malaysia, as found in other Asian \ncountries as well such as Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines and \nThailand. This sport is extremely popular in the villages of Kelantan \nand Malacca after the rice-harvest, with villagers challenging each \nother to test their gasing skills. It is played on the evenly smooth \nsurface of a court that is made from earth or clay.<\/font><\/p>\n
Firstly, \ntwo circles are drawn on the court\u2019s surface, with the first circle \nhaving a radius of no more than 2.2 metres and the second circle that \nhas to be drawn in the middle of the first circle with a radius of no \nmore than 0.76 metres. These circles define the areas in which the \ngasings are allowed to spin in as any area outside these two circles \nwill be considered to be illegal. <\/font> Most \nimportantly, one will need a gasing and some string to spin it in order \nto play. The body of the gasing can only be made out of wood and there \nmust not be additional materials added onto it. The minimum diameter \nmeasurement of the gasing must be 36 cm, with a maximum of 46 cm while \nits height must be a minimum of 9 cm and the maximum being 20 cm. As \nfor the string, it has to be made from thread or the bark of terap wood \nor similar materials but fine wire is disallowed.<\/font><\/p>\n
A \ngame can be played either in a one-on-one or group situation (each \ngroup should have 3 players and 1 reserve player). The objective of the \ngame is to hit the opponent\u2019s gasing so that it will fall over.<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
7. Wau <\/b> <\/font><\/p>\n
The \nwau is a traditional kite that is extremely popular in the states of \nKedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. Traditionally flown after the \nrice-harvest season, these kites are typically as large as a man – \nmeasuring approximately 3.5 metres from head to tail. The term \u2018wau\u2019 \nrefers to the shape of the kite, which is similar to the Arabic letter \nthat is pronounced as \u2018wow\u2019.<\/font><\/p>\n
This \nyear, KPSU divided the wau competition into two categories, namely the \n\u2018National Traditional Wau\u2019 and \u2018Freestyle Wau\u2019 categories. For the \n\u2018National Traditional Wau\u2019 category, participants were required to make \na wau within two days using only paper and parts of local plants such \nas bamboo, nibung and rotan. The string must also be made from local \nplants such as mengkuang and mulung leaves whilst only things of local \norigin can be used as decorative ornaments.<\/font><\/p>\n
With \nthe second category, its name \u2018Freestyle Wau\u2019 says it all. Participants \nare allowed to use paper, cloth or other materials that they see fit \nwhereas the designs are dependant upon the participants\u2019 creativity and \nimagination. However, the one rule that both categories have in common \nis that the participants must get their waus in-flight within 10 \nminutes after the referee blows the first whistle. Upon the second \nwhistle, participants must begin to lower their waus. <\/font><\/p>\n
Placements \nwill thus be given towards the most creative wau, the most beautiful \nwau and the best airborne wau for both categories. <\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n