Genteran jako dambi ari post Jim Cook Royal Navy lebuh ba Gaat,Balleh Kapit maia konfrantasi.Keni ko nuan kaban??salute Jim Cook.. Most of us had learned to speak the Iban dialect, some better than others of course. I recall that two pilots in particular took the trouble to learn the language fluently, so they could communicate more effectively when they flew out on medivacs to villages in the Ulu where the locals spoke little,if any English. The Iban language comprised of about 250 words, but running the words together into an understandable sentence was the problem. I had an Iban dictionary, very small, but subsequently lost it. On a visit to Singapore ten years ago I tried to purchase a new one but no one seemed to have even heard of the Iban dialect. One of the highlights of our social life was an invite to the local Iban Long House. The Ibans were very friendly people, despite the fact that they were notorious headhunters and their trophies were on full display at the long houses. I recall one particular occasion when we were invited to a long house for a wedding. All the men sat down one side of the long house with the women on the other side. Highly decorated mats were placed down the middle and covered in local food and delicacies. Throughout the evening we were plied with food and Tuak, which is the local rice wine, and very strong. After the wedding ceremony the bride and groom and the women retired, leaving those hardy souls who were still conscious, to carry on drinking with the tribal elders. This was where things got tricky because it was not the done thing to out drink the elders or they would lose face. So, if we hadnt genuinely collapsed by dawn, we had to pretend that we had, for the sake of diplomatic relations. [And probably our heads]
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 10:10:15 +0000
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