Sumpit / Blowpipe

Sumpit is a blowpipe used by the indigenous ethnic groups in Sarawak in the past to hunt for animals in the jungle. The sumpit and the darts are made from different materials such as wood and bamboo as well as fiber glass. Sumpit has become one of the traditional games for competition in Sarawak and is enjoyed by people from all walks of life.

Nyabung Manuk (Cock fighting)

Nyabung Manuk, Cock fighting is a traditional game that the Iban universally play in Sarawak, it's a game said to be first played by the deities. Their interest for this culture originated from the game introduced by Raja Machan who held a cock-fighting bout with Ambong Mungan. The later lost the contest to Raja Machan and decided to go to visit the supernatural being in the sky to look for a fighting cock. In the domain of the God in the Sky, he met with a Supreme God called Raja Petara who gave him a fighting cock with the coloration of “Tuntong Lang Ngindang Terbai, Biring Belangking Pipit Kechuai”. Raja Petara told him that the fighting cock would never be defeated in the contest. With this prized possession given by the Supreme God, Ambong Mungan staged another cock-fighting session against Raja Machan. With such divine help, he won the contest.

The Iban believed that all the fighting cock that the supernatural being (Petara and Bunsu Antu) used in the cock-fighting contest, turned into human warriors. That is why cock fighting is closely tied to intangible qualities of human nature, their spiritual fulfillment and their religious refinement. It signifies a man’s chivalry while fighting enemies during war expeditions. As human beings became the fighting cocks of the supernatural being, they bore many different types of coloration (bulu manok), which is believed to reflect the personality profile of each warrior. 

The period when the Ibans normally hold cock-fighting bouts is between the felling season and the time when the burning is approaching. In the past, this was known as the annual cock-fighting Season.

In the past, on the eve of a cock-fighting contest, leaders of the cock-fighting teams would ask two bards to sing renong (folk songs), one after another. The renong that they sang were the ones that were formerly prescribed for war expeditions. War expeditions are similar to cock-fighting contests. Therefore, whenever the Iban leaders wanted to go on war expeditions, they would ask the bards to sing the renong specifically prescribed for cock-fighting contests, following what Ensing Jara did when he held a cock-fighting bout against Ngerai and Niram from the land of the dead (sebayan). Whenever they sing the renong, mainly for cock-fighting bouts or war expeditions, they must prepare offerings because the supernatural being that used to go on war expeditions or held cock-fighting contests are all mentioned in their songs.

Nowadays, cocks fighting are being organized occasionally following a major festival, annual gawai Dayak festival and final death rites (ngetas ulit) to mark the end of mourning period. In the headhunting past, death rites was completed with the acquisition of fresh heads. Such practices of blood letting have been replaced with cock-fighting session.


Koh Hui Yuan

Tibow(swing game)

TIBOW:

Tibow, also known as Pisa, is a very popular game in Sarawak.The game is played by the Melanau malaysians as a symbol of unity and joyful as well as celebrating the arrival of summer fruit.

Tibow is usually played in the open space, or the back end of the village. Typically, the site for the game should be soft and without gravel. Even in some places, people put sand to avoid the players from getting any serious injuries.

Playing traditional tibow Melanau Mukah, is not as easy as seen. There are few taboos and traditions that must be followed to bless the safety of players.

HOW TO PLAY:

The Tibow, the death defying 20-foot high swing,here youths dive from a high bamboo scaffolding and catch a swinging rope as it reaches the height of its arc. First one, then two and eventually eight young men hanging in a clump from the giant swing as it soars above the beach.





SunHyoung:)



Source:
http://sharmabelle.wordpress.com/kaul-festival/serahang/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaul_festival#The_Tibow

Sepak manggis
Sepak manggis is a unique outdoor game played by the Bajau and Iranun men of  Sabah.  Forming a circle and facing each other, players aim to strike the bunga manggis floral carrier that dangles from a 10-meter high pole.  The winner will be rewarded with money, gift of edibles, which are in the carrier.



~ Wei Xia

"Batak Lampong" is a traditional sport of the Iban community in Sarawak. The direct translation of the game is "pull wood" where "batak" means pull while "lampong" refers to a light and medium length piece of wood. It is a traditional sport where two persons sit flat on the ground to compete by pulling on the wood. The obvious winner would be the one able to pull the piece of wood away from the opponent causing the looser to be pulled into an awkward position.

Sulaiman Shah

Congkak

Congkak is a traditional game of malay origin, widely popular in South East Asian countries with several similar variants able to be found in Thailand, Java and the Philippines. Traditional congkak boards are usually carved out of teak or mahogany wood with intericate designs and can often be used as decorative pieces in homes.

The Congkak board has fourteen holes in two sets of seven (some have ten holes in two sets of five, some have eighteen holes (houses) in two sets of nine), plus an additional bigger store-hole (village) for each player. Each of the two players control the seven holes on their side of the board, and their score is the number of seeds in their left-hand store. In Indonesia, the holes are called anak ("child"), while the larger store holes are called indung("mother").

The first move is played simultaneously by both players. Both players can chose one of their houses to start with. They grab every stone in the house and then spread them clockwise to the other houses, one stone for each.Players leave one stone in their own village, but not in the opponent’s village. If a player drops his last remaining stone in a house (on either side of the board) with minimum one other stone in it, he/she grabs all stones and continues distributing. If the last stone falls into the player’s village, he/she can chose any of his/her holes to start a new move from.If he/she drops his last stone in an empty house of his/her own side, he/she can now grab all stones from the house right opposite plus the last stone from his/her hand and place them in their own village. After this, the player’s move is over. If the last stone falls into one of the opponent’s house that does not contain any other stones, the player’s move is over and the last stone remains in the opponent’s house.The player who finished his/her move first, waits until the other player is finished as well and then he/she starts his/her second move. When a player has no more stones in any of his houses, he/she needs to pass and wait until the opponent drops a stone on his/her side.When there are no more stones in any of the houses, both players count the quantity of stones in their own village. The player with most stones is the round’s winner.

By Peter Lai

Tating Lawi (sepak bulu ayam)

This is a game that involves kicking a soft ‘ball’ hand-made from chicken feathers.  The purpose of the game is to test the skills of the player in controlling and balancing the ‘ball’ for as long as possible so that it will not fall onto the ground. This game involves 2 or more players, usually boys between 10-17 years old. Played in open areas, the only item required for this game is a soft ‘ball’ made from 14 chicken feathers tied in the centre of a thick paper or a rubber sheet.

by Sim Jun Hwa