User:Anumengelamun/Iban religion

Iban religion refers to the system of beliefs and practices associated with the Iban people, a subgroup of the Dayak people mostly concentrated in the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

Pantheon

The Iban religion involves worshipping and honouring at least four categories of beings, i.e. Petara, the supreme god, and his seven deities, the holy spirits of Orang Panggau Libau and Gelong, the ghost spirits (Bunsu Antu) and the souls of dead ancestors. Some Iban categorizes these gods into beings from the sky (ari langit) which refers to gods living in the sky, from the tree tops (ari pucuk kayu) which refers to omen birds, from the land/soil (ari tanah) which refers to augury animals, snakes and reptiles, and from the water (ari ai) which refers to fishes and water creatures.

The supreme god is called Bunsu (Kree) Petara, and is sometimes called Raja Entala or even the Arabic-derived Tuhan Allah Taala in modern times. The Iban calls this supreme god who creates the universe by the three names of Seragindi which makes the water (ngaga ai), Seragindah which makes the land (ngaga tanah) and Seragindit which makes the sky (ngaga langit).

There are seven main petaras (deities or gods or regents) of Iban Dayaks who act as the messengers between human beings and God. These deities are the children of Raja Jembu and the grandchildren of Raja Burong. Their names are as follows:

• Sengalang Burong, the god of war
• Biku Bunsu Petara (female) as the high priest
• Sempulang Gana, the god of agriculture along with his father-in-law Semarugah as the god of land
• Selempandai/Selempeta/Selempetoh, the god of creation and procreation.
• Menjaya Manang, the god of health and shamanism being the first manang bali
• Anda Mara, the god of wealth and fortune.
• Ini Andan/Inee (female), the natural-born doctor and the god of justice

In addition to these gods, there are mystical people namely the orang Panggau Libau and "Gelong" with the most notable ones being Keling and Laja, and Kumang and Lulong who often help the Iban Dayaks to be successful in life and adventures.

Other spirits are called bunsu jelu (animal spirits), antu utai tumboh (plant spirits), antu (ghosts) such as antu gerasi (huntsman) and antu menoa (place spirits like hills or mounts). These spirits can be helpful, cause sickness or even madness.

The souls of dead ancestors are invoked by the Iban when seeking their blessings. They pay their respects to their souls during Gawai Antu (Festival of the Dead) and when visiting their graves.

Stages of Iban propitiation

Masing in 1981 and Sandin clearly categorise the Iban people's propitiation and worshipping into three main successive stages of increasing importance, complexity and intensity, i.e. bedara (serving and distributing offerings), gawa (literally working) and gawai (festival).

Bedara can be divided into bedera mata (unripe rite) if the service is performed inside the family room (bilik) and bedara mansau (ripen rite) where it is carried out at the family gallery (ruai). Other specific miring rituals are called minta ujan (requesting for rain), minta panas (requesting for sunniness), berunsur (soul cleansing), mudas (omen appreciation), muja menua (praying to the region), pelasi menua (cleansing the territory), genselan menoa (smearing the earth with blood) or nasih tanah (paying land rent). Other bedara or miring ceremonies include makai di ruai/ngayanka asi (dinner at the gallery), sandau ari (mid-day ceremony) and enchaboh arong (head receiving reremony).

Gawa includes all the medium-sized rites that normally involve one day and one night of ritual incantations by a group of bards such as gawa beintu-intu (self-caring rituals) and gawa tuah (Fortune ritual). There are various types of gawa beintu-intu such as timang sukat (Life Measuring Chant), timang bulu (Human Mantle Chant), timang buloh ayu (Soul Bamboo Chant), timang panggang (Jar Board Chant), timang panggau (Wooden platform Chant) and timang engkuni (House Post Chant). As this category of rites involves mainly timang (chant), it is also normally called nimang (chanting). Gawa Tuah has three stages called nimang ngiga tuah (fortune seeking), nimang namaka tuah (fortune welcoming) and madamka tuah ( fortune termination).

Gawai comprises seven main categories of large festivals, which mostly involve ritual incantation by a group of lemambang bards that can last from several to seven successive days and nights to follow the paddy farming cycle in succession of stages. These categories are namely gawai bumai (farming festivals), gawai amat/asal (real/original festival) or gawai burong (bird festival), gawai tuah (fortune festival), gawai lelabi (River turtle/marriage festival), gawai sakit (Healing festival), gawai antu (festival of the dead) and gawai ngar (dyeing/weaving festival).

Ritual offerings, or piring

The Iban leka piring which is the number of each offering item is basically according to the single odd numbers which are piring turun 3, 5, 7 and 9. Leka piring (Number of each offering item) depends on how many gods are to be invited and presented with offerings which number should normally be an odd figure.

The list of gods to be prayed to and offered with foods and drinks are as follows:

1. Sengalang Burong – when preparing for war or major event like participating in election. Gawai Burong is usually held to honor him and to seek his blessing (Gawai Burong).
2. Raja Simpulang Gana – when dealing with farming related activities. (Gawai Umai and related gawai)
3. Raja Menjaya & Ini Inda – when asking for better health. (Gawai sakit & related activities e.g. bemanang).
4. Anda Mara – seeking good fortune and material wealth. (Gawai Pangkong Tiang)
5. Selampandai – seeking blessing in marriage, children growth or fertility. (During Gawai Melah Pinang)
6. Raja Semarugah – when seeking permission to use land for construction and other activities like agricultural activities. (when erecting the first pole).
7. Keling and orang Panggau and Gelong – when seeking their help to go to war, election, defence from enemies, or when seeking their help to invite Gods to festivals.
8. Souls of the family's dead ancestors – when seeking their blessing and showing respect for their soul. Usually during gawai dayak and when visiting their graves.
9. Bunsu Antu – as and when instructed in dreams.

The set of offerings ("agih piring") is dedicated to each part of the long house room (bilek) such as bilek four corners, tanju (verandah), ruai (gallery), dapur (kitchen), benda beras (rice jar), pelaboh (verandah behind the kitchen), farm (umai), garden of rubber or black pepper. Other possessions like motorized perahu , tajau (jars), meriam (cannons) and modern items like cars and motorcycles may be included as deemed fit and necessary.

The rule on how to choose the leka piring according to its purpose is as follows:

• Leka piring 3 – piring ampun/seluwak (for apologies or economy)
• Leka piring 5 – piring minta/ngiring bejalai (for requests or journey)
• Leka piring 7 – piring gawai/bujang berani (for festivals or brave men)
• Leka piring 8 – piring nyangkong (for including others)
• Leka piring 9 – piring nyangkong/turu (for including others and any leftover offering items are placed together)
• Leka lebih ari 9 (11, 13, 15. 18 up to 30) – piring turu (leftover offering items must be all offered and cannot be eaten). These are for piring tanam (base) or piring pucuk (tip) (offerings for setting up pnadong/ranyai (ritual shrine) during major gawai.

The number of offerings (leka pring) can be varied according to the importance of the god or item.

The basic items for the piring offerings include at least the following items:

• areca nuts, betel leaves, sedi leaves and kapu chalk,
• cigar leaves and tobacco,
• senupat (sacheted glutinous rice)
• sungkoi (wrapped glutinous rice),
• asi pulut pansoh (glutinous rice cooked in bamboo container),
• tumpi (flattened glutinous rice flour cake),
• "asi manis" (semi-fermented glutinous rice),
• hard-boiled chicken eggs (telu mansau) and uncooked chicken eggs (telu mata),
• rendai or letup (popped glutinous paddy),
• tuak (alcoholic drink fermented from glutinous rice with yeast).
• "penganan" (disc-shaped cake made from glutinous rice flour which is deep-fried in cooking oil),
• cuwan (flowery-shaped molded biscuit made from glutinous rice flour) and
• sarang semut (ant nest biscuit made of glutinous rice)
• A live chicken or a pig is caught and kept ready within a short distance.

So it can be seen from the list of items above that it is customary to offer guests or gods cigarettes, betel leaves and betel nuts as courtesy dictates. These first items are placed into a brass container which is always ready by each Iban family in the longhouse in anticipation of guests. Secondly it is necessary to offer food and drinks as essential items. It is customary to ask whether guests have already eaten or to invite them straight away to eat once food and dishes are ready, especially during meal times. In addition, biscuits and deserts are offered after meals as a sign of hospitality in Iban custom. All these ingredients are put onto plates or woven baskets made of bamboo or rattan which are then arranged in several rows on a ritual pua kumbu (ceremonial blanket). In urgent or emergency cases, ilum pinang (an odd number of lumps of betel leaves, areca nuts and cigarettes are offered because many Iban would always carry these items anywhere they go or during their travels to negate any bad omens or to show thanks for a good augury. A small offering platform may be built to place this simple offering and a short sampi prayer is recited. A fire may be also lit as necessary in recognition of the omen and to warm up those present.

A number of worthy men are chosen or nominated to divide and serve the offerings onto old clay plates (plastic plates are to be avoided because they are recent invention and indicative of cheapness or lower status unless clay plates are not available or cannot be borrowed from neighbours; at a minimum, the main offering plate must be on a clay plate). Women can be selected especially if the offering is done within the bilek room. Alternatively, if plates are not available as in the old times or interior upriver regions, square-bottom baskets (called kalingkang) made of bamboo split skins, woven-concave plates made of rattan or randau coils with daun buan or daun long leaves are used. Some offerings are placed on a long bamboo pole with a conical receptacle at its top (teresang). A bigger and more important set of offerings is served on tabak (brass tray) or bebendai (brass snare).

The piring items are taken by those chosen one by one in the order listed above or some people take the oily penganan (sweet disc shaped pancake) as the first favorite delicacy and placed it in the middle of the place or container to prevent stickiness of the fingers and followed by other items. The aim is to serve and present the offerings beautifully and as attractive as possible to arouse the appetite of the guests or gods.

As the propitiation increases in importance and size from normal and brief bedara offerings, to medium-sized gawa ceremonies to huge and lengthy gawai festivals, the number and set of offerings also increases accordingly. All major and minor gods are offered piring offerings to ensure prosperity and peace during the occasions and in life.

The genselan (animal offering) is normally made in the form of a chicken or a pig, depending on the scale of the ceremony. For small ceremonies, e.g. bird omens, chickens will be used, while on larger occasions such as animal omens, pigs will be sacrificed. The chicken feathers are pulled and smeared into the blood of the chicken whose throat has been slit and the chicken head may be put onto the main offering plate. For festivals, one or several pigs and tens of chickens may be sacrificed to appease the deities invoked and to serve human guests invited to the festivals within the territorial domain of the feast chief. The pig head may be offered with the offerings or buried into ground. The body of the chicken or pig and leftover piring materials can be eaten by guests, provided the chicken or pig is not killed or sacrificed to cleanse sin or bad luck like in incest cases which can cause havoc (ngudi menua) in the Iban faith. If not eaten, the body may be buried as sacrifice.