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During Death: The Adat Mati Enggau Rabat

Upon death, family members and relatives of the deceased enter a state of mourning, crying and expressing sorrow for a period of 10 to 30 minutes before the funeral preparations begin. During this time, the residents of the longhouse or a family representative place two rice pounders as barriers at the main entrance, tempuan, at the end of the longhouse. This act is intended to prevent the spirit of the deceased from re-entering the house and taking living souls with it to sebayan, the afterlife. Should this happen, it could mean more deaths within the longhouse.

The body is then washed with soap made from the pounded skin of the langgir fruit, a type of wild fruit. Three turmeric marks are placed on the forehead, while the hair is oiled and combed. The deceased is dressed in the finest clothing, following the traditions of Tuhan Pun-tang Raga, the ancestral spirit lineage. The body is then laid on a mat woven from rattan and bemban in the family’s private room.

During this period, a pua kumbu (traditional woven cloth) is hung in the ruai (common area) to create a sapat or partition. This partition, usually nine square feet in size, is suspended approximately five feet from the floor. The Iban believe that if this sapat is not properly set up, visitors paying respects may be at risk of falling ill. The body is then brought out from the private room and placed within the sapat. When moving the body out of the room, as it crosses the threshold between the room and the ruai, the oldest woman in the deceased's family sprinkles a few grains of rice over the body and recites a brief prayer to ensure the soul’s journey to heaven is unhindered.

Once the body is placed in the sapat, the women of the deceased’s family begin the mourning by crying aloud. The deceased’s belongings, known as biaya, are arranged in a small empty box and placed near the head of the body. Additional cloths, called baiya pandang, are draped over the body, and a small fire is lit in a hearth nearby, located near the deceased’s feet. This fire must remain lit until the burial ceremony is completed. The body is kept in the sapat for at least two days to allow relatives to arrive and pay their respects.

The most critical taboo is that the body must not be stepped over or crossed by animals, especially cats or dogs. If this occurs, it is believed that the spirit of the deceased will not rest and may haunt the living. To prevent such incidents, the body is vigilantly guarded by older women until burial.

Before the burial day, the Tuai Bilek (head of the family room) discusses with the assembled attendees in the ruai about extending invitations to other villages for the funeral. This discussion aids the deceased’s family in arranging the necessary items for the burial. The residents of the longhouse contribute funds for food expenses, and once agreed upon, two men are selected to deliver the invitations, one traveling downstream and the other upstream. If the longhouse lacks a tukang sabak (funeral singer), the family must extend an invitation to a tukang sabak from another longhouse.

Guests usually bring offerings such as daily necessities, including glutinous rice, cash, and chickens. At dusk, around 6 pm, the tukang sabak begins singing a slow and mournful song describing the soul’s journey from this world to sebayan, the afterlife. The tukang sabak sits near the head of the deceased, with part of his face covered by a handkerchief, continuously chanting until dawn, pausing only for brief meals. In return, the tukang sabak receives a payment in the form of money and items like jars, plates, cloths, a chicken, and a machete or iron pieces as a sign of gratitude and to strengthen his spirit.

Guests are served dinner at 8 pm, light refreshments at 10 pm, and a late meal at 2 am. Dignitaries such as the Penghulu and Tuai Rumah sit alongside the deceased’s family in the panggau (upper section of the ruai), while other family members are seated on both sides of the deceased’s room. A family representative delivers a speech explaining the cause of death and the three-month mourning period. The speech concludes with thanks to the longhouse community for helping the deceased’s family conduct the ceremony.

During the mourning period, specific taboos apply. The Iban must avoid shouting or making loud noises near the deceased’s longhouse. No other ceremonies may take place during the mourning period. If unavoidable, a penalty called sigi panding, typically RM2.00 as a deterrent, is imposed. Relatives and guests may only converse freely after the late-night meal concludes.

The Burial Ceremony

This ceremony begins early, around 5:30 am. Family members and longhouse residents carry the body, placed in a ntubong (coffin), to the pendam (burial ground). Leading the procession, a man carries a lantern to light the path to the burial site. Upon arrival, a chicken is slaughtered, and its blood spread on the area where a six-foot-deep grave will be dug for the deceased. Rice is sprinkled around the grave, after which the coffin is lowered into the grave along with the deceased’s biaya or personal belongings, believed to be for use in menoa sebayan, the afterlife.

As the body is lowered, the head is positioned downstream unless the deceased was a manang (healer). In that case, the head faces upstream, as the Iban believe the soul of a healer rests at the revered Gunong Rabong. This place is believed to be where Iban Menjaya Manang Raja, the first healer and brother of Sengalang Burong, God of War, was sanctified. Once the burial is complete, a marker is placed on the grave, and the funeral procession has a meal prepared at the riverside as a final gesture.

The Mourning Period

To mark the mourning period, all elders in the longhouse visit the deceased’s family room to witness the asi pana ritual, performed by an elderly woman in the family. Asi pana consists of three bowls of black rice as an offering. Each bowl represents one day the longhouse residents refrain from working outside. If the residents agree to observe this three-day pana (mourning), the elderly woman leading the ritual eats one bowl of asi pana each morning for three days.

The deceased’s family room is kept dark for three days to symbolize a passage from the dark to bring light to the deceased’s soul. On the morning after the pana period, the room’s windows are smeared with chicken blood before being officially opened by the elderly woman in the family. After the final bowl of asi pana is consumed, the deceased’s valuable items are placed in a lengguai (brass box) tied with rattan and stored in the family room, kept safe from tampering or stepping on by children.

If the three-day mourning period falls during the harvest season, farmers may pay a compensation fee known as sigi jabir or pana benda, amounting to RM1.00, to the deceased's family to allow them to work in the fields. Those who are not involved in or bound by the mourning restrictions can help these farmers with the rice harvest.

Each evening during the three-day mourning period, the family of the deceased must light a fire at the palan tungkun hearth located near the edge of the longhouse. This practice is intended to prevent the spirit of the deceased from wandering or roaming in search of offerings provided by the living.

Ngetas Ulit Ceremony (Ending the Mourning Period)

One day before the three-month mourning period ends, the deceased’s family informs the longhouse residents of the ngetas ulit ceremony to conclude the mourning. Close relatives gather in the family room early the next morning. A man dressed as an Iban warrior arrives at the deceased’s home and shouts three times, answered by another man on the family balcony who strikes a tawak gong. The warrior is given a chicken to wave over the lengguai box while reciting prayers for blessings and peaceful living after the ulit or mourning veil is lifted.

The Iban warrior then performs the ngetas ulit ritual by cutting the rattan binding the lengguai, opening it, and removing the items inside. Afterward, the deceased’s family requests the warrior to cut a small portion of their hair with his knife. Payment for the ngetas ulit includes a machete or knife, an axe, and a jar. A meal is served once the ceremony concludes.

Berserara Bungai Ceremony

Berserara Bungai Ceremony

This final ceremony is held approximately one or two months after the ngetas ulit ceremony is completed. The Berserara Bungai ceremony is conducted by a manang or shaman, who possesses supernatural powers and can communicate directly with the spiritual realm. This ceremony aims to separate the world of the living from the world of the dead, expediting the spirit’s departure from its living family. It is believed that if any family members continue to remember the deceased, they may become ill, leading potentially to death.

It is believed that if the spirit of the deceased is not separated from the living world, it will remain around its family and disturb those who are still alive. Additionally, it is thought that the spirit will cause family members to waste food, as leftovers would be consumed by the spirit, leading to loss in the family’s daily life.

The final ceremony is only considered complete when the deceased’s copper vase is opened and the flower stem is cut by the manang. If this is not done, the rites related to the deceased remain incomplete indefinitely. If this situation occurs, the family of the deceased will continue to be disturbed by the spirit, potentially leading to unwanted misfortunes in their lives.

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