Belief in existence of spirits part of Adat Oma of Bisingai people

From left: Modiana, Nuek, Ose and Jayl photographed during the 'Singai: Glimpses From The Past' talk at Borneo Cultures Museum, Kuching on Jan 21, 2024.

By Shikin Louis

KUCHING, Jan 21: Since the olden days, the Bisingai, a sub-group of the Bidayuh ethnic group, have always believe in the existence of spirits named ‘jiruong’ and ‘torigasi’.

Datuk John Tenewi Nuek who is a prominent Bidayuh public figure from Mount Singai, stated that the ‘jiruong’ spirit is fond of pinching and smacking babies which would leave some bruises on babies’ thighs, legs and other parts of the body.

Datuk John Tenewi Nuek

Due to this, he said the Bisingai would use a protective shield called ‘samir’—a rectangular mat made of strips of long dried ‘bikuang’ (manila hemp) leaves, which is fixed onto the ceiling above the baby’s sleeping place.

“Attached to the mat were small sharp strips of bamboo facing downwards. Some jungle thorns and sharp bladed ‘ringiet’ leaves were also attached to the mat.

“This protective shield placed above the baby’s sleeping place is believed to be able to minimise or avoid the jiruong from pinching the baby,” he said when delivering a talk on ‘Singai: Glimpses From The Past’ at Borneo Cultures Museum (BCM) here today.

He also said the Bisingai believe that a deceased body is under constant threat of having his blood sucked by a spirit called ‘torigasi’.

“This was why many people would come to the house of the dead and stay awake as long as possible in order to prevent the ‘torigasi’ from sucking the blood from the corpse and attacking the people present at the funeral wake.

“To this day, many people mainly relatives, would stay a night or more at the home of the deceased,” he added.

Other spirits commonly known to the Bisingai include ‘Mout/munuo’ that tend to appear in various forms of apparition and blamed for many of the common diseases and illnesses; ‘Komang and Triyu’—benign spirits that reside in certain big trees and rock formations where one can ask for their intercessions; ‘Ieng Sumuk Babai’ (spirits of the ancestors)—benevolent spirits that are often invoked in the Bisingai’s blessings; ‘Saya’—a star spirit who married a Bisingai named Gonuot who climbed up to one of the constellations of eight stars using the ‘bunga’ tree and believed to have taught the Bisingai about Adat Gawea; ‘Ngoma’—Gonuot’s father who has taught the boris rituals to the Bisingai; ‘Braang bosi’—a guardian of the jungle who was killed in a fight with a Bisingai warrior named Siak Magimang; and ‘Krowong’— a glutton spirit that likes to eat one’s food.

John (right) delivers his talk on “Singai: Glimpses From The Past” at Borneo Cultures Museum Auditorium, Kuching on Jan 21, 2024.

Nuek was sharing glimpses into the livelihood of the Bisingai tribe and its Adat Oma (old religion) in the olden days.

Nevertheless, he stressed that the Adat Oma has virtually disappeared following the spread of Christianity (Catholicism) by the Dutch priest Felix Westerwoudt in 1885 and subsequently, the establishment of schools by the churches thereafter.

The ‘Singai: Glimpses From The Past’ talk was organised by Friends of Sarawak Museum (FOSM) as part of its ‘Sarawak Snapshots: Museum Talks 2024’ series.

Also present were FOSM chairperson Datu Ose Murang; Jayl Langub, Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Borneo Studies (IBS), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas); and Nuek’s wife Modiana Koliew. — DayakDaily