Gawai is the glue holding Dayaks together, says pundit

Dato Peter Minos

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, May 31: Gawai Dayak has become the cultural glue that binds Sarawak’s diverse Dayak communities together, helping to preserve unity and preventing divisions that once weakened the community politically, says political pundit Dato Peter Minos.

Minos said the annual harvest festival does more than bring joy and celebration to villages and longhouses across the State, as it also serves as a powerful reminder of the common identity shared by Ibans, Bidayuhs and Orang Ulus.

“Gawai is one thing that tells the Dayaks — whether Ibans, Bidayuhs or Orang Ulus — that they are Dayaks and basically one people with many things in common,” he said in a statement today.

According to him, the various Dayak communities share common roots as the indigenous peoples of Borneo, with similarities in their cultures, traditions and heritage, while also facing similar challenges arising from progress and modernisation.

He said Gawai continually reconnects Dayaks with their roots and heritage, strengthening the foundations of their social and cultural unity.

“Without Gawai, it is too easy for the Dayaks to get separated and divided. Gawai keeps alive the Dayak spirit in them,” he added.

Minos pointed to the Bidayuh community as an example, saying the celebration helps foster a stronger sense of belonging among Bidayuhs despite differences in dialects and the geographical barriers that once separated communities.

He said the same could be said of the Iban and Orang Ulu communities, many of whom have historically lived far apart along major river systems and in remote interior areas.

Minos argued that the unity fostered through Gawai has also translated into political unity.

“From social and cultural unity, the Dayaks see fruitful logic in getting united politically, as they do now in GPS,” he said.

He added that many Dayaks today see little reason for political divisions when they share common interests and aspirations.

“The Dayaks have learned from bitter lessons of the past when political disunity gripped them. Now they do not want to repeat the same political problem. The common talk now is unity,” he emphasised. — DayakDaily