Sarawak’s Traditional Sports

1. Sepak Raga Bulatan

Sepak
raga bulatan is a Malay traditional sport. Historically, visitors,
trades people and Malay soldiers whom were stationed in Sarawak
introduced it in 1958 during the formation of Malaysia. It quickly
became a local favourite when Sarawakians whom furthered their studies
in West Malaysia (which was known as ‘Malaya’ at the time) brought back
sepak raga balls and rulebooks for the sport. Players of this sport
play it by standing in a circle formation. A player can only use his
legs and head to kick and hit the sepak raga ball that is made of woven
strips of rattan or bamboo. A sepak raga court can essentially be
created on any area/space that is flat and wide by outlining a circle
that has a radius of 4 metres. A circle with a radius of 1 metre should
then be drawn in the middle of the first circle. The players should
stand in between both circles during a match. 6 people per team play
this sport at all times with 1 replacement player on standby. The
replacement player can join the match if the ball is in mid-air or when
it has fallen onto the ground.

2. Tug-of-war

Tug-of-war
has been a staple of traditional sports in Sarawak for as long as
anyone can remember. It started out as a means of testing one’s
strength by competing against teams of Malays, Ibans, Melanaus and
other races. Teams were also divided based according to their jobs,
such as farmers, fishermen and loggers. Today in the 21st Century, this
sport has become more sophisticated, attracting the likes of staff
members from government bodies, private companies and members of the
public. Typically, the minimum length for the rope that is used in
tug-of-war has to be at least 33.5 metres. Each team must consist of 12
members, with 8 of them competing whilst the remaining 4 as
replacements. For men, the total weight of the team cannot exceed 640
kgs whereas the maximum weight for the women’s team is 560 kgs. Before
a match begins, each team must position themselves 4 metres away from
the centre of the rope. The side on which the team positions themselves
is determined by a coin toss that is carried out by the referee.

3. Blowpipe

The
Ibans, Bidayuhs and Orang Ulus typically used the blowpipe for hunting
wild animals in the forests of Sarawak. Nowadays, the blowpipe has
become popularised and entrants competing in blowpipe competitions come
from all races within the state. The Sarawakian blowpipe is made from
wood and has a spear at the end of it. In comparison, the blowpipe of
the Orang Asli in Peninsula Malaysia is made out of bamboo. The small
darts (damak) that are used for the blowpipe can be derived from
whatever material that the competitor finds suitable, as well as the
length and size of them. In a competition, competitors must stand 90
feet away from the target. To note, the size of the target is
determined by the organisers of the competition. Each competitor is
only allowed to use 10 darts to hit the target and must use them within
5 minutes. If a competitor takes more than 5 minutes, the darts that
were used after the 5-minute mark will not be counted.

4. Batak Lampong

Batak
lampong is an Iban traditional sport that has been handed down to the
Iban people by their ancestors. Traditionally, the Ibans used this
sport as a method of testing one’s physical strength as well as keeping
close ties amongst members of the longhouse. It is usually played
during the Gawai Antu/Gawai Batu/Gawai Kenyalang celebrations. In Iban,
‘batak’ means pull while ‘lampong’ refers to a stick of medium length
and proportions (2 feet in length with a diameter of 2 inches).

In
order to play batak lampong, two people are required to sit across from
each other on a flat-surfaced floor/area with their legs outstretched
and their soles directly facing one another. A wooden board that is 2
feet long and has a height of 6 inches is then placed in between both
competitors’ soles as a focal point for their feet. Next, the
competitors must use their hands to hold the lampong directly above
their feet in a horizontally straight position. Finally, with a signal
from the referee, the competitors have to pull the lampong as hard as
they can in their direction, with the winner of the match being
determined from the best three pulls. If there is a draw after the
second pull, a 5-minute break will be allowed before the third pull is
commenced.

5. Payu Orang Ulu

Payu
is traditional Orang Ulu wrestling that is usually organised and
competed by the men during the Do Ledoh harvest festival that is
usually celebrated annually in April or May. Either men from the same
longhouse or men from various longhouses are traditionally allowed to
compete against each other. In the Orang Ulu community, particularly in
Belaga, only two types of payu have been identified, these being Payu
Telanga/Payu Bah and Payu Pekahep/Payu Hivan.

Payu
Pekahep/Payu Hivan is considered to be the more dangerous of the two
because the competitors do not use the ‘bah’ (a belt-like piece of
cloth that is wrapped around the competitor’s waist) while competing,
hence the Payu Telanga/Payu Bah being the sports of choice to be
competed or demonstrated during the Sarawak Traditional Sports
Carnival. However, the wrestling techniques for both types of payu are
still alike. For Payu Telanga/Payu Bah, a wrestling match takes place
between two men whose opening stance is to have both hands holding the
opponent’s ‘bah’, with one hand holding the front part and the other
holding the back part. The objective of the match is to turn, twist,
lift or carry the opponent, leading to his fall and ultimate defeat.

6. Gasing

Gasing
(spinning top) is a popular sport in Malaysia, as found in other Asian
countries as well such as Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines and
Thailand. This sport is extremely popular in the villages of Kelantan
and Malacca after the rice-harvest, with villagers challenging each
other to test their gasing skills. It is played on the evenly smooth
surface of a court that is made from earth or clay.

Firstly,
two circles are drawn on the court’s surface, with the first circle
having a radius of no more than 2.2 metres and the second circle that
has to be drawn in the middle of the first circle with a radius of no
more than 0.76 metres. These circles define the areas in which the
gasings are allowed to spin in as any area outside these two circles
will be considered to be illegal.
Most
importantly, one will need a gasing and some string to spin it in order
to play. The body of the gasing can only be made out of wood and there
must not be additional materials added onto it. The minimum diameter
measurement of the gasing must be 36 cm, with a maximum of 46 cm while
its height must be a minimum of 9 cm and the maximum being 20 cm. As
for the string, it has to be made from thread or the bark of terap wood
or similar materials but fine wire is disallowed.

A
game can be played either in a one-on-one or group situation (each
group should have 3 players and 1 reserve player). The objective of the
game is to hit the opponent’s gasing so that it will fall over.

7. Wau

The
wau is a traditional kite that is extremely popular in the states of
Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. Traditionally flown after the
rice-harvest season, these kites are typically as large as a man –
measuring approximately 3.5 metres from head to tail. The term ‘wau’
refers to the shape of the kite, which is similar to the Arabic letter
that is pronounced as ‘wow’.

This
year, KPSU divided the wau competition into two categories, namely the
‘National Traditional Wau’ and ‘Freestyle Wau’ categories. For the
‘National Traditional Wau’ category, participants were required to make
a wau within two days using only paper and parts of local plants such
as bamboo, nibung and rotan. The string must also be made from local
plants such as mengkuang and mulung leaves whilst only things of local
origin can be used as decorative ornaments.

With
the second category, its name ‘Freestyle Wau’ says it all. Participants
are allowed to use paper, cloth or other materials that they see fit
whereas the designs are dependant upon the participants’ creativity and
imagination. However, the one rule that both categories have in common
is that the participants must get their waus in-flight within 10
minutes after the referee blows the first whistle. Upon the second
whistle, participants must begin to lower their waus.

Placements
will thus be given towards the most creative wau, the most beautiful
wau and the best airborne wau for both categories.