By Azaraimy, Za'im and Amin
Three villages that received excellence awards were featured at "Kampong Cemerlang Gallery" or the village excellence gallery which was held at the venue of His Majesty's "Bersama Rakyat" in the Temburong District in conjunction with His Majesty's 61st birthday celebrations.
The three villages are Kg Sibut, Kg Amo and Kg Belais and Buda Buda. Kg Sibut, which is located in Mukim Amo, Temburong is some 13 kilometres away from Bangar Town and has a land area of approximately 763 hectares. Kg Sibut won third place in the Temburong District village excellence awards.
The village, which is home to some 26 longhouses, is named after Sibut River. A total of 232 people reside in the village comprising 90 males and 142 females. Communal work is part of the lifestyle of the people. Kg Sibut also showcased some of its products and activities at the gallery.
The people of Kg Sibut presented His Majesty with a pesambah in the form of a 'Lunga', a traditional carving knife made in Kg Sibut.
Also featured in the gallery yesterday was second-place winner Kg Amo.
Situated 12km away from Bangar Town, the village is resided by more than 600 people, 400 of whom are of the Iban ethnic group. Some 70 longhouses can be found in Kg Amo.
Most of the activities of the village are agriculture-based. Despite its remote location, Kg Amo is well taken care of in terms of the facilities that the residents enjoyed, as was evident in the gallery.
The people of Kg Amo presented His Majesty with a pesambah which is a model of the 'Temuai', a boat used by the Iban ethnic group as a means of transportation. The hand-made pesambah took two weeks to construct.
Kg Belais and Buda Buda emerged as the champion of the Temburong District village excellence award. The name of the village comes from the Murut ethnic group and is derived from a type of local fish.
More than 300 people reside in the village, the majority of whom are Malays.
The exhibition showcased the activities of the village and also showed a proposal for a development project in the village.
The people of Kg Belais and Buda Buda also presented His Majesty with a pesambah - an antique sword or machete. According to a representative from the village, the sword or machete is an antique item said to have been handed down over two generations.
- Borneo Bulletin
(18th July 2007)
