The Golden Land -- Sarawak , Chapter Fourteen

written by Dr. James Chong  09-I-12


Golden Land --  Sarawak

Chapter Fourteen , Cooperaton is gold

The group of Gold Miners led by Mr. S. P. Liew headed towarded Sambas ( Singkawan of Indonesia).

It was rainning everyday at the end of 1852. The total rain fall was double of other period of time in Sarawak.
For three days the group of one thousand five hudred men and few women including the newly wed wife
May Sun of the leader Liew, struggled against the rain and strong wind.

It was unusual to encounter strong wind during the year end monsoon seasons. They laboured their tract through
thick tropical forest during day time. It was almost completely dark during periods of most heavy rain in the forest.
What they could hear was the sound of splashing water from the hundred feet tree top hitting the thick layers of
giant tree leaves.

Suddenly S.P. Liew ordered the group to stop. The intermittent broken chain like travelling group stopped, looked at each other
and kept complete silence. They knew that they were in the Dutch controlled area of Borneo Island ( present day Indonesia Kalimantan)
That area was the notorious zone of Dayak head hunters, who got all aspect of rewards from their head man with
the presentation of 'enemy's' head. The rewards include food, wine, the most pretty girl to the brave head hunter.

S.P. Liew had a handsome cousin Ah Ma Liew, who made friend with a Dayak ( then called Dyak) youth and went to his long house many times and
taught him and his fellow villager the modern ways of food cultivation including slow heat soil compose and practical crop farming.
They grew white carrot and Spinage vegetable which was fenced up infront of the long house.

The greenery was a rare sight around the traditional stilted huge building which was 63 rooms used by 63 families.
Tubit, the strong young Iban man of 20 years old learned fast and soon became the wisest handiman in that community.
He stayed in the same room of 20 feet by 60 feet room with no window but double layers thick bamboo wall at the back.
The bamboo they used was a foot in diametre. There was lots of giant bamboo in Sarawak which was one of the asset of the golden land.

Young Ah Ma Liew told his good friend one day that he intended to go back to Sambus to his young wife. That night
after great feast and best wine from the long house, Ah Ma Liew head was cut off by his friend Tubit.

For five days the head was smoked above a fire with green leaves and various plants addec on top of the fire. Tubit sang, drank wine and talked to
skull,

' Ah Ma, now we are together all the time.' Tubit Grinned and there was a mixed expression of loss and satisfaction.
The whole long house community kept quiet about the killing. Ah Ma Liew was not Tubit's enenmy. He was his sincere friend who offered
all he had to his friend.

S P Liew's mind drifted to 1949, that year he loss his nephew Ah Ma.
The same year Jagou Long House mourned for the tenth years of serious loss with three thousand two hundred and thirteen villagers killed by enemy
from the north east, the sea Dayaks.( also known as Iban )

S P Liew signaled to settle for a night rest and told the twelve group leaders to set up shelter, guards and fire to make supper.
They had stone hard rice cookies which was brown in colour. After dried cabbage called Tung Choy was added in the soup of brown stone-like rice,
a delicious glutinous rice was ready for the whole group.

It was simple for the miners to start a fire even during the strongest raining day. They used Phospherous, cotton wool like fine pieces of wood cut
from the centre of huge tree trunk, which was dry and ready for handsome fire.

The reached Sambas and the rain stopped. It was always sunny during the morning of winter ( end of the year) in Sambas.

There were friends around Sambas and they gathered the resources ready for the Spring.
S P Liew dreamed of the huge gold nugget that night. One day he would be back in Sarawak -- the Golden land.