{"id":11836,"date":"2007-01-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2007-01-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress\/2007\/01\/05\/sarawaks-traditional-sports\/"},"modified":"2007-01-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2007-01-05T00:00:00","slug":"sarawaks-traditional-sports-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.rakansarawak.com\/?p=11836","title":{"rendered":"Sarawak\u2019s Traditional Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div align=&quot;justify&quot;><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;><br \/>\nDuring the 2006 Sarawak Traditional Sports Carnival in Mukah, various<br \/>\ntraditional sports were competed. Here are the backgrounds on some of<br \/>\nthem:<\/p>\n<p><b>1. Sepak Raga Bulatan<\/b><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>Sepak<br \/>\nraga bulatan is a Malay traditional sport. Historically, visitors,<br \/>\ntrades people and Malay soldiers whom were stationed in Sarawak<br \/>\nintroduced it in 1958 during the formation of Malaysia. It quickly<br \/>\nbecame a local favourite when Sarawakians whom furthered their studies<br \/>\nin West Malaysia (which was known as \u2018Malaya\u2019 at the time) brought back<br \/>\nsepak raga balls and rulebooks for the sport. Players of this sport<br \/>\nplay it by standing in a circle formation. A player can only use his<br \/>\nlegs and head to kick and hit the sepak raga ball that is made of woven<br \/>\nstrips of rattan or bamboo. A sepak raga court can essentially be<br \/>\ncreated on any area\/space that is flat and wide by outlining a circle<br \/>\nthat has a radius of 4 metres. A circle with a radius of 1 metre should<br \/>\nthen be drawn in the middle of the first circle. The players should<br \/>\nstand in between both circles during a match. 6 people per team play<br \/>\nthis sport at all times with 1 replacement player on standby. The<br \/>\nreplacement player can join the match if the ball is in mid-air or when<br \/>\nit has fallen onto the ground. <\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;><br \/><b>2. Tug-of-war<\/b><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>Tug-of-war<br \/>\nhas been a staple of traditional sports in Sarawak for as long as<br \/>\nanyone can remember. It started out as a means of testing one\u2019s<br \/>\nstrength by competing against teams of Malays, Ibans, Melanaus and<br \/>\nother races. Teams were also divided based according to their jobs,<br \/>\nsuch as farmers, fishermen and loggers. Today in the 21st Century, this<br \/>\nsport has become more sophisticated, attracting the likes of staff<br \/>\nmembers from government bodies, private companies and members of the<br \/>\npublic. Typically, the minimum length for the rope that is used in<br \/>\ntug-of-war has to be at least 33.5 metres. Each team must consist of 12<br \/>\nmembers, with 8 of them competing whilst the remaining 4 as<br \/>\nreplacements. For men, the total weight of the team cannot exceed 640<br \/>\nkgs whereas the maximum weight for the women\u2019s team is 560 kgs. Before<br \/>\na match begins, each team must position themselves 4 metres away from<br \/>\nthe centre of the rope. The side on which the team positions themselves<br \/>\nis determined by a coin toss that is carried out by the referee.<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;><br \/><b>3. Blowpipe<\/b><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>The<br \/>\nIbans, Bidayuhs and Orang Ulus typically used the blowpipe for hunting<br \/>\nwild animals in the forests of Sarawak. Nowadays, the blowpipe has<br \/>\nbecome popularised and entrants competing in blowpipe competitions come<br \/>\nfrom all races within the state. The Sarawakian blowpipe is made from<br \/>\nwood and has a spear at the end of it. In comparison, the blowpipe of<br \/>\nthe Orang Asli in Peninsula Malaysia is made out of bamboo. The small<br \/>\ndarts (damak) that are used for the blowpipe can be derived from<br \/>\nwhatever material that the competitor finds suitable, as well as the<br \/>\nlength and size of them. In a competition, competitors must stand 90<br \/>\nfeet away from the target. To note, the size of the target is<br \/>\ndetermined by the organisers of the competition. Each competitor is<br \/>\nonly allowed to use 10 darts to hit the target and must use them within<br \/>\n5 minutes. If a competitor takes more than 5 minutes, the darts that<br \/>\nwere used after the 5-minute mark will not be counted.<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;><br \/><b>4. Batak Lampong<\/b><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>Batak<br \/>\nlampong is an Iban traditional sport that has been handed down to the<br \/>\nIban people by their ancestors. Traditionally, the Ibans used this<br \/>\nsport as a method of testing one\u2019s physical strength as well as keeping<br \/>\nclose ties amongst members of the longhouse. It is usually played<br \/>\nduring the Gawai Antu\/Gawai Batu\/Gawai Kenyalang celebrations. In Iban,<br \/>\n\u2018batak\u2019 means pull while \u2018lampong\u2019 refers to a stick of medium length<br \/>\nand proportions (2 feet in length with a diameter of 2 inches). <\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>In<br \/>\norder to play batak lampong, two people are required to sit across from<br \/>\neach other on a flat-surfaced floor\/area with their legs outstretched<br \/>\nand their soles directly facing one another. A wooden board that is 2<br \/>\nfeet long and has a height of 6 inches is then placed in between both<br \/>\ncompetitors\u2019 soles as a focal point for their feet. Next, the<br \/>\ncompetitors must use their hands to hold the lampong directly above<br \/>\ntheir feet in a horizontally straight position. Finally, with a signal<br \/>\nfrom the referee, the competitors have to pull the lampong as hard as<br \/>\nthey can in their direction, with the winner of the match being<br \/>\ndetermined from the best three pulls. If there is a draw after the<br \/>\nsecond pull, a 5-minute break will be allowed before the third pull is<br \/>\ncommenced. <\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;><br \/><b>5. Payu Orang Ulu <\/b><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>Payu<br \/>\nis traditional Orang Ulu wrestling that is usually organised and<br \/>\ncompeted by the men during the Do Ledoh harvest festival that is<br \/>\nusually celebrated annually in April or May. Either men from the same<br \/>\nlonghouse or men from various longhouses are traditionally allowed to<br \/>\ncompete against each other. In the Orang Ulu community, particularly in<br \/>\nBelaga, only two types of payu have been identified, these being Payu<br \/>\nTelanga\/Payu Bah and Payu Pekahep\/Payu Hivan. <\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>Payu<br \/>\nPekahep\/Payu Hivan is considered to be the more dangerous of the two<br \/>\nbecause the competitors do not use the \u2018bah\u2019 (a belt-like piece of<br \/>\ncloth that is wrapped around the competitor\u2019s waist) while competing,<br \/>\nhence the Payu Telanga\/Payu Bah being the sports of choice to be<br \/>\ncompeted or demonstrated during the Sarawak Traditional Sports<br \/>\nCarnival. However, the wrestling techniques for both types of payu are<br \/>\nstill alike. For Payu Telanga\/Payu Bah, a wrestling match takes place<br \/>\nbetween two men whose opening stance is to have both hands holding the<br \/>\nopponent\u2019s \u2018bah\u2019, with one hand holding the front part and the other<br \/>\nholding the back part. The objective of the match is to turn, twist,<br \/>\nlift or carry the opponent, leading to his fall and ultimate defeat. <\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;><br \/><b>6. Gasing<\/b><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>Gasing<br \/>\n(spinning top) is a popular sport in Malaysia, as found in other Asian<br \/>\ncountries as well such as Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines and<br \/>\nThailand. This sport is extremely popular in the villages of Kelantan<br \/>\nand Malacca after the rice-harvest, with villagers challenging each<br \/>\nother to test their gasing skills. It is played on the evenly smooth<br \/>\nsurface of a court that is made from earth or clay.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>Firstly,<br \/>\ntwo circles are drawn on the court\u2019s surface, with the first circle<br \/>\nhaving a radius of no more than 2.2 metres and the second circle that<br \/>\nhas to be drawn in the middle of the first circle with a radius of no<br \/>\nmore than 0.76 metres. These circles define the areas in which the<br \/>\ngasings are allowed to spin in as any area outside these two circles<br \/>\nwill be considered to be illegal. <\/font><br \/><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>Most<br \/>\nimportantly, one will need a gasing and some string to spin it in order<br \/>\nto play. The body of the gasing can only be made out of wood and there<br \/>\nmust not be additional materials added onto it. The minimum diameter<br \/>\nmeasurement of the gasing must be 36 cm, with a maximum of 46 cm while<br \/>\nits height must be a minimum of 9 cm and the maximum being 20 cm. As<br \/>\nfor the string, it has to be made from thread or the bark of terap wood<br \/>\nor similar materials but fine wire is disallowed.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>A<br \/>\ngame can be played either in a one-on-one or group situation (each<br \/>\ngroup should have 3 players and 1 reserve player). The objective of the<br \/>\ngame is to hit the opponent\u2019s gasing so that it will fall over.<\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;><br \/><b>7. Wau <\/b><br \/><\/font><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>The<br \/>\nwau is a traditional kite that is extremely popular in the states of<br \/>\nKedah, Kelantan and Terengganu. Traditionally flown after the<br \/>\nrice-harvest season, these kites are typically as large as a man &#8211;<br \/>\nmeasuring approximately 3.5 metres from head to tail. The term \u2018wau\u2019<br \/>\nrefers to the shape of the kite, which is similar to the Arabic letter<br \/>\nthat is pronounced as \u2018wow\u2019.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>This<br \/>\nyear, KPSU divided the wau competition into two categories, namely the<br \/>\n\u2018National Traditional Wau\u2019 and \u2018Freestyle Wau\u2019 categories. For the<br \/>\n\u2018National Traditional Wau\u2019 category, participants were required to make<br \/>\na wau within two days using only paper and parts of local plants such<br \/>\nas bamboo, nibung and rotan. The string must also be made from local<br \/>\nplants such as mengkuang and mulung leaves whilst only things of local<br \/>\norigin can be used as decorative ornaments.<\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>With<br \/>\nthe second category, its name \u2018Freestyle Wau\u2019 says it all. Participants<br \/>\nare allowed to use paper, cloth or other materials that they see fit<br \/>\nwhereas the designs are dependant upon the participants\u2019 creativity and<br \/>\nimagination. However, the one rule that both categories have in common<br \/>\nis that the participants must get their waus in-flight within 10<br \/>\nminutes after the referee blows the first whistle. Upon the second<br \/>\nwhistle, participants must begin to lower their waus. <\/font><\/p>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;>Placements<br \/>\nwill thus be given towards the most creative wau, the most beautiful<br \/>\nwau and the best airborne wau for both categories. <\/font><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><font face=&quot;Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif&quot; size=&quot;2&quot;><br \/><\/font><\/div>\n<div style='text-align:center' class='yasr-auto-insert-visitor'><!--Yasr Visitor Votes Shortcode--><div id='yasr_visitor_votes_f08cc674a6ec3' class='yasr-visitor-votes'><div class=\"yasr-custom-text-vv-before yasr-custom-text-vv-before-11836\">Click to rate this post!<\/div><div id='yasr-vv-second-row-container-f08cc674a6ec3'\r\n                                        class='yasr-vv-second-row-container'><div id='yasr-visitor-votes-rater-f08cc674a6ec3'\r\n                                      class='yasr-rater-stars-vv'\r\n                                      data-rater-postid='11836'\r\n                                      data-rating='0'\r\n                                      data-rater-starsize='16'\r\n                                      data-rater-readonly='true'\r\n                                      data-rater-nonce='6d77369fc6'\r\n                                      data-issingular='false'\r\n                                    ><\/div><div class=\"yasr-vv-stats-text-container\" id=\"yasr-vv-stats-text-container-f08cc674a6ec3\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\"\r\n                                   class=\"yasr-dashicons-visitor-stats\"\r\n                                   data-postid=\"11836\"\r\n                                   id=\"yasr-stats-dashicon-f08cc674a6ec3\">\r\n                                   <path d=\"M18 18v-16h-4v16h4zM12 18v-11h-4v11h4zM6 18v-8h-4v8h4z\"><\/path>\r\n                               <\/svg><span id=\"yasr-vv-text-container-f08cc674a6ec3\" class=\"yasr-vv-text-container\">[Total: <span id=\"yasr-vv-votes-number-container-f08cc674a6ec3\">0<\/span>  Average: <span id=\"yasr-vv-average-container-f08cc674a6ec3\">0<\/span>]<\/span><\/div><div id='yasr-vv-loader-f08cc674a6ec3' class='yasr-vv-container-loader'><\/div><\/div><div id='yasr-vv-bottom-container-f08cc674a6ec3' class='yasr-vv-bottom-container'><div class='yasr-small-block-bold'><span class='yasr-visitor-votes-must-sign-in'>You must sign in to vote<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><!--End Yasr Visitor Votes Shortcode--><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During the 2006 Sarawak Traditional Sports Carnival in Mukah, various traditional sports were competed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3168],"class_list":{"0":"post-11836","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-featured","7":"tag-rencana"},"acf":[],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"<div class='yasr-small-block-bold'><span class='yasr-visitor-votes-must-sign-in'>You must sign in to vote<\/span><\/div>"},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-23 13:12:36","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.rakansarawak.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11836","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.rakansarawak.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.rakansarawak.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.rakansarawak.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.rakansarawak.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11836"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www2.rakansarawak.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11836\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.rakansarawak.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11836"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.rakansarawak.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11836"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.rakansarawak.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11836"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}