Most people are familiar with beauty pageants held in extravagant hotels with designer gowns, over-the-top crowns and celebrities as judges. However, in a small village in Sarawak, a pageant of a different sort is held annually to celebrate beauty and culture. New Sunday Times speaks to the reigning king and queen of the Lun Bawang tribe
FOR the Lun Bawang tribe in northern Sarawak, their annual beauty pageant is not just about celebrity status, popularity or fame. To these villages, their contest holds much more cultural significance — it’s about the preservation of their tribal traditions.
This forgotten tribespeople, who are a minority in northern Sarawak, celebrate the annual Lun Bawang Cultural Festival in June.
The event, organised by the Lun Bawang Association of Sarawak with the support of the Sarawak Tourism Board, gives a platform for young Lun Bawang natives to set great examples and be a motivation for the community, especially youth.
Reigning queen Angela Maria Frank, 26, joined the pageant to help her family.
“I registered for the pageant to help my ailing father with his medical bills and the prize money was my biggest motivation.
“Unfortunately, he passed away last year. I was very close to him,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“After winning the pageant, I feel the responsibility to inspire youth to empower themselves despite being a minority group,” said Maria, who is a teacher at an international school.
The youngest of five siblings, Angela is from Gaya Baru village. As the queen (Ruran Ulung), she feels blessed and hopes to inspire her students to strive for more in life.
“While I’m trying my best to promote my culture, I hope my efforts will rub off on my students. If I can make it from a humble beginning, they can, too. And this is what I want to instil in them.
“At the age of 15, I left home to be independent. I left my home, the durian and padi smallholdings to study in a technical school in Kuching. I hated being away from my village, but I knew I needed to come out of poverty and create a better life for me and my family.
“Ultimately, despite your life’s circumstances, it’s important to be humble, stay positive and always do the right thing. Always know that you are blessed and never forget your roots.”
Reigning king Octavien Pagag, 25, who just completed his business diploma at Universiti Teknologi Mara, has always had his eye on the crown.
“I guess you could say I’m not a pageant virgin. This is my fourth pageant and I even made it to the finals in London for the Borneo Hornbill Festival last December.”
He said life in Puneng Berayung village among the padi fields where he came from was never easy.
“For a young boy from a small rural community to make it to the top three in London was something impossible. Yet, I achieved it, especially by gaining a lot of knowledge about our traditions from my grandfather, who helped me prepare for the competition.
“The Lun Bawang pageant is close to my heart because it has taught me so much about my culture. Instead of focusing on physical appearance, ethnic pageants give attention to details such as contestants’ background, what they wear and the story behind their accessories.”
Padan Liu Burung, as the king is known, said it was very sad that many youths in their tribe had lost interest in their culture.
“My culture is who I am. I will never forget that. Because we’re slowly losing our identity, I hope to motivate and inspire youth to embrace our history, to learn, love and spread the values of our forgotten tribe.
“The Lun Bawang youth have to believe they can achieve the impossible. Unfortunately, many lack confidence and are timid. So, they don’t try and never realise their full potential. But you also have to be committed. Otherwise, it won’t happen.”
Jude Benjamin, who is the organising chairman of the Ruran Ulung and Padan Liu Burung pageants and Youth wing vice-chairman of the Lun Bawang Association of Sarawak, said the Lun Bawang Festival had been running for 30 years.
“The focus is to educate young adults on tribal culture by conducting workshops, food booths and pageants in a fun and effective way for them to learn.
“This is a great platform for us to preserve, promote and expose the young people to our tribal culture. The festival usually runs for three days in the village and is usually full of merriment and festivity.”
He said the festival provided an opportunity for tribal folks to explore opportunities in education and career options following their performance at the pageant.
“This year, we’re trying to rebrand the cultural festival, where the pageant offers education scholarships to the winners. Hopefully, this will serve as a motivation for the youth.”
He said judges at the Lun Bawang pageant were the villagers, and the elderly ones ensured that the winners were well-versed with their traditions. While there are no height and weight requirements, contestants must be single, under the age of 28 for young women and 30 for men.
The Ruran Ulung refers to a legendary queen, dubbed the most beautiful woman to ever step foot on Earth. As such, she personifies beauty and good health, while being able to take care of her family by applying traditional practices. The ability to master the art of wrapping rice in tapioca leaves is one of the talents the contestants are judged on.
The Padan Liu Burung depicts a warrior who has a strong physique to provide for and protect his family and tribe. In the talent round, the contestants have to show their skills in chopping wood, catching fish and using the blow pipe.