Iban thanksgiving ceremony enacted at Borneo Cultural Festival

THE Gawai Teresang Tinggi, a traditional Iban thanksgiving ceremony, was enacted last Sunday morning at the Dayak section of the Borneo Cultural Festival (BCF) in Sibu. The elaborate ceremony lasted four and a half hours.

Traditionally, it is held at longhouses during the Gawai Dayak to thank deities such as Keling, Laja and Bungai Nuing for the year’s harvest and ask for better harvests, health and prosperity in the years to come.