By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, Nov 27: The validity of the old ‘Adat Deya Tarih Pasid’ (the umbilical cord tradition) of the Bidayuh is facing a challenge following the latest development where only local church members are entitled to be buried in the village or church cemetery.
According to the Minister in the Premier’s Department, Dato Sri John Sikie Tayai, ‘Adat Deya Tarih Pasid’, which is the right to be buried, is quite similar to ‘Adat Temuni’ (umbilical cord rule) in some other native communities, which states that a person has the right to be buried in the land where his or her ‘temuni’ (umbilical cord) was buried (place of birth).
He said the custom practised by most Bidayuh communities was that every Bidayuh had the right to be buried in the cemetery of his or her ancestral village when he or she died, according to ‘Adat Deya Tarih Pasid’.
“The place where his or her ancestors’ umbilical cords were buried is regarded as the ancestral kampung of every Bidayuh.
“However, now, the authority to decide the right of burial is in the hands of the village church committee, which overrides the authority of the ‘ketua kampung’ (village head) and ‘Adat Deya Tarih Pasid’.
“According to the current practice, only members of the church are entitled to be buried in the ‘kampung’ (village) or church cemetery.
“As such, ‘Adat Deya Tarih Pasid’ is no longer relevant for the regulation of burial of the dead. This has caused a lot of burial problems and anxiety in some Bidayuh communities, bearing in mind the period for managing and arranging the burial of the dead is very short,” said Sikie when delivering his winding-up speech at Sarawak Legislative Assembly here today.
He said Majlis Adat Istiadat Sarawak (Mais) had been held by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church.
According to him, the Archbishop of the Catholic Church held that, in principle, if the land in which the cemetery is situated was registered in the name of the Catholic Church, then only members of the church can be buried in the cemetery.
If the land were not registered under the Archbishop’s name, the rights to be buried in the cemetery would be decided by the Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) and the village church committee.
Concerning the Anglican Church, Sikie said the church believed the issues could have arisen due to certain approaches or stands taken by the JKKK and village church committee.
“The Anglican church seemed to prefer that JKKK and the church committee decide on the rights of burial in the ‘kampung’ cemetery.
“As there has been no clear or definite decision made and endorsed in writing by the parties involved following the discussion, this issue is still far from settled and more follow-up discussions would be organised,” said Sikie. — DayakDaily
