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By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, Sept 3: Since opening to the public, Bung Bratak Heritage Centre has drawn many local and foreign visitors to come enjoy the breathtaking and picturesque destination.
Not only is the site a popular visitor destination for experiencing the Bidayuh way of life and traditions, it is also rich in history and tales of tragedy and resilience.
The early Bidayuh settlers in Bung Bratak experienced hardship and tragedy but they were resilient and managed to come back stronger, rebuild and thrive till the present day.
According to Bung Bratak Heritage Association deputy chairman Rayan Narong, Bung Bratak is the ancestral home and the earliest settlement for the Bidayuh Jagoi-Bratak group in Bau and Lundu Districts.
Rayan said researchers and historians have confirmed that Bung Bratak came into existence approximately 750 years ago.
“For hundreds of years, the people of Bung Bratak lived peacefully on hill padi cultivation until they were attacked and (the community) razed on May 1, 1838 by invaders from Skrang,” he said.
He related this during the launching of “Program Merakyatkan Seni (PMS) Festival Bung Bratak 2023” at the Bung Bratak Heritage Centre by the federal Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture secretary-general Datuk Roslan Abdul Rahman, who represented his minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing.
Bung Bratak was rebuilt in 1841 under the leadership of Panglima Kulow, who was the help of the first Rajah of Sarawak, Sir James Brooke.
“So after 1841, approximately 30 villages in Bau and Lundu Districts emerged, and these people were from Bung Bratak.
“The event in 1838 inspired the Bidayuh of Jagoi-Bratak to declare the Bung Bratak day be celebrated on May 1 every year. They sent a proposal on that declaration to the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) in 1988,” he said.
Bung Bratak is situated along Bau-Lundu Road and about 39 kilometres from Kuching near Kampung Tebawang Sauh Bau. — DayakDaily
