By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 19: A traditional Kenyah Badeng hat, once looted during warfare and kept for over a century at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England, has been returned to Sarawak, sparking a cultural revival among Kenyah Badeng women who are now racing to replicate the iconic headgear in a statewide Hat Challenge Competition.
According to a press release, the historic artifact, recorded in the Sarawak Museum Registration Book as one of six items taken during a conflict with the Kenyah Badeng, was presented to Rajah Charles Brooke and eventually made its way to England.
“After extensive correspondence, and with the support of the Sarawak Heritage Council, Sarawak Museum, and the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts, the hat and its official title were returned to KEBANA (Persatuan Kenyah Badeng Sarawak) during a ceremony in Oxford in Nov 2024. It is now held in the custody of the Sarawak Museum Department,” the press release stated.
To celebrate its return, KEBANA is organising the Hat Challenge as part of the KEBANA Festival, to be held from May 31 to June 2, 2025, at the Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) Miri.
Badeng women across Sarawak are weaving replicas of the heritage hat, a large, protective piece traditionally worn by mothers, using natural-dyed rattan and bamboo.
Community members have already begun placing orders, eager to own a piece of their living heritage.
The competition closes on May 30, with winners to be announced during the ‘Malam Kebudayaan Pesta KEBANA’ on June 1.
For more information, visit www.saungseling.com or contact Hilary Samah Tet at 013-8335173 / samahhilary@gmail.com. — DayakDaily
