Ngajat Semain

2009-06-15-NGAJAT

This traditional dance is performed to entertain invited guests and guest of honors during big function invited by the Chief Community of the Dayak people call the Iban.

It symbolize the happy ending of another cycle of padi planting season, welcoming the God of Farming to the feast and giving thanks for the bountiful and successful harvest.

In the past, a “Ngajat Semain” was performed by young Iban boys and girls who have just complete their Ngajat lessons taught to them after the heavy work of clearing the forest and burning season is over. The tempo of this Ngajat performed by the girls is slow and graceful displaying the beautiful design pattern of the newly completed “Pua Kumbu” woven by the girls during the farming cycle.

As for the young boys, the tempo is also slow displaying their martial artistic and balancing skills in preparation to enter their adulthood life. This means that they will take more adult responsibility in the next farming season. This is also an opportunity for them to display their beautiful costumes, headgears, amulets such as Engkerimok, Simpai, Tumpa Bala and of course their new fully decorated swords and its design.

At the present day, the Ngajat music and dance are perform to preserve the Iban Culture and for the younger generation to value the unique of it.