After lunch and a nap, we had a quick meeting in order to begin our work in Muk Ayung. Our task was to interview as many villagers as we could to gather information and oral history to show that they have native customary rights (NCR) over the land.
Basically, these natives have been living in the Bengoh land for hundreds of years. Their ancestors, the Dayaks, came from Kalimantan into the hills where they first settled in Bengoh - records and oral history suggest this may have happened as early as 1201AD.
When the Dayak people settle in one place, they form a kampung. They cultivate the land around them to produce food and building materials for themselves. They also make pathways for access around the area. As the population of a kampung grows, some villagers will break away to form new kampungs and explore greater territory. Although they move away, the following generations will always only move to and occupy new areas that are within specific ancestral boundaries.
These boundaries, which usually consist of natural geographical features such as large rivers and mountain ranges, are important because they define the land over which the villagers should have their native customary rights. Within these areas, the villagers will have allocated areas for houses, farming plots, burial grounds and primary forest for the purpose of hunting and foraging. In turn, the land is also divided in ownership between the inhabitants and passed down from generation to generation.
FUN FACT: The Bidayuh people have a tradition of hanging bodies of the deceased on tree trunks to rot away, although this is no longer practiced!
The issue
Once the RM300 million Bengoh dam is fully functioning, its reserve will supposedly be able to supply Kuching with 2047 million litres of water per day - more than 1500 million litres per day more than current consumption rates! The damming of Sarawak Kiri river will produce a reservoir submerging a total area of 8.72 sq km of the Bengoh jungle - including land belonging to four kampungs: Sait, Bojong, Rejoi and Semban.
As mentioned earlier, nearly half of Kampung Sait's inhabitants decided not to follow the government's compensation plan, instead resettling to higher ground and forming Kampung Muk Ayung. The villagers expressed much unhappiness about the situation: how they felt fooled into signing away rights, how their compensation was unfair and insufficient, how the resettlement scheme was inadequate. Considering their lifestyle and the vast lands they have lived in for hundreds of years, it is clear to see that moving to Semadang (resettlement area) would be a death trap as far as their livelihood goes. Logging of the resettlement area has further aggravated the issue as villagers claim the land is now damaged and infertile.
The villagers in Muk Ayung only accepted compensation for the land that is to be flooded and then began resettling in the new kampung which is still within the ancestral land. However, their right to this land is also being challenged. The government is claiming they are not allowed to stay there and should move to Semadang since they have already accepted compensation.
The villagers in Muk Ayung are planning to bring this case to the court in a bid to secure their NCR land and receive a more just amount of compensation for all that they will be losing.
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| Simon giving us a briefing |
Basically, these natives have been living in the Bengoh land for hundreds of years. Their ancestors, the Dayaks, came from Kalimantan into the hills where they first settled in Bengoh - records and oral history suggest this may have happened as early as 1201AD.
 |
| Geographically inaccurate migratory route map illustration I made - the hook-like mountain range is Bengoh though :P |
When the Dayak people settle in one place, they form a kampung. They cultivate the land around them to produce food and building materials for themselves. They also make pathways for access around the area. As the population of a kampung grows, some villagers will break away to form new kampungs and explore greater territory. Although they move away, the following generations will always only move to and occupy new areas that are within specific ancestral boundaries.
 |
| Four affected kampungs |
FUN FACT: The Bidayuh people have a tradition of hanging bodies of the deceased on tree trunks to rot away, although this is no longer practiced!
The issue
Once the RM300 million Bengoh dam is fully functioning, its reserve will supposedly be able to supply Kuching with 2047 million litres of water per day - more than 1500 million litres per day more than current consumption rates! The damming of Sarawak Kiri river will produce a reservoir submerging a total area of 8.72 sq km of the Bengoh jungle - including land belonging to four kampungs: Sait, Bojong, Rejoi and Semban.
As mentioned earlier, nearly half of Kampung Sait's inhabitants decided not to follow the government's compensation plan, instead resettling to higher ground and forming Kampung Muk Ayung. The villagers expressed much unhappiness about the situation: how they felt fooled into signing away rights, how their compensation was unfair and insufficient, how the resettlement scheme was inadequate. Considering their lifestyle and the vast lands they have lived in for hundreds of years, it is clear to see that moving to Semadang (resettlement area) would be a death trap as far as their livelihood goes. Logging of the resettlement area has further aggravated the issue as villagers claim the land is now damaged and infertile.
The villagers in Muk Ayung only accepted compensation for the land that is to be flooded and then began resettling in the new kampung which is still within the ancestral land. However, their right to this land is also being challenged. The government is claiming they are not allowed to stay there and should move to Semadang since they have already accepted compensation.
The villagers in Muk Ayung are planning to bring this case to the court in a bid to secure their NCR land and receive a more just amount of compensation for all that they will be losing.
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