Categories: English Publications

(2012) By Vinson H. Sutlive.
Published by The Tun Jugah Foundation.
Paperback: 2000 p.

Iban dirge or Iban death chant (Sabak), published in a set of two volumes. Titled “Tears of Sorrow, Words of Hope”,   is an ethnographic study of Iban death chant, comprising 2,000 pages, four ‘sabak kenang’ or memorial chants performed during the nights of one’s death and one ‘sabak lumbung’, a chant performed between three and one year after one’s death. One of the Sabak Kenang was compiled by Fr. Frederick Rajit from Saribas and Sabak Lumbung was performed by Madam Mindon from Baleh, Kapit.

The chants published in this two-volume publication are indispensable to researchers and students at institutions of higher learning or anyone else interested in Iban perceptions of relations between the living and the dead, and are exceedingly rich in their references to the inhabitants and geography of places which are cross-referenced to facilitate use by readers.

 

Written by Vinson H. Sutlive