Collecting Honey

00:00:01la' mala lem ayu' kapeh kamih lun kelabit ngalap duru' bua' tikan
I'm going to talk about how we Kelabit get honey from beehives

00:00:09ngi Pa Umur, Bario, pelaba doo' mula' bua' tikan apen kamih ngilad neh lah
in Pa Umur, Bario, we used to collect a lot of beehives in the past

00:00:17renga' narih madi' dih
when we were young

00:00:18kinih kapeh kamih renga' la' ngalap bua' tikan
this is how we used to get beehives

00:00:22pu'un-pu'un kayu' matey Tama' uih keyh
firstly, like my late father

00:00:25Ribu Lung ngadan neh
his name was Ribu Lung

00:00:27ieh nih suk tukeng mey ni'er-ni'er dangar ieh, lawa dangar
he was an expert at going to check the dangar trees

00:00:32pedita' lati' kamih neh
at the top of our farm

00:00:34pedita' lati' neh memang mula' lawa dangar
at the top of our farm there were lots of dangar trees

00:00:37dangar ineh, laba siri lawa
the trunk of the dangar tree is very straight

00:00:41am teh da'an-da'an neh maya' ngi beneh dih lah
there aren't any branches at the bottom

00:00:44dita' ieh
it's tall

00:00:45neh neh bua' tikan ineh
and the bees

00:00:47doo' pian mey naru' arar dedih lah, enun bua' tikan dedih ngi luun nangey
they really like to make their nests, their beehives at the top up there

00:00:55mey neh Tama' mey mikak-mikak bua' tikan nuk ineh
so dad went to check on the beehives

00:00:59mula' ideh ngen lawa dangar ineh neh
there were lots on the dangar tree

00:01:04tak ieh... tu'en neh ni'er nidih, tu'en neh...
if he... would look at them, he would...

00:01:07tak meley-meley masa inan bua' tikan neh kereb apen
if it was getting to the time when beehives could be picked

00:01:12tu'en neh ngaka neh liang lawa dangar ineh
he would clear underneath the dangar tree

00:01:16pengeh neh, sedia' beto' idih
after that, when it was ready

00:01:20mey nieh ngaka liang lawa dangar ineh
he would clear underneath the dangar tree

00:01:24memang ieh naru' mula' nuk tu'en sedia' lah
he would prepare lots of things actually

00:01:27sebelum ideh mey ngalap duru' ineh
before they went to collect the honey

00:01:29ieh pu'un-pu'un ieh ngalap bulu' lah
first he would get some bamboo

00:01:32tu'en neh nadem bulu' ineh
and he would sharpen the bamboo

00:01:33pemepek deh lawa dangar
to stick into the dangar trunk

00:01:36doo' tidih tu'en menad
so that it could be climbed

00:01:39kadi' am men angat-angat lawa dangar ineh, nuk beneh-beneh ih lah
as there are no branches on those trees lower down

00:01:43pengeh neh sedia' nineh
after he has prepared that

00:01:45ieh teh ni'er kapeh ken mula' ayu-ayu pepek nuk pengeh sedia' ineh
he was the one who decided how many picks they are likely to need

00:01:49pengeh neh nuk ineh sedia'
after all that is prepared

00:01:52tu'en deh... mey nideh... tu'en deh naru' neh mey mepek ih lah
they go and put the picks in

00:02:00mey mepek bulu' ih nuk tadem
they hammer in the sharp bamboos

00:02:01nuk kemu' na'ah ih
the short ones

00:02:02mepek-mepek deh maya' lawa dangar ineh
they hammer them in up the trunk

00:02:05ok pengeh... tak beto' abi-abi nuk midih pengeh sedia'
afterwards when all those things are ready

00:02:09inan tak ideh sedia' kayu' bulu' idih
they prepare some bamboo

00:02:12inan deh ngabet burur, enun ken narih, ena', bua' tikan ih
and use it to tie around the beehive

00:02:16tu'en deh ngabet
they will tie it

00:02:17merar ideh neh, ena', bua' tikan ineh, the beehive
they're big, the beehives

00:02:21merar deh
they're big

00:02:23tu'en deh sedia' neh bulu' merar
they will prepare some big bamboo

00:02:25tu'en deh ngabet ineh na'an
and then they tie it afterwards

00:02:27inan tali wey
there's a rottan rope

00:02:29wey tu'en deh ngabet teh edteh
and they tie it with rottan

00:02:30tu'en ngurur nidih mey beneh lah
and lower it down

00:02:32um keyh
um

00:02:33ok tak pengeh sedia' abi-abi lem idih
ok when everything's ready

00:02:37renga', sebelum deh ngalap bua' tikan
before they go to harvest the honey

00:02:40neh neh Tama' mala kinih ngen Ketua Kampung dih
then my father would say to the village chief

00:02:42merey neh keli' ngen lun Pa Ukat keneh
he would let the people from Pa Ukat know

00:02:45biasa lun Pa Ukat, lun Pa Umor, lun Pa Lungan ah
normally the people from Pa Ukat, Pa Umur and Pa Lungan

00:02:48kamih peruyung-peruyung ngalap bua' tikan lah
we harvest the honey together

00:02:50merey neh keli' ngen kedideh mey....
he would let them know

00:02:58mey alem inih neh kamih
we will go tonight

00:03:01edto kinih
today

00:03:02dedtem mey kamih mey ngalap bua' tikan
this evening we will go and harvest honey

00:03:05kayu' renga' kedinarih madi' malem
when we were young

00:03:07doo' liat narih la' mey
we were happy to go

00:03:10neh nideh merey keli' ngen kamih anak-anak-adi' lah
then they let us children know

00:03:14am karuh-karuh renga' narih mey liang bua' dangar ih
don't say a word when you're under the dengar tree

00:03:18am kereb bebpa' kedeh
you're not even allowed to go to the toilet

00:03:20ukem tupu teh kamih
we just stayed quiet

00:03:23mey edteh beruh, tak ideh mey ngalap bua' tikan
and another thing, when they go to fetch the honey

00:03:25mesti keadaan alem inih mesti dedtem ah
it must be dark

00:03:29dedtem engit-engit lah
pitch dark

00:03:31am kereb ni'er enun-enun
where you can't see a thing

00:03:33ok, pengeh neh, pengeh beto' dih binala
so after that, when the message has been sent

00:03:37medting beto' edto atau dedtem inan kamih la' mey
when the day or night arrives when we go

00:03:40beruhmalem laling nalan neh kamih
late in the afternoon we set off

00:03:43mey ngi lati' ineh lah ngi...
we go to the farm

00:03:45mey ngi tempat inan bua' tikan ineh
to the place where the beehives are

00:03:47nalan neh kamih ruyud-ruyud
then we go in a group

00:03:49doo' angey lah, doo' ramai
it's very enjoyable, very sociable

00:03:51doo' neh liat kedinarih nuk anak-anak adi' keyh
we were very happy, us children

00:03:55medting neh kamih nangey
when we arrived there

00:03:57neh neh kamih naru' sedia' tempat inan...
then we got a place ready to...

00:03:59memang inan tempat inan tudo lah
there was a place for us to sit

00:04:01kayuh-kayuh kayu' lega neh
lots of wood arranged like a floor

00:04:03tudo neh kamih
we sit down

00:04:04ukem neh kamih
and we are very quiet

00:04:05neh neh narih ninger ideh sedia' menad lah
then we hear them getting ready to climb

00:04:13ideh nuk menad ineh, memang deh lemulun nuk memang mileh menad
they ones who climb are really used to climbing

00:04:17am meto' idih ideh nuk mo-mo ih lah
it's not just anyone

00:04:20mesti deh lemulun nuk mileh menad ih
it has to be people who know how to climb

00:04:22pengeh neh renga' ineh ngilad
after that, at that time

00:04:24dih ieh neh suk langu' uih nih, Bala Pelaba, Charles Lian Tapan
it was my brother in law, Bala Pelaba, Charles Lian Tapan

00:04:29ieh neh rayeh ngedeh menad bah
he was the eldest among them

00:04:32ieh ngajar ideh neh lah
he taught them

00:04:34miney edteh kayu' Muned kedieh, keli' keduih midteh, Reverend Solomon
Muned went one time, Reverend Solomon

00:04:38pengeh tieh nengajar kedieh kapeh mepek lawa dangar
he had already taught him how to put the picks into the dangar trunk

00:04:43kapeh menad ah lawa dangar ineh meto'
how to climb the trunk as well

00:04:47ideh nuk mey menad ineh neh ideh nuk memang kereb menad
those who climbed that tree were people who could climb

00:04:51nuk na'am delo ih lah
who weren't afraid of heights

00:04:52keyh, dedtem nidih
when it got dark

00:04:53neh nideh menad nideh
then they would start to climb

00:04:54ken ukem neh kekamih anak-anak adi' ih
we children kept quiet

00:04:57kamih nuk miney maya' ideh mey ngi liang dangar
the ones who went with them under the tree

00:04:59ukem neh kamih
we kept quiet

00:05:00pengeh ineh neh neh narih ninger ideh
after than, we listen for them

00:05:02tak ideh medting ngi dita' ih na'an
when they get to the top of the tree

00:05:05mesti deh ngekit kedeh ngen ineh
they cry out (that's what they call it)

00:05:07ngekit means ideh kayu' ngerengat kedi'it lah
"ngekit" means something like shouting a little

00:05:13ken mungkin inan lem midih nuk ngi lawa dangar ineh
perhaps because there is something on the dangar tree

00:05:18belaan deh ko' ada', ada' lawa kayuh ih lah
that they call a ghost, the ghost in the tree trunk

00:05:20tak ideh ngekit kan dengan edteh unih nuk rayeh dih
if they shout out with a loud noise

00:05:24lit kereb teh midih nuk ineh kayu' ta'ut lah, buro, tutu'
then that thing will be scared and fall off

00:05:27ineh ena' nuk inan kamih percaya' dih lah
that's what we believed anyway

00:05:31pengeh neh, iih lem ideh menad, mesti deh muit ena' buu' kedeh ngen ineh, ena' bulu' kayuh
after that, anyone who climbs, they have to take a torch (buu' they call it), a bamboo torch

00:05:39inan deh nutud ineh
that's what they use to light it

00:05:40tu'en deh nutud idih
they light it

00:05:41ineh neh penutud deh bua' tikan ieh
that's what they use to burn the beehive.

00:05:44so nutud, en deh nutud idih kuma' deh ngi dita' nangey
so they burn it whilst at the top

00:05:48neh nideh... tak ideh la' nutud ih
then they... if they are going to start the fire

00:05:50ngela'oi nideh lah
they scream again

00:05:52ngela'oi nideh, pegerai' ngela'oi nideh
they shout "oi", they all shout "oi"

00:05:55doo' neh kamih nuk ngi liang ih doo' keli' bah
so that those of us who are down below know

00:05:57neh nideh nutud bua' tikan ineh
then they burn the beehive

00:05:59sedia' nideh ngabet ena' ih beruh
and get ready to tie the whatsit

00:06:02ngabet burur arar bua' tikan ineh ngen bulu' beruh
tie the the honeycomb of the beehive to the bamboo

00:06:07tu'en deh ngurur tineh neh
they lower it down

00:06:09mesti deh mileh-mileh, tu'en deh ngurur idih mey beneh
they have to know what they're doing as they let it down below

00:06:13kereb kendadan meto' kamih na'it ideh naru' kerja sineh lah
we might be waiting a long time for them to do all that

00:06:18nutud ena' bua' tikan ineh
to burn the beehives

00:06:20pengeh deh ngurur ih
after they lower it down

00:06:22pengeh beto' kerja sineh
after the work is done

00:06:24neh neh kamih... ideh ngemung ideh lah
then we... they collect it all

00:06:26iten kamih nidih muli'
and we bring it home

00:06:29pegerai' mabeh
we all carry it together

00:06:30mula' kamih neh
there were lots of us

00:06:31tak lun Pa Lungan, lun Pa Ukat marih
if people come from Pa Lungan and Pa Ukat

00:06:34mula', doo' mula' kamih
there were lots of us

00:06:36mula' ketuey kamih lah
there were really lots of us

00:06:38muli' beto' kamih
when we got back

00:06:39mey neh kamih ngi tawa' kampung kamih Pa Umor, ruma' kadang ma'un ih kan
we went to the hall in our village Pa Umor, in the old longhouse

00:06:43neh neh lekedtang ineh neh kamih bagi' ngen idih lah
then in the morning, we share it out

00:06:46kamih naru' pakai bulu' nibal, kayu'...kayu' angai, angai dih, belanai
they put some in bamboo, some in jars, small jars and big jars

00:06:54berey kamih neh...
we would give...

00:06:57ngapeh inan kiko ngulu diko duru' ih
wherever you want to keep your honey

00:06:59berey muh neh ena' sineh lah, angai sineh keh atau belanai ineh
you give that, the small jar of the big jar

00:07:06pengeh neh, neh neh kamih magi' paad lah
after that, we share it equally

00:07:09magi' maya' lubang ruma'
share it out to each family

00:07:11edteh lubang ruma', edteh dieh ena', edteh dieh tapi lah, the beehive, tapi
for every family, there is one honeycomb

00:07:22neh neh narih nganeh duru'
then we do that to the honey

00:07:24tapi teh midteh ih magi' burur duru' ideh
sometimes they will share the honey itself (not the honeycomb)

00:07:26tu'en deh nuad-nuad duru' ineh
they measure the honey

00:07:29tak keduih ngelinuh kan lem ayu' kamih ngalap duru' ineh
when I think about collecting honey

00:07:32pelaba doo' lah
it was really fun

00:07:34doo' angey ih kamih anak-adi' teh nuk laba ramai
all of us children really enjoyed it

00:07:37tapi am teh kekamih kayu' keli' teh midteh ih
but sometimes we didn't really know what was happening

00:07:40kayu' kereb teh ideh nuk menad ih balun bah
like the people climbing could have got hurt

00:07:44kereb tideh tutu' lah
they could have fallen

00:07:45tetapi na'am ineh pernah nejadi' lah
but that never happened

00:07:49periak ineh, ko' belaan kuh na'ah ih, neh nideh magi' duru' dih ngen kenep-kenep lubang ruma' ah
the next day, as I said before, they share the honey with every family

00:07:54tak narih ngelinuh ah
if I remeber

00:07:57leng-leng mula' neh duru' ineh
it was really a lot of honey

00:07:59tuda' neh kampung... tuda' lubang ruma' lem edteh kampung
there were several families in one village

00:08:03adi' edteh lubang ruma' pun pengeh mula' duru'
but even one family's share was a lot

00:08:06kereb tidih mey lem dueh tin, atau dueh angai merar dih
it could have been two tins or two big jars

00:08:11pengeh neh edteh meto' nuk belaan kamih ko' type bua' tikan ih kan, birar
after that, there's another type of "bua' tikan" honey, it's yellow

00:08:17am men kamih keli' sineh leng-leng doo' hasiat men idih kedeh lah
we didn't know that it had good medicinal benefits they say

00:08:23tapi kenen kamih tidih
but we would eat it

00:08:25tak kamih laba kuman keyh
if we overeat it

00:08:28la' ma'it batek meto' kamih tu'en nih lah
it makes our stomachs upset

00:08:30doo' penaru' narih bubey' sineh terun
it probably makes you go to the toilet as well

00:08:34tapi doo', doo' ena' dih lah, doo' dih ngen burur tauh
but it's good for the body

00:08:37tapi tak mula' tu'uh apen narih
but if you take too much

00:08:40ma'it neh batek narih tu'en ih
your stomach will be upset

00:08:43mo la' pengeh duru' ineh
so when the honey is done

00:08:45teh midteh dih inan kayu' kekamih dih, tu'en kamih nanek neh duru' ineh beruh bah
so when the honey is done, sometimes we boil the honey as well

00:08:49ken naru' dih taan nidih kekuh?
Does it make it last longer I wonder?

00:08:52tu'en kamih nanek idih
we boil it

00:08:53pengeh neh kamih ngulu dih, memang dadan lah
and then after that we can keep it for a long time

00:08:56duru', bua' tikan ineh, inih edteh duru' nuk let lem pulung ah
honey, the beehive, this is a honey from the forest

00:09:01let lem pulung ineh
it's from the forest

00:09:04memang idih doo' lah
it really is good

00:09:06kenen kamih ngen ena' nidih, kayu' ngen nuba' ubek ih
we eat it with things like glutenous rice

00:09:10kenen kamih ngen ubih
we eat it with cassava

00:09:13tu'en kamih ngerabur lem ebpa' nidih
we mix it in water

00:09:15rupen bah duru' ineh
and drink the honey

00:09:17tapi lem ridtu' inih ah, lem keli' keduih lah
but now, as far as I know

00:09:21am uih keli' kapeh ngi kampung beken
I don't know about other villages

00:09:24jarang neh inan bua' tikan kinih-kinih keli' narih lah
we seldom collect beehives these days

00:09:29mungkin kadi' ko' na'am neh lun merar tauh ih nuk doo' pian mey-mey ni'er lem ayu' bua' tikan inih ngi dangar-dangar inih
probably because there are none of the elders who liked to go out and look for beehives in the dangar trees

00:09:40am nideh idih terun
they're not around anymore

00:09:42muli' nideh mey seruga
they are in heaven

00:09:44kadi' neh na'am nuk naru' ngen tauh lah
so that's why no-one does it for us

00:09:47nga' uih ngelinuh kineh
If I think that way

00:09:48ulu kayu' lawa dangar ineh pun ngi lati' kinih
even if there were dangar trees near the farm now

00:09:52kereb teh ibal inan beruh lah
there probably are some

00:09:54inan lah
in fact there are

00:09:55tapi am lemulun mey jaga' dih
but no-one is looking after them

00:09:58am dulun mey ni'er idih kayu' lun merar kamih ngilad
no-one goes to check like the old people used to

00:10:01ineh edteh pengelaman keduih lah renga' uih i'it ngilad
that was one of my experiences when I was young

00:10:06lem ayu' kamih ngalap duru' ah
about how we collect honey

00:10:09ok, paad inih neh
ok, that's it