Madeeh

Madeeh is a Bidayuh traditional music group from Annah Ra’ih longhouse in the upper Padawan region of Sarawak, about 65km from Kuching. The name means relative or brotherhood, reflecting the fact that the members are related and come from the same longhouse. The group forms in May 2009, although the members have played together for a long time.

Line-up and instruments

The ensemble has seven members: six men and one woman. Its lead instrument is the pratuokng, a bamboo tube zither, and it is played by four members. Two players perform the gaduok, a percussion instrument, and one member plays the sritakng, a xylophone. The group also includes the sabakng, described as a mother drum, and the gaduok, described as a baby drum.

Abas “Nyamba Takar” Ringap plays pratuokng and sritakng. Grandmaster Arthur Borman “Bai Kas” Kanying plays pratuokng and leads the band. Artwell Felix “Art” Edmund Jawa plays pratuokng and works as the audio technician. Sylvester “Rhambo” Pogue plays pratuokng and serves as the instrument engineer. Gardon “Sama' Mary” Piah plays sabakng and is described as master of melody and percussion I. I Pola “Puak” Nan plays gaduok as master of percussion II. Cynthia “Sinn” Neng plays sritakng and is listed as music theory consultant.

Traditional instruments

Pratuokng is a lead instrument in Bidayuh music and can be played solo or in an ensemble with percussion and xylophone accompaniment. It is made from bamboo, traditionally with five strings formed from the tube itself. The instrument is played by striking, plucking, tapping and slapping, and it also has a bass section created from a wide inner strip of bamboo. In performance, it accompanies traditional dances, folksongs, ceremonies and festivals such as Gawai, the Harvest Festival.

Sritakng is identified as a xylophone, while sabakng and gaduok are drum instruments. The pratuokng is made from Patukng bamboo, which grows mainly in highland or mountain areas and is chosen for its size, thickness and tensile strength.

Mentor and tradition

Abas Ringap, born in 1933, is regarded as a mentor in the survival of these traditional instruments. He can play, make and teach all three types of instrument. His knowledge of forest plant species helps him select suitable bamboo, wood and rattan for instrument making, and he begins learning and playing the instruments when he is about 12 years old.

The surrounding villages and longhouses of the upper Padawan area are mainly inhabited by the Bidayuh, and Annah Ra’ih is noted as one of the longhouses that still keep traditional music, dance and folksong alive.