Kampung Bünük (often called "Kampung Sëgu/Sëgu Bünük" - spelt as “Segou” in Hugh Low’s book, Sarawak: Notes during a residence in that country with H. H. The Rajah Brooke) is a wonderful place to be. It is still covered with dense mixed dipterocarp forests and surrounded by mountains. That's why it is quite hard for us back home to get better reception for cellular phone calls! Although cellular phone companies are proud in showing off their ads on TVs that their services are available in Tebedu (near the Indonesian Kalimantan border... and Kampung Bunuk is the nearest to Kuching!!!) and South Africa... but heck... the reception at my kampung is still bad at all. So, I have to wait lah for Irridium phone services for the next 2-3 years! Hehehe...
Well, the biggest trees that can be found in my kampung are such as Dëoh (Koompassia excelsa) (the honey-bee tree and regarded as the most handsome tree in Malaysia), Kuwan (Shorea sp.), Pera (scientific name is unknown!) and Kawang (Shorea macrophylla). My kampung is also one of the three Bidayuh kampungs in the Penrissen area that still preserved their rich cultural heritage such as longhouses, panggah, etc. (My kampung owned the only Panggah (a head house) that is available in the Penrissen area and it is a special place where the enemies' beheaded skulls (mostly the Iban warriors - oopss... I hope that my Iban friends would not angry with me!) obtained during the ethnic wars in the pre-rajah era were kept until today). Hopefully I will create a special web site about my kampung one day... lah hor...
The Honorable Mr. Ho Ah Chon in his book entitled "Sarawak in Pictures: 1940s-1970s", mentioned that Kampung Bünük is one of the major tourist spots. Among the distinguished visitors who have visited this village include the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permaisuri Agong (i.e. King and Queen of Malaysia), the PATA ’86 delegates, the Sultan of Pahang, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Mr. Standley Chandler (First Secretary of Information, British High Commissioner), an unknown British M.P., and many others. Even the late Sudirman Hj. Arshad, the legendary Malaysian entertainer has shooting drama in this village in the 1980s (unfortunately I have forgotten its title...).
As long as I remembered, during my childhood, when the European tourists came up to my village, all the children were eager to meet them. Do you know why? Because the tourists brought some candies and toys for us! And they took some pictures, too! And that’s very funny and memorable... hehehe...
Well, that's a little bit of information
about my kampung lah. And if you need some information on the Bidayuh
people (including their current state of political awareness, etc.), then
consider visiting these web sites:
Do you know that the design of canopy walkway constructed among big forest
trees was based on bamboo bridges built in Bidayuh settlements?
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