KUCHING: At the entrance of the Gawai Dayak 2025 open house, the delicate, resonant notes of the sape, a traditional lute-like string instrument of the Orang Ulu people, floated through the air.
Yet it wasn’t veteran hands behind the strings. It was three young musicians, determined to carry their ancestral culture into the future.
Dressed in attire inspired by their Indigenous roots, the trio, members of the Kuching-based Anak Seni Sape Kuching Association (PUSAK), drew a steady crowd with their spirited performance of Det Diet Tapong Kitan, a traditional piece often played to welcome guests and accompany warrior dances such as Datun Julud or Ajai.
“I started learning the sape at 15 after being inspired by my cousin,” said Dexter Wong Kian Hao, 22, of Kayan-Chinese heritage. “This song is deeply rooted in our culture. We don’t want it to fade away.”
For Martinus Njok Sebi, 23, of Kenyah-Iban descent, the sape is more than just music, it’s identity.
Having joined PUSAK in 2021, Martinus has performed regularly at cultural events across Sarawak. Now in his final year at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, he hopes others his age will continue the tradition.
“As a sape player, I want to see more young people learning and passing on this tradition,” he said.
The group’s youngest member, 19-year-old Mohd Ikhmal Hakim from Belaga, began playing at age 10, having discovered it through social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook.
Of mixed Malay, Iban and Sekapan heritage, Ikhmal now studies Early Childhood Education and shares his sape playing on TikTok to help spark wider interest.
“Social media has made it easier for people to discover the sape. I see more and more young people getting interested,” he said.
The Gawai Dayak Open House, hosted by Orang Ulu leaders, drew around 3,000 visitors from across Sarawak’s diverse communities.
The event, which ran from 9 am to 2 pm, featured traditional performances and high-profile guests, including Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak Tun Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and his wife Toh Puan Fauziah Mohd Sanusi.
Also in attendance were the Premier of Sarawak Tan Sri Dr Abang Johari Tun Openg and his wife Puan Sri Juma’ani Tuanku Bujang, alongside members of the federal and state cabinets.
