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Where Sarawak is.

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Rajah James Brooke, the first white Rajah of Sarawak who reigned in the early 19th Century.

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Iban maidens ready to serve the rice wine to the visitors of Dayak Feastival celebration.

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Typical modern Iban longhouse.

Believe it or not, recently a huge serpent was spotted cruising in the river in the heart of Borneo Island. The news and photographs of it spread through a local newspaper and also in internet like hot cakes. The locals, Iban, refer the serpent as a mythical snake called Nabau that resemble a python, but it is much bigger in size and much longer in length. According to the Iban folk tales, the super Nabau has supernatural powers; therefore, they treated it as their “petara”(god). Seeing it alone will bring luck to the man. Its scale is used by Iban as “pangkor” or kind of charm that give super strength, someone like the Incredible Hulk. Many stories have been heard about it giving magical charms called as ‘Batu Nabau’ or Nabau Stone (Serpent Stone) that can also give Incredible Hulk strength to the user. 

According to Iban legend, Nabau is a giant snake comparable to the size of a drum and is more than 100 feet in length. The recent sighting of Nabau cruising along the Baleh Riverin Kapit shown in the two photographs has some resemblance to the ‘Loch Ness’ monster known as Nessie in Scotland. Judging by the photographs taken of Nabau, could the two animals of a similar breed? There have been many stories heard from the locals about their personal encounters with the serpent either in real life or dreams. Those who were lucky enough had witnessed a small serpent moving across a shallow stream, then pause and it grew larger until it was like a dam blocking the stream. 

According to the local newspapers, a member of the disaster relief committee from Sibu was monitoring the flood situation in upper Rejang River in a helicopter on 31 January 2009 when he stumbled upon the sight of the monster snake cruising along one of the tributaries, Baleh River. In the name of being Anonymous, he claimed taking photographs of the monster at 5.30 pm from the helicopter. I believe that he was not the only one spotted it from the helicopter; I am sure the other members of the team and the pilot had witnessed the prowess of its’ swimming ability. Judging from the photographs, the size is so enormous and appeared to be many times larger than the biggest tree trunk that can be found in the area. The local people could hardly believe such photograph showing such an enormous creature and many thought that it was hoax or work of the doctor of photographs. The names of the photographer who took its’ pictures never exposed except the writer of the news was in hot soup. Whatever happened, he has to answer the publics for his exciting news.

Searching the serpent in the thick tropical forest of Sarawak is just like looking for a needle lost in the football field. While doing research on it is another big task to study the secret of the serpent that is still a mystery and legend among the Iban. Perhaps the State Authority through the local community can organize annual feastival called Nabau Feastival’ like the Nessie festival in the Scotland. I believe that the Nabau story can be used as a basis for setting an annual feastival event for the town in the effort to lure many visitors or tourists, and bring more luck to Kapit in obtaining many forms of development such as road construction.

Such a story has been believed to be true and the news that reported it were sold like hot cakes. No intellectuals want to believe a snake as big as an express boat plying between Sibu and Kapit. The trail of the nabau could leave a track good enough to connect Kapit with the rest of the towns in Sarawak.