Bidayuh community laments passing of ‘Ring Lady’ Nyadi Dolah

THE recent passing away of Nyadi Dollah, one of four iconic Ring Ladies of Sarawak is a sad loss to the Bidayuh community according to Datuk Peter Minos, chairman of the Bung Bratak Heritage Association.

The 92-year-old Nyadi breathed her last on Friday, December 16, at her Kampong Semban home in the presence of her daughter Tipa Ahi, 62.

Nyadi who was part of a Bidayuh sub-culture tribal group, was among the last four surviving Ring Ladies. These women have been perpetually wearing burnished copper rings around their calves known as rasung, and bangle-like copper rings around their forearms called rayung.

The Ring Ladies who are also collectively called 'Dayung Hmuai Semban' also wear a traditional beaded necklace called 'tumbih' since the age of ten.

For these women, the distinctive ornaments that they wear are an element of beauty and prestige. According to the Bidayuh people from the 300-year-old historic Semban community, wearing these ornaments and necklaces is a tradition that has been passed down over the generations.

With Nyadi’s passing, there are only three Ring Ladies left to showcase an erstwhile cultural peculiarity that grew at a time when merchants from China established trading routes along the west coast of Borneo. 

It is believed that the ancestors of these women, a sub-ethnic Bidayuh tribe from Ulu Bengoh known as Bi’embhan, had traded with the Chinese and the copper rings were payment for goods procured from the villagers.

Minos told The Vibes: “With the passing of Nyadi, there are only just three more of these noble women left in Sarawak.

“In 2020, there were five of these women, but the community lost one of them – Ranyu Daiee – in that same year at the age of 83."

Nyadi’s funeral service was held at the All Saints Anglican Church before her remains were buried at the Kampong Semban BRS cemetery.

Nyadi leaves behind six children, 21 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.

Minos described these well-adorned Ring Ladies as a “walking heritage” of the Bidayuhs.

“Each time one of them dies of disease or old age, I sense the loss, of not only their lives but I see the slow and silent fading off of a valuable cultural feature being buried with their deaths.”

He said the Ring Ladies of Kampong Semban are one major element of a primordial Bidayuh novelty. They are a living memento that has stood the test of time and has managed to survive till today.

“If the remaining three are gone, this vestige of an old-world charm will be lost forever.”

However, Minos philosophised that life and death and the loss of an era happen with every living community and civilisation.

The Ring Ladies of Kampong Semban had the opportunity to cast their home state to a global audience. When they were part of the Kampong Semban cultural dance troupe they performed in Berlin and Milan.

Six years ago they were invited to perform at the Lo Spirito Del Pianeta – an international festival of indigenous folks and tribal groups in Milan.

Three years later in 2019, they were invited to perform at the International Tourismus-Borse in Berlin, which was said to be the largest international tourism mart in the world.

Apart from having global exposure, the Ring Ladies of Kampong Semban have also been iconised in a mammoth mural at a mall in Kota Padawan. The painting was done by local muralist Leonard Siaw. 

In addition to that, 'The Last Ring Ladies', a documentary featuring the Bi’emban sub-ethnic cultural group of Sarawak, first premiered on TVS (Television Sarawak) two years ago.

The one-hour documentary directed by Nova Goh tells the story and culture of the last remaining ring ladies. 

Briefly, the film tracks the story of Peluk Apeh, who is among the last of the remaining Bidayuh ring ladies – displaced by the construction of a dam that drove her away from her native abode.

The displaced forest dweller faces several challenges and difficulties as she tries to fit into her new and modern environment, while pining for a disappearing world of which she only has memories.   

The documentary also premiered on NHK Japan, KBS Korea, and the PTS Taiwan Broadcasting television channels – The Vibes, December 21, 2022