Mukah, located in central Sarawak, is slowly developing into a major coastal city with a bright future. Their population is primarily Melanau, where they are known as the Sago Eating Tribe. The city of Kuching, on the other hand, is located on the western edge of Sarawak. There are many ways to go to Mukah and you can go to Mukah by car, plane or boat from Sibu. It takes more than 5 hours to get to Mukah from Sibu.

The local Melanaus in Mukah, Sarawak recently celebrated the Kaul Festival (Pesta Kaul). It was a myriad of events with over 10,000 people in attendance. This festival is unique to Melanaus and takes place every year around the month of March to April. Kaul Festival is a thanksgiving festival to appease the spirits of farms, forests, land and sea. The Melanaus would express their gratitude to the spirits for keeping them safe during the monsoon season. They are also expressing their desire for an abundance of fish caught on their fishing trips.

The highlight of the event is the “tibau”, a 20-foot-tall traditional giant swing. The youngsters boldly dived to catch a swinging rope. Obviously, this is not for the faint of heart. Graceful dancers also performed at the event with their traditional alu-alu dance. Sri Ritma won the first prize with a cash prize of RM2,000. Other activities included martial arts demonstrations and parades by local community leaders. It is at this event that you can witness the many facets of the Melanau community.

Mukah’s most famous dish would be the umai dish, which is a raw fish delicacy prepared from raw fish and consumed in the form of a salad. Several different types of raw fish are used to prepare Umai. You can eat it plain, sliced ​​fish with hot chili sauce, or raw fish mixed with lemon juice, sliced ​​onions, chilies, sugar, and salt. The other popular dish would be the sago ball.

Come visit Mukah and learn about the culture and its uniqueness.