7/24/2019 Sigat Portrays Dilemma of a Young Sarawakian

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by

CeciliaOng

Sigats decision to move from the longhousewas triggered by his personal needs.

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Summary

Sigat (the main character) is a youngban man from !umah "mpau who has

#ust completed studying medicineoverseas.

$fter % years being away from thelonghouse& he came bac' only to ndthat everyone& ecept his father hasmoved away. $t the end of the story&Sigat and his father also moved from

the longhouse.

*here are traces of unwillingness tomove within Sigat. *hroughout thestory& Sigat has always loved hishome& his culture and he even

promised his father that he wouldalways want to come back to thelonghouse. +e moved& not becausehe had intended to& or wanted to& ordesired& but he moved because heneeded because there was nothing

and nobody left to ght for.

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Sigat moved because education

is the key to advancement inlifethis group of young men had just nishedtheir nal exams and some of them would be

going away to pursue higher educationoverseas.

He had intended to come home with a fulldegree in edicine.

!pparently" the three neighbouring longhouses

had decided to move further downriver and tosettle near the main town. #hey had voiced outthe di$culties living in their interior habitat and

for the sake of the younger generation" theywanted to move downriver to ensure that theirchildren would get proper education in better

schools.

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Sigat moved because there is nomore reason to stay

he would come straight home as he would want to comehome to his friends and relatives" to family comforts" thechildren%s laughter and to all the familiarities that he had

grown up with and loved.

!ll of a sudden" everybody had wanted to move out and livein or near the major towns and some for them even moved

into the &ig 'ity where their children worked

#here was no sound from the riverbank where his aunt and

her friends should be washing clothes and laughing at theirown women%s jokes.

there was nothing and nobody left to ght for.

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Sigat moved because he neededa more secured life.

#he (overnment clinic was very far awayand by the time they had managed to

contact the edivac service" his wife had

expired through massive bleeding aboutan hour after )igat was born.

)igat had persuaded his father to leave

with him and stay in the 'ity where hewould be working at the (overnmentHospital.

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So in the end& Sigat did not movebecause he ,$-*/ to move. +emoved because he -// to move.

+e -// education

+e -// companionship (relatives andfriends)

+e -// a better life

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33 families were made homeless by a fire that razed their longhouse(Rh. Joshua Manik Buyu) at Km 36 Jalan Bintulu!atau on "unday.

3#th$ugust %##&