BAU: Construction works on the Bung Bratak Heritage Centre on the hill top of Bung Bratak (Mount Bratak) here will start this year.
Bung Bratak Heritage Association (BBHA) chairman Datuk Peter Minos said the Tourism and Culture Ministry had given the association an RM8mil grant to build the centre, which will showcase the history and culture of the Bidayuh community.
The Public Works Department (JKR) is in charge of the construction, which is expected to be completed in 2016.
“The Bung Bratak Heritage Association, the guardian of Bung Bratak, is grateful to the Government for its support, especially the Tourism and Culture Ministry,” said Minos to Bernama.
He said the centre would honour Bung Bratak as the original and ancestral home of the Jagoi-Bratak Bidayuhs, who are from the 33 villages in Bau and Lundu districts.
Reflecting Bidayuh arts, culture and traditions, the centre will consist of two longhouses, one for accommodation for up to 100 persons and another for a seminar hall, mini museum, office and function rooms.
There will also be a big ‘baruk’, a Bidayuh cultural round house, a canteen and two restrooms while the two waterfalls at Bung Bratak will be facelifted for the benefit of tourists and visitors.
“The Bung Bratak Heritage Centre will be a big hit among visitors and tourists, local and foreign, because of its hilltop scenery, jungle tracks, waterfalls, spring water, primary jungles as well as flora and fauna around it,” said Minos.
He pointed out that each year on Bung Bratak Day, which falls on May 1, thousands trekked up the 1,000-foot hill for historical and cultural reasons, particularly for the Jagoi-Bratak Bidayuhs, as their ancestors were there over 750 years ago.
“The history of Bung Bratak was mentioned by both the Dutch and British in the 19th and early 20th centuries’ writers.
“As such, the centre will be a great pride for the Bidayuhs, especially for the Jagoi-Bratak group, as a historical and heritage place as well as a tourist destination of a very unique kind in Borneo,” he added. — Bernama
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