27/05/2016
BertBury just finish video shooting The Ring Lady documentary .
Director - Nova Goh
Producer - William Chiang
DOP - BertBury
导演Nove Goh为了记录砂拉越/马来西亚最后5位年迈的必达友铜环女,特地拉队前来拍摄纪录。原本安排2位铜环女作为访问对象,碰巧新旧铜环女都在村庄,1位2位3位4位5位6位7位(2位新铜环女)陆陆续续现身,为我们带来惊喜!她们从小就穿戴的铜环,称为Ruyang&Rusung。其实,并非每个必达友女人都穿戴,这得视其父母的经济能力而决定。尽管穿戴铜环的过程痛苦,并为生活带来不变,她们愿意为了美丽而坚持穿戴铜环。铜环女真挚的眼神,还有纯真的笑容,感染了所有人。她们是村里最漂亮了女人。
The ringed ladies at Kpg Semban BRS were probably the last in Sarawak. These traditional Semban ladies wearing the Ruyang and Rusung are the embodiment of the remaining distinctive culture of the Semban, a sub-tribe of the Bidayuhs. They started putting on the rings at various ages – some as young as 10 while others older, depending on their parents and their parents’ financial standing. Ruyang and Rusung are copper coiled rings worn on the forearms and calves respectively. These coiled rings which look golden but not made of gold, are a mixture of copper and brass. In the beginning, it was painful putting on the rings and all the ring ladies grew up with atrophied limbs. However, like most women, beauty precedes everything and the pain was worth it. What is even more amazing is that the wearers do not take off the rings when doing their daily chores. These womenfolk till the padi fields under the scotching sun with the rings on. In the old days, according to pagan customs, only girls with the rings were allowed to attend festive ceremonies and do the rejang – the eagle dance.