“What’s in a name?” the Bard once wondered. But if you are a Kelabit or married to a Kelabit, a lot apparently! Take my name for example. Ever since marrying a Kelabit (one of the smallest ethnic groups in Malaysia which only three generations earlier was still a warring head-hunter tribe) I have been called by numerous names. No, not those kinds of names (at least not that often). But as a member of the Kelabit tribe, I go by various names, all of which apparently help identify who I am.

But first, I had to undergo a unique ceremony called Irau Meka’a Ngadan (name changing feast). Mind you, I had no choice in the matter. My new name would be bestowed upon by the older and wiser members of the Kelabit community. The reason for this honour was that I had entered a new phase in my life - motherhood. In Kelabit tradition, a marriage ceremony is nothing to shout about and all the fuss is reserved for the arrival of a first-born.

As a new mother, I am called Sinamu’ which literally means first time mother of a girl child. Actually, any Kelabit mother is either a Sinamu’ or Sinabu’ (first time mother of a boy child). It makes things a lot easier when you tend to forget names – and try to remember if their first born was a boy or girl. The first time father is also given that honour – if his first child is a girl, he is called Temamu’ and if the first child is a boy, he is called Temabu’. Alternatively, I am also called Sinah Karen since my first-born is named Karen and Sinah means mother. In addition, I had to have an official name as well! Undergoing the Name Changing Ceremony is a unique experience. It starts off with a trip back into the Kelabit Highlands where the only mode of travel is by an 18-seater aircraft – the alternative would be a fiveday trek through almost impenetrable tropical jungle to one of the most remote places in Sarawak.

A personal encounter with the Kelabits is an experience you will never forget. Mountains harbour the Kelabit plateau and primary jungle. Almost everything in nature that is beyond easy reach is still there in its pristine state.

A trip into the Kelabit Highlands can be a nightmare to organise due to the logistics. There are only generators to provide electricity and water is piped into longhouses from the mountains. Organising a Name Changing Ceremony in the Kelabit highlands can also take a toll on finances but it will be an occasion, which will be the talk of the longhouses for years to come.

This is a time-honoured ritual held to affirm one’s transition to parenthood. New parents are required to take up new parenthood and grandparenthood names to mark their new status.

The fattest pigs were rounded up and thick slices of lard are kept aside to be boiled and fed to guests. Great cauldrons of rice are cooked to a gluey consistency and wrapped in leaves. Many an unsuspecting buffalo is led to river to be sacrificed to feed whole longhouse communities.

There will be games of tug-of-war, pole climbing, blow-pipe competitions, boat races and dancing and singing the night through. The highlight of the ceremony is the name change itself. Amid much discussion and careful scrutiny, the elders come up with a name, which they feel is best suited to the new parents and first-time grandparents.

Quite apprehensive about what I was to be named, since I would probably have to live up to the name, my worst fears were confirmed when we, as first time parents, were named “Maran Tadun” which literally means “He who reigns supreme” and “Sina Maran Tadun” – she who reigns supreme – I guess after “he” who reigns supreme. Well… I shall reign supreme at least where my household is concerned!

All these different names bestowed upon new parents can be confusing. But not to the Kelabits. They take it all in their stride and once your name is changed, no member of tribe will forget it. It does not get any easier. Kelabits change their names not once but twice in their lifetime. The second time is when they become grandparents for the first time.

Any reason to party – yet another big feast is held at the longhouse and more buffaloes and pigs slaughtered and everyone has a jolly good day. I hope it will be a few years before my name is changed for the second time – when I become a grandmother. While all these names help to identify members of the Kelabit tribe, it is enough to give anyone an identity crisis.

Take Kees Kik from Holland for example. Married to Lorraine Gala, a member of the Kelabit tribe, Kees recently made the long and arduous trip to Bario, the main longhouse settlement of the Kelabit Highlands to undergo this ancient ritual.

Taking along a large contingent of relatives and friends from Holland and England as well as expats from Miri, (some who are also married to Kelabits) he sportingly went through the ceremony dressed in loincloth and linguistic boundaries were pushed back as they participated in the feast and ceremony with gusto.

At the name changing ceremony, he was given the name Raja Paran – meaning Noble King chosen by the elders. His given name says so much about his in-laws and members of the Kelabit tribes’ aspirations for him and his wife and has now marked him as an honoured member of this particular culture and clan.

As a result of this cultural practice, Kelabits (and those married to Kelabits) often go through life known by a variety of different names. Although this has created much confusion both for the National Registration Department and for the younger generation today, it makes perfect sense in the Kelabit culture.

While the meanings of many Kelabit names are obvious, in the old days, others had special mystical significance and needed to be interpreted only by those who bestowed the name. Inherited names often brought with them great power or honor.

Today, this name changing ceremony is making a comeback with younger members of the Kelabit tribe making an effort to venture back into the Kelabit Highlands and host this unique practice that ensures the survival of an ancient tradition.