A first in 130 years

Judy Stephen, 60, is the first woman appointed tuai rumah, or longhouse chieftain, at Sera in Sebauh, Sarawak. The community has been settled there for more than a century.

She likes the number

Judy is the 10th person to lead the longhouse. She calls ten a good number and says she knows the job will not be easy.

“I know it will not be easy, but I am ready to do my best.”

Sworn in on July 1

Her appointment took effect on July 1 this year. She succeeds her uncle, TR Jack Sigie, who had held the post since 2009.

Fifty kilometres and a river

The longhouse sits about 50km from Bintulu, reachable by road or river. Drivers park near the Sera River and cross the water to get there.

Built entirely of ironwood

The original structure used belian, or ironwood, for the roof, walls and floor. Even the ruai, the long common passage where daily life happens, was ironwood.

Rebuilt more than once

Like most established longhouses, this one has been torn down and rebuilt several times. The most recent reconstruction was in 1989.

Eighteen doors to look after

Judy inherited 18 bilik, the household units counted as doors. Some of those families are currently working away from home.

“I have inherited 18 doors, or families. Some families are still working elsewhere.”

A permit from the Rajah

Her great-great-grandfather Bulan Genaya received an Internal Migration Permit from Charles Brooke, the Second Rajah, and settled the area in the 1860s after leaving Ulu Skrang.

Rattan paid the bills

Early settlers explored the Pandan, Ulu Kemena and Sera areas, gathering forest products like rattan and wild rubber to trade for cash. The camps slowly became permanent.

Once fifty-six households

The original longhouse held 56 bilik, far bigger than today. Longhouses in that era ran genuinely long.

“In those days, longhouses were really long.”

Families split off

In 2009 part of the community broke away to form Rumah Tabor across the river. Judy treats that churn as normal, driven by work, farming, disagreements or the wish to start fresh.

“It's the people's choice, and it cannot be prevented from happening.”

A line back to 1889

Chaong Apai Tayok led from 1889, then Bantin, Jalin, Akat, Nilie, Anggot, Sigie, Tabor and Jack. Judy is now the tenth name on that list.

The girl who wanted a library

Judy dreamed of becoming a librarian. Her first novel was Anne of Green Gables, borrowed from the old Kuching State Library, and books still fill her house.

“You can see books everywhere in my home!”

Educated on both sides

Her father studied at Batu Lintang in Kuching and worked for the Bintulu Town Council. Her mother was the daughter of Temenggong Datuk Abok Jalin, a paramount Iban leader.

Banker, baker, law student

She spent 10 years at Bank Utama, now RHB, before resigning for family. She runs FreyaCraft Bintulu for sewing and handicrafts, bakes, and is currently studying law.

Widowed, then back home

Her husband Sudin Manja died in 2009. She raised daughters Charraine and Pheonnie alone, spent 15 years in Kuala Lumpur, then returned to care for her elderly parents.

The school next door

SK Hermanus Assan opened in 1963 after Penghulu Abok Jalin petitioned for it. One wooden building for 30 children from seven longhouses has grown to about 73 pupils.

Crocodiles on the school run

Children cross the Sera River by boat, and crocodiles are seen day and night. Judy wants a bridge, and says a hanging, bailey or plain wooden one would do.

“We will all feel much safer. It is never too late to build a bridge.”

The job behind the title

She keeps the peace between families, makes sure the bilik are maintained, upholds adat, and works with the Sebauh District Office. Good leadership, she says, starts with listening.

Land is the inheritance

Ancestral land is what she calls the greatest treasure handed down. Rice farming has given way to oil palm, rubber, pepper, fruit and fish ponds, but the plots must survive for the next generation.

“It means finding ways for the community to continue benefitting from it.”