agi idup agi ngelaban

Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban - is it applicable to Dayak today. by Dr. John Brian Anthony

Fighting Motto

This Sarawak Ranger fighting motto “Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban” and later adopted by Malaysian Rangers is an Iban words which mean “Fight until Death” and some has literally translated as “As long as your are still alive you fight on”. The Dayak are famous for their bravery and skill as a fighting force and won the highest bravery award from Britain and Malaysia. The Malaysia Ministry of Defence recognised the Dayak fighting skill and spirit where “retreat” is a non-word in war and “afraid” does not exist for the Iban warrior who are the direct descendant of the headhunter of Borneo.

AGI IDUP AGI NGELABAN is not a reckless approach to win battle and war. It is grounded on key success factors: leadership, objective, plan, knowledge, skill, organization, resources, network, process, systems and strong value system. This motto has made the Dayak very successful headhunters and modern soldiers but it has not been translated into a motto for Dayak success into the globalization of the 21st century.

Ritualistic

Dayak fighters follow very strict ritual in their preparation for war and when they are going into battles they observed very strict rules and code of conduct of fighters. Some of these strict code of conduct are meant for the warrior family to observe and the larger community must observe it too. The rules for each level are specific and must be followed with strict enforcement by the chosen headman of the community. The women folk played key role in ensuring the smooth function of the community and provide essential support to every family where a value system of “community first before self” is strictly enforced through the community work system and process. Everyone look after the well being of one another in the long house community when the warrior are off to do battle.