Miring (ritual)
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Miring is a traditional ritual performed by the Iban people to give honor to Petara (God), Orang Panggau & Bunsu Antu (spirits) and Petara Aki Ini (dead ancestors).[1] The act of miring is a type of religious ritual conducted based on the belief in seeking assistance from Petara to realize a specific wish by presenting offerings such as food arranged on plates (piring).[2] Hence, the name of the practise is derived from the word "piring", where miring means "to make offerings with plates".
Offering of food
The ritual equipment for the miring is the pua kumbu, seregang or kelingkang (fish trap made of bamboo), teresang ("bamboo holders"), tray, bowl and plate.[3] In the miring ceremony, plate offerings are usually presented in multiples of three, multiples of five, multiples of seven and multiples of nine, according to the intentions or aim.[2] For example, plate offerings in the multiples of three is prepared for people with nightmares or to prepare the farmers before doing agricultural works. Plate offerings in the multiple of five is done before construction of a rumah panjai (longhouse), while the multiple of seven is done before bejalai (long-distance travelling tradition). The highest number, the offerings in the multiple of nine is prepared before a war.[4]
Each ingredient is separated or divided into the number of plates. A rooster is the sacrificed, and the blood of the slaughtered rooster is then applied to the palm of the hand using rooster feathers. The chicken feathers are then placed on a plate.[5] For the multiple of five and above, a pig is sacrificed instead.[2]
This ritual cannot be performed by regular people but only a group of spell readers called lemambang. It is believed that the supernatural powers could not be handled by regular people.[2]
The offering dish consists of white and black glutinous rice, white rice, palm cigarettes, tobacco, boiled eggs, betel and areca nut, salt, cooking oil, and letup (popped rice). The ingredients must be doused with tuak first before being wrapped and stored in a fish trap.[5]