ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the belief system of the padi cult its role in swidden cultivation and the way padi cultivation is valued in the Bidayuh village of Kampong Gayu, in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. It examines the role of women as ritual leaders of the padi cult and as farmers in padi-based swiddens. The chapter traces the role of women in the transition to modernity and Christianity which has led to the demise of the padi cult. On close analysis it can be said that the female practitioners of the padi cult had a powerful relationship with the general fertility and health of the village, based on their gender and spirituality. The Bidayuh, who have a comparatively egalitarian society, were among the earliest inhabitants of Sarawak, Borneo, and their oral histories go back more than 1500 years. Hew considers introduction of Christianity as a reason in the 'erosion of Bidayuh women's position in the villages.
