SMARTguide - Sarawak

CULTURE
The real thing:
an Iban longhouse
at Batang Ai
Up close and
personal with
Sarawak’s
diverse
cultural roots
The Sarawak Cultural
Village, a stone’s throw from
Kuching, is so authentic
that it was used as a set for
the upcoming Hollywood
blockbuster, the White
Rajah. The village is a living
museum: ideal for a halfday
visit. The diversity of
Sarawak’s tribes is simply
extraordinary.
“If you take the example
of the Orang Ulu, they are
divided into 26 different
sub-groups, each of which
doesn’t speak a different
dialect, but speaks a
whole different language”,
explains Gary Speldewinde
– Director – Ecogreen
Holidays, Kuching, Sarawak.
The Cultural Village’s
buildings represent every
Penan
blowpipe
demonstration
at the Sarawak
Cultural Village
major ethnic group in
Sarawak; namely the
Bidayuh, Iban, Orang Ulu,
Penan, Melanau, Malay &
Chinese. Upon entering
each building, after
witnessing a traditional
welcome ceremony, visitors
find members of the
ethnic groups in traditional
costume carrying out
traditional activities and
taking time to pose for a
photo or two. At the Penan
hut, visitors also have the
opportunity to witness the
art of blowpipe making.
They can also try their hand
at blowpipe shooting with
the Penans, the last of the
hunters and gatherers –
forest nomads
While the Sarawak cultural
village is exceptional,
nothing beats the real
thing. A few hours’ drive
outside Kuching, one
arrives at Batang Ai dam
– the shores of which are
home to a number of Iban
people living in traditional
longhouses, leading simple
lives.
The biggest community –
the Mengkak longhouse
– has 38 families, totalling
around 200 people. The
community is around 45
minutes’ boat ride from the
nearest resort or road.
Visiting this place, one
instantly understands that
these people are, on the
one hand, quite reserved,
and on the other, are very
hospitable. Their traditional
rituals, dances, foods,
and costumes continue
to intrigue and fascinate
visitors and researchers
from around the world.
The longhouse is made
up of a large communal
living space, called the
ruai, flanked on the outside
by a terrace, and on the
other by individual rooms
– each housing a family.
The ruai is the place
where the longhouse folk
gather for a chat or carry
out their days’ activities.
Here, one eats with the
Iban, seated on the floor,
savouring local fare, after
tasting the home-made
rice wine and (gulp) rice
‘whisky’.
These are the direct
descendants of the Iban
head-hunters, whose
images from yesteryear
fuelled the curiosity of so
many in the past. Apart
from the head-hunting,
little else has changed.
It is truly an immersive
experience
A traditional dance in
the Mengkak longhouse
10 SMART GUIDE www.sarawaktourism.com