Borneo - Iban Longhouse

So the next day, we hooked up with our guide and headed off into the interior to meet the Iban family that we were going to stay with. It was a very cool experience, the only unfortunate part was that none of us could speak Malay (I have a vocabulary of about 30 words) and none of them could speak English. Our guide could speak both, but unfortunately instead of acting as a translator, he preferred to tell us stories himself. We stayed for two days, with the girls sleeping in one of the houses and the boys all camping out in the main common area. Sleeping was a bit tough with roosters going all night, the 3 dogs next to me constantly trying to get rid of their fleas and the little boys all trying to snuggle up to me.

This is the longhouse we stayed in. This particular house was home to around 23 families. They each have their own living space, but there is also a long common area under the roof which sort of acts as a "street".

This is the view outside the longhouse. The white squares are actually mats made from the bark of rubber trees, which are drying out so that they can be taken into town and sold.

At the end of the house, they had a path down to the river where they do all their washing, bathing and fishing.

This was the family that we stayed with (and several of the neighbour's children)

The house we stayed in had this group of human skulls hanging outside the door. The grandfather of the family we stayed with was a great warrior and had killed these men, hanging their skulls as a sign of his prowess.

Since conversations were difficult, there were very few ways to communicate. A good one was bringing out the cards. I taught them a few games (and they caught on very quickly) and showed them a few card tricks. Unfortunately for me, the one word they DO know very well is "Again." I heard that one a few too many times... If only I knew more than 2 tricks.

The other way to talk was through pictures, naming the things you were pointing at.

Basket-weaving

The girls brought some magazines with them (Vogue, Elle, etc.)... I think they were a hit. So much for the basket-weaving...

We took a trip up the river so they could show us how they get their fruit and the method they use for fishing. I'm assuming they were all laughing when I threw this because I impressed them so much with my natural skills.

Look!! I caught an eel!!! (or maybe the 8 year old caught it... you'll never know)

Very cute.