Our main destination this time was Batang Ai, to visit the Iban community at the Mengkak Longhouse / Ukom Longhouse located at the mouth of Sungai Engkari. The Ibans form the largest percentage of Sarawak’s population. In days of yore, they were reputedly the most formidable headhunters on the island of Borneo. Ibans today are friendly and hospitable. They are renowned for their traditional weavings such as the Pua Kumbu, woodcarvings, beadworks and silver craftings. Longhouses are built on stilts about a metre above the ground. As the name suggests, Borneo longhouses are long and narrow consisting of several rooms. Each family occupies a room. One longhouse typically accommodates between 20 and 50 families. There’s a large communal living space, between the balcony and bedrooms, known as the ruai, running down one side, and separate living quarters for each family along the other side. The ruai is the place where the longhouse folks gather for an evening chat or carry out activities like making handicrafts and farming apparatus.

I guess, the fascination for this exotic destination also stems from interesting stories about the headhunters of Borneo. Images from National Geographic or Discovery Channel showing small dark people with tattooed bodies donning fancy headdresses of exotic bird feathers must have also fuelled the curiosity of our foreign visitors.