Sarawak exhibits notable diversity in ethnicity, culture, and language. The Sarawakian culture has been influenced by Bruneian Malays of the coastal areas. Substantial cultural influences also came from the Chinese and British cultures. The Iban longhouse functions as a community, each holding several families (over 50 in some cases) related through blood and marriage. A communal corridor (the ruai) runs through the building, and is the location of communal activities, such as work, socialising, celebrating, and discussing community matters. Each Iban longhouse has a head (tuai rumah), determined by community vote upon the death of their predecessor, who acts as a leader and an arbitrator. The tuai rumah reports to the penghulu, who leads several longhouses. In the modern era, the tuai rumah is also responsible for implementing government policies in these communities.
Come join us in these 3 days 2 nights longhouse adventure in experiencing something you couldn’t experience in other countries. Live inside the longhouse to have complete experience and eat their most traditional food. Do not miss out the fun and come join!
Overview
Kuching is the capital of the East Malaysian State of Sarawak. Kuching is the most populous city in the state of Sarawak and the fourth largest city in Malaysia Nestled on the banks of the Sarawak River, the capital, Kuching, retains the old-world charm of its romantic past. The river is the focal point of the town and features a graceful, European-style esplanade – The Kuching Waterfront – with views across to the Astana (The Palace) and Fort Margherita.
The narrow, bustling streets near the river are crammed with ornate temples, markets, historic buildings and traditional Chinese shop houses selling local handicrafts. Kuching also lays claim to nine museums, many within walking distance of each other. No other city in Malaysia displays its charm with such an easy grace as Kuching, the capital of Sarawak.
The city is cut almost in half by the meandering Sarawak River – its lifeline since time immemorial and where it all began in 1839. Its skyline is a mix of minarets and domes, ornate temple roofs, church spires, fortress, towers, modern and colonial buildings – all set amidst a profusion of greenery against the dramatic backdrop of the inky-blue Santubong and Matang Mountains. A tour of Kuching will take you from the era of the White Rajahs to the present day.
Many of the inhabitants of the Southeast Asian island of Borneo (now Kalimantan, Indonesia and States of Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia), the Dayak, live traditionally in buildings known as longhouses, rumah betang in Indonesia Malay or rumah panjai in Iban. Common to most of these is that they are built raised off the ground on stilts and are divided into a more or less public area along one side and a row of private living quarters lined along the other side. This seems to have been the way of building best accustomed to life in the jungle in the past, as otherwise hardly related people have come to build their dwellings in similar ways. One may observe similarities to South American jungle villages also living in large single structures. The design is elegant: being raised and built over a hill, flooding presents little inconvenience and the height acts as defence against enemy attacks.
