Thursday, December 30, 2010

Annah Rais

The second part of today's road trip was a visit to Annah Rais, a longhouse used by the Bidayuh people.  These are one of the native groups here.  They are also known as the Land Dyaks.

A longhouse is actually a series of connected houses that stretch out in a line.  The house is raised off the ground by stilts with the ground below left for animals used for food -- chickens, ducks, pigs, etc.  As families grow, they add on houses, thus making it "longer".  The longhouse is predominantly made of bamboo, although all of the newer additions used aluminum siding for the roof.  While you do see modern incursions like electricity, satellite dishes, and television, the Bidayuh still lead a semi-authentic lifestyle.  They still farm the land to provide for the themselves and adhere to their traditions.

Other highlights included a ramp-ladder that was six inches wide. Also, there was a headhouse where they had skulls of defeated enemies (all of long ago).  All in all it was a nice cultural stop.

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