Story by A.R. Amiruddin

You must be crazy to leave the comfort of your homeand to stay in a remote jungle long house.” This remark earlier said by my by a friend was ringing in my ears as I reached the venue my destination in the interior part of the Batang Ai Lake in Kuching, Sarawak.

I took it as a challenge. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right. Access to the long house at Nanga Delok (Lubok Antu) is by a motorised longboat which takes an hour from the Hilton Batang Ai jetty. The scenery along the way is varied: forest, hills that have been cleared and planted with hill padi, pepper and other cash crops, a man-made lake dammed to generate electricity.

Climbing the steep cemented staircase of the hillock, I came upon more than 20 amulets, each hanging on a pole, lining the passageway. It felt like stepping back in time.

At the entrance, a dog eyed me, wagged its tail and trotted off having ascertained that I was not an uninvited guess. At least 50 other dogs make themselves at home in the 100m long verandah of the long house, chased out only at night. The whole area was reeking of them and this was to be my home for the next two days.

For nature’s call, there is a pour- flush system of a wood and bamboo floor to allow the water to pass through. Water is taken from the catchment area in the hills through a pipe. The toilet is a rickety structure built on stilts.

The long house is not meant for the discerning. Down below, there are some 100 black and “stunted” pigs and piglets. Hygiene is lacking.

Fourteen Iban families, comprising some 90 people, live in the long house with the attic as storage space for rice and other belongings. They also rear several cats to prevent rats from destroying their rice in the attic. Contrary to popular belief, the cats and dogs get along peacefully.

Each family lives in an “apartment”. Communal activities like weaving baskets are conducted on the verandah. Male visitors spend the night on the verandah or ruai while female guests are invited to stay inside the bilek (room) with the family.

Using oil lamps, the womenfolk continue to do their weaving and handicraft until 11pm, while the men work hard making and mending their fishing nets. Some of the womenfolk still go bare-breasted.

It was interesting to listen to their tales at night. While doing so, they drank tuak or fermented rice wine. As it would be impolite to refuse their invitation, I joined in and my head spun right after one glass.

By 6.45am the next morning, they were out in the field. The womenfolk venture out to gather rattan, pandanau leaves and other raw materials to make their products.

The men attend to their pepper plants and hill padi. “The women are usually accompanied by the dogs while on their outings. Should anything happen, the dogs will come back to deliver a message,” said headman Ipang Akau, 53.

The Ibans have many taboos and believe in spirits. They also hunt wild boar by using tracker dogs. A pack of dogs will attack the wild boar and when it is tired, the Ibans move in to spear the animal.

The government supplies shotguns to the Ibans and also act against intruders who stray into Iban territory to hunt for wild boar. That is why wild boar meat, a delicacy, cannot be found in the black market.

My most memorable moment was venturing on a new trekking trail that begins at the Nanga Jelia waterfall. The journey to the waterfall takes 30 minutes from the long house. The river was abundant with fish. One of the guides casted his net and caught several big fish for lunch.

The trip was a lesson in jungle survival, and I watched with much fascination at their ingenuity in starting a fire and cooking fish in bamboo and grilling them with sharpened branches.

I left the long house with a sad feeling, but many fond memories. I vowed to venture deeper into the interior next time to find out more about its hidden secrets.