Star Rainforest Movie Festival @ Sarawak Cultural Village, Part four of Seven

Next is the Orang Ulu (upriver people). These people are also found in adjacent Kalimantan, Indonesia. In Sarawak, the Orang Ulu accounts for 5.3% of the population. Formerly animists, but now many Orang Ulu had converts to Christians.

Most of the Ulu people had tattoo on the back. According to traditional this signified that he had taken a head. They believed that a tattoo would serve as a torch in the underworld. They like to tattoo almost all their bodies, with design variously know as “dragon”, “scorpion”, “dog”, or ornamental scroll work. Women usually confined themselves to simple wrist or hand decorations.

The Ulu people are among the most skilled wood carvers in Sarawak. They embellished their houses, boats, tools, musical instruments, and personal ornaments with various kinds of designs. A sculpture called the “dragon dog” with along snout, curling fangs and horns, and bulging eyes plays an important part in the traditional religion for the Ulu people. It is also been used as a tattooing design.


Signboard in front of the Ulu People house


This is the house of the Ulu people, is build in the middle of a small hill.


The house was support by few very long trunk. It holds the house solidly, and serve as a foundation of the house


They painted the trunk with traditional Ulu people tattoo design.


Carve wood statue


They even carved the floor.


The Ulu house


The wall been painted with their own unique design


A view from the corridor of the Ulu house.


Musical instruments made from wood, and if you hit the wood from left to right (long to short) the tone is Do Re Mi Fa So...I’m impress!!!


Another wooden instruments


The back of the house.


The surrounding of the house are trees, so I can’t get a clear shot on the house.

Star Rainforest Movie Festival @ Sarawak Cultural Village, Part three of Seven

Next stop is the Penan, here is some fact about the Penan people.

The Penan are forests nomads living in the Miri and Kapit Divisions. Some have settled near longhuorse in these areas, engaging in barter trade and sometimes working for the settlers. Majority of Penan countinues to live as nomads. They construct temporary shelters of saplings, palm leaf and tree bark near food sources. They abandon a shelter because the food had run out, or because of a death in the family group.

The Penan are skilled at making and using blowpipes and forging swords. Their women folk make beautiful baskets and mats; all these handicrafts are used to barter for their frugal needs: salt, cloth and tobacco. The Penans are skillful trackers and hunters. They live on game and fish and forest plants. Their staple food is wild sago. The State Government’s policy is to persuade the nomadic Penans to settle down. School and longhouses have been build to induce them to settle permanently.


Signboard lead to the Penan house


From the outlook of the house, can tell they live a thrifty and simple life


The blowpipe shooting range, visitor can try blowpipe shooting here. Three darts for RM1.00


A close up on the Penan people bed.


I’m not sure what is this use for, there is a tree trunk ladder link to second floor. and there is a string attach from the roof to the ground.


This is the squirrel and snake skin, it may be killed by the blowing pipe.


Another blowpipe shooting range, with RM1.00 for three darts.


Photo of Jing and Wilson (Me) at the Penan hut


There’s a beautiful lake near the Penan hut

Star Rainforest Movie Festival @ Sarawak Cultural Village, Part two of Seven

Next stop is the Iban house, Iban live in all areas of Sarawak. Many of the Iban live in a longhouse, in a longhouse it can reach 50 or more rooms, each with different family, all live under one roof.


Welcome to the longhouse of the Iban village.


A strange looking tree trunk, there a paddle under it. Don’t ask me, cause I don’t know that it use for


a mini rumah Iban


The corridor of the longhouse, in the middle there’s a handmill to grind straw. I had give it a try, and it was actually quite easy to grind.


A Iban hut


Now lets go inside the house and see how it looks like.


Inside the house was easily furnished, with some ancient vase...


some funny looking mask hanging on the wall...


some funny loosing chicken, bird shape thing hanging on the wall again...


the living room


Iban longhouse


The Iban people are capable of making their own textile.


Gandang

Star Rainforest Movie Festival @ Sarawak Cultural Village, Part one of Seven

I watched The Lord of the Rings, part 1,2, and 3 – Trilogy Movie Marathon last Saturday at Sarawak Cultural Village. Is an outdoor movie screening in the middle of the tropical rainforest. Beside movie, there are also treasure hunt, and free photo printout from Nokia mobile phone, they are using the Nokia N70 to take photos of us and print for us all free of charge. And free ice-cream were treated for children as well, but the ice-cream uncle see Jing is too cute to resist, so he gave Jing 4 free ice-cream. So one for me, and three for Jing.

A very thanks to pretty and cute Jing to cancel away all her appointments, and to accompany me to the festival, that is the first time I visited the culture village. And Jing showed me around, and had provided me some useful information. Basically in culture village, we get to know other ethnic culture, house, and daily life activity, what they do for a living, their habits and customs.

We reach there at around 5.00pm, I was very happy because can shoot photos. After the entrance is a flower garden, and there are some strange looking wood statues beside the garden. Next to the garden there’s a handicraft shop, the administrative office and a restaurant.


This is the entrance to Sarawak Culture Village


After the entrance there a flower garden, I’m very lucky that day cause it actually stop raining, before I came it was still pouring but after I reach it actually stop. This also makes the flower look more colorful and the air fresher.


Wooden statues sculpture


A wooden stairway made from tree trunk, after the ladder is the restaurant, and the administrator office.


View from the top of the wooden stairway


Wooden sculpture of a family


The restaurant, it was close that time. I walk in the shoot on the pretty x-mas decoration


A model of the Culture Village


I guess this might be the award won by the culture village


Jing open a door, and I go pick inside. Found out that it is a theater hall


Starts our journey to explorer the culture of every races.


To visit the Bidayuh long house, we can either choose to walk through this Bidayuh bamboo bridge or use another route.


A sign board beside the bridge “We Invite All Guests To Cross Over To The Bidayuh Long House On This Bidayuh Bamboo Bridge”


We choose to cross from the bamboo bridge, and after the bamboo bridge, there is a stage for dancing class. It teaches ethnic dance and music, and it charge RM5.00 per hour.

Miri – Part Six of Six

Today will be the last day at Miri, and as I mention earlier since Miri had become a tourist City earlier this year it had really change a lot. There are more and more tall buildings. Will come back here if next year if I’m free.


Miri Day Time


Miri Night Time
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end of my travel post