Thursday, April 12, 2007

Sarawak Cultural Tour: Living with headhunters


Below is a recent article from AdelaideNow about a visit to a longhouse in Sarawak, which we think you will find pretty interesting, especially if you are thinking of a cultural tour:

MIKE SMITH ventures into the Borneo jungle to visit some charming folk with a gruesome past.

He's a short, wiry man, aged somewhere in his late 80s. But to his peers, the 120 Dayaks who share his longhouse in the remote jungles of Borneo, his powers far outmuscle his ageing body. As a witchdoctor in the backwaters of Sarawak, "doctor" Unding is highly regarded in village society.

While modern medicine has its place in fighting malaria and other life-threatening diseases, the people continue to respect Unding's spiritual healing powers.

The witchdoctor's longhouse, Serubah, is tucked away in a tranquil corner of forest about 250km northeast of the bustling Sarawak capital of Kuching.

Tattooed across Unding's shoulders, neck, back and arms are figures that speak of bravery; the story of a gruesome past when, as a young warrior, the witchdoctor would return home with the severed heads of his enemies. "If there were no heads, there'd be no honey," is the view of one elderly villager.

Continue reading (incl. pics) at: Sarawak Cultural Tour: Living with headhunters

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