Location : Matop Longhouse, Spaoh, Betong, Sarawak, Malaysia.
The external features of this 70 year old longhouse may look ordinary but once you step into it you cannot help but awed by the massive belian (ulin) or ironwood pillars (I lost count) and floor/wall panels.
Belian / Ironwood
Surprisingly, although we were impressed by the engineering, we could not find a single artifact that could symbolise the Iban carving skill. Maybe they are all kept in the rooms of the 28 families here. No weaving, beadwork or basketry going on which is quite unusual for a longhouse. Perhaps, modernisation has robbed of all these daily chores of the Ibans. Except for the Christmas deco on the human skulls the visit was quite boring.
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