Long day to longhouse in Borneo

Story 4/21: Borneo, long boats and houses

Long day to longhouse in Borneo

June, 1990

Pair of brown eyes glance below a long fringe, as little girl peaks behind her mother. Group of Nordic travelers have just arrived with narrow river boats. They are given a brief tour along the longhouse – peeking under the floors, where chicken have their hide-aways and some timber is stored.

Then they are allowed to climb the ladders to the actual longhouse. As they walk towards the large hall that will later serve as their shelter for the night, sounds of TV is heard from some of the family chambers lining the back wall of the longhouse.

Couple of dozen villagers are gathering to watch a group of about same size of foreigners who from their part are spectating a traditional dance performed by half a dozen villagers.

Monotonous song tells the visitors tales from the village history. Villager working in town introduces each piece in English. Guide then translates to Finnish for travelers from far North. Four dancers stomp their feet to the longhouse floor. Occasionally they burst into singing – responding to the village elder.

The performance takes place in an open space of a traditional longhouse. This way of accommodation can be found in the jungles and coastal areas of South-East-Asia. In Borneo these wooden constructions have been built to riversides, as waterways are the highways through the dense multilayered rainforests.

Tourists clap their hands after the show and gather around their guide. She tells, that it is better to donate through village elder than to pay directly to any of the performers.

As warmth and rain are stable year-round, the little kids run around butt-naked, many older children and most adults are dressed to western style shorts. Some men have shirts, some don´t. Few people wear traditional clothing. Partially to amuse tourists, but for some older people it is also about maintaining their culture.

It is a struggle, as the long wooden boats with outboard engines mounted to back have brought the temptations of “city life” in the distance of hours instead of days. With the money earned in the towns, variety of consumption goods keep changing the traditional ways.

The dinner served in the hall of the longhouse is quite traditional – apart from the canned drinks, sanitary of which is easier to guarantee, than of a natural water. Fish, rice and variety of tropical fruits are served on bamboo leaves. No plates nor forks are needed.

As there are no fixed electric lines, artificial light is a luxury. Hence the travelers set early to sleep. Soon light snoring and sighs start. Hours bouncing on an old bus with way too short legroom through the narrowing jungle roads and then changing to coolness of the long and narrow outboard river boat and snaking through the vast jungle to this house standing over the sloping wilderness had taken its toll.

Some background data:

Borneo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borneo

Rain forests: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainforest

Longhouses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longhouse

Westernisation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westernization

Bob de Moor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_de_Moor

Questions:

1. Westernisation. Western life style was first introduced to other continents together with Christian missionary work – often along with colonial and economical interests. It was common to ban traditional activities, especially if they were related to local religions. Some traditions have been forgotten due to westernization. What do you think about that?
2. Rain forests are thick layers of vegetation and especially tropical rainforests are considered environmentally important in global scale. Why is that? What is their role in climate change and sixth extinction?
3. Sustainability. Western economic system bases to continuous growth. Many traditional life styles have been considerably more sustainable – and depending on the surrounding nature. Do you think, that traditional lifestyles – replaced by western style has been happy life? Can there be happiness and stability without getting more goods and experiences? If so, why do you think western life style has covered so wide ground?
4. Discuss. Your view: What thoughts did rise in your mind having read the story? Discuss with your pair.

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