Special Sub-Topic: Tribes From Borneo Authored by: nerthus Sub-topic of: Asian Cultures

Renowned as the finest horsemen in South East Asia, these people wear colourful riding costumes.

Bajau. Skillful horsemen and brave warriors.

Most of the indigenous people in Borneo live in communal structures known as _________?

longhouses. A Longhouse can be up to 300 yards in length and houses many individual families who live in separate apartments. It has a corridor which can be used as a gallery for hanging various artifacts.

The people of this nomadic tribe are skillful hunters who hunt with blowpipes that have poison darts, and a spear attached.

Penan. The Penans are under a lot of pressure to give up their nomadic lifestyles and settle in longhouses. While this means better living conditions for them, it also marks the death of long held traditions and customs.

This tribe makes ritual masks known as hudoq to protect rice. These masks are brightly painted and represent frightening human and animal forms.

Kayan-Kenyah. The Kayan-Kenyans believe that rice has a female spirit that can be frightened by malevolent spirits. In order to ensure a good harvest, the men wear these masks to frighten the malevolent spirits.

This tribe is known for its warriors who wear magnificent headgears made of feathers and perform the warrior dance. These warriors have acquired a ferocious reputation because they used be headhunters.

Iban. The headhunting tribes of Sarawak, the Ibans and the Kayan-Kenyahs, believe that heads of their enemies would bring health and prosperity to them. These heads are often found hung along the galleries in their longhouses.