The Iban of Sarawak: Day 2

After waking up quite early due to the sound of about a million roosters crowing, it was time to climb down from the longhouse. Easier said than done. The only way to exit the longhouse is by climbing down a really steep and narrow ladder-stairs. It takes a bit of time to climb up or down, and it is designed this way to prevent enemies from rushing into the longhouse.

The first activity of the day was to learn how to use a blowpipe. The Iban hunt (animals and enemies) by blowing a poison dart through a long tube. Fortunately, I wasn't aiming at any animals or people. Instead, I tried to aim at a mango nailed to a tree. Aiming was harder than I expected since my arms were not quite strong enough to hold the heavy pipe steady. After shooting three darts, none of which hit the mango, I decided I'd leave the killing-by-poison-dart to more capable hands.

Next a guide took us on a walk through the jungle. Mosquitos swarmed around me the whole time. Even though I had applied bug spray 4 times prior to entering the jungle, I was still amazed that not a single mosquito bit me! On the jungle walk, we learned about how the Iban make booby traps and use various plants in the area. We also saw some traditional Iban graves.

And finally, before the one hour boat ride and 4 hour van ride back to town, we watched a cock fight. Cock fighting is illegal in Malaysia. But the Iban have a special permit for cock fighting. They used to settle territory disputes with cock fights. The owner of the winning rooster got to keep the land in question. Now, they mostly do cock fighting to teach visitors about their way of life. Watch a video of the fight! Hear why I woke up so frustratingly early! I swear there are a million of them!