IBAN HOUSE

By Nik Suzana Mat Tahir

On close inspection, the iban house bears close resemblance to the bidayuh house. The longhouse is built of local timbers tied together with naturally-harvested fibre woods. Since the real Iban longhouses are often erected near the major rivers of Sarawak, the design emulates a raised floor concept to ensure the occasional surge of river flow will not enter the longhouse.

Among the traditional activities showcased in the iban house are kuih jala making (yes, if the malanau are known for tebaloi, the Iban are famous for their sweet kuih jala ),kain pua kumbu weaving (an exquisitedecorative clothes that Sarawak is famous for) and tuak processing (alcoholic beverage made from rice wine). The house also showcases a variety of tools and equipment for hunting (yes, head-hunting and for animals too),musical instrument such as drums and gongs, et cetera.

In the front yard of the longhouse is an open-air communal area where you can meet Iban ladies in colourful traditional dresses as well as the much revered elders of the longhouse.

MALAY HOUSE

The showcase house is taken out from a typical home design of traditional Malay villages commonly found in parts of Sarawak and most parts of Peninsula Malaysia.The house is built on stilts some metres above ground. There is a reason for that; houses built on the ground are prone to be flooded and not to mention the uninvited guests in the form of crawling creatures (snakes, centipedes, etc).

It is a customary practice to open your shoes at the veranda prior to entering a Malay house. At the communal living area, village personnel were seen playing with a traditional game of congkak (try it, it is quite fun) while chit-chatting about their daily life. The middle section of the house is considered to be the bedroom area, although have seen a typical designs where there are further separation walls as demarcation of the proper bedroom. After the bedroom area, you can see the kitchen area with cooking utensils and dining tables.

There is a unique feature that can be found at Rumah Melayu in the cultural village. There is an attic above the bedroom area connected by a wooden staircase. It managed to climb up the attic to see the internals. It is used commonly for storage space only and not for communal living mainly due to the relatively hotter air close to the rooftop. Another common but unique feature of a Malay house is the open-air grills on the side windows to allow better air circulation.

Outside the house compound is a special pavillion  where top spinning (main gasing) sessions are occasionally demonstrated to the public.

Author :

Nik Suzana Mat Tahir, Student of Tengku Muhammad Faris Petra Cluster Secondary School, Malaysia