Longhouse Culture

Loagan Tasan is an Iban longhouse near to Marudi on the Baram River in Sarawak. In June the Ulu (upriver) tribes or Dayaks all over Sarawak celebrate Gawai, equivalent to a harvest festival. During this time family members gather at the longhouse and party. Celebrations include a communal meal on the veranda, which stretches the length of the longhouse, often followed by games and singing. The Iban people are traditionally great drinkers and in the evening the games turn to traditional dance or ngajat induk. These dances simulate hunting with the women performing the part of the hornbill (the national bird of Sarawak) and the men hunting them by simulating the mating dance of the cock. Each dancer, on completion of their performance, is expected to down a glass of rice wine or tuak. Failure to finish the drink or spillage results in the glass being refilled for another try. Visitors to Sarawak longhouses are often treated to a performance like this but are usually expected to join in.