SAGE magazine
DAYAK VILLAGE LIFE (an excerpt from looking for borneo) Beyond the timber camp and around a wide curve in the river we sight the cliffs. Exposed by the low water level, beneath the dense riverside jungle growth, pure white limestone has been washed and carved by the river into weird shapes, convoluted caves disappearing beneath the forest. On the opposing bank, wide stretches of shoal provide a base for net fishing, gold panning and the gathering of driftwood for cooking fires. As we reach the cliffs themselves, their size becomes even more impressive. Rising sheer from the river, two or three hundred metres up into the tropical sky, they serve to dwarf our tiny craft, a reminder of our vulnerability in this alien land of giant forests and strange creatures. Returning upstream from the gorge, we pass Olivier and Markus following our path in a ces of their own.
Vonie stretches out in the bow of our boat, taking the opportunity for a midafternoon snooze, and I relax, hoping that the unease in my gut will right itself. Still with time to spare we head on past Ujoh Bilang to Long Bagun, a more traditional Bahau Dayak village. The difference between the two villages is immediately evident. Here, despite the obvious poverty, there is a greater sense of civic pride. The central lane way is cobbled and lined with coconut palms and timber cottages fronted with picket fences and the open verandas that allow the communal living characteristic of villages throughout Indonesia. Past a small raised longhouse and a gigi mas clinic where patrons can have their teeth replaced or capped with pure local gold, we meet a young man putting the