Traditional Longhouses in Borneo: A Village Under One Roof
- devanandpaul
- 15 hours ago
- 7 min read
Explore the longhouses of Sarawak tribes at the Sarawak Cultural Village, Kuching, and the tribal heritage of Borneo.
Today, we equate progress with taller buildings, busier roads, and cities that shine bright even after midnight. We have built a world centred on comfort and speed but, in the process, have harmed the environment through air, water, and land pollution, deforestation, and the rapid spread of concrete jungles. These actions have brought about climate change, poor air quality, and soil erosion, among other effects.
However, not long ago, people lived a much simpler life, aligned with nature. During my recent visit to Borneo, Malaysia, I got a small glimpse of that way of life, which I share in this blog.
Sarawak (a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia) is home to many Indigenous communities—the Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Melanau, Penan, and several others, each having its own language and traditions.
Every tribe built its longhouses appropriate to the land they lived on—riverbanks, mountain slopes, or swampy lowlands. And most of their homes were erected on stilts to protect against floods, wild animals, and enemy attacks, and to keep them cool.
Most traditional houses in Sarawak are scattered across remote valleys or distant riverbanks, and visiting them was not possible because of paucity of time and funds. So, I chose to explore the Sarawak Cultural Village near Kuching. Often called the Living Museum of Borneo, it brings full-sized replicas of these homes under one roof.
What Is a Longhouse?
A longhouse is a tiny village under one roof. Imagine a hall stretching far into the distance (often up to 500 metres long), one side of which serving as the communal veranda, the ruai, and the other divided into private family rooms, or bilek (sometimes even 29 of them). This design blends privacy with communal living. Every family has its own space, yet the ruai (the more public open space) is shared: a place to gather, chat, work together, celebrate, and welcome guests.
Bidayuh Longhouse
The Bidayuh, once called the Land Dayaks, are mountain people who built their homes on higher ground. Made of bamboo, timber, and thatch, they stood on stilts.
Inside, private rooms lined one side, while a long communal veranda—the heart of village life—ran the length of the longhouse on the other.
Traditional tools, baskets, and mats showcase how the Bidayuh dried rice and stored pepper.
A wooden bridge from the longhouse led to a round watchtower, a barok, which once served as the tribe’s head-house. Built with bamboo, it held gongs, war drums, weapons, masks, and even head trophies. At night, watchmen stood guard to protect the longhouse, ready to strike the big drum at the approach of danger.
Iban Longhouse
The Iban, the largest tribe in Sarawak, were once known as the fearless headhunters of Borneo. Their longhouses stretched so far that they could shelter more than a hundred families under one roof.
The Iban built their longhouses along rivers, earning the name Sea Dayaks. Every 15–20 years, when the nearby farmland became barren, they would move—sometimes upriver, sometimes deeper inland, and sometimes closer to the coast.
Like the Bidayuh, the Iban used timber and natural fibres to build their stilted homes. Inside, a corridor ran through the length of the house on one side like a village street; family rooms (bilek) lined along the other, each opening onto the corridor, where daily life unfolded (socializing, mending fishing nets, making mats, baskets, handicrafts, etc.).
Orang Ulu Longhouse
The Orang Ulu, ‘people of the upriver’, lived upstream of remote rivers. Their longhouse, also on stilts and surrounded by greenery, was filled with sape and jatung utang (string instruments of the Orang Ulu) music.
Orang Ulu women were known for creating intricate beadwork, which is demonstrated inside the longhouse. And tattoo designs, swords of the Dayak (parang ilang, meaning ‘double knife’) historically used for headhunting, and sacred burial poles (kelireng) are on display.
Vibrant designs on the veranda wall give the house a ‘jungle resort’ look. Women in colourful costumes performed traditional dances to the soft rhythm of a wooden xylophone.
Penan Hut
The Penan are another small ethnic group under the broad Dayak community. Once a nomadic hunter-gatherer tribe, most have settled down now. Of the 10,000 Penan, only about 200 are nomadic at present. Penan huts are temporary, lasting only a few weeks or months. Simple, wall-less, and mostly stilted, they are built near wild sago palm trees, their main food source. When the sago is exhausted, they abandon their huts and move on.
The Penan people are masters of blowpipes, used to hunt. I watched them craft the pipes and even tried one myself, guided by a warrior’s instructions: ‘Don’t blow from your mouth. Blow from your chest and stomach.’
They have no time system: They count neither days nor years.
Melanau Tall House
The Melanau lived near the coast, surrounded by mangrove forests and peat swamps. To protect their families from floods, they built their communal homes like wooden towers, sometimes reaching 40 feet or more above the ground. The height also helped to keep their provisions safe and dry, and provided a vantage point to look out for approaching danger.
Built from strong belian wood (colloquially known as Bornean ironwood, one of the world’s most durable woods) and nibong palm trunks, their houses had gaps in the floors; during attacks, boiling water was poured through these openings to stop the advance of intruders.
The house had about 20 family rooms. There were three levels: the lower one accommodated unmarried men; the mid level, families; and the top, unmarried women and young couples (family treasures were also stored here).
The open space beneath the house stored paddy, sago, chickens, and boats, and was used for weddings and funerals.
On the veranda, shamans once performed the bebayoh ritual—calling on spirits to heal illnesses when medicine failed.
Malay House
The Malays arrived in Borneo over centuries from the Malay Peninsula and western Indonesia through sea trade and the spread of Islam. They settled mainly along the coasts and river mouths and today form a major community, especially in Sabah and Sarawak. Their dwellings were built with timber and bamboo. A typical Malay house is stilted.
The front room, open and airy, was the men’s space, used for receiving guests and holding ceremonies. One can see elaborate carvings in every corner: the railings, the fascia boards, even the ventilation grills above the doors.
The communal area had a congkak board on a table, its marbles scattered as if waiting for visitors to play. (Congkak is a traditional wooden board game played with seeds.) Beyond it were simple bedrooms and a kitchen with pots, pans, and a modest dining table.
A small attic stored household items. Every detail of the house blended beauty with practicality—perfectly suited to life in the tropical heat.
Chinese Farmhouse
The Chinese came to Borneo by sea as traders and later as migrant workers, mainly from southern China. From the 18th century onwards, they settled around ports, mines, and towns, becoming a key part of Borneo’s society.
The Chinese farmhouse was built on the ground unlike the stilted houses. Red paper strips with protective verses framed the doorway. Inside, the packed earth floor, whitewashed timber walls, and attap roof (a traditional thatched roof made of attap palm leaves) gave the home a rustic charm.
The house had a main room with a shrine and a small private bedroom. Outside, there was a pepper garden.
What amazed me most was how these homes were built. Every material—wood, bamboo, leaves, and rattan—came from the forest. Nothing was wasted; nothing harmed the land. The tribal people took only what was needed, always allowing nature to renew itself.
Their needs were simple: a safe roof, shared living space, and a strong sense of togetherness. Life was about belonging, not owning.
Today, we indiscriminately cut down trees and urbanize and asphalt the landscape and call it development. We are on our toes from morning till night, chasing targets, deadlines, and recognition. We earn, we build, we show off, but we often forget to live.
We work harder, yet feel more stressed. We have neighbours, but little communal living. We live in comfort, yet long for peace. We own more, but share less.
This visit made me realize that true wealth is not what you own, but how you live—simply, wisely, and in harmony with nature.
Tips for Visiting the Sarawak Cultural Village
Located at Pantai Damai, 32 kilometres from Kuching (capital of Saravak)
Timings: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. every day
Time required to explore the place: 3–4 hours
Don’t miss the cultural show (usually at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.).
Participate in interactive activities like blowpipe shooting and bamboo dancing.
Spend time in each house—talk to hosts, ask questions, and learn their stories.
Wear light clothes and comfortable shoes for walking on planks and bridges.
Carry water, a hat, and sunscreen.
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