Sarawak Longhouse Pictures in B&W

Here is a series of Sarawak Longhouse Pictures in black and white or B&W. In the many years of visiting the Iban Longhouse along the Lemanak River in remote Sarawak Borneo, I wanted to feature life in a common longhouse in black and white pictures.

The Ibans are the largest tribe in Sarawak and many still live in traditional homes like these. In any one longhouse, there can be from 10 to 50 families living there. What fascinates me is how simple a life they live here without the bothers of modern technologies.

Sarawak Longhouse Pictures in Black & White

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Dogs on a longboat – the main transport of the Iban people in Sarawak

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Longboats parked outside the longhouse

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Some of the interesting ceiling designs of the Iban people

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Iban Shaman shows his collection of tattoos

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Iban lady weaving baskets

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An elderly lady weaves while her grandson plays with something

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Intricate designs made from bamboo on the wall of a home

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Iban ladies prepare to play the traditional instruments

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Iban kids looking at me

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Two Iban elderly men have a chat and smoke

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An old Iban man sits in the corridor of the longhouse

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Iban lady doing the Ngajat Kenyalang (Hornbill Dance)

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My friend Eric takes a picture of the Iban headmen and lady of the longhouse

I hope you enjoyed the pictures above as they were taken over a duration of two years on my many visits to the Lemanak River in Sarawak for work and exploration.

Usually I would post photos in color, but this time around I wanted to share this series of the Sarawak Longhouse photography in black and white.

Enjoy the pictures and if you have questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below. This is part of my personal photography collection from my travels around Sarawak.

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0 comments

gbeejipp 19/05/2011 4:34 am

Great pictures of Iban longhouse but I still prefer them in colors. 🙂

Malaysia Asia 19/05/2011 6:12 am

Hi Jipp, thanks. Well, all my pics are in color so I thought I'd do one in B&W. Next time I'll do another series in colors.

Christy @ Ordinary Traveler 19/05/2011 5:22 pm

Cool photos. I love the black and white.

Malaysia Asia 19/05/2011 5:30 pm

Thanks very much Christy 🙂

Scott – Quirky Travel Guy 19/05/2011 6:15 pm

It's fascinating that so many families live in one of these.

Laurel 19/05/2011 8:08 pm

I like the B&W as well, it really brings out the detail in the woodwork and the mats.

Sophie 19/05/2011 9:06 pm

Nice photos, they give an added sense of history like this. I'm thinking of going to Malaysian Borneo. Which part do you recommend? Sabah or Sarawak? Or both?

The Travel Chica 20/05/2011 2:45 pm

The ceiling and wall designs are really interesting. My favorite picture is of the woman weaving baskets.

Malaysia Asia 20/05/2011 4:06 pm

Scott – It really is. I hear from friends that there was once a longhouse which was about a kilometer long! Can you imagine how many families lived there?

Laurel – Thanks you so much. Would have done color but B&W seems so dark and beautiful.

Sophie – Depending on what you prefer in your travels, I would recommend a week at least at both Sabah and Sarawak. Sarawak has more ethnic experiences but long travel times. Sabah has the best of everything.

Travel Chicas – Yes, agree, she just sits there daily weaving baskets that are sold to the traders in towns far away. Such a simple and interesting life.

Ciki 30/06/2011 9:39 am

Very cool david! love the black and white effect. particularly like the man with the leg tattoo!

Malaysia Asia 30/06/2011 6:03 pm

Mei, thanks and that guy is the local Shaman 🙂

Jard The Great 21/12/2012 1:13 pm

thankyou for saying that Sabah has the best of everything (referring to ur comment above)

Have you managed to learn the language of the Ibans? Do they too speak in the common Sarawakian language. Nice pics tho! Wish you could cover a piece on the Bajau ethnic group in Sabah (which I believe their traditions are vanishing due to modernization). Would love to read on that! ^^