That night after several meals and a lot more whiskey, the chief, my new BFF, got itchy feet and decided it was time to show us traditional Iban dancing. Instruments were dusted off, ornate costumes were put on, and the whole longhouse got down! After everyone danced several rounds all hell broke loose and it turned into a full on discoteque. NOTE: the first two images link to video so they may take a bit to load...patience my Awolers, patience... also, with regards to the shoddy camera work, I will ask you one question...have you ever had Borneo-ian whisky ???!

The next morning I actually woke up hungry, which scared me. After woofing down 3 or 4 meals and downing a couple shots of brandy we went to see what the Iban call “headhunters.” Skulls. Remembrance of their past. The village we visited was not Christian, as is Perdue, it was Iban religion which is something I couldn’t quite get a good explanation of – it sounds much like animism with a few other pagan influences thrown in. These skulls were believed to be the aftermath of an Iban village war from several hundred years ago. When someone is beheaded, their victor has the responsibility of taking care of the skull and spirit. Consequently, their future generations are laden with this albatross as well. The skulls are kept outside a longhouse for severasl yearsuntil the chief has extended an invitation to them. Once brought inside in an elabotate ceremony, they must be fed (rice and whisky are lef out once a month) and kept over a fire. If they go hungry of if they get cold the teeth will chatter and that means there will be spiritual trouble for everfyone in the longhouse.There are also a few pictures of spirit walls; items used to keep evil spirits from entering the longhouse. We saw these in longhouses of Iban religion as well as the Christian faith – proof that the lines drawn by the christian spread through the region are actuallyy quite blurred.

I can only imagine the missionaries first conversation when they got to Borneo.

Missionary #1: Gosh, Zebediah, are those human skulls hanging over the fireplace?

Missionary #2: My goodness, Joshua, I think the goode Lord hath cut our work out for us. (GULP!)

The headhunters of yesterday aren’t necessarily that many yesterdays ago. During WWII when the Japanese invaded South East Asia they were ruthless in their conquests. Memories of torture, mass killings and death marches still live with the elders in most of the villages around the Asian rim.  When the Japanese arrived in Borneo, the British recruited Iban hunters as a resistance force. They were jungle trackers and hunters, and as it turned out they were one of the few groups of people more ruthless than the Japanese. To this day, Japanese skulls are still sometimes uncovered in the jungle. The mystical tattoos of the Iban also played an important as well as legendary part in the war as well. Supposedly, some of the tattoos allowed the bullets to pass right through, or guided them around the Iban warriors without injury. I heard one story of a group of Iban resistance fighters running across a field that was being sprayed by several machine gunners. Every one of them of them made it to the other side without a scratch. All the non-Ibans soldiers were cut down. In Perdue there were 3 brothers that fought in WWII. They were fully tattooed (the last tattoo you get inscribed is on the throat which is protection from being beheaded) and I just didn’t have the heart, or the guts to ask them for any stories. There was also a man in the village they called Rambo. He wears an amulet around his neck that allows him to move quickly and effortlessly as if he's casually walking in slow motion while on hunts. The other men in Perdue refuse to go hunting with him because in reality he's ripping through the jungle in warp speed trapping animals by hand. When I asked him what was in the amulet he looked me square in the eye, smiled and just said: "magic."

On the 5th day, sadly, we had to go. We left about an hour before dawn and hiked by flashlight before the sun started to streak its way across the Borneo sky. On the way back we passed through 2 other villages with skulls. The entire trip back to Kuching, I was trying to put our adventure into perspective. Or maybe I was just trying to comprehend it. Perdue was like living in a dream (which was set on the Food Channel). Continuously laughing and joking, the Iban were, without a doubt, the most hospitable and giving group of people I’ve ever encountered. The word “happy” doesn’t even begin to describe them. This was a very special 5 days.

In Perdue there were 3 brothers that fought in WWII. They were fully tattooed (the last tattoo you get inscribed is on the throat which is protection from being beheaded) and I just didn’t have the heart, or the guts to ask them for any stories.

On the 5th day, sadly, we had to go. We left about an hour before dawn and hiked by flashlight before the sun started to streak its way across the Borneo sky. On the way back we passed through 2 other villages with skulls. The entire trip back to Kuching, I was trying to put our adventure into perspective. Or maybe I was just trying to comprehend it. Perdue was like living in a dream (which was set on the Food Channel). Continuously laughing and joking, the Iban were, without a doubt, the most hospitable and giving group of people I’ve ever encountered. The word “happy” doesn’t even begin to describe them. This was a very special 5 days within our already amazing trip.

This last shot is me sitting with the Chief, his son Donny, and his grandson. Three generations of village chiefs.

So, this is when I tell everybody else how to experience what we did.  Remember, this is not paid advertising, it is merely a suggestion to do something that is way off the tourist track and is a truely amazing experience. A trip up tp Perdue is something you will remember for the rest of your life – I will guarantee this. Contact Chris at his guesthouse: www.borneobnb.com. He arranged everything for us.

Also, even if you don’t want a tattoo, pop into Borneo Headhunters to meet Ernesto. A very cool guy who looks like he stepped right out of a vintage photo of a longhouse – one that had a iPod. Just by his looks you can ascertain that he is an accomplished musician, which he is, but you’d never expect that he went to law school in the UK. Ernesto is truly a renaissance man. He is also one of the handful of artists who still does hand-tapped tattoos and is world renowned throughout the tattooing community. His info is at www.borneoheadhunter.com

pmb 18.11.08