Many towns in the Borneo jungle are still very hard to reach. Some are only accessible by boat and getting to others requires a six-hour, cross-country, off-road drive followed by a two-day trek through the jungle. With satellite dishes and generators popping up everywhere, the peoples lives are not as sheltered as they used to be, and dreams of alternative ways of living is changing the traditional way of life forever.

The longhouse residents live under one roof as they have for hundreds of years. Once the famed head hunters of borneo killing mercenaries with poisoned darts and keeping their skulls to ward off evil spirits, now the Iban people grow crops such as pepper and collect rubber for income. The longhouses are now made of cement and have electricity and other amenities. Each family still occupies their own apartment in the rear of the house with exterior kitchens and washrooms. The closed in patio in front serves as a gathering center for social activity, community meetings and celebrations. Most residents come out at night, after a long days work collecting latex to chat, play games, and drink tuak, their home made rice wine, as well as Air Kampong (literally: “village water”), the very potent local rice whisky, well into the night.

The residents range from newborn to the eldest woman who claimed to be 98. The occupants live as a familly where all contribute to chores and upkeep of the property. There is one Chief per house. Recently, the longhouses have been oppening their doors to tourists who want an authentic Borneo experience, but with better connection to towns and with the malaysian education system in place, many of the young people are dreaming of a different future which makes one wonder how long this way of life will continue.