Borneo Longhouse warriors

The dancers strike dramatically Iow stances and skillfully maneuvers

his shield around him in time to the pulsing beat of the gendang. The

warrior looks up and down, his arms taking on the movement of flapping

wings, bringing to life the rhinocerous hornbill in his every step.

 

"Huha! Huha! Huha!" The chief of the Ngemah Longhouse, Juan, Son of

Belulok, intones as he raises his gloss of Tuak, the festive rice

wine. All around him the Iban men and women raise their glasses echo

lng his cry. The benevolent spirits have been summoned to bear witness

to the proceedings. Tonight, with the sweet and potent rice wine

smoldering in our veins, we witness the Iban ritual that invokes the

protection of the guardian spirits, en- suring that no harm shall

befall any of us. Deep in the rainforest of Kuching, along the

churning waters of the clear Lemanak River, the proud Iban people

dwell. For centuries, this has been their home. This ancient river

with its spirit trees leaning vainly over their reflections, has borne

the struggles of the legendary warriors and headhunters of yore. Here

beneath the glorious ruby blossoms of the Ngsurai trees, where the

water runs clear as molten glass, traditional Ionghouses still stand,

enduring the test of time. The re-mote and secret locations of these

sanc- tuaries keep the Iban people and their culture alive and

untainted. We sit on mengkuang woven mats in the communal hall of the

Ngemah Ionghouse, named after the tributary that runs from the kemanak

River. (All Ionghouses derive their names from their tributary. And it

is no wonder, for it is from this source that life flows.) All around

us, the jungle is alive, its rhythm gaining momentum as the night

approaches. Oil lamps are lit across the communal hall, and the

thirteen families that reside here are gathered to add their voices to

the petition for protection, as well as to join in the festivities.

Beautiful as the word goes!

What an amazing experience this must have been for you Alec. Rarely are we able to 'see' through 'another's eyes' as we focus on a photo as impressive as this.

 

While we see the colorful and magnificent costumes the descendants of this ancient tribe still proudly wear as they rejoice in the lineage and customs that course through their veins to this day......but you have given us an alternative view....yours, as you were able to partake of their rice wine....heightening your senses and revealing an awareness of their ritual dance; allowing you for a short period of time to connect and be accepted as 'one of their own' as the families joined in......permitting you to attempt to understand their customs and soar with the emotions evoked as they once again danced with their ancestors.

 

It is not often that we hear of such 'protected' and ancient tribes. I personally thank you for your well written description of what you experienced. It helped make me feel part of the 'celebration' if that is possible. It certainly added to the image before me, giving me a greater understanding of these tribesmen, whom you so artfully displayed before us.

 

Thankyou for sharing your 'intimate' evening with "The Borneo Longhouse Warriors"....once again .....a new learning experience.......with much appreciation, Gail

Excellent dynamic stage photography. Also very informative and interesting the accompanying lines. Thank you for sharing and compliments - El

very good documantary shot which was taken in the hard condition....congrats.

Wonderful stage shot...

my best

A wonderful capture in vivid true colors and a very beautiful light. Perfect timing on the warriors movements. Excellent presentation. Take good care Alec and all the best from Jannica

Great composition - right moment . BR Joerg

is it one dancer? the combination is great, the shadows, the use of light and dark, very nice conceptualization,

great spirit of life...

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Mahen

Excellent image Alec, one of the top tourist attractions in Borneo.You have handled this one excellently.

Nice light treatment and tones. Well done. Regards, ~~~~~~Linda

Beautiful work, excellent colors, exposure and details, I like it.

 

Best regards.

 

Alberto

You have lit and composed this image in its best form and presented it so, thank you my friend for sharing it and wishing you all of the best .

Thanks guys. Carey, you're right. as mentioned in the tecnical specs, this is three images combined to show the artistic movement. I thought of using 6 images streamed as GIF file to show the movement but then the image will be too small. Sure looks good in a A3+ poster. Stage lighting is natural.

This is a spectacular image, it is very powerful and dramatic. You caught them at the perfect moment.

 

 

The designs on their shields are beautiful. The same sort of balance and symmetry and the predominantly red and black colour can also be seen in traditional Haida art. The Haida are the first nations people of the Queen Charlotte Islands of the coast of British Columbia, Canada. They use different colours today, but originally it was black and red. Their buildings are also called Longhouses. I found your explanation very interesting, I am glad you posted it.

 

Best wishes,

 

Linda

TQ Linda for the insight into the tribal life of BC natives. I find similarities in the dancing rituals of the Navajo Indians in America too. Strange that we live so far apart and yet our stages in life seems so familiar.

A fantastic capture. Each appears so tensely, yet so gracefully posed. Lovely work.

Perfect capture: drama. Congrats !

Excellent job! Beautiful control of light and contrast. Nice composition and post work. David

Very excellent shot.Great idea.................Regards.

Malaysia is awesome! I love it and it's good to see you enjoyed yourself there.

 

Spectacular exposure, by the way.

great shot!!!!!

Truly remarkable, like most of your pictures. It is so perfect that it looks like it was posed in the studio. But I guess a true artist needs no studio to create a masterpiece.

Excellent photography . Educative lesson of culture and custom, of people unspoilt by mobile phone,computer and other gadgets. Many thanks for sharing these images, dear friend Alec.