Along with our cruising friends, Chris and Daun, we decided to pick a side stream to motor into and anchor off an Iban longhouse. Iban are one of the native peoples of Sarawak and make up about 30% of the population. Not all live in longhouses but a lot still do. We had heard that most longhouses are very welcoming so on the 22 September we anchored off a likely group of longhouses and it was not long before a boat arrived to check us all out!! The upshot of this was we all went ashore bearing gifts for the the headman and to request permission to anchor off. We were well received but only stayed a short time to meet some of the families. Each longhouse is usually constructed with a long verandah with doors leading into a long communal room with more doors or biliks leading off into individual residences. This one had 18 biliks which meant 18 families under the one roof. It was interesting to learn that quite a few of the residents worked away from the longhouse, 
some in the oil and gas industry, others were away studying, some were 'empty nesters' where their children had left the longhouse to work in other areas permanently. Each family has their own paddy fields to work and they also grow a lot of their own vegetables.
some in the oil and gas industry, others were away studying, some were 'empty nesters' where their children had left the longhouse to work in other areas permanently. Each family has their own paddy fields to work and they also grow a lot of their own vegetables.Chatting with longhouse people in the communal long room
We returned again later in the afternoon when work in the paddies had finished and were again made welcome and did lots of talking and although the headman did not speak English others did. We were then invited into the longhouse next door which went a bit better as the headman and his wife could both speak English. Two days later we were all in the paddy field either helping or watching the 'nursery' paddy being planted. Germinated seed rice (called paddy) is mixed with mud and then thrown onto the nursery paddy field 
where it will grow for about three weeks before being planted out in the big paddy field. The nursery was in an irrigated garden area with circular raised beds containing an orange tree surrounded by various vegetables and herbs. There was not a lot of mechanisation used with even the irrigation ditches being dug by hand and the only operation which used machinery was the husking of the grain. We received a bag of freshly husked fragrant rice (beras), still warm from the machine, to take with us.
where it will grow for about three weeks before being planted out in the big paddy field. The nursery was in an irrigated garden area with circular raised beds containing an orange tree surrounded by various vegetables and herbs. There was not a lot of mechanisation used with even the irrigation ditches being dug by hand and the only operation which used machinery was the husking of the grain. We received a bag of freshly husked fragrant rice (beras), still warm from the machine, to take with us.This large coolie hat was more effective than the umbrella!
We had a very memorable few days in this river community with invitations to return again next year to join in the Gawai (rice festival) celebrations in June.
