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BORNEO
ARTS & CRAFTS Powerful, expressive Dayak
woodcarvings and other art froms - cloth, beadwork - have universal appeal. Styles
and motifs varied from group to group, and not all Dayaks had a strong artistic
tradition. Longhouse, especially those of the Kenyah, Kayan and related
groups, are works of art on large scale. These ironwood structures, sheltering
a whole village under one roof, are perched on a forest of stilts, two or more
meters off the ground. Painted and carved decorations cover stairs, doors, outside
walls and roofs of longhouses. Traditional Dances
Ritual dances,
very popular in the interior, mark the transitional stages of life and important
village events : coming of age, marriage,death, banishing illness. fighting wars,
planting and harvesting rice.Usually held at night, Dayak dance are exciting spectacles
of screaming, tomo-tomming dancers in aminal skin and plumes of feathers. The
Dayak also renowned for their solo sword dances, shows the skill of a young manm
using a sharp mandau. Music
Some dayak tribes still play a curious
musical instrument, the kledi, a mouth organ akin to a bagpipe wtih six or eight
narrow strips of bamboo cane protruding from a hollow oval gourd. Another unusual
instrument found among some tribes is the sampe, a large flat flute with rattan
strings which resonate over a painted wooden box. Also played are goblet-shaped
drums made from heavy, hollowed-out tree trunks. Natives of the northern region
play magnificent dragon gongs. Tattoing
The Dayak's outstanding
aesthetic sense is apparent in incridible tatto designs combining snake, bird,
and plant motifs. The most intricate tattoing may require months of hard work.
Tattos are not just decorative; they denote tribe, family, and social standing.
The Kenyah and Kayan Tribes of the northeast have the most attractive and complicated
tattoo patterns. Boy get their first tattoos at the age of 12. As they grow to
manhood, all journey, skirmishes, and spiritual events are recorded. For
detail information about Indonesia Tour Packages, please contact:
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