SARAWAK CULTURAL VILLAGE

Saturday, August 25, 2018
Damai Beach Resort, Sarawak, Malaysia
August 25 -
                      
Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia and, rich in history and heritage, covers a vast area of 124,000 sq km of land along the northwest cost of Borneo, the third largest island in the world.  The population of Sarawak is made of many local ethnic groups with the seven most prominent being Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, Melanau, Penan, Malays and the Chinese, all living in harmony for more than a century.  The Sarawak Cultural Village, tucked away at the foothills of the legendary Mount Santubong, depicts the heritage of these major racial groups and portrays their respective life styles amidst 14 acres of tropical vegetation.
We arrived at the Village in time to see the 11:30 show of multi-cultural dance performances in the on-site theatre.  The people of Sarawak are a very happy people and they translate a lot or their daily chores and activities into graceful and interesting dances, all of which tell stories of happenings amongst and around them in their daily living.   The young and exuberant Village artists performed 7 dances, one from each of the 7 ethnic groups, complete with fabulous costumes and live music.
                                                   
After the show, we spent the rest of the afternoon visiting each of the 7 authentic ethnic houses that surround the man-made lake.  The lake represents the propensity of Sarawakians to site their dwellings alongside rivers or along the coastal areas.  We courageously crossed over a very unique, extremely narrow, bamboo bridge that led to the first house.  Each of the tribal houses had numerous artifacts that were used in the daily lives of the people and there were representatives of each tribe that were demonstrating various handicrafts that their particular tribe is known for.  These included beautiful beadwork and weaving, baskets made from beaten tree bark, rattan and bamboo, carved pottery, carving and manufacturing of blowpipes as well as musical instruments and hats made from cane weaving. 
It was a wonderful day and we marveled at what a beautiful job the Sarawak Cultural Village did in creating such an authentic experience for visitors to learn about a huge part of the Sarawakian culture.

Comments

Gary Hess
2018-09-01

I'm glad to see that you're not showing Bill eating all the local foods like your previous trips !! ENJOY

John p
2018-09-01

What a great travelogue thanks for sharing

Amanda Frost
2018-09-01

Wonderful photos, Susan! What a new and surprising world...

charlie
2018-09-02

I get to see the world and get and education too! You 2 really know how to have fun.

Don/peg
2018-09-03

Great to see and learn of places we will never experience—unless you find a golf course nearby—

Kelly
2018-09-04

Seems we went to all the same places. I have stayed at the same hotel and been to the cultural village where the people were so nice (I speak some Indonesian) that I spent the whole day chatting and laying on the lawns reading by the water. I just love Borneo and you are so lucky to be there. Big storm last night, will write you separately about it.

2025-02-10

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank