ANNAH RAIS BIDAYUH LONGHOUSE

Kampung Annah Rais is a large Bidayuh village centred around a centuries-old bamboo longhouse, one of the finest still in existence. The Bidayuh make up about 8% of Sarawak’s population and are gracious hosts and the village is the perfect place to discover their culture and learn about their fascinating way of life. Although this Bidayuh longhouse village has been on the tourist circuit for decades, it’s still a good place to get a sense of what a longhouse is and experience longhouse life. It’s possible to visit as a day guest and eat a meal here or stay overnight in one of the several homestays.

The excursion will take about one and a half hour on the road. During your visit, you will also be able to view the villagers daily routine like rice pounding and winnowing, basket and mat weaving, bamboo carving, etc. Bidayuh, the second largest ethnic group in Sarawak, is formerly known as the ‘Land Dayak’ and was once also known as the ‘Engineer of Bamboo’. When making a visit to the Bidayuh longhouse, you will be able to see the splendid architecture of their longhouse which was build mostly by bamboo.

You will be brought into the most unique and important structure, the ‘Baruk’ or the head house which situated in the middle of the longhouse. This once was used as a fort to protect the who village from being attack by enemy. Inside the ‘Baruk’, you will be able to view the real human skulls hanging around the fire place in the middle and the also their sacred war drum.