The Friday Photo: Kayan Woman, Borneo
I photographed this lady from the Kayan tribal minority in Sarawak, once an independent kingdom, now Malaysian Borneo, during our big trip upriver there last year.
She’s chewing betel, the local stimulant of choice, in the longhouse where she lived, and her stretched ear lobes, like her arm tattoos and head dress, are traditional methods of beautification. As with Nome, in Indonesia, tribes in the region hunted heads until not long ago.
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What an incredible photo – so much character in that face! I expect she’d have some amazing stories to tell.
Thanks, Lisa! I would imagine she would — if only I spoke the tribal language!
amazing photo – she’s full of character, we can see from just one glance.
Yes… I think she’d seen a lot during her life, Jessie.
hi there….which part of sarawak you took this picture??? i am half kayan and half melanau….and my grandmother have her ear pierce and her hands and feet tattoed when she was young…it was classified as proof of beauty in those years long before the independence….
I took it in a longhouse an hour or so out of Belaga on one of the tributaries — I forget which and my notes are in the UK. Out of town even women in their late 40s have the tattoos, which seem to have lasted longer as a sign of beauty than the ear lobe extensions. Where is your grandmother from, Kate?
I know that this is an old post. Just come across this as I was searching for my village’s website… I am half kayan and iban. Our longhouse was in Belaga before and now we have moved to another place, Sg. Asap. =)
You don’t happen to know this lady’s name, do you? This longhouse was an hour or so on a boat out of Belaga, though: I forget the name of the kampung near it…