Sera Longhouse

23/06/2026

The tall baskets (lanji) are no longer made or used because no one is growing or harvesting lada (pepper) anymore. I am the last generation to see them being carried to the kebun lada (pepper gardens, which are cultivated on hillsides) every day, to come back to the longhouse full of green peppercorns which then would be laid out to dry on all the tikai (mats)on the tanju.
What an honour to have been part of that and to have those memories.

Little rotan ‘tab’ or loop at the bottom is to be able to hang it upside down away from Tom and Jerry.
The wood on the sides is Tapang, the tree that grows very tall and sideways (the only way I can explain it) and my mum and I get a kick out of spotting them when we go by river (they are majestic and beautiful!).
These baskets would be at least 100 years old, Mok’s grandmother (or even her Ini Tuai) would have made them and used them. I like to think she might be happy to know I have cleaned them and will display them proudly for her, rather than the alternative of them still in the attic or even worse.. to deteriorate over time or be disposed of.

29/04/2026

From my mum regarding the birth of a baby and the baby being named after you:

Old things are given to a baby when she/he enters your bilik for the first time.

Ini Jim gave me Rm50 to buy an old Chinese plate instead of giving Brock one of hers. Brock first entered her house in Bintulu. I think this gift giving applies to a baby before it had any tooth/teeth.

Gift giving enselan is for the baby’s good health.

Sura, in Iban custom, the parents should give you something because they are naming their child after someone who is still alive. Undi’s name was ‘bought’ by relatives at least twice. I met young Undi (Darrel Uding’s cousin)at Semebak last Gawai.

Baby on shoulders - So the baby will have good health (like me)and longevity because I am considered as a very old person.. Any baby. Priscilla gave me Rm10 , this I think is to safeguard me. Same as buying name.

29/01/2026

Bepungas moa or mungas moa - washing of the face. You wash your face when it’s your travel on that river for the first time. This ensures your safety/health because you are in unknown territory.

12/11/2025

https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ82yVaDUCM/?igsh=cWR1a2E1Zmg5bDBm

27/10/2025

Guest review:

I always struggle coming back to Australia after journeys like this one. I am incredibly thankful for my Australian heritage but Borneo much like my mum's homeland Vanuatu has an island approach to living with makes my heart ache to leave.
I can't imagine what heartache my mum must have felt to leave her island home more than 50 years ago. To raise a child away from family and all that she knew. To start her journey on foreign soil
You gain a confronting and yet comforting sense of your own cultural identity when understanding yourself through the eyes of others. There are questions asked, answers given and the truth in what you discover is crystal clear.
Safe travels everyone.

The Sera Longhouse stay (along with the other components of the customized trip such as Kuching) was life-changing and came at a time in my life when I didn't realize just how important this kind of journey was. The fish cooked in bamboo when we arrived at the longhouse by boat was easily one of the best meals I've ever eaten (in my life, not as in 'one of the best meals of the trip'!) and to be able to watch the girls of the homestay put it all together (albeit late in the night because the boat was late, and this is how things happen over there) was one of the many experiences I just found myself astounded that I was in this space / with these people / at this time and ever so grateful for.

-Michaela

Guest review:

I always struggle coming back to Australia after journeys like this one. I am incredibly thankful for my Australian heritage but Borneo much like my mum's homeland Vanuatu has an island approach to living with makes my heart ache to leave.
I can't imagine what heartache my mum must have felt to leave her island home more than 50 years ago. To raise a child away from family and all that she knew. To start her journey on foreign soil
You gain a confronting and yet comforting sense of your own cultural identity when understanding yourself through the eyes of others. There are questions asked, answers given and the truth in what you discover is crystal clear.
Safe travels everyone.

The Sera Longhouse stay (along with the other components of the customized trip such as Kuching) was life-changing and came at a time in my life when I didn't realize just how important this kind of journey was. The fish cooked in bamboo when we arrived at the longhouse by boat was easily one of the best meals I've ever eaten (in my life, not as in 'one of the best meals of the trip'!) and to be able to watch the girls of the homestay put it all together (albeit late in the night because the boat was late, and this is how things happen over there) was one of the many experiences I just found myself astounded that I was in this space / with these people / at this time and ever so grateful for.

-Michaela

27/10/2025

The beauty of this old wooden longhouse is briefly captured by the setting sun ☀️… and then … another level of beauty is revealed when the morning sun rises tomorrow 🌱

25/10/2025

Your generosity and joy connect us. You give the gift of your time, knowledge, family and cultural connections and your enthusiasm and sense of fun is a lightness that lifts people.

We haven’t stopped telling people about our fabulous stay. We learnt so much about Iban culture, our hosts were fantastic and we can’t wait to return for Gawai Festival in 2026. Thank you. - Morag, New Zealand.

02/10/2025

The ladies are heading to the jungle area at the back of the homestay to collect paku (fern tips for cooking) … I love it when we get to paddle old school style instead of use a motor modern style. My mother, like all Iban, is excellent at paddling. As a child she paddled with her father on this river a little bit further down, to go set a net across the small side river to catch prawn.

PS it’s always a good time when the ladies get together!

27/09/2025

Our guests from England and New Zealand fit right into longhouse life from day 1!!! Five nights in the Sera region, staying at two longhouses. We look forward to hosting them again during the next Gawai festival in May 2026 🙏🏼