People of the Bario Highlands

Mountainous curves, intersected by muddy flows and rivers meandering through vast areas of sheer impenetrable jungle. The only way to reach to the Bario Highlands is by airplane. From the air you can see a hollow with corrugated iron roofed longhouses and wet paddy fields reflecting the light of the sun, enclosed by mountains. In the cool climate of the highlands the Kelabit people follow the seasons with clearing the fields, planting and harvesting the rice. Due to their remote location they were among the last of the indigenous tribes in Borneo to get in touch with the outside world. The men were legendary warriors and headhunters. Their women were only considered beautiful with stretched earlobes, tattooed arms and legs. At home in the dense jungle with steep climbs and slippery descends are the Penan. This area is one of the last places were you can still find them living a nomadic life. The children of the rainforest trek from one camp to the next, process sago, hunt with blowpipes and play the nose flute at the campfire.