The Uniqueness of Dayak People’s Homes

Homes of the Dayak peoples in the interior region of Kalimantan are of two types: a square, single-family structure or a rectangular communal longhouse. The famous longhouses (uma dadoq), contain walled sections of family apartments (amin), housing entire villages under one roof. Headmen live in the center beneath a ceiling higher than others. Families regard the back of their amin as sacred spaces to store heirlooms and many cook within their apartments. Longhouses are also sites for ritual performances among the Dayak. These windowless structures often continuously lengthen over time with slightly differing materials or heights of piers supporting new additions. Because of this intermittent building of sections, longhouses might present a rambling, uneven appearance. A verandah runs the length of a longhouse as public space for inhabitants (which may number in the hundreds) to socialize and receive guests. Kalimantan communities typically situate along its numerous rivers, with village boats moored below.

A square Dayak home is much smaller and more exacting in construction, occupied by one family. A simple home, however, becomes distinguished by symbolic, elegant outside details. The wooden finials extending off the ends of roofs of Dayak homes are extremely fine and complex in their carving and accentuate the upper tier. Usually a number of such homes surround a central communal open pavilion.

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