From my Aunty Annessa
I know that we Bidayuh also known as Land Dayak, which means people of the land. Originally, land dayak lived in the mountains as the story goes to say that they were driven to live on the remote mountains to protect themselves from the pirates [the Mindanao’s and Balininis] the headhunters; the sea dayak from the coastal areas.
I remember the road to Rais Siburan also known, as Sentah was nothing more than a very steep climbs with about two feet of bamboo slates pinned to the soil as footholds, and when we get near Siburan there was a huge bamboo pipe that can be heard from afar. It was such a hard climb that the water was indeed refreshing. The long house was very impressive, known as Batang Sambu and Batang Sagan , altogether with at least one hundred houses. I also remember the Headhouse, which disappeared when I was a teenager.
Muk Swami forgot her name for the moment, was your great grandmother; famous as a kind of midwife. There is no body quite like her. She had fifteen children, twelve died before reaching adulthood, only three servived; the eldest, Rumbod sindu Nuwim; my dad and Minad the youngest. Gaun was great grandfather, who committed suiside; died fairly young.
Now Siburan Sentah has very few houses with two churches, Anglican and Roman Catholic, which I suppose is a good thing.
