Now that you have met the orangutans and
have an idea of my role during the
practicum, I will explain about the cultural
experience I had. Since I lived and spent my
time in the jungle about 2 hours away from
the nearest city, I spent the majority of my
time working with locals and spending my
free time after work with them. I met some
great people and experienced their culture
first hand.
The first picture below is of a Bidayuh family
that lived near where I stayed. They were
wonderful people and they invited me over
all the time for dinner and company.
The next picture below is of an Iban longhouse
veranda. The veranda is where all the
celebrations occur.
The third picture shows how the veranda
looks during a celebration. The celebration
taking place in the picture is called Gawai.
This is where the Iban gives thanks to the
harvest god for a bountiful harvest. This
celebration is rarely seen by Westerners,
but we were specially invited. It was an
amazing experience.
The picture at the beginning of this blog is of an Iban teenager,
dressed in full ceremonial garb, performing
a dance for the harvest gods.
I had a profound experience meeting and
talking with the local villagers. A rising
issue in conservation is about the human
dimension -- working with the locals toward
a conservation goal rather than just telling
them what they can or can't do. If I had not
gotten the chance to really become submerged
in their culture and lives, I might not have
had such a rich overall experience and made
some good friends.
