IDNO

DG.101946.PAO

Description

Four pigs roam around a grassy patch in front of a clump of banana trees in Kampung Benuk. In the background can be seen some raised wooden buildings, possibly part of the longhouse, with triangular thatched attap roofs. Behind the buildings is a hill slope covered in thick jungle.

Place

SE Asia Borneo; Malaysia; Sarawak; Penrissen; Kampung Benuk [Kampung Segu Bunuk]

Cultural Affliation

Bidayuh [historically Land Dayak]

Named Person

Photographer

?Paka anak Otor

Collector / Expedition

Paka anak Otor

Date

circa 1955 - 1970

Collection Name

Paka anak Otor Collection

Source

Paka anak OtorChua, Liana

Format

Print Black & White

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Source: A selection of 185 prints from Paka anak Otor’s larger collection of approximately 500 prints was made by Liana Chua during fieldwork in Kampung Benuk, Sarawak, Malaysia, in 2005. The purchase of non-exclusive reproduction rights [RM 1845, £250] by the Museum to the family of Paka anak Otor [82 Kampung Benuk, Jalan Puncak Borneo, Kuching 93250, Sarawak, Malaysia], and digital copy photographs of the collection [RM 869, £125] were paid for by the Museum Acquisition Fund [£250] and part of a Crowther-Beynon grant [£125] for the collecting of Sarawak objects. The digital scans were made by Fung Huang Colour Photo Centre [153 Padungan Road, Kuching, Sarawak] in 2005. [Liana Chua 2/8/2007]

Context: Pigs were a common sight in Kampung Benuk and other villages until around the 1970s. They roamed freely around the village and under the longhouse, often consuming all the household waste that was thrown through the wooden floors or round the back. When people began moving to detached concrete houses and government intervention increased in rural areas, it became impossible to continue rearing pigs in the village. Pork, however, remains an important part of the Bidayuh diet and major rituals. [Liana Chua 24/8/2007]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Liana Chua 24/8/2007]