Inside one of Singai’s remaining longhouses where memory still lingers in timber and silence

The tanju of the Botang Romin Barieng, where the traditional open-front space connects each household doorway in the heritage structure.

By Shikin Louis

BAU, June 7: The Botang Romin Barieng longhouse still stands in Kampung Barieng — a 10-door wooden structure with more than 50 years of history, now preserved not as a home, but as a quiet reminder of how life in Singai once was.

Together with the longhouse in Kampung Daun, it is the last two remaining longhouses in Singai today. What remains is no longer a bustling communal residence, but a physical memory of a way of life that once shaped everything — from daily routines to relationships under one shared roof.

A view of the Botang Romin Barieng longhouse in Kampung Barieng, preserving the legacy of traditional Bisingai communal life.

Kampung Barieng village chief KK Felix Runya said the Bisingai community originally lived on Mount Singai before gradually moving downhill in the late 19th century, eventually forming longhouse settlements in the lower areas around the mountain.

“Back then, the Bisingai used to live in longhouses. Today, this longhouse is kept as our heritage space for cultural activities like Gawai and ritual practices,” he said.

KK Felix Runya

No one lives there permanently anymore. But the structure still carries weight — not in occupancy, but in memory.

Walk through its wooden corridors and it is easy to imagine what life must have felt like when every doorway belonged to a family, and every shared space carried conversations, arguments, celebrations and everyday life all at once.

The longhouse, originally built with 10 doors, remains physically intact. Its layout still reflects the closeness of communal living, where distance between neighbours was measured in footsteps, not fences.

Basic facilities have been added over time, including toilets for visitors, allowing the site to remain usable while still holding on to its original form.

Felix said there are plans to further improve the longhouse, including upgrades to support cultural and ritual activities, and possibly develop it into a homestay — if funding allows.

“We have submitted applications for allocations, and we hope to receive support to improve the facilities,” he said.

He also shared a quieter ambition: turning part of the longhouse into a small cultural gallery, where traditional beadwork and local crafts can be displayed for younger generations and visitors.

The Botang Romin Barieng, a 10-door longhouse that reflects the Bisingai community’s traditional way of communal living on the slopes of Mount Singai.

Right next to it stands the baruk — another important structure in Bisingai life. It is still used for rituals, meetings and community gatherings, and remains one of the strongest links to the community’s spiritual and cultural traditions.

The Kampung Barieng baruk, a traditional Bidayuh communal structure that serves as a centre for rituals, decision-making and community gatherings.

Inside, tengkorak (skulls) preserved through generations are still kept under customary care, believed to hold spiritual significance in Bisingai tradition.

“It is where we still keep the preserved tengkorak,” Felix said.

The tengkorak preserved inside the Kampung Barieng baruk are honoured during the annual Ma’ad Najur ritual, which forms part of Gawai Pinonguh celebrations among the Bisingai community. Photo credit: Ismail bin Roslan

Access is not casual. Visitors are guided in by the Ketua Adat, who also serves as the guardian of the space, following customary protocols that are still respected today.

For the Bisingai community, the longhouse and baruk are not just heritage structures. They are reminders of a time when life was shared more closely, when survival depended on one another, and when home was not just a room, but an entire building full of families.

Today, even without residents, Botang Romin Barieng continues to hold that story. It tells it more quietly now through timber, space and memory that refuses to disappear. — DayakDaily