The Traditional Architecture of the Melanau Tall Longhouse, Mukah, Sarawak

¹ School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
² School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

¹ Corresponding author: yasserarab2005@yahoo.com

Abstract

Full of history and legends, the Melanau, one of the ethnic groups of Mukah, Sarawak, Borneo, went through a few periods of cultural assimilation. Three major areas: the Tellian Daya (Ulu), Tellian Puloh and Tellian Laut communities, are the main enclaves of these people with Tellian Puloh being the main hub. Their settlements along the river banks are in lowlands within the tidal zone. During the monsoon period (lian suluh), the tides combined with the flood water from the hills produce unpredsictable fluctuations of high and low water and flooding creating a saturated bog like quality. This paper aims to investigate the Melanau tall longhouse. Its construction was built in such tall heights due to the conditions of the soft soil. Often known to have been built up to 40 feet high, the house also provides protection for the people from floods as well as what used to be their enemies of other warring tribes. The materials used for the construction of the house came from the surrounding areas of sago leaves for the roof, sago tree trunk that had been sliced into planks for walls, nibong tree trunks for the floor and belian (Bornean iron wood) tree trunks for the main structural components of the house. All of these materials are known to be hardy and water resistance. Unfortunately, these traditional houses no longer exist with a few being abandoned and left to rot. Architectural documentation of this house is urgently needed to record the historical part of this culture. The investigation takes on qualitative method looking into the cultural influence onto the architecture. Survey, observation, architectural documentation and interviews with the Melanau cultural experts were undertaken. The finding pointed towards the establishment of the architectural language of the house based on the culture influence and functions of the spaces.