An Iban engagement

An Iban engagement,what's required.Aside from the golden advices.

The dowry  includes & its legends:

Floor Mat [tikar] ; To be used when you've got guests,
The Cloths [kain] : To be used to sew cloths for your future kids,bedding & household curtains,
The Ceramic Pots [tajau] :  For storage used of harvest & wild jungle produce.Contains rice & rice wine
The Machete [Parang]: To be used to clear lands/ cutting meat,
The Axe [kapak] : To shape, split and cut wood to harvest timber to build houses
The Betel leaf  [daun sirih] & Cigarettes [Rokok] : I am not sure of this.

A pair of  Tajau - Ceramic Pot filled with rice wine [Tuak]

The dowry 

Just like any traditional engagement/ wedding, there's always a game. A team of 10 people is form from both bride & groom side.The Tajau which contains the rice wine is given to each team. The team whom finished the the faster wins.

During the era of the headhunters, the Dayak men of this time were covered with a visual canopy of the creatures and plants that lived within their jungle domain. However, and when combined together, tattoos performed as an indelible form of camouflage acting upon the malevolent forces encountered in the jungle - headhunters and evil spirits.Just as a great warrior was tattooed to mark his achievements in the human hunt, so did He.

What's a celebration if it didnt end with drinking & dancing :)

xx