Bavanggazo Rungus Longhouses

The Rungus are a Kadazandusun-related people of the Kudat peninsula in northern Sabah, and their longhouse form is distinctive: raised on posts like others in Borneo, but with the outer walls sloping outward from the floor rather than standing vertical, which sheds rain away from the base and gives the buildings their leaning look. Bavanggazo has a pair of longhouses kept in traditional materials - bamboo, nipah thatch, split timber - with a common gallery running the length and family rooms off it, and the community receives visitors, runs demonstrations of beadwork, brass casting, gong playing and weaving, and takes overnight guests who sleep on the gallery. It is presented rather than incidental, and honest about that; the money supports the upkeep of buildings that are expensive to maintain.

What to look for

• Outward-sloping walls - the Rungus construction that sheds rain from the base.
• A long common gallery - the shared space with family rooms opening off it.
• Craft demonstrations - beadwork, brass casting, weaving and gong music.
• Overnight on the gallery - guests sleeping in the longhouse itself.

When to go

March to October. A day, or overnight.

What to expect

It is a presented cultural site with fees and scheduled demonstrations, not a chance encounter. Facilities are basic - shared washing, mats on the floor. Book overnight stays in advance.

Nearby

Kudat, the Tip of Borneo and the gong village at Sumangkap are close.