World within no more

The tiny Kelabit community of the central highlands of Borneo was isolated and unconnected with the world outside of the highlands until the middle of the 20th Century. Their response to contact has been to embrace education and seek to understand the language and ways of outsiders. They have achieved high rates of tertiary qualifications and Kelabits now hold major professional, business and government positions in Sarawak and Malaysia disproportionately to the size of their population. The consequence has been a loss of cultural practices and langauge and now they are concerned that they are losing their distinct Kelabit identity.

This film was made as part of the development of a museum proposal and to identify the significant intangible cultural heritage through which the Kelabits wish to preserve and express their identity.