In the courtyard of a museum in Kuching, a tall carved pole stands silently among the foliage. Visitors pass it daily. Some stop for a photograph. The plaque calls it a “landscaping feature.” It is not. It is a klirieng—a towering funerary pole built by the Punan people of central-northern Borneo. It is not decoration. It is memory. It is loss, love, st…
Listen to this episode with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Borneo's Voices & Stories to listen to this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.
