Long Laput (also known as Laput) is a settlement in the rural interior of the
Marudi
Marudi is a town in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, and is a part of the division of Miri. It is the seat of Marudi District, and is located on the banks of Baram River, about upstream from the river mouth. Marudi was the administrative centre ...
district of
Sarawak,
Malaysia.
It lies approximately east-north-east of the state capital
Kuching
Kuching (), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak River ...
.
Description
Long Laput is one of the biggest villages along the
Baram River and the majority of the inhabitants belong to the
Kayan tribe.
The estimated population is 2000 people, most of whom live in
longhouses
A longhouse or long house is a type of long, proportionately narrow, single-room building for communal dwelling. It has been built in various parts of the world including Asia, Europe, and North America.
Many were built from timber and often rep ...
.
In the late 1950s the main longhouse was reputed to be the longest in Borneo, being 700 metres in length.
The main source of income is agriculture, including rice, pepper, rubber and increasingly palm oil; one oil palm estate extends to 2500 acres.
Livestock include freshwater fish farming and cattle which graze the oil palm plantation.
Development
The history of the village dates back at least to the 1920s, but a significant change started in 1950 with the arrival of the
Borneo Evangelical Church
The Borneo Evangelical Church or SIB ( ms, Sidang Injil Borneo) is an evangelical Christian denomination in Malaysia. The church was organised in 1959 from the work of the Borneo Evangelical Mission with help from the Christian and Missionary A ...
, followed by Roman Catholics in 1956. Schools were built in 1956 and a health clinic was opened in the village. The longhouses were constructed from bamboo and
thatched with leaves. Unfortunately, a 70-family longhouse was destroyed by fire in 1987. Longhouses are now constructed using bricks, and the village now has modern infrastructure,
including running water, electricity, sports facilities, a public library and public telephones.
The library also provides internet access, photocopying and scanning.
The school, Sekolah Kebangsaan Long Laput, provides education and accommodation for 192 students, with a teaching staff of twelve.
Threats
If the
Baram Bam hydroelectric project goes ahead, Long Laput will be one of the villages affected by the flooding of 389,000 hectares of jungle.
Neighbouring settlements
Neighbouring settlements include:
*
Lirong Kawit
Lirong Kawit is a settlement in the Miri division of Sarawak, Malaysia. It lies approximately east-north-east of the state capital Kuching.
Neighbouring settlements include:
* Long Laput northwest
*Long Lama northwest
* Batu Gading north
* ...
southeast
*
Long Lama
Long Lama is a town in Marudi District, Sarawak state in Malaysia. The town is located at 143 km from Miri with a population of 1,500.
Etymology
The name of the town is taken from a nearly river named "Lama" that joins into the Baram river ...
northwest
*
Batu Gading north
*
Long Puak
Long Puak, formerly known as Long Ballong, is a small-village found about 2 km from Long Banga in the Marudi division of Sarawak, Malaysia. It lies approximately east-north-east of the state capital Kuching.
Description
It is believed tha ...
north
*
Rumah Ingkot west
*
Long Banio north
*
Uma Bawang Kanan south
*
Uma Bawang Kiri south
*
Rumah Banyi north
*
Rumah Jelian
Rumah means "house" or "home" in the Indonesian language. It may also refer to:
* Rumah Gadang, the traditional house of Minangkabau people, Indonesia
* Rumah Lanting, the traditional house of Kalimantan, Indonesia
* Rumah, Riyadh
Rimah Governo ...
northwest
References
{{Sarawak
Villages in Sarawak