Visit Malaysia Year Haiku - The Long Eared Kenyah Woman (State Of Sarawak) Poem by john tiong chunghoo

the Kenyah Woman
long the years to spot
those long ears

This trip back to Sibu, I have the luck to spot a Kenyah woman known
for keeping their ears long by wearing brass earrings weighing several ounces. The ear lobes of the woman in her 50s come to about three inches. It is a rare sight because young kayan women do not follow this tradition anymore and soon....such ears will be a thing of the past. The last time I saw such a long eared woman was when I was a child. One needs to go to the upper reaches of the Rejang River, the longest river in Sarawak to see the Kayan people. Another group Kayan who live in the same area also keep their ears long by wearing bulbous brass earings.