Where Hornbills Fly: A Journey with the Headhunters of Borneo - Hardcover

Jensen, Erik

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1848855001 ISBN 13: 9781848855007

Publisher: I.B.Tauris, 2011

Synopsis

Once headhunters under the rule of White Rajahs and briefly colonized before independence within Malaysia, the Iban Dayaks of Borneo are one of the world's most extraordinary indigenous tribes, possessing ancient traditions and a unique way of life. As a young man Erik Jensen settled in Sarawak where he lived with the Iban for seven years, learning their language and the varied rites and practices of their lives. In this compelling and beautifully-wrought memoir, Erik Jensen reveals the challenges facing the Iban as they adapt to another century, whilst fighting to preserve their identity and singular place in the world. Haunting, yet hopeful, Where Hornbills Fly opens a window onto a vanishing world and paints a remarkable portrait of this fragile tribe, which continues to survive deep in the heart of Borneo.

About this title

About the Author

Erik Jensen's impressive diplomatic career after Sarawak, which involved postings and missions around the world from New York and London to Bahrain, Pakistan and Bangladesh, East Timor, Nigeria, Chad and Western Sahara, culminated in his appointment as an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. He holds degrees from Oxford and Harvard and honorary doctorates from Connecticut and Seoul and has been Senior Associate Member of St Antony's, Oxford, Visiting Fellow at the LSE and Warburg Professor in International Relations at Simmons College, Boston. He has contributed articles to The Times, The Guardian and The Sunday Telegraph and written several books, including The Iban and their Religion and Western Sahara, Anatomy of a Stalemate. Erik Jensen was an original Fellow of the Borneo Research Council and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

Review

""An engrossing study of 6 years spent among the Iban of Sarawak half a century ago, Where Hornbills Fly is a remarkable testament of a young man's devotion to a remote people, the Iban of Sarawak, and a wonderful fund of first-hand knowledge about a dying culture."" -- Colin Thubron ""Fascinating and insightful, light-hearted and humorous, every page of this brilliantly-written book evokes the colours, sounds and even the smells of Sarawak in the 1950s. Every page glistens with the reality of a world gone by but needing to be remembered. It was a voyage of discovery for the author 50 years ago but anyone reading it today can only admire the diaries and memories which has enabled him to recreate so vivid a picture of a world no longer with us."" -- Sir Richard Jolly
 ""A sage and enthralling account...deserves to be read in to both as the testimony of a remarkable pioneer and as a testament to an easily maligned people.""-- John Keay, Literary Review ""A fascinating and beautifully-written memoir...admirable"" -- Dan Linstead, Wanderlust ""[Jensen's] book is as much a study of the colonial service as of the Iban Dayaks themselves, as witnessed by some brilliant Maughm-ish dialogue...It’s as freshly written as if he were remembering yesterday, full of the incongruous, arresting details...that bring a book to life"" -- Mick Herron, Geographical
 ""Jensen recalls their beliefs, relationships and their attitudes to the outside world with skill, enthusiasm and affection"" -- CNN Traveller
""[Where Hornbills Fly] is a book which those with an interest in Sarawak, and more importantly on Iban society would find an excellent read... filled with Jensen’s sense of humor and strengthened by his flair for the language...Jensen has deliberately chosen to present the story in the form of a personal memoir, with snippets of history introduced by way of anecdotal conversation, which makes for easy reading. It is a book with universal appeal. It should certainly interest the younger generation of educated Ibans who wish to know how their parents and the generation before them lived and practiced their traditional lives and culture, and yet had to learn to adapt to the changing times...Jensen has written a memoir in the language of real literature. His observant eye and sensitive ear...have captured vivid images...I believe Jensen’s observations remain valid...It is a book well worth reading."" -- Tan Sri Datuk Amar Leo Moggie (an eminent Iban of Bourneo), The Sunday Star and the Borneo Post  

About this edition

• Publisher: I.B.Tauris
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1848855001
• ISBN 13: 9781848855007
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 288