Kopfjäger von Borneo (1936)

[bunniefuu]

FILM O BORNEU
baruna Victora von Plessena

This film was sh*t in the Borneo jungle,

in one of the last regions on Earth
still unexplored.

Most of its inhabitants had never
seen until then a white man.

So, they behaved naturally
in front of the camera.

They play in front of the camera a
true story that happened in their world,

a story that, as time went by,
became a legend.

This is the story of Anja
and Iring from the Dajaka tribe.

He was
Jalon's son, from Pelebena....

she a child captured in a w*r,
a sl*ve.

The men from Pelebena are courageous,
attached to their ways and strong-willed.

From childhood, they are used to endure
without complaining the harshest conditions

and they despise who ever
shows his feelings.

Only through their eyes can the flame of
their hearts and powerful passion be seen.

Anji, the chief's son,
and Iring grew up together.

They live in Pelebena,
the village on the river.

In the midst of the tribe,
and under its gods protection,

they lived protected,
and without fear,

surrounded by the virgin forest, full
of wild animals and demons they feared.

The Punan, a mysterious and fearful people,
also roam the jungle.

Silent like shadows they never leave
the forest. The sun's light dazzles them.

They are hunters
and great magicians.

With serpents' venom and roots
extracts they coat their blowpipes' arrows.

If you need a lookout in w*r, or
a k*ller in a headhunt, take a Punan.

They are quick and
dangerous like vipers.

No roads cross the virgin forest,
and one can only travel by the river.

The Dajaka's village, Pelebana,
is on the river.

The families live together in the
longhouse, cleverly built on high pillars.

A chief runs Pelebena, but it's the priests
who guide him following the gods' wish.

Here grew up Anja, village chief Jalon's
son, happy and carefree.

Often, the women of Pelebena
didn't have enough rice to grind,

and sometimes there was shortage
as w*r with the Longleu,

the next village down the river,
raged, and crops were destroyed.

But children knew nothing
about w*r.

Iring, the little sl*ve,
played with the village children.

She lived like any of them.

And Anja was always at her side.

In all these happy games, Anja was with
Iring, and Iring was with Anja.

They loved each other like brother and
sister the chief's son and the little sl*ve

He was at all times her protector;
he fought with the other boys.

But the gods were watching.

There was w*r between and
Longledu, the village down the river.

Since always the men from
Longledu and Pelebena had k*lled each other

and brought home as trophies
the others' heads.

Because the head
is where the soul lies.

And it was the gods' will
to take other men's heads

in order to get their luck, energy and
courage for oneself and one's village.

But, one day, through the high priest,
the gods talked to the men in Pelebena.

The priest dances and
enters a trance.

And once the high priest
was into a trance,

the gods talked to him through
the flight of the sacred birds.

And they ordered the w*r with
the Longledu to end.

They ordered peace between
Pelebena and Longledu.

The men in Pelebena were gathered so
they could find out about the gods' wish.

Jalon gets in front of them and orders a
branch of peace taken to Longledu.

The men in Pelebena
obey the gods' wish.

A boat was sent to Longledu, down
the river towards the heart of the jungle.

Soon, the boat was back, and, with it,
the Longledu men with the branch of peace,

because they, too,
wanted peace.

But they put the condition that Anja,
married the Longledu's chief's daughter,

so that peace lasts for ever.

That's how Pelebena gets ready to celebrate
the peace with Longledu.

In ancient Chinese vases,
the rice wine is brought.

Jalong tells Iring that Aja from Longledu
is the one to become Anja's wife.

because Aja is a king's daughter
while Iring is a sl*ve.

But Anja spoke against his father
and the men made fun of him.

The guests from Longledu came
and where greeted.

Pelebena village had prepared important
festivities in celebration of the peace.

The men raise a "mamat" pole
and decorate it.

The oldest priest
consecrates the pole.

At the chief's order the boys bring the
sacred heads,

that, due to their cleansing force,
will enhance the celebrations.

As a peace sign, the swords are
suspended to a pillar int he house.

Chief Jalon and the chief in Longledu
exchange their blood.

They exchange their swords.

They then exchange their rice bowls
signifying they have become brothers.

Iring and Anja
also were part of the feast,

and also was Ojau,
who envied their happiness

The Longledu chief
showed his daughter Aja to Jalon.

But Ojau mocked Iring.

Jalon called Anja and showed him his future
bride the guaranty of peace with Longledu.

So, for the first time, Anja from Pelebena
and Aja from Longledua saw each other.

The masks dance to chase
the demons away.

There was peace. The Pelebena men
started to reclaim the forest,

and to sow new fields.

They are burning the jungle, and ashes
fertilize the fields for the new crops.

Anja had the right to work alongside the
men, with his father, and was proud of it.

That's how rice is sown.
The men make small holes in the soil...

and the women
sow the rice seeds.

But, one day,
a messenger came:

he announced that in one month the Punan
would trade in the jungle with the Pelebena

If they wanted wildbeast skins, rare birds'
feathers, they could exchange that for iron

The men in Pelebena
took the road.

The Dajakas took for the exchange: swords,
spear-points, knives and bracelets

made from rare shells
brought from the sea shore.

And they took off going upriver.

It was the first time Anja
had gone into the forest.

And his father taught him how to
drink when thirsty:

aerial roots contain
pure water.

The Punans' camps are
hidden deep into the forest.

They don't know what a house is.
Nor a cultivated field.

They live on hunting
and don't skin their prey.

The arrows of their blowpipes
are silent and never miss.

The Punans are fearful and greeted
the Dajakas with distrust,

The Pelebenas told they
had come in peace, to trade,

so they let them into the camp.

They traded swords for blowpipes,
spear-points for rare feathers

arrows for jewels.

But a Punan wants
chief Jalon's necklace.

Jalon refuses because this necklace
is is forefathers' talisman.

On the way back, Jalon proposes
a race between the boats.

Pelebena mourns the death
of its chief.

In the forest, they're making his coffin.

"O, great chief, go without fear or
hesitation on your last road.

No savage beak will devour you,
no demon will steal your soul.

In Bali Matai, in Heaven, you'll find peace
and we'll be reunited with your ancestors."

In a mortuary house,
suspended between earth and sky,

Jalon, Anja's father found
his eternal rest.

Pelebena found itself
without a chief.

There was no one
on the king's place.

The priest talked to the men and told
them the council would have to rule,

until Anja becomes a man.

They must give him a chief's bringing.

Anja, the future chief, was still a child
who played along with the other kids.

And he went on loving
Iring, the little sl*ve.

When they were playing
building a marriage hut,

as they had seen the grownups do,

it was always her she chose
as a bride.

Iring would follow no suitor.

But, when Alja would come to her,
she'd go with him.

Ojau was envious on their love.

But the men had not forgotten the
promise between Pelebena and Longledu.

A boat with engagement presents
left going downriver.

Iring wanted to share
Anja's pain

and wanted to go through the
pains of tattooing,

that much she loved him.

Months went by,
years went by.

And came the day when the
promise had to be kept,

and Anja had to take in marriage
Aja, from the village of Longledu.

Iring, who turned out beautiful
kept away from Pelebena.

She had with her only
a friend.

Ojau came to speak to Iring.

She told her Aja was waited
for her marriage to Anja,

and that it went against customs and, so,
dangerous for her to go on loving Anja.

Iring then called her friend...

and sent her to Anja,
to tell him she loved him.

The priest talked to Anja and told him it
it was time he married Aja from Longledu,

and to become the chief of Pelebena,
as his forefathers had been.

But Iring's messenger got to Anja,
and he heard her message..

He then went to find Iring.

He had love in his heart.

Thus, he took Iring into the jungle.

Hidden deep into the jungle
was a hut Anja used to go to to hunt.

It was there he hid away with Iring.

Iring reminded him about Aju.

Then he told her he'd
never leave her.

While she was asleep he was visited by the
dreams' spirits, showing him his childhood,

his betrothal to Aja,
and his love for Iring, the little sl*ve.

In this time, in Pelebena start the
preparations for his marriage to Aja,

the daughter of the Longledu king.

The women grind the rice
cultivated in peace times.

In Longledu they are adorning the bride,
dressing her in her best clothes.

As a wedding present, Anja has sent
his ancestors' chief necklace.

Anja himself came to Longledu
to take his wife to Pelebena.

But, while going upstream in their boats,
a tree fell and almost k*lled the bride.

Anja knows this is a bad omen,
and that the gods are thus warning him.

Aja was received with great honours:

the pelebena priests carried her off the
boat and up to the village.

That's how Anja and Aja
got married on the sword.

They exchanged rice,
as man and wife.

Iring, curiosity and jealous, had come to
the village and had seen them get married.

And the night fell upon Pelebena.

Aja danced the nuptial dance.

Iring saw Aja's dance.

And Ojau saw Iring.

Then Anja got ready
for the chief's dance.

Iring watched Anja dance.

Then Ojau snatched Anja's sword and
and shield and started the w*r dance.

Ojau dances with courage.

Then...

Staying in the village was dangerous for
Iring and Anja hid her again in the jungle.

Aja only apparently was Anja's wife.

And, as she knew he was going to meet
Iring when leaving to go hunting,

he asked him to follow the custom,

but he pretended not
knowing what she was talking about.

Then, Aja turned sour.

They were mocking Aja, the cheated on
wife, who couldn't win Anja's love.

Aja talked to Anja with harsh words,
but he despised her.

Then Aja went to Ojau and sent him with
her wedding necklace to the Punan,

demanding them to k*ll Anja.

Iring was in the jungle,
waiting for her lover.

The bird flew over their heads,
the happiness announcing bird.

And they were both happy
with their forbidden love.

Suddenly,
a monkey cried in the jungle.

Anja ran away in its pursuit.

And Iring knew it was a man's voice.

In the Plebena men's council
Anja, the chief, was charged

with breaking the custom.

The priest dances on embers
until the gods talk to him.

"Thus spoke the gods: Anja has trespassed
the law with sl*ve Iring.

She must be banished and Anja will not
be chief any longer and leave the village."

The Pelebena men excluded the two
from the village's community,

as had been the gods' wish.

So Anja had to leave the
village he had been the chief of.

But Iring left with him.

The virgin jungle where rivers
flow to infinity welcomed them.