Footage of Indonesia (2004.22.1-1)
odd: label: General
content: Local Numbers: HSFA 2004.22.1-1
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Link, Walter, 1902-1982
setName: label: See more items in
content: Walter Link travel films
label: See more items in
content: Walter Link travel films / Footage of Indonesia
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Film reel (44 minutes, black-and-white silent; 1,247 feet, 16mm)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1928-1934
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Human Studies Film Archives
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Film reels
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Film footage moderately edited with added intertitles, shot in Borneo in the Mahakam Basin by oil explorer and geologist Walter Link, records various aspects of Dajak daily life and ceremonies. Depicted are a wide range of everyday tasks including farming, stamping rice, cooking, weaving baskets and cloth, bathing and washing clothes, delousing, hunting for python and larger game, and piloting several types of boats, including prauws, rafts, and motorboats, along the Mahakam River. Also included are shots of homes elevated over water, as well as footage of villagers building a model of this type of house for a museum; temples with close-ups of intricate stone carvings and footage of a man producing similar carvings; and "war dances" performed by tribal elders. The film ends with a long record of a ceremony, including shots of men playing percussion instruments as well as several different dances performed by young women, people in dragon costumes, and men seated in a circle several rows deep. A significant portion of the film consists of close-up portraits of human subjects, illustrating a wide variety of ages and clothing; many interact with camera or cameraman by making eye contact or smiling and laughing (at apparent prompting).