Original subtitles

FILM O BORNEU baruna Victora von Plessena

This film was shot 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 war, a slave.

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 war, or a killer 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 war with the Longleu,

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

But children knew nothing about war.

Iring, the little slave, 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 slave

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

But the gods were watching.

There was war between and Longledu, the village down the river.

Since always the men from Longledu and Pelebena had killed 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 war 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 slave.

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 slave.

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 slave.

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 killed 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 war 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 kill 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 slave 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.