The Melanau is one of the main ethnic groups in Sarawak. Historically, they lived in a communal dwelling, known as the tall house, designed to protect against the harsh micro-climate condition, wild animals and, enemies. Today, there are no visible remains of the tall house. The only tall house available in Sarawak is a reconstructed replica available at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, Kuching. However, there is one Melanau communal longhouse located at Kampung Sok, Matu, which has been gazetted under the Sarawak Cultural Heritage Ordinance 1993. The objective of this paper is to analyse the changes that the longhouse has experienced throughout the years. This study employs a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews with the owners of the longhouse. Data are also derived from measured drawings. Findings show that the characteristics of the longhouse are a hybrid of the Iban longhouse combined with the Melanau tall house and later with some Malay influences. This can be clearly seen from the spatial and functional analyses of the spaces as well as the general form of the building. The general form of the building resembles more towards the Iban longhouse, whereas the functional spaces are more towards the Melanau tall house. The 1930s renovation also shows influence from the Malay vernacular architecture through the introduction of change of level and secondary access. The findings also show that vernacular architecture evolves through time due to different needs, influences, and building materials.

Upacara miring memainkan peranan yang penting dalam kehidupan komuniti Iban. Banyak kajian dan perbincangan mengenai upacara miring telah dilakukan, namun, upacara miring dalam konteks pemuliharaan bangunan bersejarah jarang diberi perhatian. Kebanyakan pengkaji memberikan tumpuan kepada upacara miring yang dilakukan semasa menyambut perayaan, aktiviti penanaman padi, pembinaan bangunan, infrastruktur serta aktiviti-aktiviti yang dirasakan memerlukan upacara miring dilakukan oleh komuniti pengamal. Oleh itu, objektif kertas kerja ini bertujuan membincangkan fungsi upacara miring dalam proses pemuliharaan kubu di Wilayah Tengah Sarawak, iaitu Kubu Emma di Daerah Kanowit dan Kubu Brooke di Daerah Julau. Upacara miring dilakukan sebelum kerja-kerja pemuliharaan di kawasan tersebut bermula. Kajian ini menggunakan kaedah kajian kualitatif menggunakan teknik pemerhatian turut serta dan temubual mendalam. Informan merupakan individu berpengalaman yang mengendalikan upacara miring tersebut dan pakar adat istiadat komuniti Iban. Pemerhatian pula dilakukan semasa upacara miring tersebut dilakukan di tapak kajian. Proses analisis data dilakukan menggunakan teknik analisis kandungan daripada temubual yang telah dijalankan. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan upacara miring berperanan penting untuk memastikan kelancaran kerja-kerja pemuliharaan dua buah kubu tersebut selain menjaga sensitiviti komuniti Iban yang tinggal berdekatan dengan kubu tersebut. “Miring” ceremony plays an important role for the Iban’s community. Most previous researches and discussions focus on miring ceremonies but the discussion of the ceremony in the context of historical building preservation are extremely rare. Most researchers focus on the “miring” ceremonies held during the annual festivals, paddy cultivation, early phase of house construction and any activities that are considered need to be carried out the ceremony by the practitioner’s group. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the function of the miring ceremony in the process of preserving Fort Brooke in Julau and Fort Emma in Kanowit, Sarawak. The “miring” ceremony was held before the conservation work in the area began. This study utilises qualitative research methods using participatory observation techniques and in-depth interview. The informant was an experienced “miring” leader who conducted the ceremony and experts of Iban's tradition. Observations were made during the ceremony holds at the study site. The process of data analysis has been done using the content analysis techniques based on the transcriptions from the interviews conducted. Observations were made during the “miring” ceremony at the study site. The purpose of the observation was to see the process of miring ceremony.The findings show that the miring ceremony played an important role to make sure the process of preservation of both forts can be completed as planned and as well as to respect the sensitivity of the Iban community living near the fort.