Nabau/Iban Dragon

The Nabau is a mysterious creature from Borneo, Indonesia resembling a giant snake. The term Nabau can be either singular or plural. They have a diameter like a big drum, scales the size of plates, measure eighty feet long, and swim around in rivers. They’re described as dragon-like creatures with small or non-existent legs and seven nostrils. They’re also believed to poop pythons. It has been described as an ancient serpent spirit and depictions of Nabau often show small animals near the mouth to represent food. It is thought to sometimes show itself, and some locals claim to have witnessed it. It was sighted in the Baleh River in February 2009. A picture circulated of this sighting, taken from a helicopter during flooding. This photo was debunked as having been edited from a picture of a river in the Congo.

Citations:

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Gavin, Traude. Iban Ritual Textiles. Netherlands, Brill, 2022.

Howell, William, and Bailey, Demetrius James Sandford. A Sea Dyak Dictionary, in Alphabetical Parts, with Examples and Quotations Shewing the Use and Meaning of Words. Singapore, Printed at the American Mission Press, 1900.

Mystical Travelling Guide Book: Indonesia. N.p., StoryTale Studios.

Roth, Henry Ling. The Natives of Sarawak and British North Borneo: Vol. II. N.p., Outlook Verlag, 2022.

Sutlive, Joanne. The Encyclopaedia of Iban Studies: O-Z. Malaysia, Tun Jugah Foundation, 2001.

Winzeler, Robert L.. The Architecture of Life and Death in Borneo. Hong Kong, University of Hawaii Press, 2004.