Painted Cave (Kain Hitam)

The Painted Cave — Kain Hitam, meaning "black cloth" in Malay — is a separate chamber reached via a trail that passes through the Great Cave and along the cliff face on the far side. Inside, on the cave walls, are the only known prehistoric paintings in Sarawak: a series of red haematite figures depicting stylised human forms in boats — the "boats of the dead", used in the cosmology of the people who created them to carry deceased souls to the afterlife.

The paintings are dated to approximately 1,000 years before present on the basis of associated burial materials found in the cave floor stratigraphy. Most of the figures are on the right-hand wall as you enter, roughly 1–2 metres above the cave floor. They have faded considerably over the centuries — bring a powerful torch and direct it at an oblique angle to the wall surface, as perpendicular light washes the images out while raking light reveals the surface topography that defines the painted lines.

The boat-of-the-dead motif repeats across the wall: elongated vessels with upswept prows, human figures with raised arms (some interpreted as dancers, others as deceased), and what appear to be paddles. Wooden coffins in boat form (perahu) and associated burial offerings — glass beads, iron tools, ceramic sherds indicating Chinese trade contacts — were excavated from the cave floor. These materials date from approximately 500–1,200 CE.

The people who made the paintings are believed to be ancestors of the Penan or related nomadic hunter-gatherer groups of interior Borneo, though the paintings show no stylistic parallels with known contemporary Penan visual culture, so attribution remains uncertain. The cave's name in Malay — "black cloth" — is thought to refer to a black resinous coating on some of the wooden burial materials, though no archaeological consensus exists on the etymology.

The Painted Cave is the furthest point on the boardwalk trail from the park entrance. Allow 4–5 hours for the full return journey including time at the paintings. A guide or interpretive panel can be helpful for spotting the most prominent figures — some require knowing exactly where to look. The cave is damp, the paintings are extremely fragile, and touching the wall is strictly prohibited. A viewing barrier keeps visitors at an appropriate distance.