ABSTRACT
Engineering design is commonly described as part of a complex sociotechnical system, involving, for example, the need to comply with a wider scheme, or the economic realities of a large project and its inherent potentials for misunderstanding and abuse. The ethnographic data presented here come from fieldwork with the Kelabit people in the mountainous north of Malaysian Borneo. The traditional and familiar bridge was produced with very little discussion or trouble, while the new and unfamiliar design required a more detailed plan that remained incomplete. A suspension bridge is based on a different concept, which is to support the weight of the base on overhead cables anchored at each end and raised on towers. While the suspension bridge design depends on a drawing and a list of parts, as well as numerous discussions, the bamboo bridge depends on experience and memories of previous practice, everyday tools, and readily available materials.
