We collect academic articles on Borneo, translate them into ordinary English, and condense them into a manageable read.
In our sometimes column, “All Creatures Great and Small”, we write about current research in Borneo. Each topic is given a line or two and you can proceed to the article and read more.
Stay in the loop with all the latest posts from Borneo History. Get notified on my blogs and contact us now!
Early Indian Colonies in Borneo The earliest evidence, 400 A.D., of the Hindu colonisation in Borneo is furnished by four inscriptions. These were discovered in 1879 in the district of Koti (Kutei), at Muara Kamai on the Mahakam river, three days’ journey above Pelarang. The remains of a Chinese junk,
Writing History and AI About a year ago, I played around with AI but when I discovered they used Wikipedia as a source, I quit. Wikipedia can be written and posted by anyone anywhere without any research. I could write I came from Mars in a spaceship and they would
Ong Sum Ping in Chinese Sources Ong Sum Ping lived in Brunei. He established a trading post and a Chinese settlement called Wicaya (from the Sanskrit meaning victory?) on or near the Kinabatangan River. He supported Sultan Muhammad Shah as the ruler, but he was never the ruler of Brunei.
All Creatures #77 New Species Two new species of Mealy bugs have been discovered feeding on forest trees in Kalimatan. 89 species have been described worldwide and several are considered agricultural pests. 10.3897/zookeys.1249.159569 Book Chapter A chapter in the book The Making of Singapore as an Asian Regional Corridor entitled
Why Preaching Christianity to the Malays in Kuching Didn’t Work The first Anglican missionaries set foot in Sarawak on 29 June 1848. At the time, Sarawak was a war-ridden and impoverished Raj. Why would the Borneo Mission send their clergy to Sarawak? James Brooke, the first white Rajah, appealed to
Brooke Colonial Thinking in Sarawak European powers were competing to take over lands in Asia that they saw as “empty” or “unclaimed.” They called these places terra nullius — meaning “nobody’s land” — and said that made them free to claim and rule. They didn’t care that people were already