Riddles of the Dusuns While engaged in husking rice, the Dusun of North Borneo will enliven their work by proposing riddles to each other: 1. It creeps and its path is invisible. (a boat) 2. Digging all day and it digs nothing out. (a paddle) 3. Planted in the morning

All Creatures #81 Betta on Banka A study on three species of Siamese Fighting Fish on the island of Banka in Indonesia indicates they grow longer faster than they gain weight. They also are also genetically very closely related. This information will provide a basis for further studies on the

Chinese Migration to Sabah before World War II The Chinese can date their presence in Sabah to the Han Dynasty(206 BCE to 220 CE). At the time, they were limited to trade missions and travel to the South Seas. There is no evidence of any early Chinese settlements. However, some

Pirates of Southwest Kalimatan The sea people were foreign migrants who established their communities along the coast. Their ethnic background was varied and considerably mixed. Among these was an important group called the Orang Laut, who settled in Kampong Palembang in Karimata Besar. Karimata Besar is an island in the

The History of Pontianak and Sukadana from ~1770-1820 We go to the east coast of Borneo Island and take a look at some of the history there. Riau was connected to the India-Sino-Southeast Asian trade network, also called the Maritime Silk Road. Through various ports, this network connected India, China

King of Borneo Many references in Southeast Asian  history refer to the “King of Borneo”, but who was he? Prior to the arrival of James Brooke, one of the White Sultans of Sarawak in 1840, there was no group of people called “Malays”. The people were arranged by others according