According to Iban informants, the practice of tattooing was inherited from the Panngau, a group of superhumans who reside in Kalimatan (Indonesian Borneo). From these Panngau came a series of stories and legends featuring Keling and his wife, Kumang. They taught the Iban how to tattoo and find charms for successful hunting and warfare. The Ibans […]
+ The Penan Gang The Penan Gang occupy seven communities in the northern part of Belaga district. They trace their origins to the Apat river, a tributary of the Jek river, and, as a single band, they were known as the Penan Apat. They moved out of the Plieran watershed and into the Gang River,
Tomistoma New Book One Crowded Moment of Glory is a recent history book about Jesselton uprising in 1943. Available from the University of Malaya Press, it is an important work about Chinese history. For a review see DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022463421000692 Another New Book “Data Gathering in Colonial Southeast Asia is best described as “a thorough re reading of
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The British Punjab Retreat from Kuching Toms Note: The Punjabis or Sikhi are from India and are known for their smart turbans. They were led by British commanders during the colonial period. The Germans entered Belgium, Holland and France in 1940. They were unable to take England because of the British Air superiority. They next
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Since I arrived here 12 years ago, I have heard of the stories about the Mouse Deer. I wanted to find examples, but the stories in English were all prohibitively expensive. Finally, a few months ago, a volume appeared in Ireland and was termed a “reading copy.” I jumped on it. When it arrived three
The Proboscis Monkey I have often been teased because of my big nose. I never knew there was anything wrong with my nose until high school when other boys would mention it unmercifully. I often thought about getting a nose job. This kept up until one of my teachers told me it was a good
Hi all and new people to my work. This column is about the latest information about Borneo taken from a wide variety of sources. You can find other such columns scattered through my website Borneohistory.net All Creatures Great and Small #16 Soft Ticks Soft Ticks (Acari:argasidae) are blood-sucking insects found mainly in bats. The most
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Tom’s Note: This 630-page book tells the story of the third district of Sarawak. Unfortunately named “Anthropogenic Tropical Forests”, it is a compilation of research papers written by Japanese and Sarawak scholars. This magnificent and illustrated tome provides information not found elsewhere. From the people’s history to the fishes and the effects of oil plantations, this
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KOKOK of Beluran This spirit takes the form of a monster human being. It has long straggling hair with the upper lip being deformed and hangs over the jaw. When it wants to eat, it has to lift the upper lip to put food in its mouth. Many people have disappeared and been found days
A History of Bidayuh Vegetable Marketing The Sekeduk Bidayuh adopted the idea of vegetable marketing from the Chinese living closer to Kuching in Beratok and Tapah. They at first used the trial and error method of growing vegetables. Later, the early Bidayuh adopters played as experts in the Bidayuh community. When the Bidayuh had problems
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