Panay in the Philippines: A Sarawak Connection The island of Panay is the fourth largest island in the Philippine archipelago. The prehistory of the island, before the Spaniards is related in a document called the Maragatas. The Maragatas, written in 1221, states the Datuks from Borneo purchased the island from the Negritoes. The negritoes then moved into the mountains of […]
Panay in the Philippines: A Sarawak Connection Read More »
All Creatures Great and Small! Check out Borneohistory.net for regularly-updated Sarawak-based historical and contemporary scientific journal updates. Looking forward to seeing you!
A collection of recent research from Borneo New Species of Jumping Spider A new species of jumping spider from the canopies of Borneo has been made known to science. It distinguished from other jumping spiders by the colour variation, the mouthparts and the sex organs. Arthropoda Selecta 30(1): 105–112 Two New Species of Plants Two
This and That # 10 Read More »
Tom’s Note: The writer of this essay concentrated on the two white men, Rajah James and Frances McDougall. He relegated the Sarawakians to mere mentions in this conflict. For example, “they attempted to organize a force to attack the Chinese failed because the Malay women refused to let the menfolk go”p.379. One envisions the Malay
The Bishop and the Rajah Read More »
Borneo Dance Editors note: Many of us from the West have sat through a dance performed by natives without having a clue of what they mean. They look interesting but the symbols of the movements escape us. Here, we attempt to explain those movements. Most of the literature asserts the dance has derived from headhunting.
Headhunter and Solo Dance Read More »
The Loincloth of Borneo The loincloth was worn by the male Dyaks living in Borneo. It was used to cover and hold the genitals while the man is engaged in activities such as hunting, fishing or sitting around the campfire. The loincloth allowed the Dyak to feel the cloth against his genitals while in comparison,
The Loincloth of Borneo Read More »
he Penan Aput The Penan Aput name comes from the right-hand tributary of the upper Baluy river where they used to live. They formed four separate bands where they kept close ties and migrated together. When the land became depleted, three of the four groups migrated into what is now Kalimatan while the fourth migrated
This and That # 9 Interbreeding in Early Humans in Island Southeast Asia Two ancient species of pre-humans, Homo luzonenis and Homo floresesiensis, were in island Southeast Asia before the first wave of modern humans came. These modern humans show distinctive interbreeding with the Denisovans (another early breed of pre-humans) but fail to show any interbreeding with luzonenis or floresesiensis. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-021-01408-0 Worms in Frogs
Editors Note: The translation was difficult. I had to go back and forth from Brunei Malay to Sarawak Malay to Indon Malay. For example, in Sarawak Malay budak means a young man or teenager. In Indon it means a helper on a ship. Sakai was another word. I wasn’t sure if it meant Ulu
The Berawan people comprise of four large longhouses in the Tinjar and Tutoh rivers. These are both major tributaries of the Baram River. The people of the Long Teru and Batu Belah share identical languages. People in the Long Jegan longhouse can speak to the other two but with difficulty. Finally, citizens of the Long
