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Category: Culture

The Loincloth of Borneo

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

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April 9, 2021 No Comments

Penan Aput

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

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April 6, 2021 No Comments

Berawan Adoptions

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.

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March 26, 2021 No Comments

Kajang of Borneo

The Kajang The Kajang are a group of smaller tribes who lived in the Baluy Basin (Kajang term) on the Upper Rejang River. These groups include the Sekapan, Kejaman, La’anam, Punan Ba, Seping and Bah Mali. With the invasion of the Kayan, these groups continued to live in the area

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March 21, 2021 No Comments

Murut or Lun Bawang

Lun Bawang or Muruts The Lun Bawang are found in the rugged country of north-central Borneo. They are relatively physically the same, identifiable by the way they talk and have common interactions with themselves and their economy. In Sarawak, they are found especially in Lawas, Trusan and the upper Limbang.

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March 18, 2021 No Comments

China + Santubong Early Days

Editors Note: I became curious about what was going on in China from the Early Days to 1400 and how it might have related to Santubong. The book (see below) I consulted has the wrong title. It should be Early Days to 1368. Guangzoh (Canton) is one of China oldest

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March 10, 2021 No Comments

Brunei Titles and History

The Brunei Malays are coastal and riverine people. Only very rarely were they found very far inland or upland. Brunei culture exhibited considerable knowledge and skill in fishing, boat building, sailing and trading. Besides, the Bruneis harvested a variety of natural products. For centuries, they figured prominently in Brunei culture.

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March 3, 2021 No Comments

Iban Headhunting and Coastal Raiding 1775-1860

Coastal Raiding and the Iban 1775-1860 Editors note: Most of the below account was presented by western writers. St. John, Keppel, Pringle, Beccari, Kennedy and the Rajah Brookes plus the Singapore Inquiry of 1849 are the only voices we hear in this narrative. Nowhere do we hear the Iban side

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February 24, 2021 No Comments

Borneo plants used in medicine and ritual

Each plant description has an accompanying detailed drawing like the above. Now swept away by modern medicine, these plants were used by the Borneo  people. The indigenous groups and the coastal Malays  knew which plants to collect for a wide variety of illnesses. However, the plant is a fickle creature

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February 21, 2021 No Comments

Santubong Iron

Iron Work and Santubong The Santubong delta iron working industry began in 615 AD at the earliest and 900 AD at the latest and stopped around 1380 AD.  They used a single Carbon 14 date and  associated Chinese stoneware and coins and some religious artefacts of the Buddhists era to

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February 9, 2021 No Comments
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