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Category: Culture

Chinese Dream Interpretations

Dreams: A Chinese Interpretation  by Chang Pat Foh The interpretation of dreams by the Chinese community of Kuching Weather and Universe A shooting star-Your family may be struck by sickness A star going slowly into a cloud-You may have a child Stars in a clear sky-Good fortune The sun/moon setting-Your

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December 31, 2022 No Comments

Goddess of Mercy

Kuan Yin Goddess of Mercy by Chang Pat Foh The Chinese believe in the existence of many gods, spirits, devils and the souls of the departed human beings in the supernatural world. Thus, prayers to the god’s departed ancestors are offered by the Chinese community at specific times for specific

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December 4, 2022 No Comments

Javanese Immigrants to Sarawak

Tom’s note: Matang is located to the west of Kuching and has many Javanese Kampongs. This is the story of how the people got there. In the period before James Brooke came to Sarawak and became its ruler, there arrived in the bay between Santubong and Tanjong Datu a sailing-vessel

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November 27, 2022 No Comments

“Ngayap!” Iban Courting

Courtship among the Ibans”Ngayap”  Toms Note: To western observers, the term “Ngayap” often had a sexual connotation. This is not true and is an insult to the Iban people. The Ngayap is an Iban custom which they inherited from many different peoples several centuries ago. As the Ibans moved up

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November 20, 2022 No Comments

Headhunting and Crocodiles

Traditional Earthen Crocodile Effigies of the Lun Bawang in Sarawak by Ipoi Datan The Lun Bawang are one of the oldest indigenous groups who have inhabited Borneo for several centuries. They were traditionally agriculturalists, practised wet and dry rice farming, reared livestock, exploited jungle produce and were animists. During the

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October 30, 2022 No Comments

Islam in China

Islam in China  The first mention of the Arabs in China is found in the Annals of the T’ang Dynasty (618-907). The Arabs were called Tazi and Tashi in Chinese. In 713, a Tazi ambassador arrived in China. In 924, another Tazi visited A-Po-Ki, chief of the K’tan and camped

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October 17, 2022 No Comments

1450 Map Of Borneo

The Fra Mauro Map ad 1459 in The Mediaeval Cartography of Borneo  by Robert Nicholl in the Brunei Museum Journal 1980 The Fra Mauro map, made in 1450, is located in the Venice Museum and is huge, 2.4 meters by 2.4 meters. Astonishingly, the area showing Santubong area in amazing

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October 8, 2022 No Comments

Human Bone Storage among the Melanau

Jerunei:  The Coffins and Slaves of a Tribal People. A jerunei is a large pole or monument used by the Melanau (a people living on the coast of Sarawak).  Jeruni poles are almost always hollowed out to receive the bones of the deceased. It may or may not be carved,

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September 25, 2022 No Comments

Tribute from Sarawak to Brunei

Tom’s Note: These codified taxes were written in 1736. The names of the Sultans of Brunei and their reigns do not follow the spellings or the order of Sultans given elsewhere. In the former days, when Brunei ruled the greater part of Sarawak, a special department was set up to

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September 12, 2022 No Comments
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