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Category: Culture

Bidayuh Birds Nest Fable

Tom’s Note: The fable is from the Bidayuh living around Bau. It tells who owns the caves in the area and why. Enjoy! A Land Dayak Girl Explorer  Many years ago, there lived two land dayak children. They were brother and sister, and the boy was the elder. They were

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July 10, 2022 No Comments

New Brunei Word Origin ?

Toms Note: I try to read all the literature that could have a historical fact or two. In this essay by Dato Maha Rajah Lela, much of the story is fantasy. However, when he stated Brunei got its name from the word Punay I had to take a closer look.

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July 6, 2022 No Comments

Foochow of Sarawak

Part Two The New Foochow Settlement of Sarawak  Part Two Foochow settlement at Binatang Binatang is situated on the left bank of the lower reaches of the Rejang River between Sibu and Sarikei districts. Most of the people are natives of Chiang and Chuan of Fukien province. The Cantonese came

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June 29, 2022 No Comments

The Foochow of Sarawak

The New Foochow Settlement of Sarawak Note: Dollar amounts are Straits dollars where 3 Straits dollars =1 USD; 1 picul=60kg In 1900, Mr Wong Nai Song came to Singapore after an attempted coup in China. He harboured the idea of colonization but could find no place to settle. Mr Wong

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June 26, 2022 No Comments

Kanowit Punitive Expedition

The Expedition of 1934 The Kanowit Punitive Expedition  One fine morning in June 1934, we left Sibu by way of the Chamois. A few hours later, we stayed at Kanowit to make arrangements for our forces. We changed into a small launch, took the Kanowit River, and stopped at a location a

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June 19, 2022 No Comments

The Malays of Southwest Sarawak

Book Review: SMJ 1970The Malays of South-West Sarawak before Malaysia by Tom HarrissonReviewed by Gale Dixon (Department of Geography, University of Oregon)This big, heavy volume is packed with good information important to professional anthropologists, historians economists, geographers, and sociologists and of interest to a wide readership of informed people who

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June 14, 2022 No Comments

Kuching Chinese Temple Hell

A Walk into the Gates of Hell:(黄泉)(地府)(九泉) Walking toward The Chinese Temple Hong San Si of Jalan Petanak Kuching one should bear to the left. On this side of the temple is the entrance to the gates of hell. The doors are large and forbidding. As I eased one of

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June 12, 2022 No Comments

A Chinese Temple in Kuching

The Chinese Temple Hong San Si of Jalan Petanak Kuching The Temple of Hong San Si reflects what is called “Chinese religion”. It is a mixture of Tao, Buddhist and Hindu beliefs. From these comes a system which reflects deities within each of these religions.   The Temple is not like

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June 5, 2022 No Comments

Sungei of Sabah

Tapadong -700 Years of Cave History in Sabah The Tapadong Caves are on the middle reaches of the Segama River north of Lahad Datu and have been frequented by man since the early times. From a small rock shelter under 6 inches of pure guano came Sabah’s first Bronze tool,

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May 27, 2022 No Comments

An Iban Story

Comic Tales of Api Salui by Benedict Sandin Sarawak Museum Journal July-December 1960 Tom’s Note: The below story has been passed from generation to generation among the Ibans. It tells a tale of a wise wife with her stupid husband. The Malays in the kampongs across the river also have

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May 11, 2022 No Comments
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