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Category: History

Brooke Battle at Lawas

The Brooke Attack on Lawas If you look at a map of the very northern part of Sarawak, you will notice two fingers dividing Brunei. This essay discusses the second finger, which borders Brunei on the western side and Sabah to the east. The threat to the Brooke regime began

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November 22, 2021 No Comments

Sarawak Cat Drop

PROBABLY one of the most bizarre and unbelievable stories ever to come out of Sarawak was the report the Royal Air Force parachuted cats into Bario in 1960. The story begins with the attempt to eradicate malaria in the Kelabit Highlands. A report in the Straits Times states F LaChance,

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November 13, 2021 No Comments

British Blunders lead to Punjabi Defeats in Kuching Retreats

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

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October 11, 2021 No Comments

A History of Sarawak’s Third Division

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

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September 7, 2021 No Comments

Bidayuh Vegtable Farming

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.

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August 22, 2021 No Comments

Punishments among the Kenyans

Tom’s note: These stories are from the headman of the upper class of the Leppo Tan Kenyah in 1959. Improper Pregnancy In ancient times, whenever a Kenyah woman was found to be with a child without a responsible man, the woman was sent far away into the forest where she

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August 10, 2021 No Comments

Pegu and Sarawak

Pegu and Sarawak Pegu was a city-state located on the eastern side of Burma between Burma and Thailand. The country had easy access to ships from Malacca, India and Persia and their main exchange were rubies. There was a regular trade route from Yunnan to Pegu in the second century.

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August 2, 2021 No Comments

A Sebob Saga

The Saga of the Child of Padan Sigau (A Sebob Saga) Padan Sigau lived at Tebau Na-a A man of great renown He married a lady called Bungan from Alo Mara They had a child, the child of Bungan who was born at Tebau Na-A A very brave lad he

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July 28, 2021 No Comments

Sarawak River Valley Book Review

Sarawak River Valley, Early Times to 1840: Santubong Kuching Brunei bySURAINI BINTI SAHARI and TOM MCLAUGHLIN, Kuching, Sarawak, SueJ’s Enterprises, 2020, ISBN 978-967-17890-0-1; 205 pp; maps, plates, bibliography.This is an unusual history book by Suraini Sahari and Tom McLaughlin. The scope of this study is overwhelming, more so for these

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July 19, 2021 No Comments

Iban and Batang Ai

The Batang Ai resettlement scheme moved 26 longhouses of Ibans to another area because of flooding due to the hydroelectric dam across the Batang Ai Wong Irup. The Iban received cash compensation and were given 11 acres of land consisting of five acres of rubber, three acres of cocoa, two

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July 11, 2021 No Comments
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