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 […]
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 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 while others emigrated or disappeared.
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. Lun Bawang country is one
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China, Santubong and Java p. 2 During the Qin (221 B.C-206 B.C) and the Han (206 B.C. 220A.D.), the population of China was concentrated along the banks of the middle part of the Yellow River. A belt of settlements reached westward via the Gansu corridor to Turkistan. These were the much-travelled caravan routes. During the
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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 seaports at the confluence of
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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. Important rivers flow into Brunei
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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 of the story except for
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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 producing its’ cures at various
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Tax Money for Rajah Charles I always wondered where the Rajah Brookes got their money. While going through past copies of the Sarawak newspaper, I noticed that Rajah Charles spent more time in England than he did in Kuching. Knowing transport was expensive, I could not figure out where he found the funds. When I
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