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Category: History

Kongsi and the Hakka

KongsiThe concept of Kongsi began in the towns of South Borneo in the late 1700’s where the Hakka Chinese immigrated, at the request of the Sultan, to mine the gold from the hills in central Borneo. The concept spread throughout the mining district and later to Bau and into Kuching.Before

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January 20, 2021 No Comments

Oil in Miri

ilI know it’s hard to imagine, but imagine oil seeping out of the ground. Also imagine there are many places where this occurs in the Miri area. This was how Shell Oil Company found the oil to recover in Sarawak. Of course, Shell did not “find ” it. The people

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January 20, 2021 No Comments

Bisayah,Tabun,Tagal, and Murut

The Bisayah, Tabun, Tagal and MurutThe Bisayah“The Bisayah are the indigenous people in Sarawak’s Fifth Division. Living side by side with them are the Kedayan and Pa Balat people. The Kedayan settled along the coast while the Pa Balat people fished in the sea and lower parts of the rivers

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January 20, 2021 No Comments

Omen Birds of the Iban and Kenyah

The Seven Omen Birds of the Iban Lang Sengalang Burong (Lang) is considered as the Chief all bird deities and appears on earth as the Brahminy kite. The Ketupong or Entis The authoritive or deliberate leader. He is Raja Ngaka of the many head trophies who dwells in the great

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January 20, 2021 No Comments

Hunting with Blowpipes

Punan Hunting BlowpipesThe blowpipes came to the Punan from other tribes crossing from Indonesia. They are not the invention of the Punan and, in fact, nobody in Punan Busong knows how to make one. The dart is composed of two parts. One is the long sharp stick which is usually

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January 20, 2021 No Comments

God of Heaven Temple

The second oldest temple in Kuching is the one on Carpenter Street erected by the TeoChew community. It was built in 1896(?) in honour of Hian Tien Shian Tee, God of Heaven who was born on the third day of the third moon and died on the ninth day of

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January 20, 2021 No Comments

The Siteng People

The Siteng PeopleIn the olden days, the Siteng people inhabited the upper Baram river in the Fourth Division of Sarawak. While in this area they were attacked and killed by hundreds of wild pigs. Those that survived fled in many directions. Some lived in Julan, a tributary of the true

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January 20, 2021 No Comments

Brookes and the Chinese

Anti Chinese Sentiment 1840-1900John ChinamanHow the Europeans and later, the Malays and Dyaks, viewed the Chinese were contained in a caricatures of the Chinese known as John Chinaman. Published in Punch magazine in April 1858, the term John Chinaman was referred to in official publications of the Brooke government and

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January 20, 2021 No Comments

Hakka in China, Indon and Bau

Our story begins with the migration of the Hakka from central China in Henan to the south from about the Third century A.D. They first entered Jiangxi, then during the Tang and Song periods to Southwest Fujian. The migration continued into Guangdong Province. By the 18th and 19th centuries the

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January 20, 2021 No Comments

Indians+Plantations+Sikh

Indian Muslim CommunityWe can date the Indian community to at least 1820 when Patinggi Ali built a house in the area. It would seem logical that he would build a house in an already established Indian Moslem community. It is thought he came down from Bau. When the actual Indian

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January 20, 2021 No Comments
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