The Death Ceremony of the Berawan People of Sarawak The Berawan people live in longhouses along the Tinjar and Tutoh Rivers both tributaries of the Baram River in Sarawak. They are part of the orang ulu people or up river people. There are two ceremonies which occur. Just after death, the corpse is displayed on […]
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Riddles of the Dusuns While engaged in husking rice, the Dusun of North Borneo will enliven their work by proposing riddles to each other: 1. It creeps and its path is invisible. (a boat) 2. Digging all day and it digs nothing out. (a paddle) 3. Planted in the morning and cut down in the
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Rebuilding the Seria Oil Fields in Brunei by Serdevi Menon There was a time when the Dayaks(Menon spelling) went to work in the oil fields. This was usually the time between the planting and harvesting of the rice crop. It could also have been the time when a young man left his longhouse to seek
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Here is the second part of the second Sultan Tengah of Borneo. The essay explains the origin of gula Melaka, the formation of different silats and the organization of the Malay and Iban armies.
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We now proceed with the Second Sultan of Santubong according to our Dukun who recited the story to us. Below, please find the first part of his epic journey. His visit to Kedah is corroborated with an oral history from Kedah.
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Menu Home Posts Gallery Keris Wood Art Sarawak River Valley About Us Islam and Santubong We now reach a point in history where Islam is introduced and accepted by the rulers of Santubong. The lifestyle change must have been sudden and abrupt from a leisurely existence to one of strict obedience to the five prayers
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Menu Home Posts Gallery Keris (Gallery) Sarawak River Valley About Us Cannibalism in Borneo Cannibalism and Borneo The Iban or Dyaks began their conquest of Borneo from the Kapuas River and pushed north into the hinterland. Unfortunately, there were already tribes of people living in the areas they wished to occupy. They did not speak
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Menu Home Posts Gallery Keris (Gallery) Sarawak River Valley About Us Healing in the Iban World The Pelian Ritual In Sebauh District, Bintulu, Sarawak The Pelian ritual was performed by a shaman and was the only way to cure disease among the Iban. This was before the advent of modern medicine. The belief system at
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Menu Home Posts Gallery Keris (Gallery) Sarawak River Valley About Us An Iban Tale A Bizarre Iban Tale. This story was found in the Sarawak Gazette and included a mixture of Iban and English. I have edited and organized the tale, so it makes sense to the reader. In the village lived Kumang and Keles
Who are You? Tom McLaughlin I have been researching the origins of the people of Sarawak for about ten years now. It has been fun but frustrating. These are my opinions from the research: The Malays came from Taiwan. These people were the indigenous residents and not the current Chinese who now run the island.
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