Malay

Islam comes to Borneo The Arab traders came from India and began commerce in various ports.  Settling in the trade ceners, they intermarried with the people of the land, and these heathen wives and the slaves of their households thus formed the nucleus of a Muslim community. The traders and their new wives increased the […]

A Sarawak Book While living here, I noticed a lack of books about the history of the Sarawak area pre-1840. I searched all the local libraries and museums, and none were to be found. I began my search by visiting kampong houses searching for people who may have copies of books written in Malay, Arabic

Spain and North Borneo Spain’s desire to colonise the Philippines became clear  when it named the islands after Prince Philip in 1543. The inauguration of the Manila Galleon  route in 1564 between Manila and the Americas consolidated  Spanish power. Spain then dispatched its authorities to colonise other areas of the Philippines. One of these areas

Pirates of Southwest Kalimatan The sea people were foreign migrants who established their communities along the coast. Their ethnic background was varied and considerably mixed. Among these was an important group called the Orang Laut, who settled in Kampong Palembang in Karimata Besar. Karimata Besar is an island in the Karimata chain located between Belitung

The History of Pontianak and Sukadana from ~1770-1820 We go to the east coast of Borneo Island and take a look at some of the history there. Riau was connected to the India-Sino-Southeast Asian trade network, also called the Maritime Silk Road. Through various ports, this network connected India, China and Southeast Asia. They traded