Bisaya Fables

The Japanese Occupation of Sabah The earliest colonial intrusion into Sabah was in 1665 when Captain Cowley explored the region. In 1763, British Admiral Sir William Dampier seized Manila from the Spanish and released the Sultan of Sulu in exchange for ceding his territory in Sabah to the East India Company. (EIC) The region was […]

John Crawfurd John Crawfurd wrote a three-volume text during the 1820s about the Indian Archipelago. Most historians, including myself, are quite familiar and indebted to him and the text. I did not know he had a later life which included being a colonial administrator for the East India Company in Uttar Pradesh, Yogyakarta, Singapore, Siam,

Borneo Fun Factoids The following information is taken from the end notes of “The Unpublished Rennell M.S: A Borneo Philippine Journey 1762-1763.” There are 95 end notes to the Rennell manuscript. I have reduced these to a manageable number according to the topic. They were probably written by Cornell graduate students, Barabra Harrisson and a

The Voyage of James Rennell to Sulu Island and North Borneo in 1762 Although the author is credited to Tom Harrisson, it is doubtful that he worked on the manuscript. Most probably it was written by his wife and/or graduate students from Cornell University. The English units of measure have been changed to metric and

Melanau Lady Abang Manai: a Melanau The history of the Melanau as recorded by Wikipedia does not mention Abang Manai or the island of Bali. His name is not included in the” list of prominent people of Melanau descent” also compiled by Wikipedia. This version could be an early oral history as told in an extract

Agarwood Agarwood is one of the most valuable non-timber forest products due to its gratifying aroma. This has led to the overexploitation of agarwood produced by several species. The aim of this study is to tell the wood anatomy of A. sympetalum and thereby determine the features that distinguish this species from other agarwood species.  https://doi.org/10.1163/22941932-bja10178

We now zoom in on part three of our essay by Dr Lee English about the piracy around Borneo Island. Dr English also dwells on the attacks on Saribas and Skrang Dayak as pirates and the debate afterwards. The following was extracted and edited from Tides of Law by Tom McLaughlin of BorneoHistory.net. One of

Here is part two of the history of piracy in Southeast Asia written by Dr Lee English and edited with permission by BorneoHistory.net. Dr Lee English earned his doctorate from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Dr English uses the term “marine predator” for pirate however I  prefer the term pirate to avoid confusion among

The sections of this essay are taken and edited, with permission from the dissertation of Dr Lee English who earned his doctorate from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Dr English uses the term “marine predator” for pirate however I  prefer the term pirate to avoid confusion among my readers. This is part one of

Some small history visits The Taking of Muka Fort Mukah was a small town located on the coast between Sibu and Bintulu on Borneo Island in Sarawak. Apparently, in 1869, there was fort located in the town with cells for prisoners. The name was Fort Burdett. The person in charge of Muka town was Major