logo

Category: Bisaya Fables

Why preaching Christianity to the Malays in Kuching failed.

Why Preaching Christianity to the Malays in Kuching Didn’t Work The first Anglican missionaries set foot in Sarawak on 29 June 1848. At the time, Sarawak was a war-ridden and impoverished Raj. Why would the Borneo Mission send their clergy to Sarawak? James Brooke, the first white Rajah, appealed to

Read More »
October 25, 2025 No Comments

Brooke’s Sarawak Thinking

Brooke Colonial Thinking in Sarawak European powers were competing to take over lands in Asia that they saw as “empty” or “unclaimed.” They called these places terra nullius — meaning “nobody’s land” — and said that made them free to claim and rule. They didn’t care that people were already

Read More »
October 16, 2025 No Comments

All Creatures great and Small #76

All Creatures Great and Small #76 New Species A new species of pygmy grasshopper has been found near the Meligan River in Sabah. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5683.4.5 Sabah and Muslims This article examines the historical development of Islamic expansion and the emergence of Muslim converts (mualaf) in Sabah during the British colonial period.

Read More »
October 7, 2025 No Comments

Indian Muslims of Sarawak

Islam first enteredhe Malabar Coast of India soon after the elevation of the Prophet Muhammad, in ~621 AD. The Malabar coast was one of the first areas to embrace Islam. It was brought by Arab traders from Yemen, Oman and the Hadramawt, an area of Southeast Yemen. The Moplah Community

Read More »
October 1, 2025 No Comments

Sarawak Money

History of Sarawak Money There is no more boring reading than Sarawak’s (or anybody else’s) monetary policy. I fell asleep a couple of times trying to fathom this essay on the subject. I have condensed this article down to a page and a half from about 12 pages. If you

Read More »
September 21, 2025 No Comments

Battle Between Brooke Forces and the Dayaks in 1844

Here is an account of the battle between Brooke forces and the pirates of the Skrang river valley in 1844 This newspaper article, describes from the Brooke point of view, the expedition up the Sakarran River to capture Seriff Sahib the leader of a group of Dayaks thought to be

Read More »
September 14, 2025 No Comments

Ghosts and the Japanese Occupation

Ghosts and the Japanese Occupation Malaysia has long possessed a rich storytelling history and has combined elements of historical memory with narrative traditions centered on the Japanese occupation. One of these traditions is the cerita hantu (ghost story). Considered a “low-brow” form of entertainment, these stories include simple descriptions of

Read More »
September 8, 2025 No Comments

All Creatures Great and Small #75

All Creatures Great and Small #75 Betta Hendra The critically endangered Betta hendra, endemic to Borneo’s peat swamp forests, faces severe threats from habitat loss and overharvesting. This study marks the first successful captive breeding of B. hendra, offering key insights for conservation. https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.70186 New Species Recent collections from Kapit,

Read More »
August 28, 2025 No Comments

Two New Rulers of Santubong

The First Two Rulers of Santubong Santubong is a port where boats put in to replace their palm frond sails, collect water, and repair boats for the next leg in their voyage to China from the west coast of Sumatra. It is located in the western part of Borneo. They

Read More »
August 22, 2025 No Comments

WW II Prison Writing in Sarawak

The following is taken from an essay written in a prison camp at Lintang in April of  1944 and was published in a journal called “Adversity”. The manuscript was written on “Sun Wah Tobacco Company” wrappers with a pencil stubs. The author is unknown. According to Dr Jerry Drawhorn, the

Read More »
August 16, 2025 No Comments
Don't miss a single post

Discover New stories with Us

Stay in the loop with all the latest posts from Borneo History. Get notified on my blogs and contact us now! 

Subscribe!