This and That # 9 Interbreeding in Early Humans in Island Southeast Asia Two ancient species of pre-humans, Homo luzonenis and Homo floresesiensis, were in island Southeast Asia before the first wave of modern humans came. These modern humans show distinctive interbreeding with the Denisovans (another early breed of pre-humans) but fail to show any
Editors Note: The translation was difficult. I had to go back and forth from Brunei Malay to Sarawak Malay to Indon Malay. For example, in Sarawak Malay budak means a young man or teenager. In Indon it means a helper on a ship. Sakai was another word. I wasn’t
The Berawan people comprise of four large longhouses in the Tinjar and Tutoh rivers. These are both major tributaries of the Baram River. The people of the Long Teru and Batu Belah share identical languages. People in the Long Jegan longhouse can speak to the other two but with difficulty.
The Kajang The Kajang are a group of smaller tribes who lived in the Baluy Basin (Kajang term) on the Upper Rejang River. These groups include the Sekapan, Kejaman, La’anam, Punan Ba, Seping and Bah Mali. With the invasion of the Kayan, these groups continued to live in the area
Lun Bawang or Muruts The Lun Bawang are found in the rugged country of north-central Borneo. They are relatively physically the same, identifiable by the way they talk and have common interactions with themselves and their economy. In Sarawak, they are found especially in Lawas, Trusan and the upper Limbang.
China, Santubong and Java p. 2 During the Qin (221 B.C-206 B.C) and the Han (206 B.C. 220A.D.), the population of China was concentrated along the banks of the middle part of the Yellow River. A belt of settlements reached westward via the Gansu corridor to Turkistan. These were the
Editors Note: I became curious about what was going on in China from the Early Days to 1400 and how it might have related to Santubong. The book (see below) I consulted has the wrong title. It should be Early Days to 1368. Guangzoh (Canton) is one of China oldest
This and That # 8 Recent research about Borneo. Fungus in Caves The limestone caves of Borneo are one of the least studied habitats. Fifty five pure cultures of fungi were obtained from a cave from the Madai cave in northeast Borneo from guano and cave water. Penicillum dominated the
The Brunei Malays are coastal and riverine people. Only very rarely were they found very far inland or upland. Brunei culture exhibited considerable knowledge and skill in fishing, boat building, sailing and trading. Besides, the Bruneis harvested a variety of natural products. For centuries, they figured prominently in Brunei culture.
Coastal Raiding and the Iban 1775-1860 Editors note: Most of the below account was presented by western writers. St. John, Keppel, Pringle, Beccari, Kennedy and the Rajah Brookes plus the Singapore Inquiry of 1849 are the only voices we hear in this narrative. Nowhere do we hear the Iban side
Each plant description has an accompanying detailed drawing like the above. Now swept away by modern medicine, these plants were used by the Borneo people. The indigenous groups and the coastal Malays knew which plants to collect for a wide variety of illnesses. However, the plant is a fickle creature
Earless Monitor Lizard This article is probably the most unintentionally funny article presented by the museum. Enjoy a good laugh! The discovery of the Earless Monitor Lizard was considered very exciting by anatomists and zoologist because it was thought to be related closely to some extinct lizards and could be