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Borneo Pre History

Pre-History of Borneo During the height of the cold times during the Pleistocene (2.58 million to 11,700 years ago), all the land was connected and called Sundaland. The Malay Peninsula was connected to Borneo, Java and Sumatra. The water was locked up in ice in the north. The last time

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Indians from Mutiny to Sarawak

Efforts were made to find Jutta Kelling from FernUniversität Hagen in Germany  who authored the below sections to request permission to publish the passages on my blog.  I was not able to find any trace of her/him.  However, a full citation is given at the end of this piece. The

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A Murut Fairy Tale

he Murut people live in Sabah along the Sapulut and Padas rivers. They can also be found along the border with Sarawak, where they are known as the Tagal people. In Brunei, they are referred to as the Lun Bawang, where they supplied soldiers to the Sultans of Brunei. They

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All Creatures Great and Small #67

All Creatures Great and Small #67 Genetics Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are located north of Sumatra and separate the Bay of Bengal from the Andaman Sea. The genetic link between the Nicobar community and the Htin Mal people of Laos and Thailand has been established. The migration to the

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The Chinese and Santubong

The Chinese and Santubong The italics are my comments. There was a tradition among the lesser states to pay homage to China by sending emissaries to the Emperor.  Santubong was referred in the Chinese literature as “Poli (婆利),” “Boni (渤尼/渤泥/浡泥)” or “Polo (婆罗). Santubong was at that time a port

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The White Rajah of Banjarmasin Borneo

Alexander Hare of Banjarmasin Alexander Hare reached Malacca from Calcutta in 1807 and started a business as an agent and merchant. Stanford Raffles became acquainted with Hare during two sick leaves late in November 1807 -19 January 1808 and then again from the end of July 1808 to the end

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All Creatures Great and Small #66

Birds in the Paddy Fields Our study has documented a comprehensive list of birds in the paddy fields of southwestern Sarawak during all three stages of paddy production including planting, harvesting and land preparation. doi:10.55730/1300-0179.3205 Tree Harvests, Soil Types and Fertilizers The Paulowinia tree is a fast growing tree native

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Raffles and West Borneo

Raffles and West Borneo The first Chinese miners were probably brought from Brunei between 1740 and 1745 to Sambas. The Malays rigidly controlled them until 1760, when they were able to throw off the Malay yoke and establish their own Kongsi. The Dutch discouraged immigration from China until 1791 when

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Raffles, Borneo and A.Hare

Raffles, Borneo and Alexander Hare In August 1809, a Dutch representative set sail from Batavia to a small village near Banjarmasin to hand over the fort to the Sultan. The sole remaining Dutch settlement in Borneo was being broken up. The orders were received from Napoleon, who at that time

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Malaysia Genetics

The Genetics of Malaysia and Borneo What is known: The Southern route was the route taken by Africans following the coastlines from Africa, to Arabia and then to India and onward to Australia. What remains to be studied? From: Bong Peng Hong et al The Peopling and Migration History of

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Iron Industry at Santubong

A Controversy on the Iron Industry at Santubong Ever since the rise of the Shang people in the Huang Ho basin in 1800 BC, bronze has been a Chinese precious metal. It consisted of a mixture of copper and tin or lead. In the 10th century BC iron was discovered.

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