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Old customs when building a new Iban longhouse

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In the olden days, building a new longhouse was usually heavily influenced by superstitions.

Reverend William Howell once recorded his observation of the Iban customs when building a new longhouse.

He stated, “It is not uncommon among uncivilised races, whose lives are influenced or rather haunted by superstitions of various kinds, to find the majority are in the habit of continually removing from place to place. For more than half of a dozen reasons they desert their houses, even when only just finished.

“The terror of death or that some misfortune might befall their yearly crop of paddy, or the revelation of certain bad omens or ill visions, are the principal causes that will determine them promptly to leave their house.”

So what did Howell observe in those days? Here are the old customs when building a new Iban longhouse, which have most likely been forgotten today:

The meeting before building a new Iban longhouse

The chief assembles all his followers at a certain time in the evening in his ruai. Mats are spread, chewing ingredients in profusion and tuak are placed in the centre.

All the men sit in a circle with the women and children behind them. The chief opens the meeting after the distribution of the tuak. The subject is generally well-discussed and everybody gives his opinion.

At such a meeting the chief has to be most careful. Although his carry weight, yet he has to go by the votes of the majority.

It is, in fact, a sort of parliament, and the debates last a long time.

Those who cannot agree with the final arrangement cut themselves off and join another house or village.

In consequence the size or length of an Iban longhouse is not limited. To maintain the size of his house a chief has to exercise a great deal of self-denial.

He is like a parent who has to make peace among his children and please them equally. His family must share his sympathy.

Choosing the site of the Iban longhouse

The day following the meeting all the men go out to examine the spot for the site of the house. If it be a good one they beburong it at once. It means they go to hear the cry of a certain bird which prognosticates health, fortune, and good luck.

As long as the good omen is obtained they cut a peace of wood and hang it on the spot where the house is to stand. The spot thereby is considered sacred, being guarded by the kayu burong which is hung thereon.

As soon as the site of the house is cleared they beramu (go to get material for the house). The site for the house must not be burnt and the jungle that is cut down is cast aside.

If the site for the house is burnt it will give less work than in carrying away the jungle is cut down, but the house is said to be angat i.e. it will be visited by plagues and sickness.

A convenient places is selected for the palan. The palan is the place for retreat in case of hearing a bad omen when cutting material collected material for the house.

Out of every kind of material collected for the building, one piece is cast aside to ninggang burong (to plead excuse in the case of having neglected bad omens.

Iban Longhouse 2
How the ruai of a traditional Iban longhouse looks like in the 21st century.

Ngelangkar

The evening before the ngentak rumah, they ngelangkar (laying the foundation and arrange where the posts are to be).

Nearby everybody goes to the site of the new building, men, women and children, to beat their musical instruments.

The noise is most deafening with the intention to avoid hearing a bad omen.

A piece of bamboo about a span long is put into the ground on the site of the building and filled with water up to the brim.

This ceremony of divination is called betenong ai, which prognosticates good or bad luck with reference to their yearly crops of paddy during the whole time they occupy the new house.

If the water in the bamboo decreases considerably it indicates perpetual famine, and if it does not, it foretells good years to come.

Ngentak rumah

Before the ngentak rumah another meeting is held by the chief. This meeting is simply to arrange the situation of each person’s door. The nearer they are related the nearer they build to one another.

The building is done in common as far as putting up the posts and framework are concerned.

It is called ngentak rumah. One door a day is put up. It is hurried through and everything is bound by rattan or the monkey-cup creeper called entuyut.

If there be the slightest shower of the rain the work is knocked off. To work in the rain when building a new house is to prognosticate the shedding of tears over some misfortune.

The ngentak rumah begins in the morning and the work is supposed to be finished by one o’clock at midday.

The first day of the ngentak rumah is an important and memorable one. A great sacrifice to Pulang Gana is offered for a propitiation, he being the god of the earth.

Makai di ruai

A full grown pig is sacrificed and its blood is smeared on the middle post of the house and the carcass is eaten.

Makai di ruai is the topic of conversation during the ngentak rumah, it signifies eating and feasting together on the veranda of their house.

This feasting after a spell of hard work is a welcome relaxation for them all.

At the ngentak rumah, while the men are hard at work, all the women and children who are not engaged in preparing the midday repast beat the different instrument to deafen their ears against an ill omen.

With some tribes the custom differs a little, the blood of the sacrificed pig is made to run into the hold of the central post of the house.

It is an understood thing that the chief supplies the pig and the pig that is killed is also a pledge between the chief and his followers. It is hereafter called a penti or compensation to be made over to the chief whenever any of his followers leave him.

Iban Longhouse
An example of a modern-day Iban luncheon.

Howell’s observations were later published in the Sarawak Gazette on Aug 31, 1955.

Once they move into a new longhouse, the people would perform mandi rumah. Read here, to know more about this old Iban housewarming ceremony.

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Operation Canister: How the Colonial Service delivered news of the Brit High Comm’s death to Long Akah

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Sir Henry Gurney was a British colonial administrator who served in different posts throughout the British Empire.

He joined the British Colonial Service in 1921 and was posted to Kenya as an assistant district commissioner.

After 14 years in Kenya, He was appointed Assistant Colonial Secretary to Jamaica.

From there, he served at various colonial offices including in London, Gold Coast and Palestine.

On Oct 1, 1948, Gurney was appointed High Commissioner to Malaya.

The assassination of Henry Gurney and Operation Canister

On Oct 6, 1951, Gurney was assassinated in an ambush by communist insurgents from the Malayan Communist Party.

He was on his way to a resort at Kuala Kubu Road near Fraser’s Hill, Pahang.

According to communist leader Chin Peng, the ambush was routine and the killing was by chance.

The communists only learned Gurney was among the dead from news reports.

When Gurney was killed, it was crucial to inform all the colonial officers in the region of his death.

Since it took place in the 1950s when phone coverage was still limited, especially here in Sarawak, how did the news get relayed?

One of the key people that needed to be informed of Gurney’s death at that time was Malcolm MacDonald, the British Commissioner-General for Southeast Asia.

Coincidentally, MacDonald was on a visit at rural Ulu Baram, specifically in Long Akah at that time.

Thus, the British military planned a mission called Operation Canister. The plan was to fly over Ulu Baram using a military plane to drop a pistol cartridge canister containing the letter from His Excellency Anthony Abell.

The first message was dropped near Long Lama bazaar and the second letter was dropped near Fort Long Akah where MacDonald was located.

C47 Skytrain Duxford D Day Show 2014 cropped
How the plane that flew over Long Akah looks like. Credits: Creative Commons

Here is the account of how the message conveying the news of the death of Sir Henry Gurney was delivered to Malcolm MacDonald in the Ulu Baram which was published on Oct 15, 1951 in The Sarawak Gazette:

The R.A.A.F Dakota plane under the command of Warrant Officer Brown left Kuching Airfield at 7am on Sunday, Oct 7, carrying senior Government Officers who were conversant with Mr Malcom MacDonald’s probable movements and the country in which he was travelling.

The early morning landas (runaway) weather looked far from promising as the plan took off and circled the field preparatory to settling a straight course in the direction of Miri, it having been decided to keep near the coast to begin with so as to avoid any bad weather further inland.

Flying at about 1,000 feet, the plane crossed the directly over Tanjung Jerijeh at Kuala Rajang at 7.33am crossed the lower Rajang Delta and met the sea again at Mukah flying directly over the twon at 8.05am. Being a Sunday morning there was little sign of life about the Government station.

By now the weather was clearing the prospects of a reasonably fine day seemed brighter; the plane was doing a steady 180 miles per hour, but sometime after leaving Mukah the hydraulic system sprang a leak. This is known as ‘losing your hydraulics’, an occurrence which apparently makes it necessary to lower the landing wheels. This slowed the aircraft down considerably so that off Niah and Suai it was done some 15 minutes behind schedule and the speed had dropped to around 100 knots.

Since by now the weather was improving rapidly it was obvious that there was a good chance of finding the Ulu Baram reasonably free of cloud.

The centre panel which comprises almost the whole of the entrance door was now removed and stowed forward. An approach anywhere near the great gaping hole in the side of the aircraft was only to be attempted by those who “had done it before!”

Flying over Miri to Baram

Near Miri at 9am a turn was made shore-wards, passing over the Lutong airstrip and then on to the east to pick up the Baram river.

The weather here was quite different from that experienced further south.

A normal ground mist was forming into rising patches of white cloud and Gunung Mulu stood out clearly in the morning sunlight.

It was therefore possible to map read on a straight course east of south to take the aircraft directly to the vicinity of Long Lama where the first message’ was to be dropped.

Just before ten o’clock the aircraft was circling over the Long Lama bazaar at an altitude of a few hundred feet from where all details could be clearly seen.

The government launch ‘Aline’ was tied alongside the riverbank indicating that the Commissioner-General’s Party was still upriver in longboats and that further search lay in the hills.

After a preliminary low run or two the aircraft came in straight and low, with the wireless operator stretched on the floor by the door holding the “bomb” consisting of an empty pistol cartridge canister containing His Excellency’s letter and attached by a long string to a simple roll of newspaper for a marker.

At a signal on the buzzer from the pilot this was dropped as the plane swept with a noisy rush over the open space near the bazaar.

It hit the edge of the river and was picked up by the launch crew.

Making sure that the Commissioner-General received the message

Having thus ensured that a message was left waiting at a point party the Commissioner-General’s Party would be certain to reach on their way down river the aircraft turned to follow the winding course of the river upstream towards Long Akah, and was before long flying between steep, forest covered hills forming the narrow valley down which the flooded waters of the Baram flowed swiftly.

The whole course of the river was closely followed and searched from an altitude 1,000-1,400 feet in case the longboats were on the way down.

After some twenty five minutes of twist flying and hill dodging the country opened out somewhat and the occasional appearance through billows of cloud of the distinctive broken top of Batu Kalulong indicated that the next objective, Long Akah, was nearby.

Flying over Long Akah to drop the letter

It was located and identified without delay and the plane dropped down to see people standing on the lawn in front of the Kubu, who by pointing apparently indicated that the party was upstream still.

In a few minutes the boats were identified heading for Long Akah and no doubt the occupants were a little surprised to find an R.A.A.F. Dakota in such a place, especially with the wheels down as if to land on the Kubu lawn!

The ensuing turning, banking and general aeronautics among the surrounding hills which was necessary to remain in the vicinity until the party was about to land from the boats, and get into the position to drop the message near the Kubu was a new experience for most of the passengers, although no doubt an everyday matter for the crew who had recently carried out many supply dropping efforts to the anti bandit forces in Malaya in similar country.

So it was with some relief that at 10.40 am Mr MacDonald was eventually seen to be standing up the lawn holding up the letter to show he had received it.

MacDonald returning to Kuching

It was reported that MacDonald arrived at Kuala Baram at 9.30 on Monday morning Oct 8.

Then he arrived at Kuching by air at 3.30pm on the same day. It is uncertain if MacDonald flew straight to Kuala Lumpur to pay Gurney his final respects.

Meanwhile, Gurney’s funeral took place on Oct 8. He was buried in Cheras War Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur in a ceremony that drew thousands of people.

Henry Gurney
The news of Henry Gurney’s death featured on The Canberra Times on Oct 8, 1951.

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How Sarawakians enjoyed their alcohol, as observed in the 1930s

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There is a commonly known joke among Sarawakians that the level of English proficiency is correlated with the level of alcohol in your system.

So the more intoxicated you are, the better you can speak English.

In fact it is scientifically proven that alcohol helps you speak a foreign language better. This is because alcohol can lower your inhibitions, making you slowly overcome your nervousness and hesitation.

A sudden fluency in English language is not the only side effect of Sarawakians’ drinking culture.

Back in the 1930s, Sarawak Museum curator Edward Banks visited different communities in Sarawak to observe alcohol consumption among them.

It is amusing to look back and see how much we have (or haven’t) changed over the past 80 years.

Here is Banks’ findings on Sarawakians’ alcohol consumption which was published on the Sarawak Gazette on Jan 4, 1937:

1.The Bidayuhs in Kuching and Serian

The Land Dayaks of the Kuching and Sadong districts in western Sarawak prepare a very sweet, yellowish-brown and clear drink from a medium-sized reddish-orange fruit known as tampoi, by which name they also call the beverage.

The analysis of tampoi from a Land Dayak house at Sennah, Sarawak River is as follows: alcohol (23%), sugar (5%) and acidity (8%).

The Land Dayaks are a timid somewhat forlorn people who have never really recovered from centuries of oppression, and though they will drink a little with a guest, or on special occasions, they have a quite unnecessary dread of doing something original whilst intoxicated, and so they only fall quietly asleep without making any trouble; indeed, they are not in any case a quarrelsome people.

2.The Ibans

The Sea Dayak or Iban brew is sweet and milky, and is known as tuak. It has much the same potency and after-effects as the others, reaching about 20% alcohol by volume.

The Sea Dayak upcountry is a singularly sober person on his own account, and it is probable that no alcohol passes his lips for months at a time; this is not because does not like it particularly, for he will take what he can in bazaars or from traders, although even this amounts to very little, for he is too shrewd and thrifty to spend his money in this way.

When drinks (usually European spirits) are free, both men and women will drink astonishing quantities “neat” without at the time showing any ill-effects, and the Sea Dayak’s usual sobriety is partly a matter of thrift and lack of opportunity.

On the few occasions during the year, usually in connection with the crops, when a feast or begawai is held, the Sea Dayak men and women may sometimes make up for their normal abstemiousness by drinking to excess, vomiting and then drinking again, this process making a begawai utterly undesirable to attend more than once.

On these occasions the Sea Dayak is somewhat more truculent and aggressive than usual, but fortunately he reaches a state of helplessness before serious quarrels can happen, and there are as a rule no permanent ill consequences.

Apart from this, Iban hospitality in the upcountry districts is showered on the visitors by a long line of girls, each bearing a bowl of drink, each dressed in her best and singing a short song of welcome before presenting the offering.

As nobody wishes to drink eight or ten glasses of doubtfully clean rice spirit, the later glasses may be shared with the givers or any willing helpers so long as a few sips are taken, and drink is not as a rule dished out to all and sundry, the object being rather to stun the visitor, leaving themselves in full possession of their wits.

3.The Kayans and Kenyahs

Drink plays a very large part in the life of Kayans and Kenyahs, no births, marriages and deaths are complete without a liberal supply for anyone who cares to attend, the long and self-imposed pantang periods in connection with their crops are relieved to some extent by the “cup that cheers,” and the stranger within the house may receive a “wet” welcome according to his inclination and the state of his hosts’ resources.

Nothing, probably, is freer than burak, as they call it, and even if one does not wish to drink deep, it is usually necessary to take a few sips in order to show that there is no ill feeling, and although the Kayans and Kenyahs are philosophical enough to accept an absolute teetotaler and not insist, they do not profess to understand it.

It is clear at once that the necessary large supply of yearly liquor cannot be brewed save from very abundant crops, and as these are vary greatly during hard times, sweet potatoes are sliced up and sugarcane crushed and either mixed with a certain amount of cooked rice, or allowed to ferment alone.

Individual Kayan and Kenyahs can consume without apparent effect quantities that beggar description of their own drink or of neat European spirits, and as a race they hold their liquor extremely well. Among themselves quarrels when in drink are rare, any anyone who inclines to become obstreperous or wants to be ill is removed at a sign from the chief or head of the house, and does not return; even those who have “drink taken” maintain a commendable equilibrium, and though possibly extremely cheery, keep well within the bounds of good behaviour.

The effect of social class system in Kayan and Kenyah communities

These people, are divided into social classes, and men of the ruling classes who see their followers going on the spree automatically restrain themselves a little, and though they join in and are by no means spoil-sports, they yet preserve a sufficient detachment instantly to intervene in any possible over-exuberance, and if they and their visitors want to “let go” they retire some other time to their own room and enjoy themselves as much as they like, their followers leaving them to it.

Already possessed with a considerable sense of humour, the influence of burak increases their sense of companionship, and mitigates rather than aggravates differences and quarrels, apparently nothing said or done on these occasions being afterwards used as evidence.

An European returning from two month’s tour was once “overtaken” in the first Kayan house to be reached, and subsequently discovered from some Malays, and of course teetotalers, that he had stayed there two nights, although he only remembered the first one.

On meeting these Kayans later he mentioned his lapse, and hoped all had been well while he was “out,” and his memory a blank; they replied that they pretty sure that nothing untoward had happened although they could not be quite certain, since they, too, had drink deep, and their memories were also blank.

A most gentlemanly gesture, and one which to this day has prevented the European concerned from finding out what exactly did happen.

4.The Kelabit

There are several kinds of Kelabits, and whilst a few probably make drink of nightly habit, there are other who do not make it a routine, though I do not suppose a week passes but that they have one or two cheerful nights.

Partly owing to the nature of the soil where they live, and partly through their very considerable industry their rice crops are larger and frequent, seldom failing, and by this means they are able to supply themselves with plenty of food and with about an equal sufficiency leftover from which to brew drink.

Their hospitality is amazing, and should upwards of a hundred people descend on a house, never very large, they are dined and wined freely as a point of honour, and there is no sign of stint. If they have notice of distinguished visitors they will brew burak as good as that made by most Kayans and Kenyahs, but in the ordinary way it is cooked rice and water, which never gets a chance to last long enough to be particularly appetizing to a European taste.

Though they can stand a vast amount of drink, they are eventually overcome, and though unduly cheery and quite polite, they then become rather stupid and a nuisance, usually being led quietly away by some one more sober-minded.

For all this, the Kelabit is not an out-and-out drunkard, a hard worker as these things go in Borneo, he will entertain visitors up to the limit, and if he hasn’t any visitors handy he will send out and invite his friends from the next house.

One therefore sees alcohol carried somewhat to an excess yet without offence among Kelabits, and though their state of inebriation as a rule surpasses though their state inebriation as a rule surpasses that of the others they are far from being habitual or daily drunkards, and there is no sign of their fertility or their considerable ability or energy being seriously impaired.

5.The Muruts of Limbang and Trusan rivers

… Murut has nearly drunk himself out of existence, and illustrates the evils of excess just as the Western people conform to the vicissitudes of abstention.

One may see a man come home from his farm and after food settle down to his own jar until he falls over sideways to sleep without going to bed, and wakes where he fell to stagger off to work next morning.

Many of them still live at heights of two, and three thousand feet like the Kelabits, but others are settle down country and the drink is a serious question with them all, for there is nothing like the conviviality of the Kelabits, Kayans and Kenyahs.

In parts, it has even become a competition; as elsewhere, a large jar full of drink is tapped at the mouth by two bamboo tubes, through one of which one must suck the beverage, while in the other is a float attached to a most aggravating little pith-gauge at the the top.

It is one’s painful duty by sucking the one tube to lower the gauge the necessary half-inch-or so prescribed by custom.

The competitive spirit arises to see who can sink the float the furthers, and there are ways and means of mixing it or making it stick to fool the boastful entirely foreign to the jovial convivial drinking parties of some of the other tribes.

Edward Banks’ conclusion of Sarawakians’ alcohol consumption

One therefore sees in the West of Sarawak Land Dayaks only who drink a little on special occasions, and are abstemious partly from lack of desire and partly fear of inebriation.

Further North are the Sea Dayaks, who, when left to themselves are abstemious from thrift or also from lack of desire, or for the sake of their health, but who let themselves go to the limit a few times a year on special occasions.

Then the Kayans and Kenyahs, to whom drink a necessary and frequent custom, but with whom it is not overdone to the extent of impairing fertility, health, strength or good behaviour.

The Kelabits, of whom it can only be said that they drink deeply and cheerfully when occasion arises, but that they are not so far impaired in health fertility, carry it a stage further, but their Murut cousins have overstepped the border, their drinking being neither jovial nor convivial but just a beastly debauch with consequent deleterious effects on their numbers and constitution.

What do you think? Do you agree with Banks’ observation on Sarawakians’ drinking habits? Let us know in the comment box.

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10 things you should know about Empress Wu Zetian

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Do you know what is the most expensive television series in Chinese history? With 82 episodes, The Empress of China (2014) boasts a budget of almost USD50 million.

The drama circles around Wu Zetian, the only female emperor in the Chinese history.

The plot of the drama roughly follows the historical accounts of the empress. It is based on events in the 7th and 8th-century Tang dynasty when Wu Ruyi (Fan Bingbing) enters the palace as one of Emperor Taizong (Zhang Fengyi)’s consorts.

Wu Zetian
Fan Bingbing as Empress Wu Zetian. Credit: Youtube.

The emperor soon takes notice of her and falls in love with her, inciting many to grow jealous of her.

They set out to destroy her numerous times by falsely accusing her of theft, murder and treachery.

She survives by her wits and intelligence but is kept at arm’s length by Emperor Taizong due to a prophecy foretelling a woman of Wu stealing the Tang Dynasty.

When Emperor Taizong dies, she is sent to a monastery to become a nun.

However, the Emperor’s youngest son Li Zhi (Aarif Rahman), who later becomes the Emperor Gaozong, has been in love with her since he was a child. (Yes, the emperor fell in love with his father’s lover). He brings her back to the palace and makes her his concubine.

She helped Li Zhi take back power from his Regent, and herself into the position of Empress.

She co-ruled with Li Zhi until his death, after which she ruled the country in her own right taking the name Empress Wu Zetian.

While the drama is entertaining to watch, the historical accounts behind the Empress Wu Zetian are way more intriguing. How close these accounts are to the truth of what happened? No one really knows.

Nonetheless, here are 10 things you should know about Empress Wu Zetian:

1.Empress Wu Zetian grew up as an educated child

Growing up as an educated young girl in this 21st century might not be a huge deal, but being an educated young girl in 7th-century China is.

Historians are not sure where Wu Zetian was born. Nonetheless, she was born in the seventh year of the reign of Emperor Gaozu of Tang dynasty in 624.

Her father Wu Shihou was in the timber business before holding governor posts and her mother was from a powerful family.

Since she was born into a rich family, Wu Zetian did not grow up doing domestic jobs. Unlike fathers in those era, Wu Shihou encouraged his daughter to study.

Thanks to her father’s encouragement, Wu Zetian was able to read and write as well as learn about politics, governmental affairs, literature and music.

A Tang Dynasty Empress Wu Zetian 1
Image taken from An 18th century album of portraits of 86 emperors of China, with Chinese historical notes. Originally published/produced in China, 18th century.  Credit: Public Domain.

2.When Empress Wu Zetian first entered the palace

Just like in the drama, Wu Zetian became one of the concubines to Emperor Taizong when she was just 14 years old.

Unlike the drama, Emperor Taizong was not that in love with her. Emperor Taizong’s love and attention was for his Empress Zhangsun, with whom he had three sons. He had no children with Wu Zetian.

According to custom, consorts of a deceased emperor who had not produced children were permanently sent to a monastic institution after the emperor’s death.

When Emperor Taizong died in 649, Wu Zetian was sent to Ganye Temple to live the remainder of her life as a Buddhist nun.

She didn’t stay there long. After Emperor Taizong died, his youngest son Li Zhi succeeded him as Emperor Gaozong of Tang Dynasty.

Once he was in power, Emperor Gaozong went to the temple allegedly to bring her back to the palace as his concubine.

There are several different accounts of what really happened between her and Emperor Gaozong. One account alleged that on the anniversary of Emperor Taizong’s death, Emperor Gaozong went to Ganye Temple to offer incense. That was when they saw each other after she had left the palace.

Emperor Gaozong did not favour his wife Empress Wang but favoured his concubine Consort Xiao. Seeing that Emperor Gaozong was still impressed by Wu Zetian at that temple, the empress invited her back to the temple with hope that an arrival of a new concubine would distract the emperor from Consort Xiao.

Another account pointed out that the Wu Zetian had never left the palace in the first place. Gaozong and Wu Zetian were already having an affair even when the late emperor was still alive.

3.She allegedly killed her own baby.

YouTuber Jack Rackam made a video about Wu Zetian in 2019, calling her “History’s Worst Mom”. But was she the worst mother of all time?

Once Wu Zetian entered the palace, she soon overtook Consort Xiao as Emperor Gaozong’s favorite and bore him four sons. By 654, Empress Wang and Consort Xiao were no longer deemed favourable to the Emperor.

So the two former rivals joined forces to go against Wu Zetian.

In the same year, Wu Zetian gave birth to a baby daughter. Some time after her birth, the infant died with reported evidence suggesting deliberate strangulation.

Wu Zetian immediately blamed the Empress of murder.

There are several theories what could have happened to the child. Since Chinese traditional folklore tends to portray Wu Zetian as a power hungry woman , naturally it was suggested that she strangled her own baby so that she could blame her rival.

Another theory is that the baby died due to carbon monoxide poisoning. This was possible as there was a lack of ventilation in those days combined with using coal as a heating method.

Besides that, it is possible that the baby died due to sudden infant death syndrome.

Regardless of what the cause of death might be, Wu Zetian blamed it on Wang, and the latter was removed from her position as Empress.

The peak of the rivalry between Wu Zetian and Wang took place in 655 when Wu Zetian accused Wang and her mother of using witchcraft.

Wang and Xiao were subsequently disposed from the palace.

When Wu Zetian heard that the Emperor was about to bring the two women back to the palace, she ordered them to be killed.

Wang and Xiao died in the most unimaginably cruel way; their limbs were cut off and they were both put in wine jars to drown to death.

She was alleged to have commented, “Now these two witches can get drunk to their bones.”

4.How she climbs to the throne

After the disposal of her rivals, Wu became Emperor Gaozong’s new empress consort in 655.

As she was a charismatic and well-educated woman, Wu Zetian rose to power becoming the most influential woman at court.

Emperor Gaozong was often sick and many historians believed she was the real power behind her husband’s throne. The emperor was just the puppet and Wu Zetian was the puppet master.

After Gaozong’s death in 683, she became the Empress dowager.

As her first son Li Hong grew older, he often came in conflict with Wu Zetian. It is believed that Wu Zetian poisoned Li Hong to his death in 675.

After Li Hong’s death, Wu Zetian’s second son Li Xian became the crown prince. In 680, he was accused of treason and he was exiled.

When he thought he could be free from his mother, something happened four years later when Li Xian in exile. In 684 when Wu Zetian was the empress dowager, she had her associate visit Li Xian to force him to commit suicide.

Wu Zetian’s third son Emperor Zhongzong succeeded his father in 684. However, Wu Zetian deposed him less than two months later in favour of her fourth song Emperor Ruizong. Again, many believed that Wu Zetian was the real ruler behind her son’s reign.

Six years later, Emperor Ruizong in turn relinquished the throne to his mother. Did he do that voluntarily? It is a debatable question.

Hence, Emperor Dowager Wu officially seized the throne in the brief Zhou dynasty (690-705), becoming the only female emperor in Chinese history.

5.Wu Zetian’s legacy at Longmen Grottoes

grotto 992568 1280
There are 100,000 Buddhist images, 2800 inscribed tablets and 43 Buddhist pagodas found at Longmen Grottoes. Credits: Pixabay.

The only female Chinese emperor only took up the name Wu Zetian upon her coronation. She was previously known as Wu Zhao. She named her dynasty after the ancient Zhou Dynasty (1046 until 771 BC), from whom she believed herself to be descended.

While many records demonised Emperor Wu as the power-crazed ruler, no one could refute the legacy that she left behind.

One of them is located 12 kilometers from the ancient city of Luoyang called the Longmen Grottoes.

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Statues at Longmen Groettoes. Credits: Pixabay

In the largest cave of Longmen Grottoes, there is a statue called the Grand Vairocana Buddha. Historical records revealed that the Buddha statue was modeled after the Empress Wu Zetian. She supported the construction of the statue with her own money. What better way to leave your legacy than by putting your own face on a Buddha statue?

Today, the statue is often referred as the Eastern Mona Lisa.

6.The rebuilding of Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

This Buddhist pagoda was built in 652 and originally had five stories. Fifty years later, the exterior facade of the pagoda collapsed.

When Empress Wu Zetian came into rule, she had the pagoda rebuilt and added five new stories by the year 704.

However, a massive earthquake took place in 1556 reducing it to its current height of seven stories.

7.Her legacy at Daming Palace

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Daming Palace. Credits: Pixabay

Today, the Daming Palace is a national heritage site in China. This building once served as the imperial residence of the Tang emperors for more than 220 years.

Apparently in 634 Emperor Taizong ordered a summer palace to be built for his retired father, Emperor Gaozu.

However, Emperor Gaozu died in 635 before the completion of the palace and then the construction was halted.

In 660, Empress Wu took over the project, commissioning the court Yan Liben to design the palace.

The construction of the palace was completed under the reign of her husband Emperor Gaozong in 663.

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Daming Palace. Credits: Pixabay

8.How Empress Wu Zetian changed the Imperial examination

The Chinese imperial examinations were a civil service examination system in Imperial China for selecting candidates for the state bureaucracy.

Historians could not deny that Wu Zetian’s reign was a pivotal moment for the imperial examination system.

Before she came into power, the examination was only opened to the male members of the Li family (the aristocrats). When she officially took the title of emperor in 690, she opened the examinations to the lower class.

On top of this, she specifically created the palace and military examinations during her reign.

Furthermore, Wu Zetian started opening up opportunities to the wider population, including China’s then less prestigious area in the southeast.

Empress Wu of the Zhou published c 1690
A 17th-century Chinese depiction of Wu, from Empress Wu of the Zhou, published c.1690. Credits: Public Domain.

9.She created her own Chinese character but failed

As numerous figures and paintings revealed from Tang Dynasty, the women back then wore male clothes and fitted blouses with low necklines.

They also rode horseback, practiced archery and played polo. Some historians believed that it was due to Wu Zetian’s influence in changing what women could or could not do.

While she could change how women dressed, she was unable to change how people wrote.

Wu Zetian herself was a writer, having published many papers and poetry under her name. She also commissioned the biographies of influential women back then.

In December 689, she introduced the Zetian characters in order to demonstrate her power.

However, she did not create the characters but they were suggested by an official named Zong Qinke (the son of one of her cousins).

Wu Zetian forced her subjects to use them during her reign but they fell into disuse right after her death.

10.Her fall from grace, not because of one man, but two

It is common in history or legend to see the fall of a powerful man caused by one woman.

In the case of Empress Wu Zetian, her lust over two men caused her downfall.

In 697, Zhang Changzong was introduced to Wu Zetian by her own daughter Princess Taiping. The emperor was 73.

So what do you do when you have an emperor who is old enough to be your grandma as your lover? Follow what Zhang Changzong did, and introduce your brother.

Changzong’s brother Zhang Yizhi was reported to be good looking, “his skin was white and beautiful and that he was good at singing.”

Subsequently, both brothers became her lovers. Wu Zetian promoted them into higher positions in her court.

They became objects of hatred as Wu Zetian clearly favoured them. By early 705, Wu Zetian was slowly becoming ill.

Her chancellor Zhang Jianzhi entered into a coup with the other officials. After killing the Zhang brothers and their families, they forced Wu Zetian to yield the throne to her third son Emperor Zhongzong who previously only ruled for two months in 684.

The cycle continued of aaaaa woman ruling behind a man just like Wu Zetian did, since Emperor Zhongzong was a rather weak ruler.

The real power laid in the hands of his empress consort Empress Wu and her lover Wu Sansi who happened to be Wu Zetian’s nephew.

The end of Zhou Dynasty

On March 3, 705, the Tang Dynasty was restored with historians generally viewing the Zhou Dynasty as an interregnum of the Tang Dynasty.

As for Wu Zetian, she died months later on Dec 16, 705. She was interred with her husband Emperor Gaozong at the Qianling Mausoleum.

Mike Dash from the Smithsonian Magazine summarised Wu Zetian’s later life perfectly.

He wrote in 2012, “After Gaozong’s death, in 683, she remained the power behind the throne as dowager empress, manipulating a succession of her sons before, in 690, ordering the last of them to abdicate and taking power herself. Not until 705, when she was more than 80 years old, Wu was finally overthrown by yet another son – one whom she had banished years before.

Her mistake had been to marry this boy to a concubine nearly as ruthless and ambitious as herself.”

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Reminiscences of former Sarawak Museum Curator Edward Banks

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Founded in 1888 and opened in 1891, the Sarawak Museum is the oldest museum in Borneo.

Since its inception until 1974, the head of the museum was called ‘Curator’. After this, the title for the head of the museum became “Director.”

Sarawak Museum has seen so many curators and directors passing through its doors since it was first opened. Each head of the museum has their own stories on how they ended up at their post.

After Sarawak joined to form the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, we’ve had our own Sarawakians as directors: Benedict Sandin (1966-1974), Lucas Chin (1974-1991), Dr Peter Mulok Kedit (1991-1996), Ipoi Datan (1996-1997, and then again in 2009) and Sanib Said (1997-2008). Currently, Suria Bujang is Acting Director.

Of course like any other working environment, Sarawak Museum has its own office stories or rumours to tell. Who better to tell the story other than one of its own curators, Edward Banks?

He served as the curator from February 1925 to 1945. Banks was interned at Batu Lintang camp during the Japanese occupation of Sarawak during World War II.

The former curator once wrote his experiences working at the Sarawak Museum. In the article, he roughly pointed out the contributions and achievement of all the curators that came before him.

Kuching Sarawak the museum building. Photograph. Wellcome V0037397 scaled
Kuching, Sarawak: the museum building. Photograph. Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Photograph c. 1896 By: Charles Hose.
Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution.

Here is the article written by Edward Banks which was published in The Sarawak Museum Journal in August 1983:

There are several stories about the origin of the Sarawak Museum. There is no doubt the idea first started from a suggestion from Alfred Russel Wallace when he visited the country. He became a close friend of James Brooke, first Rajah of Sarawak, in fact they went away together to his country house on Peninjau Hill behind Siniawan. It seems certain Wallace persuaded Brooke to have a museum and orders were given for this. Later events delayed the start but Charles Brooke, the second Rajah, took his uncle’s orders seriously and went ahead with the scheme for a Museum.

I have always been told that when looking through magazine he saw a picture of a girl’s school in Adelaide – “Just the thing for a museum”, said he, whistled up the PWD (Public Works Department) and so it was built. You can see a picture of it in Shelford’s book. The question of somewhere for the Curator to live came up and on looking at a picture book about Switzerland and he saw a photograph of Swiss Chalet – “Ha, just the thing for a Curator” and that is where I used to live.

A museum had to have glass cases and stuffed animals. To it came Bartlett, sometime assistant in the London Zoo. He was a very good taxidermist indeed, many of his mounted specimens are still on show. He also sent many specimens home to be mounted by Gerarrd in London and they are still probably home some of the main Museum today with a certain amount of artistic merit. Bartlett’s assistant was a Chinese gentleman named Chiang Jee Koo who became nearly as good as mounting birds as was his master.

Bartlett was replaced by Shelford, almost certainly recommended by Wallace. He brought order to the Museum, everything was catalogued and numbered so that what every specimen you wish could easily be found among the very large reference collection that he accumulated. The museum owes its firm foundation to his orderly mind. I believe Shelford was a cripple and there used to be in Museum a very large back basket in which he is said to have been carried up Mount Penrissen.

Shelford was followed by Hewitt, an indefatigable collector of insect and of plants but he did not stay very long before retiring to Natal.

Then came John Coney Moulton. His service to the museum was immense, he had another wing built on, started the Sarawak Museum Journal and became an authority on Cicada; with a foretaste of things to come the museum was soon full of files and of memos and all the signs of coming bureaucracy. Then can came the first War and Moulten went off to Singapore to join his regiment and when the war was over, he was appointed Director of the Museum in Singapore. Up to this time, Charles Vyner Brooke had been his own secretary, all outstation officers wrote to him and he wrote back to them. In about 1923 he made Moulton his Chief Secretary in Sarawak. It was not a popular appointment, most administrative officers thought they could have done the job better. (After the second war there was once a suggestion they might do worse than have another curator for Chief Secretary and I know what the anti feelings were like!)

The Curator at that time was a Swede named Mjöberg. He must have been the finest collector the Museum ever had. Nothing moved on foot or fin or wing but he had it, he knew what he was collecting too, a very able man. His manners aroused the dislike of many people, some D.Os (District Officers) would not have him in their district, in fact he was just not popular with anyone. He must have used his position as Curator to obtain large numbers of old jars and plates which did not reach the Museum collections. This led to a furious row with Chief Secretary Moultan and Mjöberg had to go. It is almost incredible that he packed up numbers of jars and of plates to take with him. They were of course confiscated by the customs and placed in the Museum. A furious correspondence followed, ordering me to send on his property which of course I could not do and we all got well shot at between the pages of his book “Durch die Insel der kopfjarger.”

I was the next Curator, arriving in February 1925, Moulton put me through it and was apparently satisfied and I was allowed to move in. Here I met an old Chinese gentleman named Chiang Jee Koo who became a lifelong friend. He had started with Bartlett, had seen Shelford, Hewitt, Moulton and Mjöberg come and go and now I must say he had picked up some astounding English from former Curators and it was quite exciting being taken around the Museum exhibits by him. But he was a dear, we got on famously and did not always work too hard, he loved talking about the past. The Sarawak Museum was his God and it owes a great deal to this old gentleman.

Moulton died shortly afterwards and I was on my own. Then came a slump and many officers more useful than I were made redundant, I have not the slightest idea why they kept on. The Museum was at its lowest when Mjöberg left and I remedied this as best I could. It soon became clear to me there could be no lasting support for an institution with just a lot of pin-ups and I began to apply Museum work to technical problems in public life. Sometimes it was the Turtles, the birds nest soup industry, I used to act for the Director of Agriculture or the Secretary for Native Affairs when they went on leave. I know this was often done in time that might have been spent in collecting or research but it gave the museum a very good name with the authorities -they even appointed G.T.M. MacBryan as Assistant Curator!

When the war came, I stayed behind with some idea of persuading the Japs to spare the Museum. I did not have to try very hard, they showed a great respect for the place and never touch a thing.

Finally when the Japs had gone, I rescued from the Printing Office another number of the Sarawak Museum Journal and gave them to my successor.

So who are the people mentioned by Banks in his article?

1.Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913)

Best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural selection, Wallace was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer and biologist.

He arrived in Kuching on Nov 1, 1854 after a brief spell recovering from a shipwreck on his return to England following his explorations of Brazil between 1848 and 1852.

During his stay in Sarawak as the guest of James Brooke, he wrote a paper while occupying a government lodge in Santubong.

Wallace first met James in Singapore in 1854. James invited him to continue his exploration of animal species and to discover the beauty of Sarawak nature.

Entitled “On the Law which has regulated the introduction of new species”, the paper was then published in The Annals and Magazine of Natural History in London in September 1855.

The paper was later known as the Sarawak Law which in it Wallace declared, “Every species has come into existence coincident both in space and time with closely allied species.

2.Edward Bartlett (1836-1908)

Bartlett was the Curator of the Sarawak Museum from 1893 to 1897. Prior to his stint in Sarawak, he had travelled to Palestine, Amazon basin and Peru. He was Curator of Maidstone Museum, England from 1974 to 1890.

Banks pointed out that Bartlett was a very good taxidermist. He perhaps learned the trait from his father Abraham Dee Bartlett. Abraham was a taxidermist and an expert on captive animals. As a superintendent of the London Zoo, he was known to bring the zoo into prominence. It was maybe under his father’s influence that Bartlett was able to work as an assistant in the London Zoo, as stated by Banks.

One of Bartlett’s publications is “The Crocodiles and Lizards of Borneo in the Sarawak Museum,” published in April 1894 in the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Gerrard that was mentioned by Banks is most probably referring to Edward Gerrard, another fellow taxidermist. He worked for the British Museum (Natural History) as the resident Taxidermist from 1841 to 1890.

3.Robert Walter Campbell Shelford (1872-1912)

Portrait Robert W C Shelford
Portrait of Shelford. Credits: Creative Commons

Shelford was a naturalist with a special interest in entomology and insect mimicry. His favourite insects? Cockroach and stick insect.

After graduating from Cambridge in 1895, he went to Yorkshire College as a demonstrator in Biology. He arrived in Sarawak in 1897 and held the post as Curator of the Sarawak Museum for seven years. During his tenure in Sarawak, he sent a number of specimens to his alumni at Cambridge.

Banks believed Shelford was a cripple and while it is a derogatory term, it is kinda true. He developed a tubercular hip joint as a child that incapacitated his mobility. After an operation, he became more mobile again but with some limitation. For instance, he could never participate in sports.

His best-known book A Naturalist in Borneo was published in 1916 after his death. It would be interesting if the Museum still has the basket which Shelford was carried around in.

Read more about Shelford here.

4.John Hewitt (1880-1961)

Banks pointed out that Hewitt did not stay very long in Kuching as the Curator of the Sarawak Museum, which is true. The herpetologist only served in Sarawak from 1905 to 1908.

5.John Coney Moulton (1886-1926)

Moulton was the Sarawak Museum Curator from November 1908 to January 1915. As per mentioned by Banks, he was the founding editor of the Sarawak Museum Journal in 1911.

Thanks to him, Sarawak has one of the oldest scientific journals of the South-east Asian region.

The Sarawak museum building in 1911
The Sarawak museum building in 1911. The construction of new wing of the museum was in progress. However, the brick work steps outside the old wing was demolished in 1912. Credits: Public Domain.

6.Eric Mjöberg (1882-1938)

While Mjoberg was not able to take the old jars and plates from Sarawak (thanks to the Customs Department), he did take material from Australian Aboriginal people illegally.

During his 1910 expedition to Australia, Mjoberg took the skeletons of the Aboriginal people without permission, passing them off as kangaroo bones to get them out of the country. This might make you wonder; how similar are human and kangaroo bones?

Anyway, he served only for two years as the Curator of the Sarawak State Museum from 1922 until 1924.

He died in poverty in Stockholm. Towards the end of his life, Mjoberg was reportedly being haunted by constant nightmares of Aboriginal people chasing him.

7.G.T.M MacBryan

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Gerard MacBryan after his pilgrimage to Mecca. Credits: Public Domain.

G.T.M MacBryan was born Gerard Truman Magill MacBryan. He entered the Sarawak government service in 1920 at the age of 18.

He was the acting Curator for Sarawak Museum only for about two months from Dec 20, 1924 to Jan 24, 1925.

Some historians believed he was Sarawak’s equivalent to Rasputin.

Read more about MacBryan here.

8.Chiang Jee Koo

The most interesting figure mentioned by Banks is none other than Chiang Jee Koo. The only online record found about him is from National Herbarium Nederland.

According to the record, he was an employer of the Sarawak Museum since it was first founded. He was working as a clerk and taxidermist. Chiang retired from the museum in 1927 and died in 1932 in Kuching.

Despite some of their flaws and quirks, each of the curator had contributed significantly to the museum. Today, Sarawakians have the collections at Sarawak State Museum to thank them for.

If you have any information on Chiang Jee Koo let us know in the comment box.

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A look back at how Chinese New Year was celebrated in Sarawak in 1922

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Chinese New Year is the festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar.

Besides China, the festival is widely celebrated in other countries such as Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand.

Traditionally, it is a time to honour their respective deities as well as ancestors.

It is also a celebration associated with several myths and customs. Over the years, the celebration has changed here and there especially in terms of customs.

A writer who wrote under the pseudonym ‘M.M’ in The Sarawak Gazette (Mar 1, 1922) shared how the Chinese New Year celebration took place in Sarawak.

According to the article, even in 1922, there were many who were not aware of some of the most outstanding features of the Chinese New Year.

To see these features, one must “peep into the home of an old fashioned orthodox Chinese”.

Here are some of the significance and customs of Chinese New Year in 1922:

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1.Chinese New Year’s Eve

This is the day for the settling of accounts. This task is more or less arduous according to the means and business dealings of the head of the house.

After the accounts have been settled, the house is thoroughly washed, cleaned and decorated.

Then two sugar canes with leaves and roots are wrapped in Chinese red paper then kept on either side of the door. This is an emblem of the authority vested in the headman of the house over the other members of the family.

At 2pm the same afternoon, the family members gather to pay their respects to their ancestors and worship the household gods.

In the evening there is a regular feast and a large round table loaded with the most varied Chinese delicacies is laid for dinner.

According to the writer, this dinner is called the “ooi lor” which means round the world. The writer stated, “The god of the family hearth is dispatched to heaven on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth moon of each year. This god, it is generally believed, will report on the good and bad acts of the family. After making this report, the god of the hearth is expected to resume his place in the family hearth on the morning of the New Year Day.

At the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve the doors are opened, lamps and candles are lighted and all preparations are made for worshipping the various household gods.

The father then takes three largest joss sticks, lights them and prays for health, longevity, wealth, happiness and tranquillity in the family.

After that, the children follow the father’s example but with smaller joss sticks.

Once the worship is over, they wish each other a happy New Year and this concludes the New Year’s Eve ceremony.

2.First day of Chinese New Year

Nothing has changed since 100 years ago on New Year’s morning when the whole family put on the best garments for the purpose of visiting or in waiting for visitors.

However, there is one difference in giving angpau. The writer pointed out, “Red papers, four inches by nine inches, with one’s named printed on them are exchanged during visits, and gifts, of silver coins, wrapped in red paper, are given to children when they visit. The day is devoted to much conviviality.”

Today’s angpao or red packets can be found in so many shapes and designs.

3.The second day of Chinese New Year

This day is the Chinese have what is called the “First Luncheon” in the year.

“Pigs, goats and fowls are slaughtered and form various dishes. After the luncheon is over shop hands and servants in private cease work until the sixth hands,” the article stated.

4.The third day of Chinese New Year

Meanwhile, the Chinese called the third day the day for the “sending away of the poor”.

It is one Chinese New Year’s custom that is no longer practiced which is probably a good thing for the environment.

The writer wrote, “All the rubbish which had accumulated in the house from the first day of the New Year is swept and put into a vessel. This vessel is taken to a river or any running stream. Joss sticks and candles are lighted and after prayers, the rubbish is thrown into the running stream.

“Thus the poor are ceremoniously sent away. The orthodox Chinese never call nor visit on this day.”

5.The seventh day of Chinese New Year

Fast forward to the seventh day which is the creation day, raw and uncooked fish the highlight of on this day.

“Ikan parang and ikan haruan are dressed, sliced then soaked in vinegar mixed with chilies and are eaten with salad, cucumber, celery, radish and other vegetables,” the writer wrote.

6.The ninth day of Chinese New Year

This is the day regarded as God’s birthday, God as in the God creator according to Confucius, not the household gods.

According to the writer, this is a day of worship more or less and commences at midnight the previous day.

The writer explained, “An improvised ‘altar’ illuminated with candles and joss sticks and loaded with sweat meats, roast pig, boiled capon, tea, brandy, flowers and fruits is placed in the street by the house and firing of crackers continued for some time. No image or idol is used.

This day is said to have been chosen as God’s birthday -although the Chinese realise that the infinite can have no beginning and no end because it is the ninth day of the first moon.”

Furthermore, the number 9 and 1 are regarded as the two most important numerals.

7.Chap Goh Meh

According to the writer, the fifteenth day or Chap Goh Meh is the most picturesque and the culminating festival.

“On this night Chinese ladies, young and old all parade the street in vehicles and almost invariably bright moonlight favours them.”

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KajoPicks: 10 movies inspired by the Korean war to watch

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The Korean war began on June 25, 1950 when about 75,000 North Korean soldiers headed south to begin their invasion on South Korea.

The invasion was the first military action of the Cold War.

North Korea had its support from China and the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the United Nations, principally the United States, was supporting South Korea.

Overall, the Korean War was among the most destructive conflicts of the modern era. It was estimated about three million people died and that there were massacres by both sides.

The North Koreans were accused of torturing and starving their prisoners of war (POW). North Korea also became among the most heavily-bombed countries in history.

In popular culture, the Korean War has beenthe source of inspiration for many movies, especially by South Korea. As expected, the course of events in these movies have been heavily disputed by North Korea.

Here are 10 South Korean movies inspired by the Korean war to watch:

Korean war movie 3
The Battle of Jangsari (2019). Credits: Youtube.

1.The Last Witness (2001)

The movie follows Hwang-seok (Ahn Sung-ki), a political prisoner who is released after 50 years of solitary confinement. He is imprisoned as a communist sympathiser in the Korean war.

A day after he is released, a body with stab wounds is found near a harbour. Detective Oh (Lee Jung-jae) investigates the death and finds the deceased is named Yang, a former soldier.

Following the evidence, the detective comes across a blind antique dealer named Ji-hye.

As it turns out the murder victim Yang was responsible for the imprisonment of Hwang-seok.

This makes Hwang-seok a suspect for Yang’s murder. The plot unravels with a series of flashbacks to the Korean War and the infamous Geoje POW Camp.

Located on Geoje island, the camp was a UN POW camp which held North Korean and Chinese prisoners.

So what happened at the camp which connects with Yang’s murder?

Watch the trailer here.

2.Taegukgi (2004)

Directed by highly-acclaimed director Kang Je-gyu, this wartime action film stars Jang Dong-gun and Won Bin.

It explorers the story of what happens when two brothers fight each other from opposite sides of the war zone.

Brothers Jin-tae (Jang Dong-gun) and Jin-seok (Won Bin) are unwillingly drafted into the South Korean army during the Korean War.

A superior tellS Jin-tae if he can earn the highest award for a South Korean soldier, his younger brother can be sent home.

His heroism during the urban Battle of Pyongyang (Oct 17-19, 1950) when the UN forces recaptured Seoul finally earns Jin-tae’s nomination for the medal.

As things sometimes don’t turn the way we planned, both in movies and in real life, the brothers somehow have to face each other in a battle field.

This tragic war film is one of biggest successes in the South Korean film history, attracting up to 11.74 million people to the theatre.

Watch the trailer here.

3.Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005)

Tucked away on a remote mountain and untouched by the ongoing Korean War, there is a village called Dongmakgol.

In a twisted fate, three fighting forces come together in that village.

First is a US fighter pilot whose plane crashed in the mountains, then there are three retreating North Korean soldiers and two lost South Korean soldiers.

When the North and South Korean soldiers want to fight against each other, the villagers of Dongmakgol have them agree to a temporary truce.

After a grenade destroys the village’s food storage, the soldiers decide to stay and help the villagers.

Meanwhile, the US believesthere is a major North Korean military presence in the village area and plan an air strike.

In order to spare the village from being destroyed, the soldiers decide to work together to divert the attack.

The movie is actually based on the same-titled long-running stage play by Jang Jin. Although it was director Park Kwang-hyun’s debut film, the film was a commercial and critical success.

Moreover, it was South Korea’s official entry for the foreign language film category of the Academy Awards in 2005.

Watch the trailer here.

4.A Little Pond (2009)

Noguen-ri (also known as No Gun Ri) is a village in North Chungcheong Province in central South Korea.

It is the closest site of the No Gun Ri massacre which took place during the Korean War.

The massacre saw the US military kill South Korean civilians who were fleeing their nearby villages.

A South Korean government committee in 2005 certified the names of 163 dead and missing and 55 wounded with many other victims that were never reported.

After reading the Korean translation of The Bridge of No Gun Ri by Associated Press journalists, executive producer Lee Eun of Myung Films was determined to tell the story on the screen.

Because the story is controversial, not many investors wanted to invest into the films. Many of the cast and crew involved in the movie did it pro bono with some even bringing their family members to play the roles of villagers.

5.71: Into the Fire (2010)

From June 1950 to March 1951, students were recruited to fight for South Korea during the Korean War. They called them student soldiers.

These students volunteered or were conscripted in the Republic of Korea Army as emergency troops to fight against the North Korea.

71: Into the Fire is based on a true-story of a group of 71 student soldiers during the Battle of P’ohang-dong on Aug 11, 1950.

Despite being undertrained, underarmed and outgunned by the North Korean forces, they managed to defend the local P’ohang girls’ middle school.

In the end, 48 of the student soldiers died defending the school. Directed by John H. Lee, the movie stars Cha Seong-won, Choi Seung-hyun and Kim Seung-woo.

The film was made in commemoration of those who fought during the Korean War. Moreover, the movie is to raise awareness of the existence and importance of the student soldiers at that time.

Watch the trailer here.

6.In Love and War (2011)

Inspired by the a true story of her grandmother, screenwriter Bae Se-young decided to write the movie In Love and War (2011).

A group of North Korean soldiers stayed for a couple of days at the grandmother’s home because her father was the village leader). Touched by the villagers’ hospitality, one young soldier said that he wanted to stay.

This movie, however, follows a group of North Korean soldiers who enter a small South Korean village who come to “liberate” them.

In fact, the troop’s officer actually wants to find the charming young girl he met 12 years ago when Korea was one country.

As the villagers offer them heartfelt hospitality, strong friendship forms between the soldiers and the villagers.

7.The Front Line (2011)

Set during the 1953 ceasefire of the Korean War, this movies follows the final battle in determining the border between north and south Korean peninsular.

On the Eastern front line of the Aerok Hills, the fight continues in securing a small piece of land.

Those who have watched this movie would agree; there is no villain in The Front Line (2011). Both sides are as guilty and ruthless as the other.

Moreover, there are scenes of camaraderie from both sides as well.

Like any other war films, this movie depicts the horror and sadness of wars whereby there is no “winning” side. When a war breaks, both sides are already losing as both suffer losses and casualties.

The movie stars Shin Ha-kyun, Go Soo and Lee Je-hoon. It was selected as South Korea’s submission to the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. However, it did not make the final shortlist.

Watch the trailer here.

8.The Long Way Home (2015)

Set three days before a truce takes place during the Korean War, here is another about the unlikely friendship between North and South Korea.

It follows Nam-bok (Sol Kyung-gu), a simple farmer before his conscription into the army.

He then receives an order to deliver a top secret document but an attack by the North Korean army leads him to lose the document.

In the meantime, Young-gawang (Yeo Jin-goo) is a teenage North Korean soldier. While his team is heading to the South, they are bombed and he is the only one left.

As he is about to return home, he comes across a top secret document.

What happen to both of them when their paths cross?

Watch the trailer here.

9.Operation Chromite (2016)

Here, Liam Neeson plays American General Douglas MacArthur who sends eight members of the Korean Liaison Office on a secret mission behind North Korean lines.

The team is led by a South Korean Navy Lieutenant Jang Hak-soo (Lee Jung-jae). They are tasked to carry out a covert operation called Operation “X-ray”.

Their mission is to determine the placement of North Korean defenses (such as mines and artillery) and the tactical characteristics of the Incheon harbour.

The success of the mission will allow MacArthur to launch the Incheon Landing Operation.

The event in the movie is a fictionalised version of the real-life CIA and US military intelligence operation “Trudy Jackson”.

Watch the trailer here.

10.The Battle of Jangsari (2019)

Starring Kim Myung-min and Choi Min-ho, this movie is the second installment in a trilogy following Operation Chromite (2016).

It tells the true story of a group of 772 student soldiers who staged a small diversionary operation at Jangsari beach in Yeongdeok village.

By doing so, they hope to distract North Korean attention from Incheon where the Incheon Landing Operation is about to take place.

Meanwhile, an American reporter and war correspondent Maggie (Megan Fox) who covers the Korean War is trying to to get help from the international community.

Help is definitely needed as the student soldiers struggle to accomplish their mission due to lack of proper training, weapons and food supplies.

The fictional character Maggie is actually based on American war correspondent Marguerite Higgins and photographer Margaret Bourke-White. Both Higgins and Bourke-White were covering the Korean War for New York Herald Tribune and Life respectively.

One critic said the film started out as something like Saving Private Ryan and ended up on the same lines as Pearl Harbour.

Watch the trailer here.

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James Brooke’s role in the Battle of Marudu Bay 1845

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“The Battle of Marudu Bay sees James Brooke enlisting the help of the British Royal Navy in Singapore to defeat Sherif Osman, a pirate leader from North Borneo, effectively ending his piracy,” this is what you will find on the Sarawak goverment’s official website of what happened in 1845.

But is there more to the story than the first White Rajah defeating a group of pirates?

Marudu Bay is located at the northern tip of Borneo where, in the 1840s, it was led by a man named by Syarif Usman (sometimes spelled as Sherif Osman).

According to Clifford Sather, Marudu Bay in particular, in the early 1800s served as a major staging point for slave-raiding operations.

“By the 1820s, the presence of Bajau and Ilanun settlements in coastal Sabah effectively eliminated Brunei’s political and commercial hold over the region,” Sather wrote.

In the meantime, Illanun slave trading activities allegedly sponsored by the Sulu was causing a blow to Brunei’s maritime commerce. These pirates disrupted sea routes and cut Brunei’s connections with the vital Chinese junk trade.

For a short period in the beginning, the northern Borneo settlement, particularly those of the Tempasuk Bajau was strong enough to ignore Sulu’s hegemony.

However in the 1830s, the Sulu reasserted its influence by recognising the powerful chief Syarif Usman as its regional governor in Marudu.

Believed to be a charismatic and a brave leader among the locals, the Westerners on the other hand, had a different perception of Syarif Usman.

James Brooke’s role in Battle of Marudu Bay 1845

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James Brooke

Brooke at that time was seeking to consolidate his uncertain position in Borneo.

While he was already treated as the Rajah of Sarawak, Brooke was worried about his position with regards to Britain.

Steven Runciman in The White Rajah: A History of Sarawak from 1841 to 1946 wrote, “He wanted official support, some form of official rank and a guarantee that Britain would interest herself in Borneo.”

Brooke finally could sigh a relief in February 1845. At that time, Captain Charles Bethune arrived from London with a despatch appointing Brooke as Confidential Agent to Her Majesty in Borneo.

Runciman stated, “Bethum also brought a letter from the British Government to the Sultan of Brunei, expressing the intention of co-operating with him against the pirates.”

Brooke then accompanied Bethune to deliver this letter to Brunei to which the Sultan received the latter politely.

After his visit to Brunei, Brooke found out that Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane commander of the Far East Fleet was at Malacca.

He hurried to see him. The admiral shared Brooke’s views about the pirates and promised to join him in expedition against Marudu Bay.

In order to strengthen his position in Borneo, Brooke’s alleged principle method was to campaign for the destruction of ‘pirate’ strongholds on the island including Marudu Bay.

How the Battle of Marudu Bay 1845 went down according to Captain Pascoe

Captain R.N. Pascoe who took part in the expedition to Marudu Bay 1845 recorded about the attack in his journal:

It was on the 18th of August 1845 that a British squadron, consisting of H.M.S. Agincourt, Vestal, Daedalus, Vaxen and the sloops Cruiser and Wolverine, under the command of Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane, anchored at the entrance of Marudu Bay, the expedition having for its object the destruction of a nest of pirates under a Serip Usman, an Illanun pirate chef.

The attacking force, which consisted of 530 seamen and marines, in 24 boats, of which nine were gunboats, took up station off the mouth of Tandik river, in the southeast corner of the Bay, at 3pm and at dawn next day proceeded up the river, the pinnace with guns leading. Two Malays from Sarawak accompanied the forces as guides.

About six miles from the entrance the advance was checked by a boom moored across the river by view of three batteries “about musket range from the boom;” the largest fort, mounting eight large pieces, stood on the right bank gaily decked with banners, stood at the junction of the river, which at this point divides into two branches, the third was a floating battery moored to the left bank.

A messenger “an Illanun from Mindanao in rich attire,” with a flag of truce came down to meet the force, with the request that the two senior Officers should proceed to the fort and negotiate, “but they were not thus to be trusted,” and a reply was sent back that unless Serip Usman (Syarif Osman) himself came down fire would at once be opened.

Immediately the messenger’s boat was clear of the boom, a galling fire was opened from the forts. Gibbard, mate of the Wolverine, fell mortally wounded, and a brisk fire was kept up from both sides.

The enemy’s guns being lad on the boom, caused fairly heavy loss amongst the attacking force, which was working hard to remove the obstacle. In about at hour an opening was effected; two cutters with marines instantly carried the three-gun battery, and the enemy, abandoning the forts, fled through the town in the rear and made for the jungle.

At 2pm the forts, towns, and enemy vessels being destroyed, the force reassembled to return to the ships, taking with them the hospital pinnace with the wounded. The casualties amounted to ten killed and fifteen wounded, three mortally. The number of the enemy slain is not computed, though it seems to have been very large, the carnage being described as frightful, and the destruction of the pirate’s stronghold was complete.”

The other side of the Battle of Marudu Bay’s story

Even so, not everyone believed that Syariff Osman was a pirate captain. Alternatively, the locals believed he was a leader who brought prosperity to Marudu Bay.

German author Bianca Maria Gerlich who wrote the book Marudu 1845 believed that not everything happened like in the Western records.

She told an audience during a talk on Syarif Osman in Kota Kinabalu in 2019 that James Brooke defamed Marudu as a pirate’s lair.

Moreover, Gerlich said that Brooke defamed Syarif Osman as a pirate chieftain.

Brooke did that to eliminate a possible rival for his influence over parts of Borneo, which were not yet occupied by other Western powers.

She stated, “Syarif Osman had not only built a strong, economically expanding and independent polity in Marudu Bay, but moreover was in contact with many important leader personalities of the region. His fair-reaching authority was considered too dangerous by James Brooke.”

Perhaps Colombian writer Nicolas Gomez Davila’s famous quote was right, “Truth is in history, but history is not the truth.”

With most records still written Syarif Osman as the pirates leader, the Battle of Marudu 1845 did not only destroy the town but also the memory of its development as a coastal state.

KajoMag readers, let us know in the comment box what do you think? Was Syarif Osman the leader of pirates? Was the Battle of Marudu Bay necessary>

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5 things you should know about the old customs of Iban divorce

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Many of Sarawakians’ old customs are no longer practiced mainly because they have been replaced with a more uniform judiciary laws.

Some proceedings in the olden days did not rely on justice or what is best for all parties. Sometimes, the old generations relied on omens and dreams to decide including divorce.

Here are 5 things you should know about the old customs of Iban divorce as recorded by Reverend William Howell in The Sarawak Gazette on Mar 16, 1909:

1.There were two kinds of Iban divorce.

In those days, there were two types of Iban divorce. According to Howell, a temporary divorce was effected through an ill omen or a bad dream. Meanwhile, a permanent divorce was brought about by incompatibility of temper, inhospitableness, ill-temper and adultery.

The Ibans called temporary divorce “belega'” or “beluit”. The marriage could be renewed again after a short interval.

As for a permanent divorce, it could be effected before it was brought in front of the chiefs and elders.

Howell stated, “The guilty part is amerced. The innocent party takes the fine and divides it with the chiefs or elders and friends who witness the settlement of the case.

If the husband is the guilty party he pays a fine not only to the woman but towards the upkeep of the children also if he has any. The woman’s fine is called “pekain” and the upkeep of the children is called “pelanja”. The man’s fine is called “pesirat”.

2.How the fine is imposed

The fine was imposed according to the offence. If both parties would not agreed to the settlements of the chiefs or elders or even if one of them disagreed, the case would be settled by a diving contest.

By doing so, not only the fine is settle but also the bet on who would win the contest.

In this case, the losing party would have to meet not only the loss by the shame also.

“A ring or a bracelet given by the party that brings about the divorce, if it is received by the other party, is an ample sign of divorce. Before a person can consider himself properly divorced according to the Dayak point of view such person takes away all his or her belongings from the room where they lived together,” Howell stated.

3.A temporary divorce could be brought to a permanent one.

If the temporary divorce was brought to a permanent divorce, there would be no fine.

Interestingly, the news or occurrence of death in the area of the newly married couple may result in a permanent or temporary divorce.

For an unknown reason, it was generally more taboo if a death occurred upriver.

4.Superstitions which lead to divorce.

Howell pointed out that the Iban superstition seemed to be an advantage to them in creating a plea or to exculpate them from punishment.

“If a man says he has had a very bad dream or an ill omen, with that plea he is justified putting away his wife. In view of such religion or superstition or a great many of them have simply invented a story and have had a divorces with impunity. The same thing has been also practiced by women,” he stated.

5.The children matters in an Iban’s divorce.

The binding nature of an Iban marriage seems to depend on the children. Howell gave an example of how the children influence their parents’ divorce proceeding:

The wife of a certain man had already misconducted herself three times but her husband forgave her. The fourth time she did so with a relation and her husband swore by the gods of his ancestors that he would put her away. The case was brought before the court of justice, the man divorced his wife and the wife was fined but the children all agreed and said to their father that unless he lived again with their mother they would have nothing to do with him. The father gave in and took his wife back and paid her fine for her.

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Early records of inoculation and smallpox vaccination in Sarawak

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If you are not familiar with inoculation or variolation (deliberately introducing the pathogen into an uninfected person), it is the method first used to immunize an individual against smallpox with material taken from a patient or a recently variolated individual, in the hopes that a mild, but protective infection would result.

The procedure was most commonly carried out by rubbing powdered smallpox scabs of fluid pustules (an inflamed blister containing pus) into superficial scratches made on the skin.

Then the patient would develop pustules identical to those caused by naturally occurring smallpox. This would lead them to develop a less severe disease than naturally acquired smallpox.

Slowly after two to four weeks, these symptoms would slow down indicating successful recovery and immunity.

According to historian Loh Chee Yin, vaccination against smallpox was introduced into Sarawak in the 1960s. However, inoculation was already practiced in the 1850s.

Drawing accompanying text in Book XII of the 16th-century Florentine Codex (compiled 1555–1576), showing Nahuas of conquest-era central Mexico with smallpox. Credit: Creative Common

Early records of smallpox inoculation in Sarawak

One of the early records of inoculation in Sarawak was recorded by Brooke Hugh Low in 1876. At that time, he was holding the post of Assistant Resident of Sibu. When he was travelling up the Baram river which was still under Brunei territory (Baram was ceded to Sarawak in June 1882).

He recorded about a smallpox epidemic which decimated the Kayan population in the area.

“I next proceeded up the Baram as far as Long Lusan, where Oyong Ngau now lives. He abandoned Batu Gadin on account of the smallpox which carried of 200 persons in his own house; 1,333 Kayans are estimated to have fallen victims to this epidemic, and 3000 Kenyahs. Although I did not ascend the river above this point I met several of the upriver chiefs, both Kayans and Kenyahs, and among the latter, Paran Libut’s brother, Tama Peng Wang, who assured me that his tribe had been decimated and that the Upper Baram, which before was populous, is now a mere waste. Houses which a year ago could boast of 100 fighting men can now scarcely muster 10. Fortunately for the Kayans there was a Selimbu Malay, one Haji Unus, at Batu Gadin who understood inoculation and inoculated some 3,600 persons of both sexes, and though many died, many also were saved.”

A record of Ibans practicing inoculation

Bishop Walter Chambers once wrote in 1857 about how inoculation saved a community of Ibans in Lingga.

“The smallpox attacked six months ago (1856) the people up the main river, the Batang Lupar. In some of the Dyak houses it made frightful ravages, chiefly through the panic fear into which it threw the occupants, who in some cases, fled into the jungles, abandoning their sick friends and carrying the infection in their own bodies. It is said there are longhouses, whose occupants having thus rushed away, not one of them has since made his appearance.

The Dyaks regard the smallpox as an evil spirit, with the notion which induced our English peasantry to use the same caution to fairies- they never venture to name the smallpox, but designate it politely by the titles Rajah and Buah-kagu. I heard an old woman yesterday, telling how that, during the time she was nursing her grandson, she was continually begging, ‘Rajah have compassion on him, and on me, and spare his life- my only child.’

In the neighbourhood of Sakarran, the Malays inoculated with success both their own people and the Dyaks. By inoculation the disease was gradually drawing near to Lingga.

I wished the Dyaks not to inoculate until the appearance of the disease in the country, but they had an idea that the ‘Rajah’ was more mild to those who thus made submission to him. Out of hundreds who have been inoculated, only three have died under the operations.”

The Kayans’ knowledge of smallpox

Loh believed that the Kayans in those days were aware of the infectious nature of smallpox long before the introduction of inoculation and vaccination. They knew that immunity could be secured by complete isolation from affected villages.

He cited an example from Charles Hose’s The Pagan Tribes of Borneo (1912). This is what Hose wrote:

“With this object the people of tributary stream will fell trees across its mouth or lower reaches so as to block it completely to the passage of boats, or a less drastic measure, will stretch a rope of rattan from a bank as a sign that no one may enter. Such a sign is generally respected by the inhabitants of other parts of the river basin. They are aware also of the risk of infection that attends the handling of a corpse of one who has died of epidemic disease, and they attempt to minimise it by throwing a rope aorund it and dragging it to the graveyard, and there burying it in a shallow grave in the earth, without touching it with the hands.”

As for the Ibans, it was a normal practice for the unaffected members of a longhouse to run away into the jungle to avoid smallpox infection.

Here is an example of how the Ibans who refused to be inoculated reacted to the epidemic according to Spenser St. John:

“When the smallpox was committing sad havoc among those Sea Dyak villagers who would not allow themselves to be inoculated, they ran into the jungle in every direction, caring for no one but themselves, leaving the house empty, and dwelling far away in the most silent spots, in parties of two and three, and sheltered only by a few leaves. When these calamities come upon them, they utterly lose all command over themselves, and become as almost timid children. Those seized with the complaint are abandoned; all they do is to take care that a bundle of firewood, a cooking pot, and some rice, are placed within their reach. On account of this practice, few recover, as in the delirium they roll on the ground and die.

When the fugitives become short of provisions, a few of the old men who have already had the complaint creep back to the houses at night and take a supply of rice. In the daytime, they do not dare to stir or to speak above a whisper for fear the spirits should see or hear them. They do not call the smallpox by its name, but are in the habit of saying, “Has he yet left you? At other times, they call it jungle leaves or fruits; and at other places the datu or the chief. Those tribes who inoculate suffer very little.”

Other records of inoculations and vaccination in Sarawak

In those days when a smallpox epidemic attacked Sarawak, the news was usually reported in the Sarawak Gazette.

In 1868 for example, Sibu had a mild attack of smallpox. The gazette reported as the people failed to receive vaccine from Kuching, they were inoculating themselves.

On Apr 29, 1874, the gazette reported a smallpox epidemic was raging along the Batang Lupar and Rajang rivers.

The then principal medical officer-in-charge Dr. E. P. Houghton investigated the epidemic in person and found the disease to be measles and chickenpox.

Dr Houghton wrote in his report, “I vaccinated some children at Simanggang, which was successful and left a public vaccinator there to carry on the vaccination. I also started vaccination at Sibu in Rajang which was successful, and left two public vaccinators to vaccinate the people.”

Two years later in June 1876, Dr Houghton wrote this in the Sarawak Gazette; “Smallpox occasionally visits us but only in a sporadic form, and since vaccination has been so successfully carried on, there is every reason to hope this scourge will eventually be stamped out.”

Looking back at Sarawak history, smallpox epidemica appeared periodically affecting selected communities in the state.

These epidemics not only affected the Sarawak populations back in those days, it also caused the early migration of Sarawakians leading them to move from one place to another to flee from the disease.

If you’re freaking out about smallpox on top of your fears of the Covid-19 outbreak, don’t worry; smallpox was eradicated globally in 1980.

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