Centuries ago, Kalimantan was made up many small ancient kingdoms, each with its own unique history and culture. One of these kingdoms was Nanga Bunut, a small kingdom located at the intersection between Kapuas river and its tributary Bunut river. It was founded by Raden Setia Abang Berita Kiyai Nadi Pati Jaya between the 16th […]
A Bisaya legend of how a sago tree came into existence Every culture has its unique legends and most of these legends were used to explain things surrounding them. These legends usually circle around how certain plants or animals were discovered or came into being. Sometimes, they also explain why some creatures or plants are […]
The Sihan people are among the few tribes in Sarawak that are vulnerable to extinction along with smaller tribes such as the Ukit and Kejaman peoples. According to the Borneo Post in 2012, there are less than 300 Sihan people left in Sarawak. Unfortunately, they have been assimilated into other Orang Ulu groups such as […]
How everyone began speaking in different languages according to a Taman legend. Have you heard of Psilocybin mushroom? Widely known as ‘magic mushroom’, this type of fungi is usually consumed for its hallucinogenic effects. Once consumed, the person may experience euphoria and change in consciousness, mood and even perception. They may even experience visual and […]
When comes to petrification legend in Sarawak, it usually involves laughing at a particular animal and the sky turns dark and the people who laughed would turn into stones. For example in the legend of Ikan Pasit, the girl is turned into stone after laughing at a fish. Meanwhile in the Bidayuh Jagoi legend of […]
The Dayak Taman people is a small indigenous group found in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. There are roughly 30,000 people in this ethnic group. Apart from the Embaloh language, the Taman language is not close to other languages in Borneo. However, like any other Dayak groups in Borneo, the Taman people have many legends and folklore […]
Legend has it that in Paku river at Nanga Anyut, there is a stone of three petrified women called Batu Indai Binjut. In ancient times before the Paku region was populated by the Ibans the area sparsely inhabited by an ancient tribe of people called the Baketan. The last of their group who left Paku […]
The name Santubong is widely known among Sarawakians as the name of a mountain located in Sarawak. The common myth is that the mountain takes its name after a celestial princess. But what other origin stories are there behind the name Santubong? The legend of Princess Santubong The common understanding of the legend behind Puteri […]
Here is an Iban legend of comedic hero Apai Saloi being a glutton over smoked deer meat: One day, Apai Saloi took his wife and children to stay at their farm hut. There, he went to the edge of his paddy field to catch a deer for its meat. After they caught the deer, they […]
Who said only the Greek or Germanic peoples had interesting mythology? Here in Sarawak, we too have plenty of intriguing stories of deities and gods. Before we know how Raja Simpulang Gana became the God of Agriculture for the Iban community, here is a little background story of his family: In ancient times, the Iban […]
