Sarawakians might not be familiar with Captain Harry de Windt but his sister should be more familiar. His sister Margaret was the wife of second White Rajah Charles Brooke. Best known as a travel writer and explorer, de Windt at one point did work as the aide-de-camp for his brother in-law when he was only […]
Also known as Lintang Barracks and Kuching POW camp, the Batu Lintang camp was a Japanese internment camp during the Second World War (WWII). Unlike other Japanese internment camps, the Lintang Barracks held both Prisoners of War (POWs) and civilian internees. The camp was originally British Indian Army barracks. The Japanese took it over from […]
If the Tsardom of Russia had their The Winter Palace and the Chinese emperors had their Forbidden City, we Sarawakians have what we call The Astana. Once called Government House, it is now the official residence of the Governor of Sarawak. It was built in 1870 by the second White Rajah Charles Brooke as a […]
Many Sarawakians today might not be familiar with Brooketon but about a century ago, it was a mining settlement that was once under the Sarawak government. What made this settlement special was that it was located in Brunei, not in Sarawak. During the reign of second White Rajah of Sarawak Charles Brooke, Brooketon was considered […]
Borneo in the 21st century is heaven for all adventurers out there. Here you can find a piece of everything, be it a sandy beach or chilly mountain, exotic animals or unique culture; we have it all. Plus, the people of Borneo are known for their friendliness and generally being good hosts. It is a […]
If you are not familiar with the term ‘haruspex’, it is a term to describe one who is trained to practice a form of divination called ‘haruspicy’. In ancient Rome, haruspicy involved the inspection of the entrails of sacrificed animals, especially the livers of sacrificed sheep and poultry, to divine omens and communicate with the […]
Captain Lionel Matthews might not be a familiar name for Sarawakians but during World War II (WWII) he was executed by a firing squad on Mar 2, 1944 in Kuching. After the war, he was posthumously awarded the George Cross. It is the highest award for heroism or courage in the face of the enemy […]
‘Sumpit’ or ‘sumpitan’ are what we call the blowpipe or blowgun in Borneo. Some communities in the Philippines and Sulawesi also refer to the blowpipe as ‘sumpit’. In fact, the first written description of sumpit can be found in the works of Italian scholar and explorer Antonio Pigafetta in 1521 who visited the Palawan people. […]
We have heard of stories of how Sarawak Rangers assisted in the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) when Sarawak was a British Crown Colony. And we have read stories of how Dayak climbers assisted in scientific expeditions all the way to New Guinea. But did you know why did Dayak volunteers were sent to Federation of Malaya […]
When it comes to traditional or the ‘old school’ way of smoking in Borneo, most people are familiar with the technique of wrapping the tobacco in a dried banana leaf before lighting up. However, the oldest traditional form of smoking in the world is actually pipe smoking. Even though pipe smoking in Borneo was less […]
