Punan Sama is a small village (longhouse) situated along the Rajang River in Sarawak, Malaysia. The longhouse's previous name was "Lovuk Tepeleang". The majority of those inhabiting the longhouse are Punan, with a few Sekapan, Kejaman and Lahanan, as a result of inter marriage.
Punan Sama (lovuk Tepeleang) Chiefs (Bold):
Punan Sama (or Lovuk Tepeleang) came into existence through fission of ancient Punan longhouse Kavu Oka. Kavu Oka's elder son, Salui, continued to rule the stem-house, while a younger son, Bejeang, split off with section of the longhouse to form a separate community. Bejeang then move the longhouse across Rajang river, about a few kilometer away from the current Punan Bah longhouse to a place known as ungei Susou or Susou river. Then they move further up the Rajang river to the Meah-Rejang junction. They remain at Meah river for quite a long time; there are kelirieng (a burial pole) erected here for the aristocrats and distinguished persons in the longhouse.
Under Jiui's rule the Punan Tepeleang made their way further up the Rajang river, making their longhouse at ungei Keruang, ungei Pii, ungei Bua' and ungei Bo'on. The longhouse at Bo'on mark the start of the rivalry between the encroaching Ibans and Punan to along the Rajang river. Unable to contend Iban encroachment the Punan Tepeleang then moving further up Rajang river closer to the present Kayan longhouse below Bungan rapid. Their empty longhouse at Boon was later burnt down by the encroaching Ibans.
Where located? Punan Sama longhouse is located about two hours express boat (river transportation) from Kapit, the administrative town of 7th Division. During low water level - the Rajang river is almost impassable by express boat or other bigger river transportation. As such Punan Sama longhouse is only accessible via trunk road build by logging companies from Tatau or Bintulu.
Sibu is a landlocked city located in the central region of Sarawak, Malaysia. It serves as the capital of Sibu District within Sibu Division and is situated on the island of Borneo. Covering an area of 129.5 square kilometres (50.0 sq mi), the city is positioned at the confluence of the Rajang and Igan Rivers, approximately 60 kilometres from the South China Sea and 191.5 kilometres (119 mi) north-east of the state capital, Kuching.
Sarikei is a town, and the capital of Sarikei District in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located on the Rajang River, near where the river empties into the South China Sea. The district population was 56,798.
The Ibans or Sea Dayaks are an Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to the state of Sarawak and some parts of Brunei and West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Ibans are also known as Sea Dayaks and the title Dayak was given by the British and the Dutch to various ethnic groups in Borneo island. It is believed that the term "Iban" was originally an exonym used by the Kayans, who – when they initially came into contact with them – referred to the Sea Dayaks in the upper Rajang river region as the "Hivan".
Being an indigenous tribe in Borneo, the Kayan people are similar to their neighbours, the Kenyah tribe, with which they are grouped together with the Bahau people under the Apo Kayan people group. The Kayan people are categorised as a part of the Dayak people. They are distinct from, and not to be confused with, the Kayan people of Myanmar.
The Rajang River is a river in Sarawak, northwest Borneo, Malaysia. The river originates in the Iran Mountains, flows through Kapit, and then towards the South China Sea. At approximately 565 km long (351 mi), the river is the seventh-longest in Borneo and the longest in Malaysia.
Punan Bah or Punan is an ethnic group found in Sarawak, Malaysia and in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Punan Bah people are distinct and unrelated to the semi-nomadic Penan people. Their name stems from two rivers along the banks of which they have been living since time immemorial. They do have other names: Mikuang Bungulan or Mikuang and Aveang Buan. But those terms are only used ritually these days.
Kapit is a town and the capital of Kapit District in Kapit Division, Sarawak, Malaysia on the south bank of the Rajang River. The district comprises 15,595.6 square kilometres and as of 2020, it has a population of 65,800.
Belaga is a district in Kapit Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. It is located on the upper reaches of the Rajang River, some 120 kilometers northeast of Kapit and slightly less than 100 kilometers from the South China Sea coast near Bintulu. It is located within the Hulu Rajang parliamentary constituency.
Song is a town, and the capital of the Song District in Kapit Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The district population was 20,046 according to the 2010 census. Song is situated by the banks of the Katibas River, a tributary of the Rajang River. It is an important stopover for river traffic going up the Rajang River.
Kanowit is a town and the capital of Kanowit District, Sibu Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, comprising 2,253.5 square kilometres. As of 2010, Kanowit's population is 28,985. It is built on the mouth of Kanowit River at the bank of Rajang River, approximately 174 kilometers from the coast of South China Sea. It takes 45 minutes to reach the town by land transport and an hour by boat from Sibu. The main ethnic groups are Iban, Chinese, Malay, and Melanau.
Julau is a town, and the capital of the Julau District in Sarikei Division, Sarawak, Malaysia. The district population is 15, 333. The population is dominated by Iban as well as Chinese especially the Fuzhou.
Lundu is a town and the capital of Lundu District located in the northwest of Kuching Division of Sarawak, Malaysia, and borders the Indonesian Province of West Kalimantan.
Melanau or A-Likou is an ethnic group indigenous to Sarawak, Malaysia. They are among the earliest settlers of Sarawak. They speak in the Melanau language, which is a part of the North Bornean branch of Malayo-Polynesian languages.
Bintangor is a town, and the capital of the Meradong District in Sarikei Division, of Sarawak, Malaysia. Situated along the Rejang River, Bintangor was an express boat services hub connecting between, Sarikei town and Sibu city in the 1970s up to the early 1990s. As road connections between these towns became a more prominent mode of transport, the waterway of the town died down.
Rentap, also known as Libau Rentap, was a warrior and a recognized Iban hero in Sarawak during the reign of the first White Rajah, James Brooke. His praisename, Rentap Tanah, Runtuh Menua translates from the Iban language as 'Earth-tremor, World-shaker'. His famous and frequently quoted slogan was "Agi idup, Agi ngelaban" which translates into "Still alive, still fighting".
The oral history of the Iban has traditionally been committed to memory in the oral forms of literature i.e. inchantations and genealogies (tusut), and some of these are recorded in a system of writing on boards as pneumonics by the initiated shamans, or lemambang. This includes elaborate genealogical records, which usually go back about fifteen generations, although some purport to go back up to twenty-five. These genealogies (tusuts) are essentially records of who married who and whom begat whom. Names of individuals with great achievements in life are accompanied by a short description, a praise-name (ensumbar) and the respective narratives of their accomplishments. So, this is how the Iban records their history in the oral form.
Tatau District is one of the two districts of Bintulu Division in Sarawak, Malaysia. It has a total area of 4,945.80 square kilometres. The largest town in the district is Tatau.
The Fort Sylvia is a historical fort in Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia. Built in 1880, it was renamed after Rani Sylvia Brooke, wife of Rajah Charles Vyner Brooke, in 1925. During the 1960s, the fort housed the District Office and the District Court House, and later the Resident's Office when Kapit Division was formed in 1973.
Sarawak's population is very diverse, comprising many races and ethnic groups. Sarawak has more than 40 sub-ethnic groups, each with its own distinct language, culture and lifestyle. This makes Sarawak demography very distinct and unique compared to its Peninsular counterpart. However, it largely mirrors to other territories in Borneo - Sabah, Brunei and Kalimantan.
The Klemantan people were a purported ethnic group indigenous to the island of Borneo. The term was established in Western literature by British scientist and colonial administrator Charles Hose in the early 20th century, but has since been rejected as an invented term of convenience that does not properly represent the people it claims to describe. Since then, the term has fallen largely out of use.