Saribas

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Saribas is an area of Sarawak, [1] now in the Betong Division of Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. The area has a long history, and is defined by the three main rivers in the region, the Batang Rayar, Batang Paku, and Batang Rimbas. Saribas is famous for its Iban longhouses and is regarded as a centre of Iban culture. It was annexed to Sarawak by James Brooke in 1849.

History

The coastal regions of Sarawak came under the influence of the Bruneian Empire in the 16th century. A Dutch report in 1609 mentioned a rebellion against the Bruneian sultanate by the tribes living in Calca, Saribas, and Melano to politically align themselves with the Johor Sultanate. [2]

The Saribas kingdom was one of the five early kingdoms in the Sarawak, located at the confluence of Saribas and Rimbas rivers. It was established in the early or mid 17th century. [2] Saribas kingdom is mentioned in the manuscript Silsilah Raja-Raja Brunei (Genealogical History of the Sultans of Brunei). In the Syair Tarsilah Cetera Abang Gudam dan Temenggong Qadir Negeri Saribas, a Bruneian dignitary fled the capital because his daughter had been taken by the Sultan of Brunei. He set up a new capital in Saribas and sent Dato' Gundam to retrieve his daughter, who married her and became the ruler of Saribas kingdom. The administration was passed on to Datu Patinggi, Datu Bandar, Aulaksamana, Datuk Imam and Datu Hakim. [2]

Iban people began to migrate to Saribas from Kapuas Hulu from the 1750s onwards. [3] Within five generations, they had established communities in Batang Lupar, Batang Sadong, Batang Layar, and Saribas. In 1839, James Brooke, a British explorer, first arrived in Sarawak. He established the Raj of Sarawak on territory handed over to him by the Sultan of Brunei, which did not initially include Saribas. It was governed by the Brooke family (the White Rajas) between 1841 and 1946. In 1843, Brooke's forces attacked the Iban at Padeh, Paku, and Rimbas in the Batang Saribas region. [4] Brooke gained victory over the Sekrang and Saribas Iban at the Battle of Beting Maru on 31 July 1849. The Sultan of Brunei then ceded the Saribas and Skrang districts to Brooke in 1853, which later became the Second Division. [5]

During World War II, Sarawak was occupied by the Japanese for three years. After the war, the last White Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke, ceded Sarawak to Britain, and in 1946 it became a British Crown Colony. On 22 July 1963, Sarawak was granted self-government by the British, and it became one of the founding members of the Federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963.

Related Research Articles

The history of Brunei concerns the settlements and societies located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, which has been under the influence of Indianised kingdoms and empires for much of its history. Local scholars assume that the Islamisation of Brunei started in the fifteenth century with the formation of the Bruneian Empire, a thalassocracy that covered the northern part of Borneo and the southern Philippines. At the end of the 17th century, Brunei subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by the Brunei Civil War, piracy, and European colonial expansion. Later, there was a brief war with Spain, in which Brunei lost Manila and evacuated its capital for a brief period until the Spanish withdrew. The empire lost much of its territory with the arrival of the Western powers, such as the Spanish in the Philippines and the British in Labuan, Sarawak, and North Borneo. The decline of the Bruneian Empire accelerated in the nineteenth century when Brunei gave much of its territory to the White Rajahs of Sarawak, resulting in its current small landmass and separation into two parts. Sultan Hashim Jalilul Alam Aqamaddin later appealed to the British to stop further annexation in 1888. In the same year, the British signed a "Treaty of Protection" and made Brunei a British protectorate until 1984 when it gained independence and prospered due to the discovery of oil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Brooke</span> British soldier and adventurer; Rajah of Sarawak (1803–1868)

Sir James Brooke, Rajah[note] of Sarawak, was a British soldier and adventurer who founded the Raj of Sarawak in Borneo. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iban language</span> Austronesian language spoken in Brunei, Kalimantan, Sarawak

The Iban language is spoken by the Iban, one of the Dayak ethnic groups, who live in Brunei, the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan and in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. It belongs to the Malayic subgroup, a Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian language family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limbang</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

Limbang is a border town and the capital of Limbang District in the Limbang Division of northern Sarawak, East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. This district area is 3,978.10 square kilometres, and population was 56,900. It is located on the banks of the Limbang River, between the two halves of Brunei.

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Omar Ali Saifuddin II was the 23rd Sultan of Brunei. During his reign, Western powers such as the United Kingdom and the United States visited the country. His reign saw the British adventurer James Brooke becoming the White Rajah of Sarawak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iban people</span> Ethnic group from Borneo

The Ibans or Sea Dayaks are an Austronesian ethnic group indigenous to northwestern Borneo. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Rajahs</span> British dynasty which founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak (1841-1946)

The White Rajahs were a hereditary monarchy of the Brooke family, who founded and ruled the Raj of Sarawak as a sovereign state, located on the north west coast of the island of Borneo in maritime Southeast Asia, from 1841 to 1946. Of British origin, the first ruler was James Brooke. As a reward for helping the Sultanate of Brunei fight piracy and insurgency among the indigenous peoples, he was granted the province of Kuching, which was known as Sarawak Asal in 1841 and received independent kingdom status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bukitan people</span> Ethnic group

Bukitan are the indigenous people native to the Nanga Palin in Embaloh Hilir of Kapuas Hulu Regency, Indonesia. Nowadays, the Bukitan diaspora can be found in the neighbouring Nanga Palin as well; including the district of Bintulu in Sarawak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lundu, Sarawak</span> Town and district capital in Sarawak, Malaysia

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanau people</span> An ethnic from the Rajang River of Sarawak, Malaysia.

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.

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Bolkiah ibni Sulaiman, also known for his title as Nakhoda Ragam, was the sixth Sultan of Brunei; reigning from 1485 until his death in 1524, he ascended the throne upon the abdication of his father, Sultan Sulaiman. His reign is known by Bruneians as "the Golden Age of Brunei".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raj of Sarawak</span> 1841–1946 kingdom on northern Borneo

The Raj of Sarawak, also the Kingdom of Sarawak or State of Sarawak, located in the northwestern part of the island of Borneo, was an independent state founded in 1841, in a treaty of protection with the United Kingdom starting from 1888. It was established from a series of land concessions acquired by an Englishman, James Brooke, from the Sultan of Brunei. Sarawak was recognised as an independent sovereign state by the United States in 1850 and by the United Kingdom in 1864. The Kingdom is now the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

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".

Syarif Masahor bin Syarif Hassan, also written as Sharif Masahor was a famous Malay rebel of Hadhrami descent in Sarikei, Sarawak state, Malaysia during the Brooke White Rajahs era in that state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Sarawak</span>

The History of Sarawak can be traced as far as 40,000 years ago to the paleolithic period where the earliest evidence of human settlement is found in the Niah caves. A series of Chinese ceramics dated from the 8th to 13th century AD was uncovered at the archeological site of Santubong. The coastal regions of Sarawak came under the influence of the Bruneian Empire in the 16th century. In 1839, James Brooke, a British explorer, first arrived in Sarawak. Sarawak was later governed by the Brooke family between 1841 and 1946. During World War II, it was occupied by the Japanese for three years. After the war, the last White Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke, ceded Sarawak to Britain, and in 1946 it became a British Crown Colony. On 22 July 1963, Sarawak was granted self-government by the British. Following this, it became one of the founding members of the Federation of Malaysia, established on 16 September 1963. However, the federation was opposed by Indonesia, and this led to the three-year Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. From 1960 to 1990, Sarawak experienced a communist insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Sabah</span>

The history of Sabah can be traced back to about 23–30,000 years ago when evidence suggests the earliest human settlement in the region existed. The history is interwoven with the history of Brunei and the history of Malaysia, which Sabah was previously part of and is currently part of respectively. The earliest recorded history of Sabah being part of any organised civilisation began in the early 15th century during the thriving era of the Sultanate of Brunei. Prior to this, early inhabitants of the land lived in predominantly tribal societies, although such tribal societies had continued to exist until the 1900s. The eastern part of Sabah was ceded to the Sultan of Sulu by the Sultan of Brunei in 1658 for the former helping a victory over Brunei enemies, but many sources stated it had not been ceded at all. By the late 19th century, both territories previously owned by Sultan of Brunei and Sultan of Sulu was granted to British syndicate and later emerged as British North Borneo under the management of the North Borneo Chartered Company. Sabah became a protectorate of the United Kingdom in 1888 and subsequently became a Crown colony from 1946 until 1963, during which time it was known as Crown Colony of North Borneo. On 16 September 1963, Sabah merged with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sultanate of Sarawak</span> Minor Malay kingdom

The Sultanate of Sarawak was a Malay kingdom, located in present-day Kuching Division, Sarawak. The kingdom was founded in 1599, after the conquest of the preceding Santubong Kingdom and the later Sultanate of Brunei.

<i>Edge of the World</i> (2021 film) 2021 film directed by Michael Haussman

Edge of the World is a 2021 adventure drama film directed by Michael Haussman and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the British soldier and adventurer James Brooke (1803–1868), the first White Rajah of Sarawak. The film also features Atiqah Hasiholan, Dominic Monaghan, Hannah New, and Josie Ho. The script was written by Rob Allyn, who also produced the film. Edge of the World is a co-production between Malaysia, China, the US and the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salleh Sharifuddin</span> Bruneian nobility (1790s–1858)

Pengiran Mohammad Salleh (1790s–1858) or commonly referred to by his title Pengiran Indera Mahkota, was a Bruneian nobleman and politician who was governor of Sarawak in 1827. In the region that is now part of Sarawak, he founded the city of Kuching in 1827.

Datu Patinggi Abang Ali bin Abang Amir or commonly known as Datu Patinggi Ali, was a key figure in the Sarawak Malays' resistance to the Brunei Empire, which they waged throughout Pengiran Indera Mahkota and Raja Muda Hashim's reign in the 1830s. He became one of the first supporters of the Brooke Raj and hailed as Sarawak's first national hero. An important part in the 1830s uprising against Bruneian authority was played by him. In an endeavor to oppose Brunei's attempts to subjugate Sarawak through local leaders, he is known to be a fearless and resolute leader. Brooke then took Ali as an aide-de-camp after the Sarawak dispute ended.

References

  1. "The Life and Afterlife Crises of Saribas Iban Television Sets" (PDF). MEDIA@LSE Electronic Working Papers. 5. 2003. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Said, Sanib (2012). "Sejarah Awal Kepulauan Melayu: Lima Buah Negeri Warisan Sarawak yang Hilang (The Heritage of the Early History of Sarawak: The Five Lost Kingdoms)" (PDF). Current Research in Malaysia. 1 (1): 21–50. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  3. Shin, Chong (2021). "Iban as a koine language in Sarawak". Wacana, Journal of the Humanities of Indonesia. 22 (1): 102. doi: 10.17510/wacana.v22i1.985 .
  4. Belcher, Edward (18 April 2024). Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, During the Years 1843-46; Employed surveying the Islands of the Eastern Archipelago Vol. 1. Reeve, Benham, and Reeve.
  5. Lea; et al. (2001). A Political Chronology of South East Asia and Oceania. Europa Publications. ISBN   978-1-135-35659-0.