Towards keeping Kelabit customs, heritage alive
BY NURSYAHIDA BOLHASSAN SARAWAK’S ethnic diversity makes it a unique state in Malaysia. For example, the Kelabit, who mostly live in the upland areas such as in Bario, Miri, is one of the main ethnic groups in the state. They are part of the Orang Ulu community. Currently, it is estimated that only 1,000 Kelabit […]
Sarawak Museum celebrates 130th-year-anniversary
KUCHING: Museums have always been the pride of Sarawak as they help to showcase the state’s unique culture and heritage. Minister of Tourism, Art and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah expressed hopes for museums in the state to be one of the pulling factors in attracting visitors. In saying this, he said that the […]
Forget the stereotype history, focus on ethnic cultures, heritage
KUCHING: Malaysia’s history should not be dominated by the official national history but rather be complemented with the experiences of ordinary people, said Dr Welyne Jeffrey Jehom. The senior lecturer from Department of Anthropology and Sociology, Universiti Malaya (UM) believed that only when this shared history from below is recognised, then the official history would […]
Dalila’s exquisite songkok Muar sought by many including Sultan, PM
By Kamarul Halim M Kamal MUAR: The Masood Hussin songkok needs no introduction in the royal town of Muar, however many are unaware that the maker is a woman, Nurdalila Abd Ghani, who is the granddaughter of the brand’s founder. The 41-year-old Nurdalila was exposed to the art of songkok-making by her grandfather Masood Hussin […]
Passion keeps ‘water taxi’ service afloat
By Zalina Maizan Ngah KUALA NERUS, Terengganu: “Bot nambang … bot nambang ke Pasor Payang! Dua riyal je!” (Water taxi … water taxi to Pasar Payang! Only RM2!”) Wan Mohd Alif Muhaimin kept calling out in a Terengganu Malay dialect, looking for passengers for the 15-minute boat ride from the Seberang Takir jetty across Sungai […]
Village stores history of Sarawak Malays
Located at Jalan Datuk Ajibah Abol, Kampung Bintangor Kecil is one of the Malay villages in Kuching, which stores historical anecdotes and heritage of the Malay community in Sarawak. Besides that, apart from producing Sarawak Malay leaders such as Datuk Ajibah Abol, Pengarah Moh, Datuk Abang Kassim and Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Abdillah, this village […]
Teach youth about traditional dances
TATAU: The Folk Dance and Recreation Club here has been urged to teach the younger generation about traditional dances. “Train our children and our grandchildren on traditional dances. “This is necessary so that our heritage and culture can be preserved and would not go extinct,” said Kakus assemblyman Datuk John Sikie Tayai. He said this […]
Celebrating culture and hats
KUCHING: The 4th Annual Mad Hatters Party to be held by Society Atelier Sarawak next Saturday (Oct 24) is expected to be a vibrant event celebrating Sarawak’s diverse culture and rich heritage of hats. Society Atelier Sarawak (SAS) president Edric Ong said that the various indigenous peoples of Sarawak each had their unique hats — […]
Unique legacy of the Brooke regime
KUCHING: A team of social scientists from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) is currently conducting a two-year research on forts and fort heritage in Sarawak. The team, which comprises 13 anthropologists and two political scientists, is led by an Anthropology and Sociology Programme senior lecturer, Dr Elena Chai. Dr Elena, in an exclusive interview with New […]
Re-living Sarawak’s heritage forts
KUCHING: Forts are distinctive features of Sarawak’s tangible assets, and the memories shared are the ‘Crème de la crème’ on heritage of Sarawak. What is needed now is for heritage forts to be alive again through social history, aside from their restoration and preservation. Dr Elena Chai, a senior lecturer in Anthropology and Sociology, Universiti […]
