THE NORTH
BORNEO HERALD AND THE OFFICIAL GAZETTE
EDUCATIONAL
SERIES BY BORNEO HISTORY
No. 14 -
VOL.XXXVIII. JESSELTON, FRIDAY, 16TH JULY 1920.
The North
Borneo Herald.
FRIDAY, 16TH JULY 1920.
NORTH BORNEO
A BUSINESS GOVERNMENT
The
following article from The Times
Supplement of May 25th is interesting. It is pleasant to see
that the old idea of Borneo as an unheard of place in the back of beyond is
fast dying put and that we need not expect to be regarded any longer as either
an obscure Republic in South America, a part of Australia or a small district
in Java
The
story goes among the Dyaks of Borneo—
That
year ago there was a great rising of the waters. Four men encountered the flood
without perishing in it. Each had a “surat” (or a writing book). The first man
tied his round his waist, and the waters rising up to his shoulders destroyed
it. This man was the ancestor of the Dyaks, who even to this day cannot read or
write, seeing his book was then lost. The second man put his writing under his
arm. But the waters reached it, too, wetted it, though without entirely
destroying it. He was the father of the Malays, can read, though imperfectly.
The third put his book on his shoulders, but the rising deluge just reached it,
and, like the last, it was partially damages. See in descendants the Chinese,
many of whom can read and write, though they are not very clever at it. But
should the cleverness of the fourth and last man; the waters rose and rose, but
what did he do? He put the writing on top of his head and consequently the
waves could not reach it. The result is, whenever you meet a white man, he is
sure to have a “surat” before him. – (Grant p.79)
Notwithstanding
this flattering tribute to the foresight and learning of the white man, it is
curious how little is generally known of the great island of Borneo, an island
comprising an area roughly five times the size of England and Wales, and lying
only just off the beaten track between Singapore and China. But whether,
indeed, the European be descended from the prudent bibliophile of the flood, or
whether as others aver, his ancestress was a Dyak woman with skin disease, who,
drifting out to sea in a canoe, landed on a strange shore and gave birth to a
child who was whiter than her countrymen, the fact remains that up till quite
recent times foreigners have proven singularly unsuccessful in their effort to
colonize the island.
Borneo
first became known to the Europeans during the 16th Century, when
Magellan’s ship touches there in their search for the Malacca, or Spice
Islands. After Magellan’s death his comrades sailed past the Celebes Island
into the Sulu Sea and during the remainder of the 16th Century the
Portuguese maintained trade relations with Brunei, on the north-west coast of
the island, but the Spice Islands remained the main objective of European
merchants. An early attempt to proselytize the inhabitants ended disastrously,
and several punitive expeditions did little to stop the piracy for which the
coast inhabitants exhibited a surprising talent. Indeed, during the 17th
and 18th Century they terrorized the whole Archipelago, organizing
great fleets which put to sea for two or three years at a time and seriously
interfered with the efforts of the Dutch and the British to establish regular
trade with the Malay Islands.
Dutch Influence
During
the 17th and 18th centuries the Dutch became the
predominant European race in Borneo, and by their influence the British were
expelled from Banjermasin, where they had established themselves, and all the
trading posts on the western and southern coast fell into the hands of the
Dutch. In 1759, however, Alexander Dalrymple succeeded in obtaining from the
Sultan of Sulu possession of the whole of the north-eastern promontory; but by
the end of the century both British and Dutch was forced by hostility of the
inhabitants to abandon all hold on the island.
During
the occupation of Java by Sir Stanford Raffles in 1811, the British were called
in to assist the Sultan of Banjermasin and secured a favorable treaty from him,
and a post was also established at Pontianak but on the restoration of Java to
the Dutch, these arrangements broke down and the Dutch were left in possession
of the field. They did little, however, for some time to consolidate their
influence in southern Borneo, owing to internal troubles in Java. With the rise
of Singapore, direct trade was established between this port and Brunei and
Sarawak in the north, but the operations of the English merchants were
seriously interfered with the activities of the pirates.
It
was not until Sir James Brooke set out on his famous adventure that the matter
was seriously taken in hand. In 1838 this extraordinary man, breathing the
spirit of the spacious days of Elizabeth, sailed from the Thames in his little
yacht of 140 tons burden. On reaching Borneo he assisted Raja Muda Hassim,
uncle of the reigning Sultan, to defeat the Dyak tribes who were in revolt in
the province of Sarawak. For his services he receives the title of Raja of
Sarawak, and for the next five years devoted himself to the consolidation of
his power and to the establishment of what is perhaps a unique as well as a
model kingdom, a kingdom which exists under his descendants to this day. But
piracy still continues to be the great menace to peaceful trading, and it took
many expeditions, many battles, and much slaughter before order and security
were established on the seas. In these battles Raja Brooke was assisted by
Captain (afterwards Admiral Sir Harry) Keppel and other British naval
commanders, but it was not till 1849 that the evil was finally stamped out. By
this time the island of Labuan had been organized by the British as a crown
colony, but no steps were taken to occupy any portion of the mainland. As has
been so often the case in the history of the British Empire, the extension of
British influence was left entirely to the enterprise of private trading
companies. In 1872 the Labuan Trading Company was established in Sandakan, a
magnificent natural harbor on the east coast.
A British Syndicate
In
1878 the Sultan of Sulu transferred to a syndicate promoted by Mr. (afterwards
Sir Alfred) Dent, Sir Rutherford Alcock, Admiral Keppel, and Mr. Richard B.
Martin all his rights over North Borneo. This syndicate developed into the
British North Borneo Provisional Association, Limited and finally into the
British North Borneo Chartered Company, and after acquiring further concessions
from the Sultan of Brunei, was in 1888 places upon the footing of a British
Protectorate. The administration of the area was left entirely in the hands of
the Company, the Crown reserving only control of foreign relations and a veto
on the appointment of the Governor.
From
that date development of the territory steadily progressed. Public services and
a police force were organized, and after the revolutionary enterprises of a
certain Bajau rebel called Mat Salleh had been with some difficulty dealt with,
order was finally established and an era of steadily growing prosperity began.
So here, in this “John Bulls Other Island”, we have a real “business”
Government in control. It administers the territory from the offices in Thread
needle-street no bigger than those of an average stockbroking firm, and while
fulfilling all the functions of Government takes the closest interest in the
trade development of the country. It does not disdain itself to join in
financing the exploitation of the resources of the territory, but is content to
leave the management in the hands of individual enterprise. By granting liberal
concessions, and in some cases considerable financial assistance to rubber
planters, it has helped to build up what has now become an extremely valuable
industry, and only quite recently is subscribed a large proportion of the
capital of a company formed to develop the whole timber resources of the
country. Unlike the neighboring islands of Java, with its population of teeming
millions, Borneo is sparsely populated, and the shortage of labor is one of the
main difficulties to be contended with.
The
population, such as it is, consists mainly of various sorts of Malays, Dyaks,
and Chinese. The connection of the Chinese with Borneo dates back as early as
seventh century, and in the 16th and 17th Centuries they
played a considerable part in the exploitation of the island, and intermarried
freely with the Malay population. But they prove troublesome both to the Malay
princes, by whom they were originally encouraged to settle, and also to the
Dutch, who ultimately expelled them from the island. They now, however, supply
the chief source of labor to planting companies, and are in addition encouraged
to settle in the territory, where their amazing industry and intelligence have
secured them an important place in the industrial life of the country.
The
east coast is chiefly inhabited by Bajaus—a Malayan tribe said by some to have
come originally from Johore. They love chiefly in boats and spend their time
fishing and making salt. They profess Mahomedanism, but are not very good at
it. They are of a low type civilization, though they have one feature In common
with their more civilized European brothers in that--“The men of quality do
generally pull out their fore-teeth and put gold ones in their room.” (Beekman,
p. 43.) The interior is sparsely populated by Dusuns and Muruts, who are of a
still lower order of civilizations, though they habitually indulge in a liquor
of their own manufacture, which is quite intoxicating as any that civilization
has been able to introduce to them.
Dyaks
The
various tribes of Dyaks are however, the most interesting, as well as the most
distinctive of the Borneo races. It is not certain whether they are the
aborigines of the island, or not. They are probably of the same stock as the
Malays, though they are regarded by them as aliens, and exhibit, indeed, very
different characteristics. The Malays have a word for “Thank you”, but are of a
most grateful and kindly disposition. They are as cheerful as the Malay is
morose. They are honest and intelligent, but incorrigibly lazy and apathetic.
In their handling of the marriage problem, there is much that we may learn from
them. Divorce is easily secure on the grounds of incompatibility of temper, but
in order to avoid any unpleasant feeling, the matter is laid at the doors of an
unfavorable dream, which affords both an obligation and an excuse for a
separation. Should, however, the parties subsequently feel that a mistake has
been made; the sacrifice of a pig brings about a legitimate and happy
restitution of conjugal rights. Guilty lovers are fines, and hastily sacrifice
another pig to avoid further penalties, while a wife is allowed to fine a woman
for enticing her husband away. If, however, she elects to beat her instead she
only gets half the fine. If a married man runs off with a married woman, the
husband of the woman is allowed to strike the man on the head with a club,
while the wronged wife deals likewise with the lady. If the guilty lovers
confess (in time) fines are inflicted instead.
The
Dyaks are chiefly known to the outer world as “Head Hunters”, but in this
matter they have been grossly misjudges. Head-hunting was, until it was
suppressed, strictly a religious practice, preceded by fasting and prayer and
governed by the strictest rules. Moreover, the skulls of the victims were held
in great veneration and most honorably entreated. The choicest morsels were
offered to them at mealtimes, and they were continuously presented with
presents of tobacco and betel. The skulls of enemies had to be treated even
more handsomely than those of fellow tribesmen, which may possibly account for
the Dyak partiality for the heads of their friends in preference to those of
their foes. The Dyak no longer hunts heads, but confines his warlike activities
to hunting criminals in the police force.
The
industries of British North Borneo are already considerable, and show a steady
and satisfactory increase. Rubber, tobacco of a high grade, copra, timber,
coal, birds’ nests, camphor, cutch and cotton form the main exports, and the
production of damar (a kind of gum used in varnish) and kapok, together with
sugar and alcohol from the nippa palm, has been recently started. The absence
of a local rice supply for food purpose is being severely felt during the
present shortage, and the organization of its cultivation in the territory is
the most pressing problem of the moment.
As a
measure of the country’s progress, it may be stated that while the total
exports in 1908 amounted to £533,400 in 1918 they had risen to £1,019,094.
The future also appears full of promise. The soil is unrivalled, and the
climate much better than is generally realized. The native population is now
increasing, and the Japanese are adding considerably to the number of
immigrants.
-/ss
