THE SA’BAN OF BORNEO AND ZOMIA

Much has been written about multiculturalism in Borneo, but little research has been done to explainit, let alone its persistence, despite gloomy forecasts of the decline in language and cultural diversityaround the world. The Sa’ban of Sarawak and Kalimantan are one of the smallest ethnic groups inBorneo and live in a uniquely multicultural setting. Does Scott’s influential depiction of Zomia offer aframework to explain, even predict, the continuance of Sa’ban identity? This paper offers somespeculative observations on the parallels between the Sa’ban and Scott’s Zomia societies in advance ofmore extensive fieldwork.

TRAVERSING SACRED STONES IN THE HEART OF BORNEO: TRANSBOUNDARY ECOTOURISM THROUGH THE MEGALITHIC LANDSCAPES OF THE KELABIT HIGHLANDS OF SARAWAK, MALAYSIA AND THE KERAYAN HIGHLANDS OF KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA

The Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak, Malaysia and the Kerayan Highlands of Kalimantan, Indonesia areculturally contiguous areas separated by the Apad Wat mountain range, consisting of a number ofvillages that are related ethnically, linguistically, and through marriage. Though now separated by apolitical boundary, locals have always traversed this border. Now, foreign tourists also walk across thisborder, as community-based transboundary ecotourism is often centered around long-distance trekkingamong villages. The main attractions along the way for most tourists are impressive megaliths thatinclude erected stones, carved stones, and large piles of stones, and other cultural sites such as oldlonghouse sites, and earthworks in various shapes such as crocodiles. These cultural sites, and thelandscape in which they are found, represent a complex history of movement in the landscape by various,but related, ethnic groups that predates political separation. These sites have deep cultural and religioussignificance to local people on both sides of the border, and the experience of trekking among them hassignificance beyond mere tourism for many visitors as well. There is strong local, governmental, andinternational support for ecotourism development here, as well as an awareness of the possible pitfallsof expanding ecotourism in this region. This paper provides background on elements of the landscapeitself, particularly megalithic structures located within intact rain forest, that attract visitors. It alsopresents a synopsis of some of the cross-boundary efforts to simultaneously promote responsible andculturally sensitive ecotourism development and to protect the ecological and cultural integrity of thisunique megalithic landscape in the “heart of Borneo.” Research for this article was conducted primarilyin the Kelabit Highlands, and emphasis on this area is reflected in the data and discussion.

FROM THE MARGINS TO THE MAINSTREAM: INDIGENISED DEVELOPMENT IN BORNEO WITH INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The introduction of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to remote and isolatedindigenous communities in the forested interior of Borneo has generated desirable development benefitsfor them as well as revealing the processes of community engagement that were necessary for bringingthem about. Associated learning has also highlighted aspirations for development that relate to thespecifics of their cultures and lifestyles in relation to the natural environment in which they live, lendingcredence to the concept of ethno or indigenised development in contrast to notions of asset exploitationexpressed within orthodox development. The emergence of the global Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) with their imperatives for protecting biodiversity and the rainforests as well as combattingclimate change focusses greater attention on the role of indigenous peoples as stewards of fragile ecosystemsthat are highly susceptible to global warming. The experiences of applying ICTs to indigeniseddevelopment within Borneo’s rainforest communities - helping them maintain eco-friendly lifestyles,conserve biodiversity and record their traditional knowledge about the climate - carries lessons ofglobal significance for the wider achievement of the SGDs and the future of our planet.

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF PENAN STUDENTS IN TWO PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS AND ACADEMIC ATTAINMENT OF THEIR SCHOOL

This article documents the demographic background of Penan secondary school students that arestudying in two public secondary schools located at the Baram District in Miri Division, SarawakMalaysia and the academic achievement of their schools’ leavers. Ethnographic research methodswhich include survey questionnaire, interviews and field observations are used to obtain the data. Datafrom interviews and observations are analysed thematically and Microsoft Excel is used to analyse datarelated to demographic profile of students such as their age, gender, village and level of education.Data on the cost of transport used to go to boarding schools and information related to the access tothe internet and telephone service are analysed to examine students’ mobility and accessibility. Accessto social services, including the internet and telephone, is important for all people, including Penanpopulations. In the context of education, internet access allows for learning to take place at any time,any place and at any pace. Through the data on students’ demographic profile and academicachievement of school leavers, the study calls for the understanding of Penan education beyondindividuals’ agency. This includes the understanding of students’ mobility from village to boardingschools which interlinked with the idea that education enables and promotes the acquisition of skills,knowledge and broadens individuals’ horizons. Moreover, pursuing secondary schools outside students’villages provides opportunities for employment outside their villages after the completion of their SPMor STPM examinations; opens a window to advance their education to tertiary level as an attempt toimprove their socio-economic status.

Smart Governance Implementation in Balikpapan City, East Kalimantan

The purpose of this study is to analyze the implementation of smart governance and the strengthening of city resources in order to support Smart Governance in the city of Balikpapan. This research adopts qualitative descriptive method using interview and observation techniques, and data were then analyzed. Results found that the application of smart governance in the city of Balikpapan was not yet well implemented so it was necessary to strengthen local government resources that include institutions, budgets, and IT (information technology) tools, in the dimensions of local government, and increase community participation and community use for the application in the community dimension.

Revisiting early Political History of Modern Sarawak through the making of Stephen Kalong Ningkan as Sarawak’s first Chief Minister

This paper narrates a political story of modern Sarawak from 1961 to 1974. The modern political history of Sarawak began with the conceptualisation and the formulation of the Federation Malaysia. The significant events that shaped and influenced the political history of modern Sarawak include: the British-Malayan Government meetings in November 1961 and July 1962; the setting up of the Cobbold Commission of Enquiry; the formulation of the Malaysia Solidarity and Consultative Committee (MSCC); the formation of the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC); the signing the Malaysia Agreement of 1963; the controversies surrounding the making of the first Chief Minister and of the making of the first local State Governor; the cabinet crises of 1965 and 1966; the proclamation of the state of emergency in Sarawak in 1966 by the Federal Parliament which led to the removal of its first Chief Minister; and the establishment of the Sarawak Alliance and the Native Alliance. This historical account of the early history of modern Sarawak is not complete without the description of the ideas and the political struggles of Stephen Kalong Ningkan, the State’s first Chief Minister, and the issues affecting his political leadership

Peace-Making, Adat and Tama Bulan Wang

Resident Charles Hose was credited with “the true civilization of the Baram people.” However, a careful examination of the role of Penghulu Tama Bulan Wang demonstrates that pacification of the Baram was achieved less by the mediation of Charles Hose and more by the role of local chiefs such as Penghulu Tama Bulan Wang. His source of power was the existing customary institution of chieftainship and the adat or system of customary law, which provided safeguards for preventing conflict, for making peace and creating alliances. The role of this local cultural component in establishment of the state of Sarawak has been underplayed in colonial accounts of peace-making and the contemporary written history of the state.

Masyarakat Melayu di Belaga: Sejarah, Perdagangan, Penempatan dan Adaptasian

Komuniti Melayu di Belaga terdiri daripada dua perkampungan kecil: iaitu Kampung Melayu, Belaga, yang mempunyai 68 buah rumah dengan populasi sebanyak 648 penduduk; dan Kampung Hijrah, Belaga, yang mempunyai 27 buah rumah dengan populasi sebanyak 172 penduduk (Pejabat Daerah Belaga 2016). Kampung Hijrah pada mulanya merupakan sebahagian daripada Kampung Melayu Belaga sebelum berpecah menjadi dua buah kampung yang berbeza pada tahun 2014. Perubahan tersebut berlaku disebabkan kekurangan kawasan tanah bagi menampung pertambahan populasi penduduk kampung tersebut. Dengan jumlah keseluruhan populasi kedua-dua kampung sebanyak 820 penduduk, jumlah tersebut hanya mewakili sebahagian kecil daripada jumlah populasi daerah Belaga sebanyak 25,609 penduduk.Masyarakat Melayu ini merupakan keturunan para pedagang dari Brunei dan Sumatera serta keturunan keluarga Melayu Abang6 dari Sadong, Sarawak barat dan keluarga Kedayan dari Sibuti. Sebahagian daripada pedagang tersebut mengahwini wanita tempatan dan terdapat juga pasangan yang tidak mempunyai cahaya mata mengambil anak angkat daripada keluarga tempatan. Secara keseluruhannya, golongan tersebut merupakan antara penduduk terawal di kampung Melayu Belaga.

One Orthography, Four Lects: The Unified Berawan Orthography

Berawan is an endangered Austronesian language family consisting of four lects, which are Batu Belah, Long Teru, Long Jegan, and Long Terawan. Their settlements are located in the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The impetus for a unified orthography came from the Berawan community, who desire to write their lects consistently and reflecting the way they speak. The unified orthography was developed starting with a phonological analysis of the Berawan lects. This was followed by several orthography workshops and discussions with individual Berawan communities, culminating in a combined orthography workshop in which a unified orthography was agreed upon. The aim of the paper is to provide the groundwork for establishing the unifed orthography of the Berawan language family. A phonological comparison of the four Berawan varieties is included for this purpose. The phonological descriptions are taken from Burkhardt (2014). Smalley’s (1959, 1965) maxim of ‘maximal representation of speech’ and Rogers’s (2005) ‘shallow orthography’ approach are employed. On this basis, issues that arise for graphemic representation of Berawan phonemes are then discussed and the decisions made by the participants of the combined workshops are described. The paper also touches on issues encountered throughout the discussion. The issues that arose are primarily related to the differences in orthographic systems between the Berawan lects and the Malay language. The paper ends with a proposed unified Berawan orthography

Borneo Ultimate Frisbee Team: Agility and Speed in Relation with Playing Position

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to investigate a arising Borneo Frisbee team named Ultras on agility and speed performance in relation to the playing position of Ultimate Frisbee players. Sixteen (N=16) athletes (8 handlers and 8 cutters) participated in the present study, and the age ranged between 19 to 24 years old. Each athlete was tested with the 505 agility test and 30-meter sprint test to measure agility and speed. The level of significance was set at .05 (p<.05). The obtained data was analysed using SPSS 22.0. Independent Sample T-Test was employed to compare the differences in agility and speed between handlers and cutters. Results showed that there is no significance difference in agility between handlers and cutters (playing position) (p=.192) and no significant difference in speed between handlers and cutters (playing positions) (p=.522). The mean of the results showed that handlers were approximately 14.16% more agile than cutters, while cutters were approximately 49.37% faster in horizontal speed than handlers. Keywords: Ultimate Frisbee, agility, speed, playing position, handlers, cutters.