Masterworks from the Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Masterworks from the Borneo Cultures Museum in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Curated by Steven G. Alpert
This month, Art of the Ancestors celebrates the venerable history, vibrancy, and verve of Sarawak's rich cultural history and the debut of the Borneo Cultures Museum, which opened its doors in March 2022.
The original Sarawak Museum was founded in 1860 by Charles Brooke, the Second Raja of Sarawak. Charles' interest in the diverse peoples of Sarawak was based on his own remarkable experiences as an adventurer. In collecting natural history, he was most likely encouraged by the English biologist, geographer, explorer, illustrator, and social critic Sir Alfred Russell Wallace, who lived in Indonesia and Malaysia for eight years. Wallace spent fourteen months (the longest time he stayed in one location) in a rustic cottage on top of a hill at Bukit Peninjau, curating the wonders of Borneo while crystallizing his own thinking regarding natural selection. There, surrounded by dense jungle, he wrote a paper known as Sarawak's Law that underscores the claim that he (along with Darwin) are the co-inventors of what we now refer to as the Theory of Evolution.
The Sarawak Museum has also always been associated with traditions of excellence and burgeoning scholarship. Brooke asked his officers to gather natural specimens carefully. Items of material culture and notes of the people who produced them were also collected and archived. A grand edifice for the time in the Queen Anne style of architecture, the Sarawak Museum was erected in 1889 to house the diverse collections from the region. The old building is still part of the state's museum complex and continues as an ethnographic museum.
An off-shoot of this sort of probing curiosity resulted in the museum's highly respected Sarawak Journal, first published in 1911. It remains one of the oldest scientific journals in Southeast Asia. Topics reflect the history, natural history, and diverse ethnology of the island of Borneo. A list of the museum's esteemed former directors speaks to the combined talents of indigenous Dayak, Malay, Chinese, and persons of European descent, reflecting the unique talent pools and contributions of Sarawak's diverse communities. This site is particularly grateful to two former directors, Ipoi Datan and Peter Mulok Kedit. Presently, Dr. Kedit is the Senior Advisor to the Tun Jugah Foundation, whose museum of Iban Art and Culture of the Iban people is also a must-see destination for anyone going to Kuching.
In March 2022, the government's new Borneo Cultures Museum was opened in an impressive building across the road from the older Sarawak Museum structures, making it the second-largest museum complex in Southeast Asia. The museum consists of five floors described as being intended "to become a lively place for social and cultural exchange." (MS.gov) In ascending order, the Cultures Museum greets one with a wide range of reception facilities. The second floor includes the Children's and Arts and Crafts Gallery, where skills of traditional craftsmanship, music, and dances are shared with visitors. The third floor travels through Borneo's unique eco and river systems in an exhibition entitled Harmony with Nature. The fourth floor has exhibits dedicated to Sarawak's history from prehistoric times to the present, while the top floor displays gems of material culture "showcasing artifacts that reflect skilled craftsmanship, having designs with divine powers and as a symbol of status." (MS.gov)
Art of the Ancestors presents an assemblage of marvelous items photographed by Brad Flowers from the museum's archive of images. Some of these masterworks can be seen in our Borneo gallery, along with a few pieces being reproduced here for the first time. Among the most extraordinary items in the collection are klirieng, or burial mausoleums that were carved from tall, massive timbers. Illustrated here are sections from several of these poles. While the Punan Ba'a poles are the most famous, others, including the Berawan, Kajang peoples, and the Melanau of Mukah and Dalat districts, also carved such monuments. In terms of their Herculean mass and size, these poles at their very best are aesthetic tour de forces that are rarely, if ever, equaled in traditional Southeast Asian art. The last klirieng pole of note was carved in 1897. The tradition began to wane when headhunting was forcefully banned in 1884. Wealthy aristocrats erected these grand edifices in memoriam for important persons. Mortuary poles always required the sacrifice of an irau or captive to 'settle' it in the earth and to appease and navigate the spirits. The few poles that have survived are simply miracles that have defied the ravages of time, including periodic fires that destroyed nearly all of these impressive works of art and human ingenuity.
Other grand items illustrated here include the earliest collected wooden baby carrier with a row of carved vertical protective heart-shaped faces and a Kayan wooden ceremonial bowl with delicate raised bone plaques depicting protective mythical animals. So elegant yet practical as in former times, it was important not only to announce who you were but to successfully navigate both the natural and supernatural world at all times. There are also five doors illustrated below, two of which, the Berawan and Kejeman chiefs' doors, are the finest extant. There are so many unique items here. A pair of statues that once framed a famous peace treaty that took place in 1899 between the Kenyah, Kayan, and Klemantan peoples at Marudi can still gaze over time as authoritative witnesses to a significant event. The two finest surviving war canoe prows, both from the 19th century, are illustrated along with singular pieces from various Bidayuh-related groups. It must also be mentioned that the Museum has a fine collection of Iban weaving, Kenyah and Kayan beadwork, painted barkcloth, and so much more.
The city of Kuching is a charming historic town filled with diverse cultural and educative offerings that are among the finest to be encountered in Asia. It's one of our favorite cities and well worth a visit.
— Steven G. Alpert, founder of Art of the Ancestors
1
Punan Ba'a Baby Carrier
2
Wooden Bowl with Bone Panels
3
Carved Figure for 1899 Peace Treaty between Kenyah, Kayan, and Klemantan Marudi
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Carved Figure for 1899 Peace Treaty between Kenyah, Kayan, and Klemantan Marudi
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Kejaman Chief’s Door
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Berawan Chief’s Door
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Kayan Panel, Tinjar River
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Hunkered Figure | Bidayuh Peoples
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Ceremonial Bowl
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Iban House Door
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Iban House Door
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War Canoe Prow Ornament
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War Canoe Prow Ornament
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Painted Shield
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Female Figure | Bidayuh Peoples
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Female Figure | Bidayuh Peoples
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Mask | Orang Ulu Peoples
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Sun Hat | Melanau Peoples
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Incised Figurative Bamboo Container | Kayan Peoples
20
Wooden Figurative Post
All artworks and images presented in this feature are the property of the Borneo Cultures Museum.
© Borneo Cultures Museum | Photo Credit: Brad Flowers