Everett explored (in an expedition planned by the famous scientists, Charles Darwin, Alfred Russell Wallace and T.H. In the later years of the 19 th century, the Bau caves also attracted the attention of scholars who were searching for the ‘missing link’ of human evolution. One of the earliest foreign visitors to the Bau caves was the Italian botanist Odoardo Beccari, who discovered human bones, earthenware fragments and a possible necklace fragment during an exploration of Lubang Angin (Wind Cave) on the west branch of the Sarawak River (Sungai Sarawak Kanan) in 1866. The Bau area is famous for the presence of many limestone caves. The local earthenware and beads recovered show affinities with those found in Peninsular Malaysia, as well as at other archaeological sites in mainland and island Southeast Asia, which further suggest cultural and trade contacts.Īrchaeological discoveries have also been made in the upper parts of the Sarawak River, in what is today known as Bau. The discovery of Chinese ceramics and Buddhist relics also suggest trade links with China and possibly, India. One of the main industries was iron production. The ‘Tantric’ shrine at Bongkissam was found associated with Sung ceramics, which suggests a 12 th century date.īased on the archaeological evidence, the Santubong sites in the Sarawak River delta area were thought to be parts of a large trade entrepot that flourished between the 8 th and 13 th centuries, during which the the Sarawak River played an important role as the main passageway of trading activities. Indications of Buddhist influence at the Santubong sites were seen in the discoveries of a rectangular-shaped ‘Tantric’ shrine together with a buried ritual deposit box at Bongkissam, as well as a “stone figure of Buddha, carved in the Gupta tradition…a stupa finial and sandstone tile depicting trumpeting elephant and lotus” at Bukit Maras, as described by the archaeologist, Cheng Te-Kun, in ‘ Archaeology of Sarawak ’ that was published in 1969. At Tanjong Kubor, a Chinese coin dated to AD 713-741 (Tang and Sung period) was recovered. Tanjong Kubor and Tanjong Tegok were, in particular, cemetery sites. Most of these artefacts were found in association with Tang and Sung period tradeware ceramics. Archaeological excavations conducted at these sites have revealed findings of stone carvings depicting human figures and symbols, iron slags, iron-smelting crucibles, earthenwares, gold and metal objects, as well as glass beads and bangles. There are six main archaeological sites in the Santubong area, namely, Sungai Jaong, Bongkissam, Bukit Maras, Sungai Buah, Tanjong Tegok and Tanjong Kubor. ![]() However, it was not until the late 1940s, when Tom Harrisson became the Curator of the Sarawak Museum, that extensive archaeological work was carried out in the area. We can get a glimpse of the cultural antiquity of the Sarawak River by looking at the archaeological discoveries made in particular in its great river mouths, as well as in its upper tributaries, in the Santubong (or the Sarawak River delta) area, and in Bau (widely referred to in the past as Upper Sarawak), respectively.Īrchaeological remains (pottery, beads, gold ornaments, iron slags, and Chinese coins) at Santubong have been known since the 19 th and early 20 th century, particularly through the writings of Everett and Hewitt, who published an article entitled ‘ A history of Santubong, an island off the coast of Sarawak’ in 1909. For hundreds (and possibly, thousands) of years prior to the Brooke rule, the Sarawak River and its tributaries have been home to the lives and activities of various Sarawak peoples. The Sarawak River is no different in this respect. Today, on both banks of the river in the vicinity of the Kuching city centre, we can see historical buildings that serve as reminders of the Brooke period the Astana, Fort Margherita and the Old Courthouse, to name but a few examples.įrom an archaeological perspective, rivers were important as ‘cradles’ of civilisations. ![]() ![]() One of the most well-known events in the history of the state occurred on the banks of the Sarawak River, and that was the arrival of James Brooke, which opened the door for the Brooke family’s rule over Sarawak beginning 1841. The Sarawak River has played a central role in the history of Sarawak (whose name is derived from the river), and its capital, Kuching.
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