Of Pictures and MemoriesArchival photographs and community curation of cultural resources in BorneoPresented By Christine Horn, Institute For Social Research, Swinburne University Of Technogy, Melbourne

Penghulu Gau, his wife and sister in law in front of the Sarawak Museum, 1956 1

✤ Sarawak and the Sarawak Museum✤ The archive of the Sarawak Museum and the photographs✤ The Baram and Tinjar rivers and the Kenyah and Kayan people✤ The photographer and the work of the Museum✤ The archive today - culture and change in the communities✤ Oral history and the documentation of the past✤ Methods of collaboration

Photographs from Borneo

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South China

Sea

Celebes Sea

Map of Borneo, Sarawak and the Baram region 3

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The imagesThe images were kept at the archive but not described or researched. The photos were known to some members of the communities in the city but in the villages mostly unknown.

In the course of this project the photographs were taken to the villages and described with the help of the communities.

Prompted by the images, the oral history, genealogies, migrations but also myths and legends were remembered and recounted by the members of the community.

Contact prints at the archive of the Sarawak Museum 5

The archiveThe photographs at the Sarawak Museum archive were taken from 1950 onwards, after Sarawak had been ceded by the Rajah to British Colonial Government.

The images were taken on trips by the local staff throughout the state, while the staff was collecting artefacts, undertaking conservation work and research and other projects.

Most of the images have never been published or described. For the Kenyah and Kayan the collection contains around 1.500 medium format photographs between 1950 and 1978.

The photo archive of the Sarawak Museum 6

Negatives at the archive of the Sarawak Museum 7

Kapit districtThird Division

Bintulu districtFourth Division

Baram districtFourth Division

Limbang districtFifth Division

Tinjar

Bara m

Sg. Apo

h

Sg . Tutoh

Btg. Kemena

Btg. Su

ai

Sg. Niah

Btg. Belaga

S g. Semad oh

S

g. Teru

Lg. Puak

Marudi

Miri

BintuluSebauh

Suai

Niah

Bekenu

Sibuti Beluru

Lg. Lama

Seria

Lapok

Sarawak

South China

Sea

Brunei

Loagan Bunut

Batu Gading

Lg. Tebangan

Lg. Pilah

Lg. LaputSungai Dua

Lg. Miri

Lg. Liam

Lg. BedianLg. Atip

Lg. Kiput

Lg. Lamai

Lg. AkahLg. SanLg. Aton

Leppo Leju

Lg. Moh

Lg. Ikang

Lg. Anap

Lg. ApuLg. Julan

Lg. Palai

Lg. Selatong

Lg. Semiang

Lg. WatLg. Banio

Lg. Aya

Kuala Tutoh

Lio Matu

Lg. Sela’an

Umah Akeh

Lg. Belapau

Lg. Jegan

Lg. Teru

Lg. TerawanBatu Belah

Lg. Buroi

Lg. Loyang

Lg. Sobeng

Lg. Selapun

Lg. Batan

Bario

Lg. Seridan

Pa Tik

Lg. Lellang

Lg. BangaLg. Lobang

Batu Lawi

Gn. Murud

Gn Mulu

Dulit range

Dulit range

The Baram and its tributaries 8

The villagesThe villages along the Baram and Tinjar belong to the Kenyah and Kayan communities.

The Kenyah and Kayan practise slash-and-burn rice agriculture, supported by produce from the forest and rivers. As part of the ancient religion based on the belief in spirits and animal omens headhunting was practised widely, and warfare was common between the villages. All villages converted from the to Christianity in the 1950s.

There are around 50.000 Kenyah and 30.000 Kayan living in Sarawak.

Sculptor at work: Gurong Lanu at Long Buroi, 1956 9

Lungan Pusa with her nephew at Long Buroi 10

The photographer

Junaidi Bolhassan was the staff photographer at the Sarawak Museum for 20 years from the 1950s onwards. Although a coastal Malay he was very familiar with the rural inland communities.

He was in charge of the archive and filed and ordered all photographs, supplying the date of capture to each negative.

His role did not include research or description of the images, which is why most of the photographs remain undescribed today.

The photographer, Junaidi Bolhassan at Long Teruright: Lian Yang, left: Madang Beluluk

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Museum workThe museum work included the collection of artefacts in the villages, such as this heritage ceramic plate presented in this photograph.

The museum staff also conducted conservation work, for example taking care of the carved and painted burial poles. They also accompanied foreign researchers and conducted their own research projects published in the Museum’s Journal.

Several universities have been established in Sarawak which are now responsible for most research activities in the state.

Woman presenting her ceramics, place unknown 12

Ukung Kajan playing the Kelunaye at Long Jegan13

‘1 Malaysia’ headdress, Long Nawang, Indonesia, 201214

Development & changeThe villages in the Baram and Tinjar have modernised, in particular those nearer to the coast. Logging and oilpalm plantations have provided employment options but also caused changes in the environment such as silted rivers and scarcity of forests and their produce, large trees as building material and animals as a source of protein.

As schooling is obligatory, many village children board in the bigger villages and towns during the week and often do not return to their villages after graduation.

Laong Jalong and Laie Tanyit from Long Makabar 15

New traditions

Malaysia is a multicultural nation which advocates its many ethnic groups, in particular in the tourism sector. At the same time the prime minister is promoting the theme of ‘1 Malaysia’, a program promoting ethnic harmony and national unity.

These economic and political factors impact on the way in which communities position themselves in the attempt to find a unified voice. The communities are very remote and development has been slow, with many villages lacking basic necessities such as electricity, telephone reception and sealed roads.

Traditional outfit, ca. 1978, place unknown 16

Oral historyThe traditional oral transmission of stories and legends but also of historical events has been ruptured by the absence of children and young people in the community.

The region has a multitude different dialects in the region which are difficult to transcribe, which is why there are no written documents available for teaching the dialects or languages.

Some communities have begun to record their songs, legends and histories, but often their importance is not recognised.

Alai and a member of the Borneo Literature Bureau at Long Teru, recording local oral history, 1975 17

Tama Belasap, Balan Lambong, Madau Musup at Kuching airport, 1955 18

OwnershipThe presence of the objects in the collection of the Sarawak Museum is a source of pride and interest for the communities.

Many artefacts were donated to the museum by important political personalities such as the paramount chief Temenggong Oyong Lawai Jau in the 1960s and 70s, whose name is still well known and whose photographs are recognised by any Kenyah or Kayan in Sarawak.

Other objects were donated by private enthusiasts or bought by the Museum.

Exhibits at the Sarawak Museum, 1966 19

Celebrating cultureThe villages today celebrate their traditional culture through their music, dances and festivals. The photographs from the archive show how ‘traditional’ culture such as musical instruments, performances or dress have changed as new features are being adapted.

New features often reflect the political and economic situation. The style of the modern traditional dress for example represents a socially acceptable style as much as cultural independence from other groups in the state.

Traditional Orang Ulu outfit, Marudi 2011 20

Orang Ulu presentation, Marudi 201121

Historical pastMost of the objects in the photographs are cause for discussion and reminiscence in the communities and a measure for the changes the villages have undergone.

Most private collections have perished in fires or floods so that many families have no personal photographs of their families. The existence of the images from the Museum caused surprises and discussion in all the villages.

Woman dancing, Long Jegan, 1956 22

Performers and instruments, Long Busang, 2012

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ExhibitionsSome photographs from the collection of the Sarawak Museum were exhibited in the two main cities of Sarawak, Miri and Kuching, over the last two years. Members of the community travelled for long distances to see if their village or their relatives could be found in the images.

The first of the exhibition was part of the project as it was an interactive event in which the audience was invited to share their knowledge about the images. The visitors contributed to the body of information and the descriptions which have been added to the database.

Exhibition of photographs, Sarawak Museum 2012 24

New mediaMany Kenyah and Kayan have now migrated to the cities to find employment. They bring technology such as cameras, video cameras and sound recording equipment to the villages to record cultural performances and events.

In the course of the project the photographs from the archive were exhibited online and the communities were invited to contribute to the contextualisation. In spite of the lively online presence of ethnic Kenyah and Kayan in chatrooms little information on the images could be provided by the online participants.

Man filming traditional dances, Long Nawang, 2012 25

CollaborationPride in cultural resources, the wish to learn about their own cultural past and the desire to remember and communicate ethnic traditions are some of the reasons for communities to collaborate with museums in their effort to curate indigenous objects and images.

The museum gains from the diverse perspectives, narratives and knowledge which communities can contribute, as long as participation is encouraged and rewarded. Communities often prioritise other issues, such as economic development, and need to see the result of projects and their own perceived benefits.

Man with heritage artefacts, Kuala Tutoh, 1968 26

Penghulu Apoi Njau,Temenggong Oyong Lawai Jau, Penghulu Tama Bulan Lian in Kuching 27

Representing who?In the rural areas, most village retain their traditional lifestyle, customs and social structure, which results in a lived culture able to include new elements.

In the multicultural urban areas, traditional customs aren’t part of the daily lives of the individuals but ethnic belonging is a major part of individual identity. Being ethnic Malay, Chinese, Indian or Dayak such as the Orang Ulu impacts on many practical aspects of life such as employment, social groups and political orientation.

Woman looking at photographs, Long Sobeng, 2011 28

Alternative spaces?The traditional museum space offers free access but in reality the museum does not function in the same way for the different members of the community. Access to information depends on the location, level of education and economic status of the individual.

The spaces for historical reflection in the villages are only being established by the heads of the communities and their committees attempting to assemble the narratives and documents that are available.

Long Nawang cultural hall, 2012 29

The museum & the communities✤ Museum objects are an important source of historical information for

the communities✤ Museums can help communities to find appropriate spaces to present

and archive historical documents✤ Communities can use museum objects and research to promote but

also adapt to the changes brought on by development✤ New developments in museum practise offer a

wider range of interactions with communities

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Thank you!

Temenggong Datuk Oyong Lawai Jau stepping out of a Malayan Airways airplane, date unknown31