The History of Sarawak under its Two Rajahs

As I have been requested to write a preface to The History of Sarawak under its Two White Rajahs, one of whom I have the honour to be, I must, first of all, assert that I have had nothing to do with the composition or writing of the book, and 1 do not profess to be a writer, otherwise than in a very ordinary sense, having left school at the age of twelve to enter the Navy.

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History of Sarawak under its Two Rajahs by Doris Jones

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SKETCHES OF OUR LIFE AT SARAWAK

NEARLY thirty years ago I published a little book of " Letters from Sarawak, addressed to a Child." This book is now out of print, and, on looking it over with a view to republication, I think it will be better to extend the story over the twenty years that Sarawak \vas our home, which will give some idea of the gradual progress of the mission.

This progress was often unavoidably impeded by the struggles of the infant State ; for war drowns the voice of the missionary, and though the Sarawak Government always discouraged the Dyak practice of taking the heads of their enemies, still it could not at once be checked, and every expedition against lawless tribes, however righteous in its object, excited the old superstitions of those wild people. When their warriors returned from an expedition, the women of the tribe met them with dance and song, receiving the heads they brought with ancient ceremonies "fondling the heads," as it was called ; and for months afterwards keeping up, by frequent feasts, in which these heads were the chief attraction, the heathen customs which it was the object of the missionary to discourage.

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Sketches of Our Life at Sarawak

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The Brooke Trust

OUR VISION

The Brooke Trust is a charity working to share and preserve the captivating 175 year old story of the Brooke Family and its connection to the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

The Trust was founded in 2010 with a vision to preserve and share the unique story of the Brookes and Sarawak to inspire and enrich the lives of present and future generations.

The Trust’s mission is to advance charitable aims through strategic projects that inspire learning, preserve and extend knowledge, and engage diverse communities for the greater good. We aim to achieve this mission by bringing the Brooke history and legacy to life through storytelling, record and artifact preservation and imaginative historical projects.

THE STORY

The Brookes were the White Rajahs of Sarawak. They were the stuff of legend; books have been written, music composed, and movies made. Before its fall in 1941 to Japanese conquest, the state of Sarawak on the north-west of the island of Borneo was ruled by three generations of the Brooke family from the West Country of England.

Rajah James effectively ruled until 1863 when in ill health, he returned to England. His nephew Charles was named his successor. Rajah James spent his remaining years at his house, Burrator, on the edge of Dartmoor outside Plymouth, where he died in 1868. Charles’ son, Vyner took over as the third and last Rajah of Sarawak in 1918. Sarawak was occupied by the Japanese from 1941 to 1945. In 1946, the state was formally annexed by Great Britain as its last colonial acquisition. In 1963 it joined with Malaya and Sabah to form the Federation of Malaysia, in which it remains to this day.

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Fakta Mengenai Negara Sarawak

Negara Sarawak merupakan sebuah Negara yang Merdeka dan Berdaulat dibawah Pemerintahan Keluarga DiRajah James Brooke. Ia bukanlah seperti yang dinyatakan dalam buku teks sejarah sekolah buatan sejarawan malaya yang mengatakan bahawa "James Brooke" merupakan Penjajah di Sarawak.

Fakta dalam buku teks sejarah sekolah adalah fakta songsang kerana ia tidak berlandaskan kepada kebenaran fakta daripada pelbagai sumber tetapi hanya berdasarkan kepada tanggapan golongan "bijak pandai" orang malaya yang cuba menghilangkan persepsi positif dan sebaliknya cuba menanamkan dan menimbulkan kebencian terhadap Keluarga DiRajah James Brooke.

James Brooke merupakan seorang Pelayar British yang telah merantau ke Asia Tenggara 

***Sedikit sebanyak maklumat mengenai Rajah James Brooke serta keturunannya akan dikongikan. Artikel ini akan diedit berulang kali untuk mengemaskini maklumat mengenai fakta mengenai Negara Sarawak.***

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Sarawak's Colourful History

By Alan Spencer

Sarawak's proud history of the last two centuries provided one of the most fascinating contributions in the whole development of the British Empire.

In the early 19th. century, what was to become Malaysia was still a scattering of newly formed outposts down Malaya's west coast, later to become known as the Straits Settlements. The British were still probing their way past Borneo through the South China Sea towards China and the yet to be formed Colony of Hong Kong.

In these early days, young James Brooke of the British East India Company found himself appointed as an adviser to the Sultan of Brunei. The Sultan himself had little control over enormous areas of his lands, and James Brooke was continually warring against his opponents.

As a reward for suppressing a particularly dangerous revolt, the Sultan made James 'Rajah' ('King') of a grant of land far to the west, in 1841. A single river and its tributaries was the only form of travel through the dense jungle, and James Brooke found himself having to get past the fierce and brave Sea Dyaks at its mouth before being able to base his headquarters upriver at the village of Kuching.

Then followed a long series of river wars to include the equally proud inland Iban headhunters within his new lands. James Brooke's original land grant continually expanded until it dwarfed the Sultan's own territory! Thus was born Sarawak.

Still in James' personal ownership, and as news of this remarkable area began filtering out to the British in adjoining areas, Sarawak became better known, and James became known as the 'White Rajah'! Indeed, in 1850 the USA recognised Sarawak as an independent state — as did even the British, in 1864! On his death, James' nephew Charles Brooke took over the 'crown', to be followed by Charles' son, Charles Vyner Brooke.

It was not until after World War II, when the occupying Japanese had left, that it was decided that the time for such 'White Rajah' personal empires had passed. Charles Vyner Brooke abdicated and Sarawak at long last became a 'proper' British Crown Colony, in 1946.

In 1963 Sarawak then became a part of — and the largest territory within — the new Malaysia.

Thus, Kuching and Sarawak, with all its modern benefits, can still remind us of one of the very few examples of a truly privately ruled 'kingdom' in the fascinating days of the British Empire of not so long ago!

Source:http://kuching.outer-court.com/history.html

About the author: Alan Spencer, author of this brief summary, is a British Empire history enthusiast, and is currently writing the book "Where The Commonwealth Came From", a geohistorical guide to all ex-British colonies & protectorates. Coincidentally, when the Brookes abdicated from Sarawak, they retired to the village next to Alan's, in Surrey, UK.

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