Sarawak – “The land of the Hornbills”

Sarawak is home to eight of the world’s fifty-four species of hornbills, and the Rhinoceros Hornbill is the state bird of Sarawak. This is an important cultural symbol, representing the spirit of God, and it is believed if a Hornbill is seen flying above it brings good luck.

Sarawak occupies much of the northwest coast of Borneo and is Malaysia’s biggest state by size, almost the same size as England. However, it is the most sparsely populated due to the tropical rainforests, rugged mountains, mighty rivers, mangrove forests, white sandy beaches and pristine island. It neighbours Brunei to the North, Sabah in the northeast and Indonesia (Kalimantan) in the south. Kuching is the economic capital. There are many theories as to how Kuching got its name, but a favourite adopted by the city is Kuching is the Malay word for Cat. Therefore, cat monuments and a cat museum are famous icons of the city.

The population is multi-racial, multi-linguistic, multi-religious and multi-cultural, with vibrant, colourful traditions. It’s made up of 27 distinct ethnic groups speaking more than 40 different languages and dialects. Sarawak is very culturally, ethnically and linguistically diverse, with many groups still living a simple, traditional lifestyle. English and Malay are the official languages, although there is no official religion.

Whilst Chinese ceramics have been discovered dating from the 8th to 13th Centuries, the land was owned by the Bruneian Empire in the 16th Century. In 1839, James Brooke a British explorer sailed into Kuching on his yacht, ‘The Royalist’, and after helping crush a rebellion and restoring order, he was appointed Governor of Sarawak by the Sultan of Brunei and later appointed the Rajah of Sarawak. During this time, Brooke established and cemented his rule and reformed the administration, codifying laws and continually fighting piracy. He later named his sisters oldest son, Charles Brooke, his successor, who continued as the second White Rajah of Sarawak. By all reports, both were well loved and respected during this time and Sarawak continues to this day as a state defined by its culture, indigenous and colonial traditions.