100 years and 88 volumes to show, Sarawak Museum Journal is a gold mine of heritage The Star, 13 October 2011

The [...]]]> First published in 1911, the Sarawak Museum Journal turns 100 this year. The journal is one of the oldest in the region, and carries many articles pertaining to the archaeology of Borneo.

100 years and 88 volumes to show, Sarawak Museum Journal is a gold mine of heritage
The Star, 13 October 2011

The Sarawak Museum Journal, one of the world’s oldest publications in the region, has benefited many scholars until today.

State Museum director Ipoi Datan said the journal, which had been in existence for more than 100 years already, had brought scholars to the state and other places in Borneo.

According to him, the journal, with a total of 88 volumes, had became a well-known source of reference among locals and international intellectuals carrying out research and analyses.

“It has proven to be very helpful to both local and international students over many years. I can say many students have acquired their degrees, masters and PhDs with the help of the journal either directly or indirectly,” he said at the soft opening of the 100 years of the Sarawak Museum Journal exhibition at Tun Abdul Razak Hall Building here yesterday.

Full story here.

UBD Students Gain Insight On Zooarchaeology In Borneo BruDirect.com, 03 November 2010

Biology students from the [...]]]> Zoologist and environmental biologist the Earl of Cranbrook recently delivered a lecture to students at Universiti Brunei Darussalam. Lord Cranbrook was also on Borneo to present on the same topic at the recent Borneo archaeology seminar in Miri.

UBD Students Gain Insight On Zooarchaeology In Borneo
BruDirect.com, 03 November 2010

Biology students from the Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) were treated to a special lecture yesterday by Dato Sri Lord Cranbrook, renowned environmentalist and biologist from the United Kingdom.

A specialist on mammals of Borneo and Southeast Asia and birds of Southeast Asia, Dato Sri Lord Cranbrook delivered the lecture to 60 students and some lecturers at number of lectures at Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah (PAPRSB) Institute of Health Sciences.

The lecture at UBD yesterday focused on the zooarchaeology in Borneo which is the study of animal remains from archaeological sites particularly the remains of mammals found on Borneo.

In his lecture he spoke about the achievements of zooarchaeology in Borneo which had contributed towards a re-interpretation of regional mammal biogeography, improved understanding of the effects of climate change on mammal species at equatorial latitudes and the definition of the characteristics of early domesticated mammals.

1,000 Years Of Brunei-China Ties To Be Documented BruDirect, 21 May [...]]]> A special documentary programme is being produced to showcase Brunei’s long history with China, through archaeological evidence from the 10th century Sungei Limau Manis site containing Song Dynasty artefacts, the shipwreck at Tanjung Simpang Mengkayauas well as the many ancient Chinese-Muslim graves in Brunei.

1,000 Years Of Brunei-China Ties To Be Documented
BruDirect, 21 May 2009

RTB To Film Documentary 7 On Brunei-China History
BruDirect, 21 May 2009

The project to trace the history of Brunei-China relations will be implemented in June, jointly by Radio Television Brunei, Brunei History Centre and the Museums Department in collaboration with the Chinese community in Brunei.

This was highlighted in a working paper by Dr Muhammad Hadi bin Muhammad Melayong, Director of the Information Department, and Pg Dr Karim bin Pg Hj Osman from the Museums Department and presented to the media yesterday at the office of Ang Swee Chuan, Vice-President of Brunei-China Friendship Association. Also present was Dr Hj Kamaruddin bin Dato Seri Paduka Hj Talib, President of the association.

The project is also undertaken to mark the Silver Jubilee of the country’s National Day celebration and will comprise seven episodes. The first episode will showcase the start of trade and diplomatic relations between both countries. The filming in Brunei will focus on the Sg Limau Manis site, dating back to the Song Dynasty in China during the 10th-13th century.

The site was discovered in 2002 and was one of the important archaeological findings after Kota Batu. A number of artifacts believed to be from China were found including gold, bronze, beads and so on.

The sunken ship at the tip of Borneo, Tanjung Simpang Mengkayau in Kudat, Sabah was found in 2002 together with the same type of artefacts discovered in Sg Limau Manis. The ship was believed to be on its way to Brunei and sank in Sabah waters.

Rare items on display at Sabah museum Borneo Bulletin, 14 May 2009

The doors will open to reveal the rare collections at the Sabah Museum here next week.

Visitors will get to see exhibits and [...]]]> The Sabah Museum, in conjunction with International Museums Day, opens its doors to its more precious collections this week.

Rare items on display at Sabah museum
Borneo Bulletin, 14 May 2009

The doors will open to reveal the rare collections at the Sabah Museum here next week.

Visitors will get to see exhibits and specimens collected from the 1960s at the museum’s conservatory, apart from learning how they are stored.

The open day, from May 18 to May 23, is being held in conjunction with the state level World Museum Day Celebration. Entry will be free during the period.

A museum spokesman said the open day was normally a hit among visitors because they get to see many hidden “treasures” kept in the conservatory.

photo credit: RabunWarna

042271 Archaeology Of Asia. Stark, Miriam, T. (ed.). Gb. 2006. 364pp. pb $71.64 (This introduction to the archaeology of Asia, written for the [...]]]> A selection of archaeology-related books, new to the catalogue of Select Books, a specialised publisher and retailer of books pertaining to Southeast Asia. For ordering info, please visit the Select Books website.

042271
Archaeology Of Asia. Stark, Miriam, T. (ed.). Gb. 2006. 364pp. pb $71.64 (This introduction to the archaeology of Asia, written for the undergraduate, focuses on case studies from the region’s last 10,000 years of history. Comprising 15 chapters written by some of the world’s foremost Asia archaeologists, this book sheds light on many of the most compelling aspects of Asian archaeology, from the earliest plant and animal domestication to the emergence of states and empires from Pakistan to North China. In particular, the contributors explore issues of cross-cultural significance, such as migration, ethnicity, urbanism, and technology, challenging readers to think beyond national and regional boundaries. In doing so, they draw on original research data and synthesize work previously unavailable to western readers. Index.)

042105
Asia-Pacific: A History Of Empire And Conflict. Crump, Thomas. Gb. 2007. 383pp. hc $45.00 (This book is a modern history of the countries involved in World War II as combatants and of those that emerged at the end as independent sovereign states. Entire chapters are devoted to China, the two Koreas, Thailand, Cambodia and Indochina, Malaysia and Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Timor Leste. This history by geography is supplemented by other chapters that cover the Russian Far East, migration, security issues such as piracy and terrorism, the US Pacific empire, Australia, and the future of the Asia-Pacific region. With maps, bibliography and index.)

041800
Borneo, Celebes, Aru. Wallace, Alfred Russel. Gb. 2007. 112pp. pb $14.93 (Alfred Russel Wallace (1823-1913) was an explorer, a naturalist, a geographer, and a political commentator. He spent 1854-1862 wandering across what is now Malaysia and Indonesia. From this journey sprang his most celebrated book, The Malay Archipelago. This pocketbook contains six extracts from this work, which see him, amongst other activities, proposing the idea of the famed Wallace Line, hunting Orang-Utans (downright barbaric by today’s standards), and meeting the Hill Dayaks. )

042326
A Century In Asia: The History Of The École Française d’Éxtrême-Orient, 1898-2006. Clémentin-Ojha, Catherine; Pierre-Yves Manguin. Sg. 2007. 236pp. pb $48.15 (The École française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), a highly respected institution for historical and archaeological study and resource material, originated in Saigon in 1898, is now directed from Paris and there are 14 museum/library/study centres in Asia. This celebratory volume, now in English, marked the centenary of EFEO and offers details of its considerable achievements, vicissitudes and significant personalities. The impressive illustrations are from many archival sources.)

041594
Condensed Reality: A Study Of Material Culture. Ter Keurs, Pieter. Nl. 2006. 240pp. pb $86.00 (Since the 1980s, the study of material culture has become a central focus in cultural anthropology. This book explores the philosophical roots and reviews recent studies of this anthropological discourse. Based on his own experience of working intensively with museum collections throughout the world, Pieter ter Keurs, curator at the National Museum of Ethnology at Leiden, proposes a new approach towards material objects. It is now generally acknowledged that material objects are dynamic entities in culture. In this study the author suggests that this flexible approach towards form and meaning is, however, not useful without fully recognizing the materiality of the object. He argues that the inherent static nature of matter is crucial in shaping cultural realities. Objects are best seen as items in which reality is materialized, or condensed. Apart from condensation he looks at the opposite process of evaporation, namely of extracting meanings from their material bases when viewed in different contexts. The concrete ethnographic examples illustrating this model come from Papua New Guinea (the Siassi Islands) and Indonesia (Enggano Island). Bibliography and index.)

040697
Sultans, Shamans & Saints: Islam And Muslims In Southeast Asia. Federspiel, Howard M.. Us. 2007. 297pp. hc $104.90 (By the 14th century the Islamic faith had spread via maritime trade routes to Southeast Asia where, over the next 700 years, it would have a continuing influence on political life, social customs, and the development of the arts. Sultans, Shamans, and Saints looks at Islam in Southeast Asia during four major eras: its arrival (to 1300), the first flowering of Islamic identity (1300-1800), the era of imperialism (1800-1945), and the era of independent nation-states (1945-2000). Ranging across the humanities and social sciences, this balanced and accessible work emphasizes the historical development of Southeast Asia’s accommodation of Islam and the creation of its distinctive regional character. Each chapter opens with a general background summary that places events in the greater Asian/Southeast Asian context, followed by an overview of prominent ethnic groups, political events, customs and cultures, religious factors, and art forms. With maps, bibliography and index.)

041302
India’s Perception Through Chinese Travellers. Panth, Ravindra et al (eds.). In. 2007. 124pp. hc $32.00 (These 25 conference papers (three in Hindi) are from the 2004 Nalanda seminars which focused on Chinese pilgrims who, in the 6th and 7th CE, came to the sites of the Buddha’s birth and life. Socio-cultural, monastic, political and religious aspects of these pilgrimages and their impacts are discussed from different scholarly points of view.)

041280
The Wonder That Is Sanskrit (Reprinted 2006). Sampad & Vijay. In. 2002. 210pp. pb $15.00 (The significance and beauty of Sanskrit and the treasure houses of literature and thought, which open up to those who can use it, is the theme which underlies this introduction to the language. Among other topics, the chapters explore its grammar, its place as India’s national language, its use in arts, sciences and daily life, and in the expression of spirituality. With glossary, bibliography and index).

039766
The Java That Never Was: Academic Theories And Political Practices (SEAsian Dynamics V.2). Antlov, Hans; Jorgen Hellman (Eds). De. 2005. 194pp. pb $49.00 (This book is about how cultures and societies on Java over the past century have been perceived and socially constructed by scholars inside and outside of Indonesia. It is a reflective book; how, on the one hand, academic theories have shaped our view of Java and, on the other hand, how the study of Java has influenced theoretical developments within a number of disciplines, including anthropology, development studies, religious studies, political science, gender studies, and the arts. Glossary and index.)

039071
Women Of The Kakawin World: Marriage And Sexuality In The Indic Courts Of Java And Bali. Creese, Helen. Us. 2004. 357pp. pb $71.05 (For more than a millennium, the poets of the Indic courts of Java and Bali composed epic kakawin poems in which they recreated the court environment where they and their royal patrons lived. This poetry is a rich source for the cultural and social history of Indonesia. Drawing on the epic kakawin poetry tradition, this book examines the institutions of courtship and marriage in the Indic courts. The court-sponsored epic works that have survived allow us to examine the idealized images of women and sexuality and the perpetuation of gender ideologies in pre-Islamic Java and in Bali, which in turn provides insights into a number of cultural practices. Includes glossary, notes, bibliography and index.)

040407
Genes, People, And Borneo History: A Review (Borneo Research Council Occ. Pap. No. 2). Baer, A.. My. 2005. 42pp. pb $28.55 (An up-to-date overview essay on the genetic/cultural heritage of Borneo, which is seen to be an understudied area of scientific/demographic study. Pointers are given to possible areas for future research on the immense linguistic and ethnic diversity of Borneo’s present and past populations.)

040993
Cult, Culture And Authority: Princess Lieu Hanh In Vietnamese History. Dror, Olga. Us. 2007. 260pp. hc $95.70 (Princess Lieu Hanh, often called the Mother of the Vietnamese people by her followers, is one of the most prominent goddesses in Vietnamese popular religion. First emerging some 400 years ago as a local sect appealing to women, the princess’ cult has since transcended its geographical and gender boundaries and remains vibrant today. Who was this revered deity? This book traces Lieu Hanh’s cult from its ostensible appearance in the 16th century to its present-day prominence in North Vietnam and considers it from a broad range of perspectives, as religion and literature and in the context of politics and society. Bibliography and index.)

042264
Asian Art: An Anthology. Brown, Rebecca M. (ed.). Gb. 2006. 519pp. pb $96.25 (This unprecedented volume offers a portrait of the rich artistic traditions in China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia. It is the first comprehensive anthology of important primary documents, from inscriptions and imperial decrees to travellers’ accounts and writings by artists. It pairs previously published, classic essays with contemporary scholarship to produce fresh perspectives on Asian art. Across time periods, media, cultural contexts, and geography, this volume traces several thousand years of Asian art, from the terracotta armies of the First Emperor of Qin to late 20th century installation art. Useful for undergraduates and their instructors, the material in this book is arranged in chronological order and features accessible introductions for each chapter. Index.)

041755
Chola: Sacred Bronzes Of Southern India. Dehejia, Vidya et al. Gb. 2006. 157pp. hc $123.05 (Between the 8th and 13th centuries, the Chola dynasty was the dominant cultural, artistic, religious and political force in southern India. The bronze representations of Shiva and other Hindu gods are the most spectacular objects that they created. This extensively illustrated book is the catalogue of an exhibition which ran from November 2006 to February 2007 at the Royal Academy of Arts. Over 40 of these exquisite objects were shown. Full-page illustrations and lavish details of the works reveal the beauty of these sensational and technically brilliant cast bronzes. Three essays by leading experts explore how and why these bronzes came to be made and the role they played within Hinduism and Chola culture.)

041167
The Pre-Angkorian Temple Of Preah Ko: A Sourcebook Of The History, Construction And Ornamentation Of The Preah Ko Style. Falser, Michael S.. Th. 2006. 187pp. pb $96.00 (The temple of Preah Ko, built in the 9th century AD, is undoubtedly one of the most important temple structures in Khmer architecture. This temple gave a whole range of 9th century temples their stylistic group name, the ‘Preah Ko-Style’. Despite its importance, Preah Ko has rarely been acknowledged in detail in academic literature. With this publication, Austrian art historian and architect Michael Falser aims to analyse Preah Ko in its historical, archaeological, architectural, stylistic and contemporary social and religious contexts and to understand the whole complex as a ‘historical palimpsest’. He also presents the first-ever hypothetical reconstruction of the whole site, as well as of the temple façades and their ornamentation. Maps, numerous illustrations and plates accompany this study.)

We also have a range of archaeology-related books at the SEAArch Bookstore.

Cabinet to get report on conservation of caves in Sabah

The Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry will table in the Cabinet a report on the research and conservation of caves in Sabah.

Minister Datuk Seri Utama [...]]]> 5 February 2007 (Borneo Bulletin) – I’m sure Liz Price would be pretty interested in this bit of news…

Cabinet to get report on conservation of caves in Sabah

The Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry will table in the Cabinet a report on the research and conservation of caves in Sabah.

Minister Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim said that with it, there would be a tendency to assist in the efforts, and expenditures for cultural arts and heritage would no longer be considered a wastage.

…

He said that his ministry would prepare the report which contained research and conservation efforts undertaken by the Sabah Museum Department for submission to the federal government so that heritage was viewed as a valuable product of humanity.

Rais said he made the visit to get a closer look at the heritage especially the caves in Sabah so that he would be able to convince the federal government on studies and efforts to conserve historical places with heritage elements.