Of pictures and memories: Archival photographs and community curation of cultural resources in Borneo Abstract: This project investigates archival photographs from the Sarawak Museum in Kuching, Malaysia, taken between 1951 and 1978 in remote communities of rural Borneo. The photographs, which have never been fully documented or viewed by the subject communities, are discussed as sites of memory and cultural resources, as members of the ethnic groups use them to anchor knowledge of their history and traditions to objects, people and locations shown in the photographs. Multiple interpretations of the pictures as colonial artifacts, ethnographic evidence, museum objects and family photographs are uncovered and contribute to their interpretation. The diverse meanings determine the social significance of the images, allowing for cultural, economic and political changes happening in these ethnic groups to be traced. The project uses methods including crowd sourcing and community curation, extending the scope of archival and museum practices to establish agency for the communities to contribute to the historical discourse.

1. Of Pictures and Memories
Archival photographs and community curation of cultural resources in Borneo
Presented 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

2. Photographs from Borneo
✤ 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
2

3. South
China
Sea
Celebes Sea
Map of Borneo, Sarawak and the Baram region 3

4. 4

5. The images
The 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

6. The archive
The 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

7. Negatives at the archive of the Sarawak Museum 7

8. Seria
Miri Brunei
Marudi
Gn Mulu
Limba
Bekenu Kuala Tutoh Dulit range Fifth
S
Sibuti Lg. Kiput Batu Belah . Tu
g
Beluru Lg. Terawan
oh Lg. Seridan
South
t
Lg. Ikang
Sg . A
Sg
Niah Lg. Teru
po
h
.N
China
Lg. Banio Lg. Wat
Umah Akeh Lg. Atip
iah
Lg. Puak Batu Gading Lg. Bedian
Suai g. Lg. Lama
S
Lapok
Sea
Teru
Loagan Lg. Laput
Bunut Sungai Dua Pa
i
g. Sua
Bt Lg. Jegan Lg. Miri Baram district
Fourth Division
Sg.
Ba
Lg. Batan Se am
Sarawak
mad oh Lg. Pilah
r
Lg. Loyang Lg. Lellang
Lg. Aya T in
jar
Lg. Liam Lg. Tebangan
Lg. Sobeng
Leppo Leju Lg. Akah
Bintulu district
Du
Lg. Aton Lg. San
l
ra
Fourth Division
it
n Lg. Selapun Lg. Selatong
Kapit district Lg. Lobang
ge
Btg Third Division
.K Lg. Buroi
e m ena Lg. Apu
Lg. Semiang
Lio Matu
Lg. Belapau Lg. Julan
Bintulu Lg. Sela’an
Sebauh Lg. Anap
B tg. Be Lg. Moh
l a ga Lg. Palai
The Baram and its tributaries 8

9. The villages
The 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

10. Lungan Pusa with her nephew at Long Buroi 10

11. 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 Teru 11
right: Lian Yang, left: Madang Beluluk

12. Museum work
The 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

13. Ukung Kajan playing the Kelunaye at Long Jegan
13

14. 14
‘1 Malaysia’ headdress, Long Nawang, Indonesia, 2012

15. Development
& change
The 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

16. 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

17. Oral history
The 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
17
Long Teru, recording local oral history, 1975

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

19. Ownership
The 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

20. Celebrating
culture
The 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

21. Orang Ulu presentation, Marudi 2011 21

22. Historical
past
Most 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

23. Performers and instruments, Long Busang, 2012
23

24. Exhibitions
Some 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

25. New media
Many 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

26. Collaboration
Pride 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

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

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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
30

31. Thank you!
Temenggong Datuk Oyong Lawai Jau stepping out of a Malayan Airways airplane, date unknown
31