Land of the Hornbills

Located on the north-east of Borneo across the South China Sea from the Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is a home to various races and ethnics. It is the largest state in Malaysia with 11 divisions in total. The list starts with Kuching as the capital state and follows by Betong, Bintulu, Kapit, Limbang, Miri, Mukah, Semarahan, Sarikei, Sibu and Sri Aman. Sarawak is also known as the Land of the Hornbills as various species of hornbills inhabited its forest. 

Different hands had ruled Sarawak before the formation of Federation of Malaysia. The state was originally ruled by the Brunei Sultanate from 15^th century to early 19^th century. In 1841, Sarawak fell into Rajah Brooke control for quite a long period of time before being invaded by the Japanese during World War II. Then, Sarawak was again colonized by the British before it finally gained its freedom on the 16^th of September 1963 during the formation of Federation of Malaysia.

There are more than 30 ethnic groups which made up the Sarawakian community. These ethnic groups are not merely different in terms of language but also in their way of living and culture. Among the ethnic groups, the Ibans are the largest community of all. Besides Iban, the other ethnics include Bidayuh, Melanau, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Penan, and the list goes on. 

For the next entry, I will introduce about the Iban culture. Stay tuned. ;)