Researching the forts of a bygone age
WHEN it comes to the history of Sarawak, the White Rajah’s 105-year dynasty remains as one of the most fascinating subjects to learn.
The Brooke rule covered the period from the first Rajah James Brooke’s crusade against piracy, to the expansion of Sarawak’s territory, to its present-day boundaries under the rule of the second Rajah Charles Brooke and the formulation of the 1941 Constitution to give self-governance to Sarawakians by the third and last White Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke which never saw the light of day because of the Japanese Occupation.
Throughout the White Rajahs’ rule, over 20 forts were built across Sarawak to fend off outlaws, pirates, and even prevent tribal conflicts. Most are little more than ruins these days, and a few did leave substantial landmarks like Fort Lingga in Sri Aman, the only visible historical structure — and serving as proof that the fort was there is the flagpole.
But a number of these forts that survived the test of time have been restored and turned into museums such as Fort Margherita in Kuching, Fort Sylvia in Kapit, and Fort Hose in Marudi. Fourteen forts are still around.
The Brooke-era forts, built in every district and division statewide, served as fortification and protection against enemy forces threatening the livelihoods of the community and the indigenous people living near them. These forts are also tangible proof of a bygone era.
But what about their intangible history and the personal accounts of those who had lived during the era and had collective and fond memories of the forts?
Some may have served as fort watchmen and fought skirmishes or battles at one of these forts. Their experiences, stories, and memories may have been passed down the generations.
A senior lecturer in Anthropology and Sociology from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Dr Elena Chai is leading a group of social scientists on a two-year research project on these Brooke-era forts and their heritage.
The project is funded by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) and the Sarawak Tourism Federation (STF).
Chai recently shared her experiences in spearheading the project and the expected outcomes with thesundaypost.
To bring these forts back to life, Chai and her team embarked on a quest to obtain and document the memories and life-stories during the Brooke era from the local communities with special references to the forts in the respective bazaar towns.
“We are doing this because the forts and the bazaar towns grew in tandem with their respective communities,” she said.
From the collection of memories, the study envisages capturing the social history of Sarawakians through their connections with the forts.
It also aspires to supplement the official written history of Sarawak by collecting and documenting the experiences and memories of the people who lived during that era.
Chai pointed out that the collective memories and stories served as a conduit to the time when Sarawak was expanding as a country under the White Rajah’s administration.
Stories told by older generations would provide meaningful insights into how lives were lived, how battles were fought and how trades were negotiated, among others, she said.
“It’s about the social history — the history shaped by the people. We have the official (written) history but we also have the unofficial ones. So in this research, we’re trying to collect the oral history shared — the memories of the locals about the forts.
“For instance, the story on
Fort Baleh built at the confluence of Rajang and Baleh Rivers. Back then, the Ibans were moving (upriver) which caused insecurity among the people living along the Baleh River. At the time, the Sultan of Brunei asked James Brooke if he could repel these people.
“So James built the fort to stop them from invading further so that they would not disturb the peace in the area. However, the currents at the confluence were too strong and in the end, the builders moved (downriver) to Fort Sylvia. But it wasn’t named Fort Sylvia until the 1920s. Before that, it was known as Kubu Kapit (Kapit Fort). There’s a lot of connections between these forts which makes it interesting.
“Take another example
— Fort Hose in Marudi. People living there in the 1980s had very little entertainment. So every evening, they just went the fort to have a walk. It’s like a place of gathering.
“When talking about Fort Hose, people would say they remembered this large tree, a hill, and the fort. It became a centre, a focus of attraction and power. As such, it serves as the identity of the town itself.”
On how the stories or memories would be documented, she said her team would visit individuals with knowledge of their ancestors’ recollections or experiences related to the forts and interview them.
At the same time, the team would look into their genealogy to confirm their relations to their ancestors, she added.
“We’ll listen to and jot down what they say. The stories will be recorded and we’ll recommend how the stories should be presented — may be to supplement the official history of the forts or write the stories.”
Dr Chai said since the project was funded by ministry, it is up to the ministry whether or not to use those stories.
“Maybe we can also put in old photos of the people and recordings or add some items the people used when they were at the forts.”
As for challenges in conducting the research, Chai said her team could not access some of the old photos of the forts.
Although materials were obtained from the Sarawak Museum, she noted that old photos of the forts or even sketches were hard to come by and some of these could only be obtained from outside the country.
She revealed one of her team members managed to contact a university in France for sketches of Fort Baleh and Fort Lio Matu in Long Akah, Baram.
“As anthropologists, we spend a lot of time in fieldwork. Of course, we can only do this during the three-month semester break from June to August. We consider this our golden period. During the weekends, we sometimes travel to do fieldwork.
“Now, our team is not moving anywhere with the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions on movement.”
Rural tourism
According to Chai, one of the aims of the study is to link the tourism nodes between urban cities and rural bazaar towns by focusing the research on the Brooke-era forts and their social history.
For instance, the people in Kuching can visit Lingga to learn about the stories behind the remains of Fort Lingga or go to Sarikei and visit the site of Fort Brooke to learn about its history.
As an anthropologist, Chai aims to empower Sarawakians to enable to fully appreciate the history behind these forts and their heritage.
“In Sarawak, when we talk about tourism events, we always think of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) in Kuching, the Borneo Jazz Festival in Miri, the Kite Festival in Bintulu, or Pesta Babulang in Lawas. But these are not permanent as they are only organised at a certain time.
“When we plan our trips during the short weekend (from Friday to Sunday), we’ll visit Damai beach or someplace near. Why not take the family to Mukah, Sibu, or Sarikei to look at these forts and listen to what local people say about them.”
She said with the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of people could not vacation abroad and this is where rural tourism can come in.
“The rural communities should take the opportunity to capitalise on the forts’ heritage. With Motac promoting more tourism activities in these areas, the rural folks can benefit from them as well.”
History-memory connection
Chai said findings from the research could connect the social history of different areas with the social memory of the communities into a more relatable manner, adding that this would help fill in the lacuna of social history in Sarawak through the collection of stories and memories of the people.
“The social memory and social history will help furbish the contents of the forts, especially those already identified as regional museums. Such information will make the forts more appealing and attractive for tourists to understand the people and cultures of Sarawak.
“The study will contribute directly to Motac’s efforts to expand tourist visits beyond major cities by extending the tourism nodes to rural bazaar towns.”
She added that findings from the study would substantiate an important documentation process for the state government to recommend several notable forts for nomination as Heritage Sites with the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
According to Chai, one of the advisory boards that evaluate the nomination of heritage sites is the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos), an organisation working closely with international scientific committees such as Heritage Documentation, Historic Towns and Villages (CIVVIH), Interpretation and Presentation of Cultural Heritage Sites (ICIP) and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICICH).
The group’s research will provide the necessary documentation required by the international scientific committees.
“By committing to archiving and documenting the stories and memories of the local people, it will help to foster better understanding among Motac, tourism agencies and the local communities.
“The aims and initiatives of the government agencies can be better conveyed when there are ongoing and inclusive dialogues. The outcome of the collaboration between the government and the local communities will be beneficial and profitable for both parties,” she said.
Chai thanked Motac, STF, and the Sarawak Museum for their support in making the research a reality.
She also thanked the communities in the bazaar towns for their cooperation in providing the research team with the stories and memories about the forts in their respective areas.
Chai and her research team are currently looking to meet and speak to any individuals who have the knowledge, stories, or memories of any forts in Sarawak — whether they heard about them directly or indirectly.
The researchers welcome those with access to or have old photos of the forts to share them.
Acknowledgements will be made for the stories, memories, as well as photo contributors in the researchers’ reports to Motac and STF.
Those interested to contribute stories or photos can contact Chai at gelena@unimas.my.
It’s about the social history — the history shaped by the people. We have the official (written) history but we also have the unofficial ones. So in this research, we’re trying to collect the oral history shared — the memories of the locals about the forts.
— Dr Elena Chai, Unimas senior lecturer in Anthropology and Sociology