Morris, Stephen The Oya Melanau. Malaysian Historical Society (Sarawak Branch), Kuching, Sarawak. (1991)
Abstract
This book has been written to give as detailed an account of a part of the ethnography of the Melanau people of the Oya River in Sarawak as is possible for a sympathetic foreigner to give. Since my first visit to the river in 1948 under the auspices of the British Colonial Social Science Research Council and the Government of Sarawak much of the life of the inhabitants of the district has been so transformed as to make the book largely an historical record. The record, nevertheless, is an incomplete one. In the first place an outsider inevitably misses much and perhaps misunderstands even more that to an insider is obvious and significant. In the second place the exigencies of publication mean that much of the record has to be omitted. The writer's hope is that the book may persuade local historians to check and add to this account of some of the history of the Melanau's unusual and attractive civilisation. My brief during the first period of fieldwork, from 1948 to 1950, was to examine the sago industry, which at that time made a substantial contribution to the prosperity of Sarawak, and was the principal, almost the only source of livelihood for most of the people in the swampy, coastal district of the Oya and Mukah Rivers. To undertake the necessary survey I settled in Medong, an upriver village of the Melanau area of the River Oya. Its inhabitants were primarily engaged in the growth and production of sago, and the majority of them were still pagan. In other villages the people had largely been converted to Islam or were greatly influenced by the Roman Catholic mission. On subsequent visits in 1963/64, 1966, 1967, 1970/71 and 1981 I gave greater attention to an attempt to understand pagan beliefs and practices than to the economic and political affairs. Most of my time on the first visit, and indeed on later visits, was spent in Medong but in 1950 I also lived for two months in the fishing village of Oya, and then visited other communities on the River Rejang and its delta. In the same year, I undertook a tour of villages between Mukah and Miri, and briefly visited Kajang longhouses on the Rivers Baluy and Rejang. In 1971 Dr. Clayre and I made a more extended visit to the same Kajang communities.
| Item Type: | Book |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Melanau, Oya, Social life, Customs, Rites and Ceremonies |
| Taxonomy: | By Niche > Ethnology > Melanau (Malaysian People) > Rites and Ceremonies By Niche > Ethnology > Melanau (Malaysian People) > Social Life and Customs |
| Local Content Hub: | Niche > Melanau |
| Depositing User: | Normah Sadaiee |
| Date Deposited: | 28 Mar 2023 05:42 |
| Last Modified: | 28 Mar 2023 05:42 |
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