I had a chance to visit the Sarawak Museum on my recent trip back to Kuching. Hadn't been there for many, many years. Bet many of you guys haven't either.
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So here are some photos that might be interesting and might rekindle memories of your past visits there. And if you are keen on history, you might consider visiting the museum again when you're next back in Kuching. Some of you might not know that the museum exhibits now extend across the road to the Tun Razak building as well.
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The above exhibit is one that has always stayed in my memory - the mock-up longhouse with the real skulls hanging up there. Remember the old Dayak custom where the young man had to show up with spear and shield, and present the potential father-in-law with a skull as proof that he was brave enough to marry the maiden? I suppose they had their 3 S's to meet, just like we have our 3 C's these days (career, car, credit card). Hmmm, maybe things haven't changed that much after all :-)xxxxx
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The colourful murals on the walls have always been most impressive, and reflect the richness of native artistry of Sarawak.
Then we have the Brooke section ...
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Portraits and brief descriptions of their reign as White Rajahs of Sarawak ...
The actual sword of Sir James Brooke is there ...
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As well as the masthead from James Brooke's ship "The Royalist" which brought him up the Sarawak River for the first time in 1839 ...
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There's such a lot more there which I have no bandwidth to describe, so if you find yourself in Kuching with an hour or two spare , do yourself a favour and pay this grand old museum a visit.
History needn't be that boring subject that a teacher droned on for hours when we were in school. As I get older, I find I have a better appreciation of its place in our lives. It helps me understand where we came from, and possibly gives hints on where we are going. Indeed at 50, we are living history ourselves :-)
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Very interesting. I have not been there since I was a boy. I remember many stuffed animals. Are they still there?
ReplyDeleteHi Uncle Jimmy and all the Aunties and Uncles,
ReplyDeleteI have been to Kuching many times....but i havent been inside the museum=(
Mummy is taking me and my siblings back to Kuching next week to see my grandparents....
So i will persuade Mummy to take me to visit the museum ...=0
I will look forword to visiting my grandparents,eating 'Kolo Mee'!,admiring my Po Po's garden...
On my last visits i always like to play 'Mario'!!!!......but their old computer had.........CRASHED!!!...no......i am so upset now=(
My mummy encourages me to post comments on this blog to improve my English.....
She said i can learn how to write proper English from all the Uncles and Aunties......
Bye now i got to have my lunch!!!!
Mention of the museum reminds me of our history lessons in primary school. We learnt the history of Sarawak, how James Brooke sailed up the river in the Royalist, how the Sultan of Brunei sought his help to put an end to the menace of piracy which was rampant in those times. I loved history and the romance of that swashbuckling era.
ReplyDeleteRentap was a fearsome pirate and Rosli Dhobi was the murderer of Sir Duncan Stewart, 2nd Governor of Sarawak. I hear that history books have been changed so that pirates and murderers are now folk heroes and freedom fighters.
Someone seems to have forgotten that Sarawak is where it is today because of the services rendered by James Brooke to the Sultan of Brunei in getting rid of Rentap and his ilk.
As they say: one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.
ReplyDeletehope the little lady doesn't learn the wrong words from the Uncles .. pick your words carefully boys. LOL
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Kuching. Besides being Cat City, it is also the City of Museums.
ReplyDelete1. Sarawak Museum (as featured here)
2. Chinese History Museum
3. Cat Museum
4. Development Museum (is it the correct name - the one across the road to Sarawak Museum)
5. Islamic Museum
6. Textile Museum
7. Living Museum that is the Cultural Village.
Did I miss out any?
Leo,
ReplyDeleteWow so many museums!! Where are the Chinese Museum? and the Islamic M? Textile M?
Lee Kien,
ReplyDelete1. Chinese Museum - at the Waterfront, formerly housing the Chinese Chamber of Commerce (next to James Brooke Bistro)
2. Islamic Museum - at Jln. P. Ramlee (hope you know where Jln. P. Ramlee is). Anyway, it is behind and next to the Dvelopment Museum
3. Textile Museum - somewhere in the vicinity of the old courthouse, opposite the General Post Office (not sure if it is still there though).
Tks Leo,
ReplyDeleteWill visit them myself first before recommending to others..
Certainly, will also take plenty of pictures being a "kuai" contributor eh WJ?
In answer to Anon 4 Jun 1:10PM, yes most of the stuffed animals are still there on the ground floor. The ones I remember from childhood are the cows and the orang utan. Difference is now they look much smaller and less scary.
ReplyDeleteYes Lee Kien. Take as many photos of Kuching as you can. The town is changing every day, so we better capture it as we still fondly remember it.
ReplyDeleteFor some strange reason, what I most remember about the Sarawak Museum of my childhood was not the museum itself, but the Police Brass Bands playing on Sunday evenings in the museum grounds. Great music, nice environment, tasty ice cream sold by peddlers on bicycles.
ReplyDelete