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| White
Rajahs of Sarawak (Continued) |
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Charles Johnson (1829-1936) was the nephew
of James Brooke. He later changed his
surname to Brooke and became the second
white Rajah of Sarawak in 1868 ruling
the region until 1917. He was not as colorful
as his uncle, but was a better administrator,
financier, and politician, with firsthand
knowledge of the indigenous people. Charles
set up a proper government, extended the
territory to its present boundaries, reduced
inter-tribal warfare and headhunting in
the interior, expanded trade and commerce,
balanced the budget for the first time,
and left many fine buildings. These buildings
include the Astana (1870), the white,
thatched palace which was Charles Brooke's
residence; Fort Magherita (1879) which
protected Kuching from marauding pirates
and named after the Rajah's wife; and
the Sarawak
Museum (1891) which houses the ethnographic
and natural history collections of Sarawak.
Sarawak became a British Protectorate
on June 14, 1888. Oil was discovered during
the last years of Charles' reign.
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In 1917, Charles Vyner Brooke (1874-1963),
the eldest surviving son of Charles, succeeded
his father. Rajah Vyner (always known as
Vyner) did not interfere with local customs,
but drew the line at headhunting, which
was practiced by Dyak tribesmen. When a
young Dyak comes of age, a girl didn't think
much of him until he had two or three heads.
Vyner spent many hours with these men teaching
them that severing an old woman's head just
to please a girl wasn't a sign of honor.
The last war expedition occurred in the
early 1930s against the Iban chief Asun.
The Brookes were in Sydney when Kuching
fell to the Japanese on Christmas Day in
1941. Sarawak was placed under Australian
Military Administration following Japanese
surrender in 1945. Vyner Brooke could not
afford the cost of rebuilding. He also had
little confidence in his nephew and heir
apparent, Anthony Brooke. On April 15, 1946,
Brooke resumed his position of Rajah, but
ceded Sarawak to Great Britain on July 1,
1946 in exchange for a pension. He retired
to England.
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| Many people
regard the Brooke Raj as a golden age where
traditions were strong, the economy improved,
and violence was under control. Under the
Brookes, the rights and interests of indigenous
people were protected and they were allowed
to pursue their subsistence-based lifestyles.
Local communities were shielded from European
or Chinese influence and missionaries were
largely banned until after World War II.
But why did so many northwest Borneo people
support the Brookes? Like many southeast
Asians, the Bidayuh believed that there
are certain individuals with the capacity
to manipulate the spiritual world and natural
forces to human advantage. Bidayuh call
this supernatural power semangat.
Everything the Bidayuh saw about James Brooke
indicated that he was highly potent with
intense semangat—his self confidence, the
armed followers and sailors, the 6-pound
cannons and other armaments, the deference
and courtesy by the head of the Brunei heirarchy
in Sarawak, his bravery in warfare, and
his ability to bend the Brunei authorities
to his will. By participating in his potency,
it was hoped that some of the potency would
"rub off", thus, replenishing their own
spiritual substance and ensuring material
prosperity (Walker 1998). The legacy left by a hundred
years of Brookes rule still stands—architecture;
the administrative heritage with the District
Office, where District Officers are in-charge,
Residents of Divisions with Residents in-charge,
and "out-stations" beyond HQ in Kuching;
and an end to cannibalism, head hunting,
piracy, and inter-village violence. For
more information on the White Rajahs of
Sarawak, take a look at James Brooke, Rajah Brooke and 19thC Sarawak, Rajah Brooke and Sarawak, Rajahs
of Sarawak, Sarawak History Message Board, The
Borneo Project: The Brooke Era, and The Name of Brooke. |
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