Peoples and settlements of Borneo
On the eve of the rule of James Brooke, the first white rajah of Sarawak (r. 1841-68), the peoples of the present-day states of Sarawak and Sabah were a mosaic of semi-autonomous ethnic groups under the overlordship of the sultanate of Brunei, whose political system was reflected at local level in each tributary area. Foremost amongst the indigenous peoples, in numbers and vigour, were the Sea Dayak (Iban). In addition to the native peoples, Sarawak also had a Chinese community comprised of gold miners and more recently arrived traders.
- Information in the full article includes
- The migration of the Iban
- The Malays, Bidayuh and Melanau
- The Kayan, Kenyah and others
- The Bajau, Dusun and Murut
- Brunei's authority over the tribes
- The Chinese
