LAND OF FEAR

Greymouth Evening Star, 14 January 1928, Page 11

LAND OF FEAR

WORK IN SARAWAK. “The tropical forest is shrouded with a gloom that is not of this world. It is at once a marvel and a terror.” The speaker was sitting in a chair at the Royal Colonial Institute, a man of commanding presence and over 6 feet in height. He is Dr. Charles Hose, who has returned to England after- 25 years spent in Sarawak, the strange part of Borneo, which is an independent State within the British Empire and has an area of 60,000 square miles. The story of Sarawak is bound up with the paipes of three White Rajahs, Rajah Si? James Brooke, and his successors. James Brooke arrived in Sarawak in 1839. He was appealed to by the chiefs of the north-west coast of Borneo for protection, against the nobles of the Sultan of Brunei, who originally owned the whole of the territory; Brooke lent his aid to such purpose that he was begged by the population to take over the work of government. In .September, 1841, he was proclaimed Governor and Rajah of Sarawak, and his title as an independent sovereign was confirmed by the Sultan of Brunei in 1842. The second Rajah of Sarawak, Sir Charles Brooke, was given the G.C.M.G. in 1888, and his position was recognised by the Briish Government as Rajah of Sarawak..

To a representative of the “Sunday Times” Dr Hose said the natives of Sarawak comprised some half-dozen tribes, and one of his duties was to keep the peace and inculcate a respect for law and order. “The primitive Bornean can be forgiven for his fear of some evil lurking gave for his fear of some evil lurking in the dense jungle,” he said. “The propical forest must be visited to be realised. With its dense mass of trees and undergrowth and foliage and its wealth of wild life, both beneficent and fearsome, it has always struck me as 'nearer to the early state of the world than anything surviving on the face of the globe.. It is a land of gorgeous beauty and of primeval terror.

“What effects of fear cannot the weird sounds and unseen dwellers of the creeper-clad sound and unseen dwellers of the creeper-clad forest exercise on the simple but sensitive minds of the jungle dweller? Among people living in isolated villages, with only jungle paths and rivers as their means of contact with the Government and its officers, it is easy to understand how rumours, especially where fear, superstition, or malice are aroused, spread, and grow as they spread. One of the most remarkable phenomena in native life is the rapidity with which rumour travels. “Very often in cases of panics, actual or anticipated, Government interference has been necessary to avert a catastrophe. A case in point was the occasion of the total eclipse of the sun. We started our plan of preventing a scare two months before by sending information to every chief whom it was’possible to reach. Each one was given a strip of rattan, knotted according to the custom prevalent among all natives of the interior, so as to mark the exact number of days that would elapse before the eclipse; these strips they were instructed to carry about with them, removing one each night, and were told to spread the information as widely as possible. INCANTATIONS AND DRAGONS “On the actual date of the eclipse crowds of boats from all parts came down the river, and I arranged that a gun should be fired exactly an hour before the eclipse began. When this order became known the various peoples were affected in various ways. Some of the older people brought kerosene oil in large quantities; they had seen a previous eclipse, but were afraid that on this occasion the sun might go out permanently as it had nearly done so before. “Others thought that the moon was about to be devoured by a dragon, and devised various charms, spells and incantations to scare the monster away. When the eclipse began there was terrific excitement, men yelling, women becoming hysterical, gongs being beaten, and incantations being shouted to drive away the dragon. However, everything passed off without trouble. When daylight was once more restored all. was well; but what disasters might have occurred had not these precautions been taken it is hard to say.

“In Borneo human sacrifice is the survival of a very old custom. The idea was that if Mother earth was disturbed by the works of man, she could be best appeased by the sacrifice of human lives by those who disturbed her. In time these sacrifices became less real in their importance. Old men and slaves sufficed until in the course of time domestic animals and chickens, or heads taken in battle, to ensure the fertility of the soil and the prosperity of the community, becoming the symbols of sacrifice. “In 1894 there was a widespread and devastating panic in Sarawak. Its origin seems to have been connected with the building of a large reservoir. It was rumoured that the Government required a number of human heads as a form of sacrifice, and that men were sent out at night to procure these heads. The inhabitants were seized with terror. People did not dare to venture out at night. “In the outlying districts the occupants of isolated houses moved into the house of one family for safety. What made things worse was that some ill-disposed persons took advantage of the panic to commit murder. It was some time before people became convinced that the rumour was untrue. “It is interesting to note among recent honours that the present Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke, was given the G.C.M.G.” One of the enterprises associated with Dr. Hose’s work in Sarawak was the development of the oil resources of the State. Thanks to his initiative, Sarawak is now recognised as a potential oil-bearing field of great importance.