Annual report on Brunei / Colonial Office.

  • Great Britain. Colonial Office.
Date:
[1947]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Brunei / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/76 (page 4)
    Mr. C. F. Hickling Rt. Rev. Bishop Hollis H.M.S. Penn Sir H. Trusted, Kt. Bach. Admiral C. M. Cooke, U.S.N. Mr. R. Stone Mr. C.F.C. Macaskie, C.M.G. ( 4 ) Fisheries Adviser to Secretary of State for the Colonies. Lord Bishop of Sarawak and Labuan. Destroyer Royal Navy. Commissioner, Salaries Commis¬ sion. Commander-in-Chief, United States Navy West Pacific Fleet. Photographer to Colonial Office. Commissioner, War Damage Claims Commission, Borneo. PART II. Chapter I. POPULATION Race.—The principal indigenous races of the State are Brunei Malays, Kedayans, Tutongs, Dusuns, Belaits, Muruts and Dyaks. The Brunei Malays and Kedayans are found principally, in the Brunei, Muara and Temburong districts and to a lesser degree in the 'Tutong district. The Tutongs live along the lower reaches of the Tutong River and the Dusuns inhabit the hinterland between the upper borders of the Tutong and Belait River; these two races probably have a common ancestry. The Belaits are confined to the lower reaches of the Belait River. The Muruts were formerly numerous in the Temburong District but largely owing to the small-pox and cholera epidemics in the latter part of the last century and to their degenerate way of living at that time, their numbers have been greatly reduced, and there are now only scattered communities in the Temburong District. The Dyaks are found in scattered settlements along the upper reaches of the Temburong, Pandaruan and Belati rivers. The Brunei Malays live near the sea and are principally fishermen, the other races practise agriculture of one sort or another. Until quite recently the Dusuns, Dyaks and Muruts practised shifting cultivation only, but they are now being induced by means of judicious propaganda to adopt settled method of cultivation. Of the alien races the Chinese are by far the most numerous. They are immigrants from the South China Provinces, and are occupied principally as traders or shop-keepers. Other alien races in much smaller numbers are Indian, mostly Tamil and Malayalis who work as shop-keepers and as labourers in the oilfield and there are a few Arabs. Religion.—The religion of the Brunei Malays and Kedayans is Islam of the Shafe-ee sect. The Tutong and Belaits also-