Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak

Sarawak’s population of 2.4 million consists of the Iban, Chinese, Malay, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and Melanau in that order of demographic size. The classification of Orang Ulu alone includes the Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Lun Bawang, Punan, Penan, Murut, Kedayan and a host of other smaller communities. It...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hew, Cheng Sim
Format: Monograph
Language:English
Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/1268/
http://ir.unimas.my/1268/1/courtship%20marriage%20and%20family%20in%20sarawak.pdf
id unimas-1268
recordtype eprints
spelling unimas-12682015-03-24T01:51:48Z http://ir.unimas.my/1268/ Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak Hew, Cheng Sim HM Sociology HQ The family. Marriage. Woman HT Communities. Classes. Races Sarawak’s population of 2.4 million consists of the Iban, Chinese, Malay, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and Melanau in that order of demographic size. The classification of Orang Ulu alone includes the Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Lun Bawang, Punan, Penan, Murut, Kedayan and a host of other smaller communities. It is said that there are at least 27 different ethnic groups but no one is really sure1 The complexity of such a multiethnic population has led some to say that Sarawak is an anthropologist’s paradise or nightmare depending on how one looks at it. It has a rich history of research where anthropologists documented the indigenous cultures and customs dating back to pre colonial times. As a result, we have much historical information on the family and kinship structures of the various indigenous groups but far less is known of the contemporary family. In this chapter, I have tried to piece together whatever little there is to try to understand the changes that have occurred. In order to do this, we have to begin with the past. Although I have set up the following sections as a contrast between the past and the present, it is more accurate to talk of continuity and change. Present day Sarawak, is after all a land which encompasses the full range of communities from the nomadic hunter-gatherer Penan in the hinterland to the globetrotting elites in the cities. It is therefore not my intention to present a dichotomous view but merely as a comparative especially in the light of rapid socio-economic transformation in Sarawak. However, the focus of my discussion of the past would be on the indigenous communities in rural Sarawak. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak 2013-02 Monograph NonPeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/1268/1/courtship%20marriage%20and%20family%20in%20sarawak.pdf Hew, Cheng Sim (2013) Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak. Working Paper. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Local University
institution Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
building UNIMAS Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
language English
topic HM Sociology
HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
HT Communities. Classes. Races
spellingShingle HM Sociology
HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
HT Communities. Classes. Races
Hew, Cheng Sim
Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak
description Sarawak’s population of 2.4 million consists of the Iban, Chinese, Malay, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and Melanau in that order of demographic size. The classification of Orang Ulu alone includes the Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Lun Bawang, Punan, Penan, Murut, Kedayan and a host of other smaller communities. It is said that there are at least 27 different ethnic groups but no one is really sure1 The complexity of such a multiethnic population has led some to say that Sarawak is an anthropologist’s paradise or nightmare depending on how one looks at it. It has a rich history of research where anthropologists documented the indigenous cultures and customs dating back to pre colonial times. As a result, we have much historical information on the family and kinship structures of the various indigenous groups but far less is known of the contemporary family. In this chapter, I have tried to piece together whatever little there is to try to understand the changes that have occurred. In order to do this, we have to begin with the past. Although I have set up the following sections as a contrast between the past and the present, it is more accurate to talk of continuity and change. Present day Sarawak, is after all a land which encompasses the full range of communities from the nomadic hunter-gatherer Penan in the hinterland to the globetrotting elites in the cities. It is therefore not my intention to present a dichotomous view but merely as a comparative especially in the light of rapid socio-economic transformation in Sarawak. However, the focus of my discussion of the past would be on the indigenous communities in rural Sarawak.
format Monograph
author Hew, Cheng Sim
author_facet Hew, Cheng Sim
author_sort Hew, Cheng Sim
title Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak
title_short Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak
title_full Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak
title_fullStr Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak
title_full_unstemmed Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak
title_sort courtship, marriage and family in sarawak
publisher Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
publishDate 2013
url http://ir.unimas.my/1268/
http://ir.unimas.my/1268/1/courtship%20marriage%20and%20family%20in%20sarawak.pdf
first_indexed 2018-09-06T14:42:25Z
last_indexed 2018-09-06T14:42:25Z
_version_ 1610869580181274624