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...
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
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Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
2013
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| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1268/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1268/1/Hew%20Cheng%20Sim.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848834727231881216 |
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| author | Hew, Cheng Sim |
| author_facet | Hew, Cheng Sim |
| author_sort | Hew, Cheng Sim |
| building | UNIMAS Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| 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. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T05:56:34Z |
| format | Working Paper |
| id | unimas-1268 |
| institution | Universiti Malaysia Sarawak |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T05:56:34Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | unimas-12682022-01-13T04:06:18Z http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/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 (UNIMAS) 2013-02 Working Paper NonPeerReviewed text en http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1268/1/Hew%20Cheng%20Sim.pdf Hew, Cheng Sim (2013) Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak. [Working Paper] |
| spellingShingle | HM Sociology HQ The family. Marriage. Woman HT Communities. Classes. Races Hew, Cheng Sim Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak |
| title | 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_short | Courtship, marriage and family in Sarawak |
| title_sort | courtship, marriage and family in sarawak |
| topic | HM Sociology HQ The family. Marriage. Woman HT Communities. Classes. Races |
| url | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1268/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/1268/1/Hew%20Cheng%20Sim.pdf |