The Highland Dragon: Fearsome protector of Nature

THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL
VOL LXXXII NO.103 DECEMBER 2019

Title :
The Highland Dragon: Fearsome protector of Nature

Author :
Monica Janowski

Abstract:

Following more than 30 years of research among the Kelabit of the upper Baram river in Sarawak, I began, in 2017, to carry out research into beliefs about the powerful watery beings which I will describe in English as dragons. As I discuss elsewhere (Janowski 2019), I use this term because these beings are almost always glossed as dragons when they are discussed in English, by informants from all ethnic groups. This is because they are regarded as related to, if not identical to, the Chinese dragon (Jk or long). I began this research as part of a one-year research fellowship (2017 - 2018) at the Sarawak Museum on thetopic of 'Animals in Indigenous Cosmologies'. I continue to pursue this research. My interest in dragons is rooted in an interest in the way in which the peoples of Sarawak perceive their interaction with the natural environment. For all of the peoples of Borneo - indigenous peoples, Malays and Chinese - this interaction is not just a matter of practicality or...

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61507/smj22-2019-JJ1T-01

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How to cite:
Janowski, M. (2019). The Highland Dragon: Fearsome protector of Nature. The Sarawak Museum Journal, Sarawak Museum Journal, LXXXII (103): 1-20 https://doi.org/10.61507/smj22-2019-JJ1T-01

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