The Antiquity of the Coconut Palm in Western Borneo.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
The Antiquity of the Coconut Palm in Western Borneo. |
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Author :
H.C. Harries |
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Abstract:
From his archaeological excavations and other observations at Kota Batu, Brunei and also in Sarawak, Dato Seri Laila Jasa Tom Harrisson was convinced that before about 1835 there were no coconuts further down the west coast into Sarawak— at least in living traditional historic terms (Harrisson, 1958; 1974). A Sarawak legend recorded by Marican Salleh (1958) suggested that coconuts were introduced after Sir James Brooke brought stable coastal conditions. Coming from the Natuna Islands via the Turtle Islands, coconuts were taken to the mainland around Sematan from where they spread to Santubong and inland up river valleys. It was Harrisson’s opinion that this race ofcoconuts does badly away from the sea and he thought tihat mistakes have been made in trying it on peaty and inland soils. By contrast, Harrisson found that Brunei Bay has a different,more andent, tradition of cultivated coconut palms, seemingly coming down from the Sulu Sea in hardier form. He speculated that the present common coconut in Brunei, the kelapa, may have largely replaced earlier, poorer forms but also itself have suffered some decline in recent centuries, possibly because of disease. Harrisson considered that Brunei had coconuts when Sarawak did not and that in earlier times they must have been important in the local economy. He was surprised that the multiple uses of the coconut palm in all its parts had not played a major role in the later economy further down the coast from Brunei Bay - an area which, in his words, was by no means overprovided with good or easy sorts of food. The absence of coconuts along the whole Niah-Bintulu stretch, he suggested, may be partly responsible for the extraordinary low level of coastal population until very recently.
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| DOI: XXXX |
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How to cite:
Harries, H. C. (1981). The Antiquity of the Coconut Palm in Western Borneo. The Sarawak Museum Journal, XXIX (50): 239-242 |
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References
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