Vol. 11 No. 1 (2025): Jurnal Borneo - Kalimantan

Welcome to the latest issue of Jurnal Borneo-Kalimantan

I am pleased to welcome you to yet another exciting issue of Jurnal Borneo-Kalimantan (JBK). JBK publishes articles represent diverse writing format from research article, thinking piece and reflective practice. Being located in Borneo means that JBK celebrates heterogeneity as a way of life and also in the writings on society, experience and concerns.

There are ten articles in this issue. Dayang Hajyrayati starts off the current issue with a methodological appraisal of anthropology in her research into the statelessness in Sarawak. A paper by Juna Liau describes the context and the use of incantation by the Kenyah communities in Belaga has shed light on the continuing tradition of sacred knowledge amidst the pressure of modernization and rationalization. In a piece by Mohd Shazani the co existence of sacred tradition in modern life is presented as a forgotten, understated, a residual sentiment not given a proper place as of other forms of material and physical development. Valerie Mashman revisits the Long Jawe’ peace-making and drawn from community memory constructs the significance of the process to the cross-border interactions and relationships. Jay Langub documents the significance of river to the Penan livelihood and collective existence, a lesson which he persuasively made to communicate the importance of clean, safe and free access to ecology for the community whose life and sustenance depends on it. There are two articles from political science which drive home the value of sustainable thinking in public policy. Hisyam Basabah analyses the role Malaysia, as a chair of ASEAN in 2025, in advancing the global agenda of sustainability at the home-front and regional. Dick Lembang looks at the political thinking permeating at every level of decision-making in the use of public funds for development purpose. A study of the compilation of Berawan language by Jurgen Burkhardt highlights preservation work in the field of linguistic. Aisyah Pratiwi, et al. documents the method of paddy planting by the Kenyah community and the continuing relevance of traditional knowledge. Bernard Sellato’s article on the palaces of the sultans in Kalimantan offered an insight into how the symbolic attachment of the sultanates rejuvenated through conservation work in museology and tourism. I invite you to read the special contribution by Professor Victor King relating to his correspondence with the late Professor Rodney Needham. The letters were introduced, annotated and referenced by Professor King especially for JBK readers who will find the communication a window into the progressive history of Borneo Studies and the prolific contributions that Professor Needham played in nurturing generation of scholars researching and writing for Borneo.

Our JBK team is happy to receive your response. Do write to myself or my colleagues and share us your thought about the articles published.

Professor Dr Poline Bala

Chief Editor