Vol. 11 No. 2 (2025): Jurnal Borneo - Kalimantan

From the Chief Editor’s Desk

Welcome to another issue of Journal of Borneo-Kalimantan (JBK).

I am pleased to introduce you to 10 articles coming from the disciplines of anthropology, international studies, linguistic, development and health science. The diversity of the articles published reflects the breadth of JBK and its commitment to extend the boundaries of knowledge relating to Borneo Studies.

There are two articles pertaining to the Penan communities in Sarawak. Benard Upieh highlights the resilience of the community in navigating and adapting with the transition from nomadic to settled life. Jayl Langub presents an ethnographic account of rivers as integral part in the Penan identity and livelihood and in connecting the kins-relation across river systems. The remaking of cultural identity remains an important framing in describing the process of cultural reconstruction. Calvin Jemarang examines the construction of Punan identity through the triangulation of multiple data sources: ethnographic, genealogy and archive, to reveal how identity construction differs from one context to another. Claudia Jiton et al observes the functional transformation in the Dayak martial arts, kuntau, from self-defence practice to artistic performance has led to the survival of kuntau as a living symbol of Iban’s identity in the modern era. Norazuna Norahim contributes to the discussion of the transformation of the Dayak culture through the function of Iban language, from the use in a community context to the formal setting, which will increase the complexity of the language. An article by Nurul Huda Marwan et al adds another dimension in the cross-border interaction in Sarawak by utilising an international relations’ perspective in examining the role played by Sarawak state as an agent of paradiplomacy in dealing with the challenges involving the movement and transaction at and across the border. The theme on indigenous health practice is explored in the three articles. Kho et al compiled the plants used by the Kenyah communities in Borneo for medicinal purpose pointed to the knowledge value of the communities. Bolhassan et al draws attention on the continuing use of traditional remedy in the midwifery practice in Sarawak, while Bo et al demonstrates the effective role of religion in promoting healthy lifestyle among its followers.

JBK is delighted to receive a collection of research notes from the Francke Foundations in Halle, Germany. The papers presented in the workshop, Out of Borneo: Provenance and Materiality of Objects from Borneo, discussed the objects and the history of collecting in reference to the Borneo objects housed in the Wunderkammer of the Francke Foundation. Readers will find the descriptions and the contexts informative especially in the current drive towards commodification of artefacts and the nationalisation of cultural identity among the nation-states in Borneo. The other contribution in the section is by Ganendra presenting an Academic Impact Magnified framework.

We thanked our contributors, reviewers, editors and readers for their incredible support to JBK in 2025. We wish you a Happy New Year 2026, and may the year brings more success to all around.

Happy reading!

Chief Editor

Editorial Team