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A Brief Social History of Borneo
Borneo, like New Guinea, has long had two very
different populations: lowly populated, highly tribalized groups in the inaccessible interior and relatively dense
agricultural populations along the coast and the lower floodplains of major rivers. The inland people (Dyaks) were
primarily hunter-gatherers with some shifting cultivation; they spoke a number of tribal languages and practiced mostly
animist religions. In contrast, coastal populations relied heavily on oceanic trade, rice farming and fishing,
spoke regional dialects of Malay, and were predominantly Muslim. The coastal Malay population dominated politically and militarily (as they
still do today) the inland tribal population, which was characterized by constant clan
warfare.
When the Dutch arrived in Borneo they encouraged missionaries to convert the inland Dyaks. The Dutch had considerably
less success making inroads with the coastal Muslims. There had long been animosity between the inland and the coastal
populations, and the addition of organized religion only added fuel to the fire. Today violence rages on in Borneo
between the largely Christian Dyaks and the Muslims of the coast and those imported into the interior through transmigration
programs. New conflicts arise as greater numbers of Dyaks are displaced by logging.
"Rainforest" is used interchangeably with "rain forest" on this site. Same for "rainforests" and "rain forests". "Jungle" is generally not used.
Recent news
Amazon deforestation rate falls to lowest on record (8/10/2007) Deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon for the previous year were the lowest on record, according to preliminary figures released by INPE, Brazil's National Institute of Space Research.
Lowland rainforest less diverse than previously thought (8/9/2007) While rainforests are the world's libraries of biodiversity, species richness may be more evenly distributed in some forests than in others, reports an extensive new study by an international team of entomologists and botanists. The work, published in the current issue of the journal Nature, has important implications for forest management and conservation strategies.
Experts: parks effectively protect rainforest in Peru (8/9/2007) High-resolution satellite monitoring of the Amazon rainforest in Peru shows that land-use and conservation policies have had a measurable impact on deforestation rates. The research is published in the August 9, 2007, on-line edition of Science Express.
