27-05-2025
Lun Bawang sun hats now on show at Sarawak Museum
Hats off: The two Lun Bawang sun hats recently donated to the Sarawak Museum Department.
KUCHING: A century-old headhunter's parang and two Lun Bawang sun hats from the 1960s are among five artefacts donated to the Sarawak Museum Department.
State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the parang was received from an individual named Mangu Bueng, who said it had been in his family's possession for almost 100 years.
The donor said the parang originally belonged to a group of headhunters who confronted his ancestor in the early 1900s.
'In the ensuing fight, he managed to snatch one of their parangs, and brought it back to Kampung Tebakang Bidayuh, where it became a treasured family heirloom,' he said in his winding-up speech at the Sarawak legislative assembly yesterday.
Abdul Karim said the Lun Bawang sun hats were obtained by a foreign couple, Bill and Pam Lavery, during the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
He said Bill was posted to Limbang in northern Sarawak in 1963 as a teacher and later served as headmaster under the Canadian Colombo Plan aid.
'The Lavery family left Sarawak in 1965.
'The hats were later passed on to their son, John Lavery, who entrusted it to the Sarawak Museum for safekeeping,' Abdul Karim said.
In addition, two unglazed ceramic vases from Santubong were received from an individual named Mohd Rizal Bujang, who claimed that they were discovered in the 1970s by his late father Bujang Abdullah and two others while fishing off the coast of Santubong.
'I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to these donors.
'We hope their generosity inspires others to contribute their historical collections to the Sarawak Museum, ensuring future generations can appreciate our rich heritage,' Abdul Karim said.
