Welcome to
borneo history

Recent Posts

Migration of monkeys into Borneo

This essay was originally published in 2001 but was just reprinted in a book in 2026 at the ridiculous price of $149. Dr Brandon Jones was the author and his ideas on animal migration back and forth between Sumatra, Borneo and other parts of  Southeast Asia during the last two

Read More »

Early Sabah Colonies

Colonies in Sabah Balambangan One of the earliest attempts to establish a foreign settlement in Sabah took place on Balambangan Island, off the northern tip of Borneo. The idea came from Alexander Dalrymple, a British official working for the East India Company. In the early 1760s, he made agreements with

Read More »

All Creatures Great and Small #79

All Creatures #79 Sea Snails These sea snails live in the water along the coast of Sarawak, from the coastal areas to the deep oceans. They occur in large quantities and serve as food for commercial fish, seabirds, and whales. The piece is a comprehensive essay on the snail species

Read More »

Early Visitors to Santubong

Early Visitors to Santubong 487-488 CE In the Song Shu (宋书 Liu Song History Annals), which was edited by Shen Yue (沈约, 441–513) during the Nan/Southern dynasty, are records concerning the Poli nation (婆利国). The Poli nation was considered Santubong. All records show the arrival of emmissarys from Poli to

Read More »

All Creatures Great and Small #78

New Species Three new species of marine parasites that attach to the gills, mouth, or skin of fish have been made known to science. They are flattened, allowing them to cling to fish and usually attach and then detach from the fish’s body. They were found in Borneo waters. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2025.101157

Read More »

Old Names on Borneo

Early Locations in Borneo from the Nagara Krtagama The Nagara Krtagama is a court poem written in 1365 by the Javaenese poet Mpu Prapañca during the reign of King Hayam Wuruk of Majapahit. The following list was taken from the poem, but the descriptions and locations are mine. Kapuhas A

Read More »

About Us

Family

tom mclaughlin and family

We collect academic articles on Borneo, translate them into ordinary English, and condense them into a manageable read.

In our sometimes column, “All Creatures Great and Small”, we write about current research in Borneo. Each topic is given a line or two and you can proceed to the article and read more. 

Connect With Me

Give Me a Call

+60 12-881-2166

Send Me an Email

Sarawaktom@gmail.com

My Social Media

Tom McLaughlin