'From Quop Mountain / The Village of the Sunta Dyaks' [Sarawak, Borneo]
Inscribed by the artist, as title, and mounted with ZBA4904 on page 26 (recto) in Fanshawe's West Indies, North American and Borneo scrapbook (ZBA4855). This drawing was made on a trip into Dyak country with James Brooke (1803-68) first English Rajah of Sarawak, starting from Kuching (Sarawak town) on Saturday 13 September 1845, while Fanshawe was commanding the 'Cruizer'. The ship had remained in mouth of the Sarawak river: boats took them down from Kuching to the junction with the Quop river, up which they went as far as navigable. They then trekked about six miles to the village of the Sintah tribe on the Quop mountain; another four to the Stang village on Sunday; about twelve to the Sigu village on Monday and a final four the next day to the San Pro village back on the Sarawak river above Kuching, where boats collected them. Fanshawe's journal gives a full account (Fanshawe [1904] pp.131-40) using the tribal spellings given here (rather than Segu and Sunta as on image captions): these probably follow the usage in Brooke's published journal, which the memoir quotes:
'A short distance further [up the Quop river] brought us to the Dyak hut about 1 o'clock.... We here found a detachment of the Sintah tribe, who...had descended from their mountains to escort us and carry our baggage.... After waiting an hour in the crowded hut for the rain to cease, we proceeeded and reached the Quop Mountain, the abode of the Sintah tribe, about 4 p.m.' (p.133)
Fanshawe goes on to describe Dyak longhouse villages on p. 134 (see ZBA4904) which, at least when well established, included a circular head-house - used by unmarried boys and young men, as a guest house, and as a ritual trophy house for keeping the skulls of slain enemies.
This view does not show the Sintah village but simply a view from it, on the mountain, over jungle towards another mountain. Fanshawe and his companions slept in the head-house which, in this case, only contained one head. According to his journal, this drawing was made the following morning, 14 September 1845. It is part of a group recording Fanshawe's brief visit to Dyak villages: chronologically they are ZBA4905, ZBA4901 (and the lithograph from it, ZBA4908), ZBA4904 (and its related lithograph, ZBA4908).
The sizeable party on this trip included Williams (a geologist) and Hugh Low (later Sir Hugh, botanist and colonial administrator, 1824-1905). The Museum's copy of Fanshawe's privately printed memoir of 1904, edited from his journals and letters by his daughter Alice Fanshawe, is one she presented to the Lows with a letter (still in it) mentioning this association. [PvdM 2/11]
'A short distance further [up the Quop river] brought us to the Dyak hut about 1 o'clock.... We here found a detachment of the Sintah tribe, who...had descended from their mountains to escort us and carry our baggage.... After waiting an hour in the crowded hut for the rain to cease, we proceeeded and reached the Quop Mountain, the abode of the Sintah tribe, about 4 p.m.' (p.133)
Fanshawe goes on to describe Dyak longhouse villages on p. 134 (see ZBA4904) which, at least when well established, included a circular head-house - used by unmarried boys and young men, as a guest house, and as a ritual trophy house for keeping the skulls of slain enemies.
This view does not show the Sintah village but simply a view from it, on the mountain, over jungle towards another mountain. Fanshawe and his companions slept in the head-house which, in this case, only contained one head. According to his journal, this drawing was made the following morning, 14 September 1845. It is part of a group recording Fanshawe's brief visit to Dyak villages: chronologically they are ZBA4905, ZBA4901 (and the lithograph from it, ZBA4908), ZBA4904 (and its related lithograph, ZBA4908).
The sizeable party on this trip included Williams (a geologist) and Hugh Low (later Sir Hugh, botanist and colonial administrator, 1824-1905). The Museum's copy of Fanshawe's privately printed memoir of 1904, edited from his journals and letters by his daughter Alice Fanshawe, is one she presented to the Lows with a letter (still in it) mentioning this association. [PvdM 2/11]