IDNO

DG.101872.PAO

Description

Otor anak Sunjam, wearing an orange polo tee-shirt, sits at a rectangular wooden table in his house flanked by five boys, including ?two of his grandsons. Two boys wear short-sleeved shirts, one boy wears a pair of shorts.
Mounted on the walls in the background are various objects which became part of Paka’s mini-museum. On the left are several framed black and white photographs, including a few taken from a British Navy visit in around 1966, and a large portrait of Otor in his tua gawai (ritual chief) gear.
In the centre is a collection of military and institutional plaques and pennants, mostly left by visiting servicemen in the 1960s. Below them is a stagan, or circular leopard teeth necklace worn by male adat gawai (indigenous pre-Christian rituals) practitioners. Beneath the stagan are two shelves stacked with various small objects, possibly souvenirs and small containers, and a nengin, or red leaf-shaped bark shield.
On the right are hung two rows of adornments used in adat gawai rituals as well as dances for welcoming tourists, including stagi (elliptical bead necklaces worn by women), sepiya (women’s round cloth cap with a rectangular back flap), ?bark headbands, and a ritual staff. Hanging above them are two photographic portraits, one possibly of Otor and the other of Paka’s grandmother.

Place

SE Asia Borneo; Malaysia; Sarawak; Penrissen; Kampung Benuk [Kampung Segu Bunuk]

Cultural Affliation

Bidayuh [historically Land Dayak]

Named Person

Otor anak Sunjam

Photographer

?Paka anak Otor

Collector / Expedition

Paka anak Otor

Date

circa 1966 - 1969

Collection Name

Paka anak Otor Collection

Source

Paka anak OtorChua, Liana

Format

Print Colour

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Source: A selection of 185 prints from Paka anak Otor’s larger collection of approximately 500 prints was made by Liana Chua during fieldwork in Kampung Benuk, Sarawak, Malaysia, in 2005. These photographs were taken, sent to and collected by Paka over about fifty years (circa 1950-2000). The purchase of non-exclusive reproduction rights [RM 1845, £250] by the Museum to the family of Paka anak Otor [82 Kampung Benuk, Jalan Puncak Borneo, Kuching 93250, Sarawak, Malaysia], and digital copy photographs of the collection [RM 869, £125] were paid for by the Museum Acquisition Fund [£250] and part of a Crowther-Beynon grant [£125] for the collecting of Sarawak objects. The digital scans were made by Fung Huang Colour Photo Centre [153 Padungan Road, Kuching, Sarawak] in 2005. [Liana Chua 2/8/2007]

Biographical and Contextual Information: Paka anak Otor (1927-2004), was a former tua gawai (ritual chief) and owner of Paka’s Mini-Muzium in Kampung Benuk, a Bidayuh village in Penrissen, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The mini-museum began as Paka’s small personal collection of family heirlooms (including gongs and Chinese trade porcelain) and other objects which he “liked to look at”. During the ‘Confrontation’ years between Malaysia and Indonesia (1963-1966) Kampung Benuk became a popular recreational destination for British, Australian and American servicemen stationed nearby at the Malaysian-Indonesian border. Paka’s household - then run by his charismatic tua gawai father Otor anak Sunjam (d. 1978) - was one of their main ports of call, and often the recipient of their gifts and souvenirs, including military plaques, film reels, cameras and sweets. These items were incorporated into Paka’s collection, which also came to include locally made artefacts such as baskets, tools and water carriers, and various natural objects like snakeskins, branches and stones. From the 1970s, Kampung Benuk became a popular tourist destination famous for its longhouse. Paka’s family remained central to this nascent industry, playing host to civilian tourists, visiting dignitaries and officials. As Paka’s collection grew, visitors began calling it a ‘mini-museum’; the name has since stuck. Paka passed away in 2004, but his widow and family continue to run the mini-museum, which is visited mainly by tourists. For more information on Paka’s mini-museum, see Chua, Liana. 2006. Antiques and Adat: the changing face of Paka’s mini-museum, Kampung Benuk, Penrissen, Kuching. Institute of East Asian Studies Working Paper No. 11. Kota Samarahan: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. [Liana Chua 2/8/2007]
Biographical Information: Otor anak Sunjam (d. 1978) was the father of Paka anak Otor, who owned the mini-museum in Kampung Benuk. He was also the village’s tua gawai (ritual chief), and often played host to visitors from the British, Australian and American navies, dignitaries, tourists and government officials. [Liana Chua 2/8/2007]

Objects: The same necklaces and other ritual objects were used in both adat gawai rituals and dance performances for tourists. When they were not being used they remained on display in Paka’s mini-museum. [Liana Chua 2/8/2007]

This catalogue record has been updated with the support of the Getty Grant Program Two. [Liana Chua 2/8/2007]