KUCHING: The history of longhouses, settlement origins and community traditions in Sarawak’s interior should be documented as soon as possible to prevent valuable knowledge passed down by previous generations from being lost over time.

Tamin Assemblyman Ir Christopher Gira Sambang said the Sarawak State Library should play a more active role in documenting local history in collaboration with community leaders, schools and cultural organisations.

He said the effort was important because elderly members of the community held valuable knowledge about the establishment of longhouses, population movements, community life, and customs and traditions passed down through generations.

“Our history is not found only in official documents, but also in the memories and experiences of ordinary people who built their villages and longhouses,” he said.

He was speaking during the debate on the Sarawak State Library (Amendment) Bill, 2026 at the Second Sitting of the Fifth Session of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.

He said the knowledge should be collected systematically through interviews with elders, the gathering of old photographs and family records to ensure community history was preserved for future generations.

To achieve this, he proposed that the Sarawak State Library work with communities in the Tamin and Selangau areas to identify and document local historical materials still kept by residents. -UKASnews

PreparedPrepared by: Jonnie Kiew
Photo: Hazrin Sunaini
Translator: Uilson Ng