Religious Conversion and the Cessation of Megalithic Practice in the Kelabit Highlands of Sarawak
This paper explores the role of religious conversion in the cessation of megalith building among the Kelabit people of the Kelabit Highlands in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The religious conversion and the cessation of megalith building that followed are contextualised within the wider changes that...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
UNIMAS Publisher
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/37606/1/Nicholas%20Gani.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/37606/ |
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| Institution: | Universiti Malaysia Sarawak |
| Language: | English |
| Summary: | This paper explores the role of religious conversion in the cessation of megalith building among
the Kelabit people of the Kelabit Highlands in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The religious
conversion and the cessation of megalith building that followed are contextualised within the
wider changes that impacted the local or native communities in the interior of Sarawak during the
colonial period (1946-1963). More specifically, this article considers the impacts of Christianity
on the Kelabit society, and demonstrates the incompatibility of the rituals of megalith or
monument building with the ‘newly’ adopted Christian religion, which ultimately contributed to
the abandonment of practice. This article contributes not only a better understanding of the
cessation of the megalithic practice in the Kelabit Highlands, but also provides a portrayal of a
local culture undergoing change during the colonial period of Sarawak. |
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