Iban History - Rule By Brooke

Rule By Brooke

The Iban fell under the rule of Rajah James Brooke in 1841. Notably, Brooke was not colonizing or ruling on behalf of the British Empire; he rule the Iban as an absolute monarch, unconnected to any imperial power. Charles Brooke, the second rajah, was committed to ending purported headhunting and piracy on the part of the Iban, and made numerous attempts to quell such activities with military force, which often led to organized resistance by the Iban. In one instance, the Iban leader Libau (Rentap) resisted Brooke from his fortress on Mount Sadok. The Ibans of Lingga, the Undup Ibans and the Sebuyau fought for Brooke. Thereafter the Iban became vital allies of the Brooke dynasty, with the defeat of both Rentap and later the last rebel leader Asun. Warfare between Dayak peoples continued to be an intermittent problem for the regime until the Great Peacemaking in Kapit in 1924, when the Rajah Vyner also consolidated the support of the Iban by appointing one of their great war heroes Koh Anak Jubang (1870–1956) to the position of Temenggong or paramount chief. Koh became a member of the advisory council of the state, the Council Negri, and converted to Christianity in 1949. He was awarded the Queen's Medal for Chiefs and the Order of the British Empire.