Abstract/Summary

The Kelabit tribe of northern Sarawak are a small ethnic group whose published history is, to date, limited. This paper seeks to redress this to some extent by reviewing documentary accounts of historic contacts with the Kelabit. The period covered is roughly 1850 to 1950, a time when British administration and exploration first came into direct contact with the Kelabit. This is also a period of population movements, resolution of traditional conflicts, and enormous changes to belief systems, all of which and more, are illuminated by the documents of the time.