Fort Sylvia
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The Fort Sylvia (
In May 1997, the Sarawak state government gave approval for the monument to be managed by the Tun Jugah Foundation and to set up a museum within the fort itself.[1] The Tun Jugah Foundation was given the responsibility of conservation and renovation works, which commenced immediately and was completed by December 1998.
History
To prevent further Iban migration upriver in the
On 16 November 1924, a peacekeeping ceremony between the
Museum
The Tun Jugah Foundation converted Fort Sylvia into a museum and fountain of history in Kapit town. It consists of many sections listed as below.
History
This section depicts the history of
Community Wall of Fame
It is a display of the photographs of community leaders or famous historical figures of various community groups including
Tun Jugah Gallery
This gallery displays photographs and mementos of the late Tun
Iban Costumes and Textiles
A selection of pua’ kumbu’ pieces, in silk and cotton are on display here. Among the pieces is a silk piece entitled `Kara’ jangkit’ woven by an accomplished weaver, Gading ak Mayau from Sungai Kain, Kapit. Iban costumes are also on display here.[1]
Mural Painting of the Iban World
The largest exhibit in the museum is a mural painting, depicting the Iban way of life.[1]
Hall of Fame
To show the past contributions of the community and other people who has served and are still serving in Kapit Division, the museum has put up four pieces of brass plaques listing the names of District Officers, Residents, Community leaders, Penghulus, Sarawak Rangers, First Malaysia Rangers, other Regiments, and Iban Trackers.[1]
Amber Gallery
Located at the ground floor of the building, the gallery is a joint effort between the Tun Jugah Foundation and the Geological Survey Department in Kuching. The exhibits consist of raw Sarawak amber, polished Sarawak amber, and amber carvings. The raw amber is supplied by Global Minerals Sdn. Bhd., obtained from the Merit Pila Coal mine near Kapit and were selected by the Geological Survey group.[1]
The polished amber pieces were done by Mr. James Loh, from the Geological Survey department. The amber carvings were done by Mr. Kojan Kabeng, a local carver and artist from Punan Bah. One of the world's largest amber deposits was discovered recently in the Merit-Pila Coal Field along the Batang Rejang. The largest piece of amber in the world was found here. The amber is derived from fossilised resin. Based on geological evidence, the age of the amber is estimated to be Miocene (approximately 20 million years old).[1]
Many fossilised insects were observed in Sarawak amber, trapped approximately 20 million years ago when the resin was initially accumulated and perfectly preserved to this day. So far, the insects found in amber were spiders, ants, mosquitoes, centipedes, wasps and beetles. The colours of amber vary from black to whitish and sometimes with shades of orange, red, yellow and brown. They can be either opaque or transparent.[1]
Weaving / Handicraft Workshop
One of the objectives of the Tun Jugah Foundation is to preserve and promote the development of the indigenous ikat weaving of the Iban. Right behind the Reception on the Ground Floor is the ruai where there are exhibits on Iban weaving. On display are weaving tools and implements; and raw materials for making pua kumbu.[1]
Opportunities are given to organisations like Sarakup Indu Dayak Sarawak in Kapit who wish to conduct weaving workshops, exhibitions and competitions. A number of weavers from Kapit are affiliated to the Tun Jugah Foundation. They are Gading ak Mayau, Bidah ak Unjong, Tegok ak Sabut and Anchang ak Tun Jugah. Puan Siah ak Tun Jugah is a consultant at the Tun Jugah Foundation on adat and rites relating to pua.[1]
Another corner is allocated for those who wish to conduct other handicraft workshops like bead-work, basketry and carving.[1]
Other Rooms
There is a Conference Room located on the ground floor which can accommodate about 30 people to conduct scholarly discourse on arts and culture.[1]
On the first floor, there is an adjoining Discussion and Function Room, which can by used for receiving important officials and academics, and at the same time provide a venue for discussion and meetings.[1]
The Ranee Suite is used as a venue for recording of oral research. One of the objectives of the Tun Jugah Foundation is to collect, transcribe and publish Iban oral literature.[1]
There is also a Reader's Corner located at the first floor where a collection of books on the Brookes, Sarawak history, crafts, books written in Iban, oral literature and other publications are provided as reading materials. Among these are books published by the Tun Jugah Foundation. Most of the foundation's forthcoming publications are also available for readers once they are printed.[1]