The Kalimantaan reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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Kalimantaan

Kalimantaan is the title of a novel by C. S. Godshalk offering a fictionalized account of the exploits of James Brooke in Sarawak.

Warning: Plot details follow.

Ms. Godshalk does a wonderful job of evoking the mysterious and sometimes oppressive atmosphere of tropical river jungless and the dreamlike, almost feverish quality that life can take on in the tropics. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish what "really" happens in the story from dreams and fantasies of the characters. She makes use of a variety of writing forms, including diary entries, letters, and straight narrative to tell a fascinating story.

In 1839, an English adventurer arrived on the northwest coast of Borneo, commissioned to deliver a letter of gratitude to the Sultan of Brunei for having safely returned the crew of a British merchantman, lost on his coast. It was a region full of head-hunters, pirate tribes, and slave traders. Most Europeans with the temerity to enter the region had never been heard from again. This particular adventurer, however, seems to know how to play one power against another and manages to keep his balance in the midst of chaos. After performing a service for the Sultan (resolving a local tribal conflict through the use of his schooner's guns and leading an organized assault on a small native river fort), he is named governor of Sarawak, subject to the Sultan of Brunei. Within a few years, he has become the Rajah of Sarawak, an independent state, and established a dynasty that will last one hundred years.

Ms. Godshalk has changed names and details while evoking a sense of the time, place, and atmosphere of the real events. The real adventurer was James Brooke; Ms. Godshalk's is named Gideon Barr. James Brooke's schooner was named the Royalist; Gideon Barr's is the Carolina (named after his mother). James Brooke was succeeded by his nephew, Charles Johnson, who took the last name Brooke. Gideon Barr is succeeded by his nephew Richard Hogg (Ms. Godshalk does not deal with the change of last name since her story focuses on Gideon's life and ends with his death).

Although many of the events described actually took place, one cannot simply change the names and read the novel as history. James Brooke's mother died in 1844, two years after he became Rajah. Gideon's mother dies in Borneo much earlier while he is in grade school in England, providing him an emotional link to Borneo James Brooke did not have. James Brooke never married a European, although there is evidence that he was married to a Malay woman. Gideon Barr marries an Englishwoman to provide himself an "air of permanence" as Rajah and we see much of the later portion of the story through Amelia Barr's eyes. Gideon also maintains a Malayan mistress who provides a note of tragedy in the way her presence poisons Gideon and Amelia's relationship.

On the other hand, the 30,000 pounds that Brooke/Barr inherited at his father's death which enabled him to acquire his schooner, the massacre of the sons of the Sultan of Brunei, the Chinese insurrection of 1857, and the commission of inquiry in Singapore all took place as described. The inquiry in Singapore was concerned with the battle of Labuan in which Brooke/Barr led British warships in a pre-emptive strike against a pirate fleet, breaking the power of the Bugis for the next twenty years. Brooke/Barr's enemies attempted to use this against him by claiming he had used British naval power to slaughter innocent natives.

Ms. Godshalk also make effective use of Malayan words to spice the dish she offers. While she provides a brief Malay glossary as an appendix, it does not cover all the words she uses. Enjoyment of Kalimantaan will be enhanced if one knows the following Malay words which are not in the glossary provided by the author:
Malay
English
abang
elder brother
adat
tradition, custom
ajar
to teach
berani, brani
brave, bold
besar
big, great
bulan
moon, month
bujang
bachelor
buaya
crocodile
bulbul
nightingale
datin
wife of a datu
datu
minister in traditional Malay government
dayang
woman of high rank
hantu, antu
ghost, spirit
hati
liver (as the seat of emotion, typically translated "heart")
ikan
fish
ikat
tie, knot
jaga
guard
jalan
street, road
kain
cloth (in the story, it describes a cloth belt)
kaya
wealthy, rich
kongsi
association, partnership
kris
stabbing dagger with flaming, or wavy, blade
kuli
unskilled laborer
lalang
a variety of long-bladed grass
lida
tongue
kecelakaan
misfortune, accident
merah
red
mudah
young, junior
orang
person
padang
field
padi
ricefield
pagi
morning
parang
cutlass, machete
payung (payong)
umbrella, parasol
pikul (picul)
1) a unit of weight (133 lbs); 2) to carry on one's shoulder
puasa
fast, to abstain from eating
rajput
princeling, diminutive of rajah
sakit
sick
selamat hari
literally, "good day". Typically, the expression selamat siang (good mid-day) is used
selamat pagi
good morning
seluar
trousers, pants
si
generic honorific, eg. Si Tundo
stengah
half
sudah
already, denotes past tense
tahun
year
tanah
earth, soil
tiba
to arrive
tuah
old, elder, senior
tuak
toddy, palm-wine
tuan
lord, used as an honorific, as in Tuan Barr
tunku
overlord, governor

Kampilan, actually a Filipino word, designates a long native sword.

In summary, while it cannot be read as history, Kalimantaan effectively evokes the fascinating and compelling flavor of James Brooke's story.

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