Shown here is an 1860s sketch of a feast arranged by Orang Kaya Gassing, Dayak leader of the Skrang River, for the young Charles Brooke. It was here that Charles spent his first 10 years in Sarawak and where he gained his knowledge of the local communities. Charles wrote of his first meeting with the Orang Kaya: ‘I admired these fellows from my heart, and sighed for the time when I should be better able to know them…” This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. This sketch is destined for display at the Brooke Gallery in Fort Margherita.
1 June 2016
