Seventeen Years Among the Sea Dyaks of Borneo

Gomes, Edwin Herbert, 1862-1944Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.0

Word count: 593K words
Chapters: 60

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Seventeen Years Among the Sea Dyaks of Borneo by Edwin Herbert GomesAuthor: Gomes, Edwin Herbert, 1862-1944,Language: English, Class: DS: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Asia, Release Date: May 23, 2018

Editor's review

This is an ethnographic-style account based on Gomes's nearly seventeen years of observation in Borneo, and it is a public-domain electronic text. Its core value lies in presenting the daily life, customs, and social organization of the Sea Dyaks from a first-hand perspective, opening a window for general readers onto the indigenous cultures of Southeast Asia. Unlike theoretical anthropological works, this book is closer to a record of observations, with concrete narration and direct material, making it suitable as an introduction to regional culture or background reading before travel. Readers should note that the author lived in the colonial era, and some observations and wording carry the limitations of their time; it is best read with a critical eye, as a historical document rather than a contemporary authoritative ethnography. The electronic edition is in the original English and is quite long; reading by theme or chapter is recommended rather than insisting on reading it cover to cover.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Borneo and Southeast Asian indigenous cultures
Travelers or culture enthusiasts seeking regional background material
Students interested in early anthropological field accounts
English-language readers who enjoy historical travelogues and nonfiction narratives

Not a good fit for

Specialist readers seeking contemporary anthropological frameworks or the latest research
Readers with limited English reading stamina who prefer short, light reading
Readers sensitive to colonial-era perspectives and wording

Reading tips

Start with the table of contents and prioritize chapters on daily life, customs, or beliefs.
Note down passages with period bias as you read, then reflect on their historical context afterward.
Use a map or basic geographical material on Borneo to help build a sense of place.
There is no need to read the whole book; selecting chapters by interest and taking thematic notes is more efficient.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book an academic ethnography or a travel account?

It is closer to an ethnographic-style record of observations written by a first-hand witness, based on the author's years of observation in Borneo, with concrete narration and direct material, but without a strict contemporary anthropological theoretical framework. It can be read as a historical document and an introduction to regional culture, not as the latest academic research.

What period limitations should readers keep in mind?

The author lived in the colonial era, and some observations and wording in the book may carry the biases and assumptions of that time. Readers should maintain a critical eye, distinguish concrete observations from the author's judgments, and understand them in historical context, rather than treating the book's views as definitive conclusions about local culture.

The original English text is long; how can I read it more easily?

It is advisable not to read straight through; first look at the table of contents and select chapters by theme, prioritizing customs or daily-life chapters that interest you. Read a short section at a time and take brief notes; when encountering dense vocabulary or old-fashioned expressions, you can skip the details and grasp the overall observations.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Gomes, Edwin Herbert, 1862-1944 Author

Edwin Herbert Gomes (1862–1944) was a noted author in the fields of missionary work and ethnographic writing in Borneo during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His best-known book, Seventeen Years Among the Sea Dyaks of Borneo, records his long observations of the Iban and other peoples among whom he lived, while Children of Borneo depicts everyday life and local customs on the island through the eyes of children. Combining the personal experience of a missionary with the descriptive character of early ethnography, these two works preserve detailed historical material for later study of Borneo's societies and cultures, and remain readable for their plain, careful narrative style. It should be noted that public information about his personal life and education is limited, so this sketch can only outline the subjects and influence of his writings.