KUCHING: Two Lun Bawang sun hats from the 1960s have been donated to the Sarawak Museum Department from a family posted to Sarawak under the Colombo Plan.
State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the sun hats were obtained by Bill and Pam Lavery during the formation of Malaysia in 1963.
"Bill Lavery was posted to Limbang that same year as a teacher and later served as headmaster under the Colombo Plan of external aid of the Canadian government to Sarawak.
"The Lavery family left Sarawak in 1965. The hats were later passed on to their son, John Lavery, who entrusted them to the Sarawak Museum for safekeeping," he told the Sarawak Legislative Assembly in his winding-up speech on Tuesday (May 27).
The Colombo Plan was established in 1951 following a meeting of Commonwealth foreign ministers in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to assist in socioeconomic development in South and South-East Asia.
The 1960s Lun Bawang sun hats recently donated to the Sarawak Museum.
The sun hats were among five artefacts recently donated to the Sarawak Museum, Karim said.
He said an old parang was received from the descendants of Mangu Bueng of Tebakang, Serian, who said it had been in his family for almost 100 years.
"The donor said the parang originally belonged to a group of headhunters who confronted Bueng and his wife in the early 1900s.
"In the ensuing fight, Bueng fought bravely and took one of their parang. He brought it back to Kampung Tebakang Bidayuh, where it became a treasured family heirloom," he said.
In addition, two unglazed ceramic vases from Santubong were received from Mohd Rizal Bujang.
"According to the donor, the pottery was discovered in the 1970s by his late father Bujang Abdullah, together with the late Ibni Zen and the late Othman Zen, while fishing off the coast of Santubong," Karim said.
Extending his gratitude to the donors, he hoped their generosity would inspire others to contribute historical artefacts to the Sarawak Museum.
"This will ensure that future generations can appreciate our rich heritage," he added.
