Heart of Borneo : Kobus Wildlife and Dayak Handicraft Centre

Kobus Handicraft Centre has a beautiful traditional Dayak verandah which any one can be proud of.

Handmade rattan baskets supplied by Dayak women are sold here. Datu Seri and Datin Seri Edmund Langgu with my friend Cigku Virginia John.

The looks of a man can be enhanced by the wearing of a baju burong bought in the Handicraft centre!! Thomas Laka (popular Iban Radio Sarawak Announcer) looks exotic and very "paramount" wearing a baju burong - handwoven or tenun jacket for Dayak men.

Kalimantan published magazines grace one of the tables in the centre.

Entrance - A photo from a previous visit made by Sarawakians in 2009.

Stiarcase - Our group going up the famous staircase of the Kobus Centre of Handicrafts and Wildlife Park in Sintang.

Kobus Centre is a must see centre for any one who is visiting Sintang. I was really fascinated by this well organised museum and end production sale centre. It is surrounded by an Orang Utan wild life park too.

The frontage of the  handicraft centre is rather unassuming and as we walked up the open stairways Imy breath was taken away by the traditional clean verandah . Many from Sarawak who have visited Sintang must make a stop here to buy up an armful of Dayak Woven scarves or  a few  botanically dyed jackets. Other traditional crafts exhibited and sold here are rotan baskets and handcrafted wooden items.

What is Sintang as a city like? It is a city with a rich tradition and history.

The name Sintang is derive from ‘senetang', which in the local Daya language means ‘a place near a river with its tributary'. The founder of Sintang is held to be a certain, Demang Irawan, alias Jubairi, the eleventh descendant of Aji Melayu, who is revered as a very wise and brave king in the Sepauk region. Aji Melayu was probably a very wealthy man. Among the remains of his kingdom are Batu Pujaan (sacred stone), the Batu Kabut (misty stone), both of which bear an image of the Buddha. All these, as well as Aji Melayu's grave, can be seen in Nanga Sepuak.

Sintang also boast several sites of historical interest. Among them are the Sintang Museum which is the former palace of Sintang kingdom, built in 1937 by Panembahan Raden Abdul Bahri Danu Perdana. The kingdom's symbol, in the shape of an eagle, is preserved in the museum today together with seven cannons.

Besides the museum, there is also Batu Kundur or Lingga, a monument from Hindu period. Also of interest is a bronze statue or Putung Kempat (Gusar) which is to be found in Pari Empahan, 64 kilometers from Nanga Sepuak. The Dara Juanti Museum lies at the north side of the town. Dara Juanti or Dewi Juanti is the name of a woman descendant of the Raja Sintang Dayak tribe who founded the kingdom and moved the capital from Sepuak to Sintang. She took control of the kingdom after her elder brother, Demang Nutup, titled Sultan Jubair II, was captured and imprisoned on a trip to Majapahit, named Patih Logender. The remainders of the kingdom, including a kris from Majapahit, a sheet of cindai cloth called Gerising Wayang, and the statue of an eagle, are preserved in this museum.

Kobus Wild Life Park

This wild life park is providing a home for the orang-utan and the other animals displaced by forest destruction in other areas. By charging for (restricted) admissions it can also generate income for the local population.

Tourists should try their best to visit this place to help support the arts and wildlife of Kalimantan.