Reclaiming Tatau: Kinship, Narrative, and the Remapping of Indigenous Belonging

"Reclaiming Tatau" examines the historical transformation of Punan identity in Tatau, Sarawak. The article traces how colonial classifications and internal disputes fractured place-based kinship identities into fixed ethnic categories, detaching the term "Tatau" from its original meaning as a territorial marker of ancestral belonging.

Through archival analysis and oral testimonies, the study reveals the political consequences of this erasure, which continue to affect land rights and cultural recognition. Jemarang argues that Punan identity is not a static inheritance but a continuously negotiated achievement, emphasizing Indigenous agency in the face of administrative and historical silencing.

Ultimately, the work contributes to decolonial historiography by affirming Indigenous historical knowledge and highlighting the ongoing struggle for recognition and sovereignty in Borneo.