Storytelling time at the Sabah Muzium

Teachers and students from the College and schools were treated to a Storytelling session by Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia Cawangan Sabah at the Sabah Muzium Complex in conjunction with the Craft Exotica 2011 festival. It was the story of the Cocos ethnic that came all the way from the Cocos-Keeling Islands in 1949 as estate workers in the abaca and tobacco plantation in Tawau and Lahad Datu. The Storyteller traced their journey from Malacca in the year 1811 when a group of about 3,000 crossed over to Banjarmasin, Southern Borneo State at the invitation of the Sultan of Banjarmasin to help keep peace against the local uprising, mainly coming from the Dayak and the Bugis communities.

Some people called the Cocos ethnic the 'White Tiger'. They could have been brave warriors coming from Malaya and involved in the Java War in 1811 (the war betweent he British and Dutch in Java, the war that the British won). Those group of people was not known as Cocos ethnic yet until they settled down at the group of 24 islands in the Indian Ocean called the Cocos-Keeling Islands.

This ethnic can be found in the east coast town of Tawau, Lahad Datu and about 300-400 in a scheme at Pamol, Sandakan.