The story
Sarawak Regatta in Kuching
The Sarawak Regatta is a historic longboat racing festival on the Sarawak River in Kuching, originating in 1872 during the era of White Rajah James Brooke as a way to channel intertribal rivalry into sporting competition rather than headhunting conflict. Held annually between October and November, the modern regatta features longboats of up to 30 paddlers from villages, government agencies, and international teams competing for the title of Raja Sungai, King of the River.
The Sarawak Regatta began in 1872 under the rule of James Brooke, the first of the so-called White Rajahs who governed Sarawak as a semi-independent kingdom during the nineteenth century.