Mukah: An Introduction

Mukah Division is one of the eleven administrative divisions in Sarawak, East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. It was established on March 1, 2002 and it has a total area of 6,997.91 square kilometers.

Mukah Division contains four administrative districts: Mukah, Dalat, Mato and Daro. And it also has four sub-districts: Balingian, Oya, Igan and Belawai. The total population is 101,600. The population is culturally mixed, with overwhelmingly Melanau as the majority , Iban, Chinese, Malay and other races. It is located on the South China Sea, about 3.5 by road from Sibu Town.

Mukah town is an ancient trading and fishing port, situated at the mouth of the Mukah river adjacent to the South China Sea. Historically, the town was an outpost of Brunei during the sultanate era. For 500 years or so, the Melanau in Mukah were ruled by Brunei. to monitor the district and ensure that the people adhere to his command, the Sultan appointed a reprentative to govern the district.

They were known as Pengeran, most of them married the local Melanau. Today their descendants are assimilated into the Melanau community but still maintaining the title: Pengeran, Awangku and Dayangku.

Mukah became part of Sarawak in 1861. It is now the centre of Melanau culture, and the "Kaul" festival, celebrated by the local fishermen in April to appease the spirits of the sea, is one of the major events of the Melanau calender. Just beyong the center of town is the Lamin Dana Resort, which contains a Melanau Cultural Center.

Mukah hinterland was traditionally a major cultivation and sago producing area. Of late however, most of the predominantly peat swamp areas that dominate the hinterland have been developed into oil palm plantation.