Home Region: Maritime Southeast Asia (Southeast Asia)

Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial

1841 CE 1987 CE

D G SC WF R CC

EQ 2020 id_iban_2 / IdBrokL

Preceding Entity: Add one more here.

[elite migration; Sultanate of Brunei] [elite replacement] Update here

Succeeding Entity:

No Polity found. Add one here.

General Description

The Kapuasi basin is located in Western Kalimantan, in Borneo, and has long been inhabited by the Iban or Dayak. These are a river people whose culture emphasizes individual resourcefulness, egalitarianism, personal mobility, and opening new land for settlement. ^[1] The Iban in fact trace their origins to the Kapuasi basin, and it was from there that they aggressively expanded their territory between the 17th and the 19th centuries, practising headhunting and slavery. ^[2] In 1841, Iban expansion was checked by British adventurer James Brooke, of the so-called Brooke Raj. This pushed some Iban westward, while others became part of the Raj itself. The governed Iban communities were relatively autonomous in the regulation of local matters, although a colonial administrative structure was superimposed onto the Iban system. The White Rajahs sought to suppress infighting and mobilize Iban communities for their own military interests. ^[3] With the exception of a period of Japanese control during the Second World War, ^[4] the British maintained control over this particular region up until Brunei’s independence in 1984. ^[5]
Population and political organization
Before the establishment of the Brooke Raj, there were no permanent leaders among the Iban: instead, groups of family leaders directed the affairs of each house. Warriors, bards, augurs and other specialists could all become men of influence. James Brooke, as Rajah of Sarawak, created political positions, such as headman, regional chief and paramount chief, to better control Iban society, particularly in terms of extracting taxes and suppressing headhunting. Iban political organization also changed profoundly with the creation of permanent political positions and the establishment of political parties in the early 1960s. ^[2]
It seems that the Iban lived in autonomous longhouse communities of about 500 inhabitants each, both before and probably for some time after the imposition of Brooke Raj authority. ^[2] More recently, we know that the 1985 census for Sarawak estimates the number of Iban at around 439,000 people. ^[6]

[1]: (Sandin 1980, xi) Sandin, Benedict. 1980. Iban Adat And Augury. Penang: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia for School of Comparative Social Sciences. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/3I4RXPUZ.

[2]: (Sutlive and Beierle 1995) Sutlive Jr., Vinson H., and John Beierle. 1995. “Culture Summary: Iban.” eHRAF World Cultures. http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu/document?id=oc06-000. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/B4RV87D4.

[3]: (Gomes 1911, 77) Gomes, Edwin H. 1911. Seventeen Years among the Sea Dyaks of Borneo: A Record of Intimate Association with the Natives of the Bornean Jungles. Philadelphia, PA: J. B. Lippincott & Co. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/N6JNADA8.

[4]: (Andaya and Andaya 2016, 261-68) Andaya, Barbara Watson, and Leonard Y. Andaya. 2016. A History of Malaysia. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/VXPWW92R.

[5]: (Andaya 2008, 455) Andaya, Barbara Watson. 1992. “Political Development between the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries.” In The Cambridge History of Southeast Asia, Vol. 1: From Early Times to C. 1800, edited by Nicholas Tarling, 402-59. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/UQTUBXM2.

[6]: (Davison and Sutlive 1991, 158) Davison, Julian, Vinson H. Sutlive, and Vinson H. Sutlive. 1991. “Children of Nising: Images of Headhunting and Male Sexuality in Iban Ritual and Oral Literature.” In Female and Male in Borneo: Contributions and Challenges to Gender Studies, 153-230. Williamsburg, VA: Borneo Research Council. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/5U8X7Q5P.

General Variables

Identity and Location

1 Utm Zone

1 Original Name

1 Capital

2 Alternative Name

Temporal Bounds

1 Peak Years

1 Duration

Political and Cultural Relations

3 Suprapolity Relations

1 Supracultural Entity

2 Succeeding Entity

1 Scale of Supracultural Interaction

1 Relationship to preceding Entity

1 Polity Succession

1 Degree of Centralization

Language

1 Linguistic Family

1 Language

Religion

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale

1 Population of the Largest Settlement

1 Polity Territory

1 Polity Population

1 Largest Communication Distance

Hierarchical Complexity

1 Settlement Hierarchy

1 Religious Level

1 Military Level

1 Administrative Level

Professions

1 Professional Soldier

1 Professional Priesthood

1 Professional Military Officer

Bureaucracy Characteristics

1 Specialized Government Building

1 Merit Promotion

1 Full Time Bureaucrat

1 Examination System

Law

1 Professional Lawyer

2 Judge

2 Formal Legal Code

2 Court

Specialized Buildings: polity owned

1 Market

1 Irrigation System

1 Food Storage Site

1 Drinking Water Supply System

Transport Infrastructure

1 Road

1 Port

1 Canal

1 Bridge

Special-purpose Sites

1 Mines or Quarry

Information / Writing System

2 Written Record

2 Script

2 Phonetic Alphabetic Writing

1 Nonwritten Record

1 Mnemonic Device

Information / Kinds of Written Documents

1 Scientific Literature

2 Sacred Text

1 Religious Literature

1 Practical Literature

1 Philosophy

1 Lists Tables and Classification

1 History

1 Fiction

2 Calendar

Information / Money

1 Token

1 Precious Metal

1 Paper Currency

1 Indigenous Coin

1 Foreign Coin

1 Article

Information / Postal System

1 Postal Station

1 General Postal Service

1 Courier

Information / Measurement System

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications

1 Wooden Palisade

1 Stone Walls Non Mortared

1 Stone Walls Mortared

1 Settlements in a Defensive Position

1 Modern Fortification

1 Moat

1 Fortified Camp

1 Earth Rampart

1 Ditch

1 Complex Fortification

1 Long Wall

Military use of Metals

1 Steel

1 Iron

1 Copper

1 Bronze

Projectiles

1 Tension Siege Engine

1 Sling Siege Engine

1 Sling

1 Self Bow

1 Javelin

1 Handheld Firearm

1 Gunpowder Siege Artillery

1 Crossbow

1 Composite Bow

1 Atlatl

Handheld weapons

1 War Club

1 Sword

1 Spear

1 Polearm

1 Dagger

1 Battle Axe

Animals used in warfare

1 Horse

1 Elephant

1 Donkey

1 Dog

1 Camel

Armor

1 Wood Bark Etc

1 Shield

1 Scaled Armor

1 Plate Armor

1 Limb Protection

1 Leather Cloth

1 Laminar Armor

1 Helmet

1 Chainmail

1 Breastplate

Naval technology

1 Specialized Military Vessel

1 Small Vessels Canoes Etc

1 Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service

Economy Variables (Luxury Goods) Coding in Progress.

Religion Variables Coding in Progress.

Crisis Consequence Cases

1 Crisis Consequence

Power Transitions Coding in Progress.

Instability Events

18 Instability Event

NGA Settlements:

Year Range	Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2) was in:
(1842 CE 1987 CE)	Kapuasi Basin

Home NGA: Kapuasi Basin

General Variables

Identity and Location Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Utm Zone	49 N	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Original Name	Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Capital	Kuching	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Alternative Name	Dayaks	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Alternative Name	Sea Dayaks	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Temporal Bounds Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More
Peak Years	[1900 CE ➜ 1946 CE]
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Duration	[1841 CE ➜ 1987 CE]
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Political and Cultural Relations Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Suprapolity Relations	vassalage to [---]	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Suprapolity Relations	none	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Suprapolity Relations	none	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Supracultural Entity	South-East Asia	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Malaysia	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Succeeding Entity	Indonesia	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Scale of Supracultural Interaction	4,500,000 km²	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Relationship to Preceding Entity	elite migration	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Preceding Entity	elite migration; Sultanate of Brunei [elite replacement] Update here
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Degree of Centralization	loose	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Language Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Linguistic Family	Malayo-Polynesian	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Language	Iban	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Religion Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Social Complexity Variables

Social Scale Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Population of the Largest Settlement	[25 to 500] people	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Polity Territory	124,450 km²	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Polity Population	- Suspected	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Largest Communication Distance	- Undecided	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Hierarchical Complexity Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Settlement Hierarchy	[1 to 2]	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Religious Level	1	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Military Level	2	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Administrative Level	[3 to 4]	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Professions Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Soldier	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Professional Priesthood	Present Inferred	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Professional Military Officer	Absent Inferred	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Bureaucracy Characteristics Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Government Building	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Merit Promotion	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Full Time Bureaucrat	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Examination System	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Law Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Professional Lawyer	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Judge	Absent	1841 CE 1924 CE
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Judge	Present Inferred	1924 CE 1987 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Absent	1841 CE 1924 CE
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Formal Legal Code	Present Inferred	1924 CE 1987 CE
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Court	Absent	1841 CE 1924 CE
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Court	Present Inferred	1924 CE 1987 CE
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Specialized Buildings: polity owned Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Market	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Irrigation System	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Food Storage Site	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Drinking Water Supply System	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Transport Infrastructure Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Road	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Port	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Canal	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Bridge	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Special-purpose Sites Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Mines or Quarry	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Information / Writing System Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Written Record	Absent	1841 CE 1921 CE
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Written Record	Present Inferred	1922 CE 1987 CE
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Script	Absent	1841 CE 1921 CE
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Script	Present	1922 CE 1987 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Absent	1841 CE 1921 CE
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Phonetic Alphabetic Writing	Present	1922 CE 1987 CE
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Nonwritten Record	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Mnemonic Device	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Information / Kinds of Written Documents Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Scientific Literature	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Sacred Text	Absent	1841 CE 1921 CE
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Sacred Text	Present	1922 CE 1987 CE
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Religious Literature	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Practical Literature	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Philosophy	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Lists Tables and Classification	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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History	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Fiction	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Calendar	Absent	1841 CE 1921 CE
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Calendar	Present	1922 CE 1987 CE
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Information / Money Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Token	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Precious Metal	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Paper Currency	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Indigenous Coin	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Foreign Coin	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Article	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Information / Postal System Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Postal Station	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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General Postal Service	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Courier	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Information / Measurement System Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More

Warfare Variables (Military Technologies)

Fortifications Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wooden Palisade	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Stone Walls Non Mortared	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Stone Walls Mortared	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Settlements in a Defensive Position	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Modern Fortification	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moat	Unknown Suspected	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Fortified Camp	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Earth Rampart	Unknown Suspected	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Ditch	Unknown Suspected	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Complex Fortification	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Long Wall	absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Military use of Metals Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Steel	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Iron	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Copper	Absent Inferred	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Bronze	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Projectiles Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Tension Siege Engine	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Sling Siege Engine	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Sling	Unknown Suspected	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Self Bow	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Javelin	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Handheld Firearm	Present Inferred	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Gunpowder Siege Artillery	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Crossbow	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Composite Bow	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Atlatl	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Handheld weapons Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
War Club	Unknown Suspected	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Sword	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Spear	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Polearm	Absent Inferred	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Dagger	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Battle Axe	Unknown Suspected	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Animals used in warfare Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Horse	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Elephant	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Donkey	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Dog	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Camel	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Armor Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Wood Bark Etc	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Shield	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Scaled Armor	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Plate Armor	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Limb Protection	Unknown Suspected	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Leather Cloth	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Laminar Armor	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Helmet	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Chainmail	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Breastplate	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Naval technology Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Specialized Military Vessel	Absent Inferred	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Small Vessels Canoes Etc	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Merchant Ships Pressed Into Service	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Economy Variables (Luxury Goods)

Religion Variables

Moralizing Supernatural Punishment and Reward Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)
Moralizing Enforcement is Broad	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Concern is Primary	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Agentic	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in This Life	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moralizing Supernatural Punishment And Reward	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Commoners	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Targeted	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement in Afterlife	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moralizing Religion Adopted by Elites	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement of Rulers	Present	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Moralizing Enforcement is Certain	Absent	1841 CE 1987 CE
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Human Sacrifice Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial (id_iban_2)

Variable	Coded Value / Certainty Tags	Year(s)	See More