I. H. N. Evans

Ivor Hugh Norman Evans (1886-1957) was a British anthropologist, ethnographer and archaeologist who spent most of his working life in peninsular British Malaya (now Malaysia) and in North Borneo (now Sabah, Malaysia).

Life

Evans was educated at Charterhouse School and at Clare College, University of Cambridge, during which time he studied under Alfred Haddon. In 1910-11 he briefly served as a colonial administrator, as cadet district officer for the North Borneo Chartered Company, which administrated the independent state and British protectorate of North Borneo. He was based in the Tempasuk and Tuaran Districts.

Evans spent much of his career on peninsular Malaya from 1912 until 1932 at the Perak State Museum in Taiping, the first museum in Malaysia. He was appointed Curator there in 1917 and also worked as an ethnographer and archaeologist.

Evans took early retirement in 1932 and returned to England, settling at Oulton Broad in Suffolk. He remained there until 1938. However, he missed the East and decided to return to North Borneo, where he was to spend the rest of his life. He carried out ethnographic research on the religious beliefs, practices and folklore of the Dusuns of the Kota Belud area.

During the Japanese occupation of Borneo in World War II, Evans was held as a civilian internee at Batu Lintang camp at Kuching in Sarawak. He died in Labuan on 3 May 1957.

A collection of Evans’ material, including diaries and photographs taken on peninsular Malaya and in Borneo are held at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge (reference GB-1638-MS. Collections, BA5/9/1-7)

elected works

Books

*1922 "Among Primitive Peoples in Borneo: A Description of the Lives, Habits, and Customs of the Primitive Headhunters of North Borneo, with an Account of Interesting Objects of Prehistoric Antiquity Discovered in the Island" London: Seeley, Service & Co. Limited
*1923 "Studies in Religion, Folk-Lore, and Custom in British North Borneo and the Malay Peninsula" Cambridge: University Press
*1927 "Papers on the Ethnology and Archaeology of the Malay" Peninsula Cambridge: University Press
*1937 "The Negritos of Malaya" Cambridge: University Press
*1953 "The Religion of the Tempasuk Dusuns of North Borneo" Cambridge: University Press

Articles

*1912 "Notes on the Religious Beliefs, Superstitions, Ceremonies and Tabus of the Dusuns of the Tuaran and Tempassuk Districts, British North Borneo" "The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland" 42 (July - December 1912), 380-396
*1913 "Folk Stories of the Tempassuk and Tuaran Districts, British North Borneo" "The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland" 43 (July - December 1913), 422-479
*1917 "Malay back-slang" "Journal of the Federated Malay States Museums" ("JFMSM") 7: 115-116
*1917 "Notes on Some Beliefs and Customs of the 'Orang Dusun' of British North Borneo" "The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland" 47 (January - June 1917), 151-159
*1918 "Preliminary Report on Cave Exploration near Lenggong, upper Perak" "JFMSM" 7, 227-234
*1918 "The Raja and the Pauper: A Borneo Folk-Tale" "Man" 18, (January 1918), 8-9
*1918 "A Brass Drum from Borneo" "Man" 18 (February 1918), 19-20
*1918 "Some Sakai Beliefs and Customs" "The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland" 48 (July - December 1918), 179-197
*1920 "Customs of the camphor-hunters" "JFMSM" 9, 53-58
*1920 "Kempunan" "Man" 20 (May, 1920), 69-70
*1921 "A Grave and Megaliths in Negeri Sembilan: an Account of Some Excavations" "JFMSM" 9
*1922 "Further Notes on Negrito Beliefs and Customs" "JFMSM" 9
*1922 "On an Examination of Negrito Combs from Perak" "JFMSM" 9
*1922 "The Potting Industry at Kuala Tembeling" "JFMSM" 9, 259 – 261
*1922 "A Rock-Shelter at Gunung Pondok" "JFMSM" 11
*1923 "Some Beliefs of the Lenggong Negritos" "JFMSM" 12
*1923 "Vaughan Stevens and the Patterns on Negrito Combs" "JFMSM" 12
*1925 "An Ethnological Expedition to South Siam" "JFMSM" 12, 35-7
*1925 "Further Notes on Pahang Negritos" "JFMSM" 12
*1926 "Results of an Expedition to Kedah" "JFMSM" 12
*1927 "Tukang Bola" "JFMSM" 12
*1927 "Notes on the Remains of an Old Boat from Pontian, Pahang" "JFMSM" 12, 93-6
*1927 "Further Notes on Lenggong Negritos" "JFMSM" 12
*1927 "Negrito Cave Drawings at Lenggong, Upper Perak" "JFMSM" 12
*1928 "On Ancient Remains from Kuala Selinsing, Perak" "JFMSM" 12(5)
*1928 "Further Notes on Remains from Kuala Selinsing, Perak" "JFMSM" 12(5)
*1928 "Further excavations at Gunung Pondok" "JFMSM" 12, 136-142
*1928 "Report on cave excavations in Perak" "JFMSM" 12 (6), 145-60 (with Pieter V van Stein Callenfels)
*1928 "Schebesta and the Negritos" "Man" 28
*1928 "Stone Celts from Northern Burma" "Man" 28 (February 1928), 25-26
*1929 "A Note on a Negrito Funeral" "JFMSM" 12
*1929 "On slab-built graves in Perak" "JFMSM" 12, 111-120
*1929 "Some Malay Pattern and Design" "JFMSM" 12, 163-167
*1929 "A Further Note on the Kuala Selinsing Settlement" "JFMSM", 12(7)
*1929 "An Apology the Shade of Vaughan Stevens" "JFMSM", 15
*1929 "Gleanings from English Gypsies" "Journal of Gypsy Lore Society" New Series, 8(3), 140-142
*1929 "Two Anglo-Romani songs" "Journal of Gypsy Lore Society" Third Series, 8(3), 142-143
*1930 "Schebesta on the Sacerdo-Therapy of the Semangs" "Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland" 60, 115-125
*1930 "Notes on Recent Finds at Kuala Selinsing" "JFMSM", 15(1)
*1930 "An Unusual Type of Stone Implement from British North Borneo" "Man" 30 (July 1930), 123-124
*1930 "Notes on two types of stone implements from the Malay Peninsula" "Man" 30, 157-159
*1931 "Excavations at Nyong, Tembeling River, Pahang" "JFMSM", 15, 51-2
*1931 "A further slab-built grave at Singkai, Perak" "JFMSM" 15, 63-4
*1931 "On Some Pottery Objects from Surat" "Journal of the Siam Society" 24 (2), 207-209
*1931 "Stone Objects from Surat, Peninsular Siam" "Journal of the Siam Society" 24 (2)
*1932 "Excavations at Tanjong Rawa, Kuala Selinsing, Perak" "JFMSM", 15(3), 79-133
*1934 "Courtship, Marriage, and Divorce in Borneo" in "Readings in the Family" by Lee M. Brooks, Ernest R. Groves, and Benjamin R. Andrews Chicago: J.B. Lippincott Company
*1955 "Bajau pottery" "Sarawak Museum Journal" 6 (5): 297–300

Bibliography and sources

*Horton, A. V. M. (ed) "Bornean Diaries 1938-1942 I. H. N. Evans" Borneo Research Council Monograph 6
*King, Victor T. and Wilder, William D., "The Modern Anthropology of South-East Asia: An Introduction", 47-8
*Rahman, Mohd. Kamaruzaman A. , n.d., "The Development of Archaeology in Malaya" Online at [http://pkukmweb.ukm.my/~carl/KAMAL/me2733/development.pdf]
*Obituary of I. H. N. Evans in "Sarawak Museum Journal" 8 (2), 18-19