The two storey solid wooden building housing the museum today was built in the year 1897 as a fort by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke to impose peace and order in the region where warfare among the local tribes prevailed.
Gawai Dayak is an annual harvest festival that is celebrated by Sarawakians, Borneo on 31 May and 1 June. It is a public holiday in Sarawak and is a social occasion recognized since 1957.