The Land Below The Wind – What’s In a Name and who is Agnes Keith?

*pls click on the Getting To Know Sabah tab above to get to the intro page.

Perhaps many wonder why Sabah is often called The Land Below The Wind? In the bygone days of sailors and seamen, The Land Below the Wind was a phrase used to describe all lands that lay to the south of the typhoon belt. But when Agnes Keith, an American author wrote a book entitled The Land Below the Wind, about Sabah specifically, the term became Sabah’s official motto. What does all this mean you say? Well, it simply means that Sabah is tucked away nicely in a position where it is safe from typhoons and cyclones that constantly terrorize neighbouring regions like The Philippines and Indonesia. In other words, it is out of harm’s way.

There are many facts and historical events that Sabah holds dear to its past. But since Agnes Keith has been mentioned as the one person who made a permanent connection between Sabah and the phrase, The Land Below the Wind, it would only be right to shed light on her contributions to North Borneo. Arriving in the eye of the storm of World War II, Agnes Newton Keith was brought by chance to Sandakan (Sabah’s capital city at the time) in 1934. Hailing from Oak Park, Illinois, Keith had at a very young age, relocated with her family to Hollywood, California. But fast forward to 1934 was a newly wed Agnes Keith who agreed to relocate with her husband, Henry G. Keith, to Borneo. Henry was working for the Government of North Borneo at the time. Agnes entered marriage leaving behind a life of journalism, dancing, modelling and acting for bit parts in film. Aside from having had a flavourful career, Agnes also experienced a bit of an extraordinary life. Some of her changes of career paths resulted from being attacked and further suffering head injuries and losing her eyesight for two years. Accompanying her husband Henry to North Borneo didn’t seem too eventful at first but soon, after some persuasion from her husband, Agnes took up writing again and published 7 books in her lifetime. Some of her books were bestsellers and turned into movies. Agnes Keith can be said to be one of the earliest to put North Borneo or Sabah on the map. Below are pictures of The Keiths home ( dubbed Newlands) during their stay in Sandakan. Pictures of the couple can also be found below.

Newlands - The Keiths' home whilst staying in Sandakan, Sabah.

Newlands - Master Bedroom

Newlands - Living Room

Newlands - Dining area

Portraits of Agnes Keith and Henry G. Keith

Agnes Keith - an artist's impression

Agnes Keith in her younger days