The paper examines the evolution of customary land tenure in Sarawak. It first reviews economic theory relating to the evolution of land tenure, then outlines the tenure system of the !ban, the major indigenous group in Sarawak. The impact of the Sarawak state on customary tenure is examined for the Brooke period (1841-1941), the British colonial period (1946-63) and particularly the period since the formation of Malaysia (1963 to present). The paper concludes that both economic and political factors have affected the evolution of property rights to land in Sarawak.