The
Kayan people were the first group that inhabited the Song District. At that time, the Kayans were a
nomadic people. At the same time, the
Iban people migrated from the present day
Kalimantan, Indonesia and settled near the banks of the
Katibas River (located in the Song District) to find land for farming. Conflict between the Kayan and the Iban people soon grew into a war and the Iban people won. Accepting defeat, the Kayan people then migrated to the
Belaga District. The Malays and the Chinese first arrived in the Song District in the 1800s. They built wooden shophouses with
nipah roofs along the river banks and opened floating shops on the river. Initially, the
barter system was used, but when Song was acquired by the
Kingdom of Sarawak, a monetary system was introduced. The first three Malays to arrive in Song were Mr Haji Tahir, Haji Omar, and Haji Dollah. In 1870, the
Brooke government built a fort at Nanga Song (mouth of the Song River). The fort also functioned as Song's first administrative centre and was intended to inhibit Iban uprisings at the Katibas River. The Iban people opposed the introduction of the assessment tax by the Brooke government. Such uprisings lasted until the 1900s. In 1873,
Sibu Division was established.
Kapit and Song sub-district were included in the division at that time. In 1937, there were 10 Malay houses in Song. The Malay traders at Song were known as
Abang (meaning "nobleman"). In the 1820s, they traded with the Ibans in Song in exchange for jungle produce. One of the well-known traders was Haji Ahmed bin Haji Omar. The Malays would sell the jungle produce in Sibau town (present-day
Sibu) for a profit. Ships would anchor in Sibu to carry the jungle produce back to their respective destinations for sale. In exchange, these ships brought daily necessities such as salt, sugar, salted fish, plates, bowls, pottery and clothes to trade with the natives. Meanwhile, the Iban people worked as farmers, rubber tappers and jungle produce collectors. The Ibans then sold their products at the Song bazaar in exchange for daily necessities. During the
Japanese occupation, both Allied and Japanese bombing destroyed many of the buildings in the village. Many residents fled Song due to the war. The town became chaotic during the war and its people endured harsh Japanese administration. During this time, the Chinese started to build the first primary school in Song. After the war, the British colonial government gave
Sarawak dollars to residents of Song to rebuild their homes. In 1948, the fort at Nanga Song was moved to Nanga Katibas (mouth of the Katibas River). Thus, the administrative centre was effectively moved to the Katibas River. The Chinese also restarted their businesses in Song after the war. During the British colonial era, the Sarawak Natives Affairs Department was established in 1955. Michael Sardin became the first native officer. During the
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, Song sub-district office was the operational centre to repel Indonesian military crossings of the Sarawak-Kalimantan border. After the formation of Malaysia in 1963, William Linang became the first Sarawak Administrative Officer in Song. On 2 April 1973, Kapit was upgraded to
division. At the same time, Song sub-district was upgraded into a district. In 1977, the administrative centre of Song was moved from the fort at Katibas River to the town centre. ==Government==