Tom’s Note: Here is an oral history of Datu Merpati. He is a person who, it was said, ruled Sarawak sometime in the 1700s and who many of the current and past rulers have traced their lineage. Much of it is fantasy except for one item the Sultan of Brunei appointed Datuk Merpati to rule over Santubong. I had not seen that factoid before, yet it does make sense. So, pour a cuppa and enjoy the read.
Datu Merpati: A Sadong Version
Datu Merpati was the first Malay ruler in the 1st Division and lived at Tanjong Sipang, long before there was such a town as Sarawak (Kuching) and long before what is now known as Sarawak had come under the rule of Brunei. The Bidayuh lived where they had always lived but had no ruler and were always attacked by enemies.
His wife, Dayang Permesuri, lived with him. One day she was menstruating and foolishly went bathing in the river. The blood flowed into the water, making a discoloured cloud. After this bloody cloud took shape, it gradually became a huge dragon with golden scales. More will be heard of this dragon. However, no harm came to Dayang Permesuri, and in years, she became pregnant.
Just about this time Datu Merpati left Tanjong Sipang for a visit up the Sadong River. Up, up, he paddled until he came near where Kampong Slabi stands today. (halfway between Serian and Tebakang). He heard the sound of gongs as though there was a celebration in progress. But the sound was elusive—he sought it upriver, and it appeared to come from downriver; he sought it downriver, and it seemed to come from upriver.
He tied his boat near Pangklan Selabi and went ashore. Between Daun Belala and the Sadong, he saw a great feast in progress—men, women and children drinking, eating and dancing. At one side, an older man, with his grandchild on his back, was performing the Nabor(sprinkle) ceremony, holding a bowl of yellow rice and casting it to call the spirit Tampa to help them and bring good luck.
Datu Merpati quickly caught the older man around the body. The older man retained his hold on the bowl; of course, the child stayed on his back because he was tied there. But as soon as Datu Merpati touched the older man, the whole crowd grabbed their food, drink, gongs and other goods, and plunged into the waters of Daun Belala, for they were not human but water spirits.
Datu Merpati took the older man and the child back to his perahu. He also took the chair on which the older man had sat and the bowl. Today the older man and his child and his chair and his bowl may still be seen. They have shrunk to about 2 feet high and turned into metal bronze. It is kept by the Orang Kaya Retuh and is used to bless the coming padi crop.
Datu Merpati then proceeded upriver and moored at Kisumu. There he caught two frogs and trained them to work as his servants. Then he went upriver again, leaving the two frogs behind to await his return. The two frogs became human, took to the land, and founded the village of Koran. And to this day, the people of Koran and their branch always say kak (the sound frog makes) before they speak.
Then Datu Merpati went to Krusin (one hour upriver from Tebakang). Here Data Mei’bati stopped and beat on two gongs he brought with him from his home. After a short time, hundreds of people came near his boat and wished to buy the gongs. Datu Merpati said, “I am willing to sell, but they are very dear—100 pasu of padi each.” They replied, “That doesn’t matter; we will buy. The next day we will bring the padi as requested.
Datu Merpati measured the padi and found it was just enough, so the bargain was concluded. The padi was loaded into Datu Merpati’s boat, and the people went off, taking their gongs with them. Datu Merpati covered the padi with mats for the night and went to sleep. When he woke up, he looked again, and all the padi had turned into sand. This sand may still be near pang’kalan Krusin. He knew that he had been dealing with devils, not men, and was annoyed to hear the sound of his gongs coming from
Grunong Bumbong, halfway between Lichin and Krasin. Today no sensible person goes near it as the devils are still there.
However, Datu Merpati wanted to find Dayaks, not devils. So, upriver he went till he came to Muara Hoban. Logs blocked the mouth of the Hoban, and perhaps Datuk Merpati would be passed on, but he noticed that coconut husks and other refuse came floating down, so he knew that there were people on the Hoban. So he cut through the blockage and came upon the big Dayak village at Tembawang Taup.
Datu Merpati was worn out from travelling and settled at Tembawang Taup, taking a wife from the Dayaks. Her name was Suhorn. Over time, she bore him a son named Datu Nyikot. However, seeing his new son reminded him of his first wife and her pregnancy, and Datuk Merpati decided to return to Tanjong Sipang. He left Datu Nyikot a statue of the older man he had caught to assist him with his padi planting. He left him also a bedil (cannon); both may be seen at Tembawang Taup.
He also left a keabut (a sort of cylindrical mould of clay usually 30″ in diameter and about 24″ high on which one places his headdress before he was about to pray, To place one headdress on the ground or anywhere but the kelabut when was praying is an extreme disrespect to Tampa the great spirit of God) and that also is at Taup, now turned to the white stone.
Datu Merpati sailed down the Sadong and along the coast. But when he got home, neither wife nor son awaited him, and none could tell him where they had gone. He searched the upper Sarawak, in Samarahan in the upper Kalaka, but to no avail.
Had he known it, the one-eyed Rajah Pigor from Samarahan had come in his ship while Datu Merpati was at Taup and carried off Datu Permesuri and her infant daughter Dayang Bulan. Raja Pigor’s name survives today in the lampu pigor, which looks like a one-eyed man. After he had carried her off, Rajah Pigor forever wanted’ to sleep with Datu Permesuri, but she steadfastly refused. As she would not commit adultery, she said, “You and I are both Islam— if I were divorced from Datu Merpati and married to you, it would be different, but it is a sin for a woman to sleep with a man to whom she is not wed.”
Poor Datu Permesuri walked up and down the deck, this way and that, bearing her child in her arms. Puzzle as she might, she could see no escape. Then she noticed that Raja Pigor had fallen asleep, and she bethought herself of the kris she carried concealed beneath her left breast. Rage seized her, and she killed Raja Pigor by thrusting the kris into his brain through his one good eye, then ran amok. When the amok passed, all the crew were dead except two of the sailors who had begged for mercy. One was the Jurubatu and the other the Jurumudi.
The dead were thrown over the side, and the ship sailed on till they fetched up at Brunei. The Brunei people welcomed them and invited them to stay when they heard their story.
The Permesuri agreed, and the rough fishers of Brunei (for this was before there was any Sultan there) showed their good hearts by building a house in a single day.
By this time, Dayang Bulan had become a woman and a beautiful one. All loved her, but none dared ask for her hand, for they said there was none there worthy of her. So the drummers of Brunei sounded out a message on their drums, calling people to search for a man worthy of Dayang Bulan who could become her husband and Sultan of Brunei. And others heard the drum and passed the message on. But there was no response.
So the Brunei people took counsel, and a number of their cleverest drummers went to Johore to play. The Johore people, especially the son of the Sultan of Johore, welcomed the drummers and cunningly told him that the drums sounded their best when in a boat. He agreed to accompany them into their ship to listen to the drums.
For hours they played, and he listened. They sailed up river a little and downriver a little, all the time playing. It came midnight, and the prince fell fast asleep. For that, the Bruneis had been waiting swiftly and silently. They slipped downriver, and using paddles to aid the sails, they were off and away before any pursuit could be raised.
When they arrived in Brunei, all was ready for an immediate wedding. The prince looked at Dayang Bulan and fell in love with her, so he made no objections. Datu Permesuri, too, loved the prince. The prince became Sultan of Brunei, and all were very happy.
The Sultan of Johore had been furious about the abduction and, with his ship of war, had sought and sought for his son. Finally, he came to Brunei, but when he saw his lovely new daughter-in-law and realised that his son had now become a Sultan in his own right, all his anger vanished.
This occurred whilst Datu Merpati was still searching for his vanished wife. After he had searched everywhere on land, he decided that he must explore the sea and went to Santubong, where he prepared a goodly vessel and stocked it with food and water.
When he got well to sea, he was surprised when a pendu (bird)said, “Datu, your perahu is very fast. Let us have a contest.” So Datu ‘took up his paddle, and the pendu flew overhead. The pendu could not keep up, and so fast did Datu Merpati paddle that he drove his perahu through Tanjong Sol, and any bird could see that the Tanjong had been cut through. The bird vomited blood in his effort to win. You may see his descendants today have bloody streaks down each side of their beaks.
Datu Merpati sailed on and on, searching and searching. Then he met the dragon formed by Dayang Permesuri menstrual flow, which rose from the ocean’s depths. The dragon got before the boat and held it motionless “Datu, Datu, where are you bound?” I seek your mother and your sister.” “Follow me, Datu, I will lead you to them.” So, Datu Merpati did follow him and to Brunei, where the dragon told him he would find his wife and child. Before the dragon disappeared into the ocean’s depths, he had bade farewell and gave two of his golden scales to Datu Permesuri as a token of remembrance.
But Datu Merpati did not dare to meet them and lingered until Friday. Then he saw everyone go to the mosque and his wife too. Datu Merpati waited without, and when his wife came out, he clasped her to him. But the Bruneis were angry and drew their parangs. When Datu Permesuri herself told them it was her long-lost husband, they were appeased, and Datu Merpati was received with honour by his son-in-law. Finally, the Sultan of Brunei decided to send Datu Merpati to rule Sarawak and Datu Merpati and Datu Permesuri went back to Sarawak.
From:
Sarawak Museum Journal vol 5 no. 2 1950 (As told by Orang Kaya Permancha Tipas, male 60, Tarat, in 1948 to Mr Gordon Roberts then District Officer Serian.)
Suriani and I can be reached at Sarawaktom@ gmail.com