Tom’s Note: These codified taxes were written in 1736. The names of the Sultans of Brunei and their reigns do not follow the spellings or the order of Sultans given elsewhere.
In the former days, when Brunei ruled the greater part of Sarawak, a special department was set up to control the collection of taxes due by the Sultan of Brunei. Feudal chiefs were given titles by the Sultan who were directly responsible to him. The chief collector of a district was called a Juatan while his assistants were called Jejenang. These men were empowered to collect taxes and consequently, extortion became rife throughout the country.
Feudal chiefs were ordered to pay 600 passau of rice (1 passau=8 gantang=1 gallon) to the Sultan. The Juntan collected 700 pasau from the Jejenang. In turn, the Jejenang collected 800 passau from the people. As a result, the natives were ground into a pitiable state of poverty as found by James Brooke in 1839.
An old document has surfaced whereby Sultan Muaddin and Sultan Kemal set forth the facts for their descendants. Dated 6 Jema’ad Alachir 1148 (1736 C.E) In true oriental form, the writer has successfully buried the real gist of his subject amid endless ramifications and at times bewildering repetitions. The taxes are put forth in tabular form:
Annual tributes to the Sultan of Brunei
War Boats
2 from Kalaka; 1 each from Saribas, Sebangan, Sadong and Sarawak.
Padi (Rice)
800 pasau from Kalaka, Sadong and Sarawak; 600 from Sebuyow and 150 from Seabangan
Sago
Jajang is a leaf packet of about 2.5 feet or .75 km.
2000 jajang 6 jengkal long from Muka and Patanak
Cotton
1 bohara =3 picul=400 lbs.
3 bohara from Batang Lupar; 1 bohara from Skrang ;12 yuta (10 catties) from others.
Special Tributes
Bees Wax
1 picul from Datu Patinggi of Kalaka; O.K. Bandar, Datu Patinggi of Saribas;Datu Bandar of Saribas
One half picul each from the Mentri of Kalaka and Saribas
1 senantan (1 senantan=10 catties=13 and half pounds.) from the Mentri of Sebangan ,Sadong.
Lamp Wicks
The dayang dayang (ladies of the Malay elite) provided cotton and tudong duland (cloth) for making wicks.
Appointments
On obtaining the appointment of Datu Patinggi- 7 slaves to the Sultan
On obtaining the appointment of Shahbandar- 6 slaves to the Sultan
On obtaining the appointment of Mentri(civil office of the government) of Kalaka, Senbangan, Sadong Saribas or Sarawak- 3 slaves to the Sultan
Menteri among the Melano-10 slaves and 20-30 tahil of gold (12 Tahils=1 pound=.45 kg together with a medium size gong and a smaller gong.
Visiting the Sultan
Various cloth according to rank.
Datus-a shining silk cloth with gold embroidery. Others silks of a lessor nature.
Rewards paid for the return of an escaped slave
If escaped from Kalaka (Chief district outside of Brunei) and returned to:
Saribas 4 amas (1 amas=64 grains of gold)
Sebangan-5 amas; Sadong 6 amas; Samarahan 7 amas; Sarawak 8 amas; Simatan10 amas; Sambas 16 amas.
Parnell, E. The Tributes paid in former days to the Sultan of Brunei by the then dependent provinces of Sarawak in the Sarawak Museum Journal 1911
.
