Abang in the Middle and Upper Kapuas by Reed l. Wadley Borneo Research Bulletin, vol. 37
Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Abang Openg or Abang Jo, as he is affectionately known, became the Chief Minister of Sarawak in 2017. Where does the term abang come from? We try to answer the question.
The term abang, denoting people of royal blood, most likely originated in pre-Islamic west Borneo as a new class of leaders arose from the union of immigrant Hindu-Java people linked to Majapahit and the local Dayak. The use of the term abang became institutionalized with the advent of Islam.
The middle Kapaus kingdom of Mangkiang-Sanggau might be the origin of the term abang. The origin of the term might be from royal genealogies and its close connections through intermarriage, legend and tributary claims through Sarawak.
In 1856, Resident H.von Graffin journeyed along the middle and upper Kapuas River. His report included descent lines from the Malay rulers. The title abang is evident here, along with less archaic titles as pangeran, panambahan and radin. However, the title seems more prevalent in the far-upriver kingdom of Selimbau.
In 1903, Entoven, citing more detailed accounts of the upriver Malays, (see Bijdragen tot de Geographie van Borneo’s Wester-afdeeling. Volumes I and II. Leiden: Brill.) Also, cite numerous rulers and nobles with the title of abang. For example, the founder of Bunut was Adie Soetrie who was succeeded by his son law Abang Soerjia (1855) who was succeeded by his son Abang Oetih (1859) who was succeeded by his son Abang Tella (1876) who was banished in 1884 for misdeeds. His son Abang Tanah was next in line, suggesting the older title of abang was fine for everyday use but was not suitable when one reached the throne.
In Jongkong (formally known in1868 by its place name Ulak Lamau) Kiai Patie Oeda (the chief at the time of the first Dutch expedition upriver in 1823) had the fore-title of radja. He was succeeded by his son Radin Nata who was succeeded by his grandson (he’s not having a son) Abang Abdoel Arab. Abang Abdoel Arab was the son of Radin Nata’s daughter, Dajang Mesinto, and a Muslim Palin Dayak named Abang Boedja. Abang Abdoel Arab’s oldest son, Abang Oenang, took the throne in 1864. Upon Abang Oenang’s death in 1886, his oldest son, Abang Alam, still a minor, took the throne under three regents — Raden Soema, Abang Ali, and Abang Kijoeng.
The “everyday” nature of abang is borne out in the Jongkong genealogy that Enthoven records, with the sons of Abang Oenang listed as Abang Alam, Abang Osman, Abang Noeh, and Abang Obal, ranging in age from 20 to 13 years . This would seem to make abang the male equivalent of the ubiquitous upper and middle Kapuas female honorific, dayang.
In Selimbau, the next town downriver, the same pattern exists. In the early 1700s, the title abang is evident in a string of Dayak Chiefs: Adji, Abang Tedong, Abang Djambal, Abang Oepak, Abang Boedjang, Abang Ambal, Abang Tella, Abang Parah, Abang Goenoeng, Abang Teding, and Abang Mahidin who was the first to convert to Islam. Abang Tadjak, the first ruler, succeeded Abang Mahidin to take the title raja and who took the honorific, Soera di Laga Pakoe Negara. These examples and others show the antiquity of the use of the term Abang and Dayang along the Kapuas River. This history would also seem to confirm both the “everyday” use of abang and its relative antiquity in pre-Islamic West Borneo and subsequent diminishment under increased Islamic and Dutch influence, at least among the rulers themselves.
So, how did the terms Abang and Dayang reach Sarawak and become part of the rulers’ names?
This brief account of the use of abang in the middle and upper Kapuas River confirms Reece’s contention that the existence of the honorific in Sarawak may be tied closely to its ubiquity in the Kapuas drainage. The term abang spread to the south to the Philippine Islands, as witnessed by Abang Linkod.
We now have use of the term abang in the upper Kapuas area. How did the term reach Sarawak? Unfortunately, I have been unable to find “Reece, Bob n.d. The Origins of the Sarawak Abang. To appear in a volume edited by James Chin.” Can anyone help?
We now turn to Notes on the use of Malay and Abang in Sarawak by J.H. Walker The Sarawak Museum Journal 1995
The use of the Abang title by the Sarawak Malay elite probably derives from the court usage outlined by the Dato’ Bentarra Luar. According to the Merpati tales describing the origins of the Sarawak perabangan, Datu Merpati’s sister married the ruler of Sukadana, his brother became ruler of Sambas, and his daughter married the ruler of Brunei. Though Datu Merpati’s own descendants were not royal, they asserted genealogical relationships with neighbouring royal families, they were abang to neighbouring rulers. Far from adopting the Abang title in the nineteenth century to differentiate themselves from Brunei, Sarawak perabangan had long used the title to express their association with the more illustrious, higher-status lineages.
From here we can see the term abang came from the people of the upper Kapuas River, associated with the leaders or royalty. It moved to Brunei and from there followed Dato’ Merpati to Santubong. The followers of Merpati became Abang and Dayang. The elite then moved to Lidah Tanah and with the rebellion ending, took the title to Kuching. Sir James Brooke picked up on the title and this group were to become the leaders of Sarawak. At least, this is how I think things happened.