Baketan, Bisayah, Siteng

There are two papers in the Journal written by Benedict Sandin describing some of the people of north Sarawak. Another history by Tuton Kaboy reports on the Siteng People.

The Bisayah of Limbang

A quarrel over the fathers estate caused one man to leave the Philippines. He then married a Tenggara woman whose ancestors came from Java. They had a number of children who called themselves Bisayah after the race of their father.
Pati Berabai was heir to the fathers throne but his brothers and sisters all wanted to become the ruler of Java. To stop the quarrelling, Pati Berabai ordered the children to Brunei and to compete in a boat race. After six hours of hard paddling, none of them could beat the others boat.
Alak Betatar, the youngest, then placed a woman with long breasts to sit at the bow of his boat. As Betatar paddled, the swinging of the breasts gave him an edge in the race. The other children laughed so hard that they became weak and lost the race to Alak Betatar. The other all agreed he should become Sultan of Brunei.
Alak Betatar ordered a cockfight and the winner became the Sultan of Johor. A second cockfight ensued and the victor became the Raja of Java. The third and final cock fight occurred and the hero became the King of Sarawak.(this is the first time I have seen a reference to the King of Sarawak) The other three brothers fled into the jungles and became the leaders of the Tenggara, Penans and the Dayaks of Sarawak.

The History of the People in Balingian Mukah Sarawak

At one time, the Baketans inhabited the area of Tengalat hill in the Krian River of the Second division. When they came over to the Balingan River, they lived together with the Melanau and as a result of this mixture, became known as the Balingian Melanaus.
Another group of Baketans, who had been driven out by the Ibans, settled at the mouth of the Rajang River. They again split and one group became the Melanaus of the Rejang while the other group went to the upper source of the Balingan River where they settled down with the Melanaus.
However, after being there for about three years , they were frequently raided by the Ibans who were led by Melina “Bunga Ringkai” the father of Mujah “Buah Raya” from Batang Layar in the Second Division. Owing to more attacks, they split again retreating to Anap while some fled to Danau Engkasan. Some joined the Punans and some settled with the Ukits.
From Danau Engkasan, they moved down to Duan the true left tributary of the Balingian. The Melanaus had a longhouse of 30 doors. The Balingian continued their migration to just below the town of Balinga while another settled at Tanjong Muput. From that time onwards, the people became Muslims because of their contact with the Brunei traders. They intermixed with the Melanau people.
There would three migrations of Iban into the areas occupied by the Baketan. The first migration was from Ibans who had worked at Fort Lily in Betong in 1900. They asked the Rajah for permission to settle in the area and it was granted.
The second migration occurred two years later when the Ibans, again with the permission of the Rajah, settled in the area. One Iban became the head man, as a representative to the Rajah.
The third migration occurred two years after the arrival of Pengulu Umpang. (I cannot find when Umpang arrived) The Rajah again appointed an Iban as a head men. The Headman was killed by the Japaese.

Some Stories about the Siteng People
In the olden days the Siteng people lived in the upper Baram River in the fourth division of Sarawak. Their origin is not known. They were attacked and killed by hundreds of wild pigs. Those that survived went to many different places. Some lived at Julan, a tributary of the true left bank of the Baram River. They then moved overland to the Tinjar river and later down the Tinjar River. From there they travelled to the Jelong River then somewhere near the mouth of the Tubau river, a true left tributary of the Kemana. After many years and several moves later, the Siteng people settled at the Suyong stream, a true left tributary of the Balingan.
When the Siteng people had been settled at the mouth of the Kenyan, the Melanau people moved up the Mukah and settled near the Kenyan River. Much later came the Iban and then the Chinese. The Siteng people have mixed with the Chinese, Melanau and Ibans and no longer live in longhouses. They are now (1971) an extinct tribe among the many peoples of Borneo.

From Benedict Sandin The Bisayah of Limbang and The History of the People in Balingian Mukah Sarawak.

By Tuton Kaboy Some Stories of the Siteng People in the Sarawak Museum Journal December, 1971

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