Some Bisaya Folk Lore
The scene of this story is the Klias Peninsula situated on the west coast of North Borneo opposite Labuan Island. After crossing the beautiful beach with its palm trees there is a huge swamp with a tangled mass of impenetrable mangrove, nipah and sago. It is a poor country with the natives living on sago, moving by boat and itching from the overpowering attention of mosquitoes.
The Chinese Invasion
One night, Raja Koyok had a dream. In his dream, an old, old, woman came to him and said “Pardon, My Lord, a thousand pardons. Beware, Oh hajah, dreadful misfortune stalks our country; enemies will set upon you. They will endeavour to invade and to rule in your place. And thereafter, My Lord, a great rain and a great flood will come upon you.”
This terrible dream upset Raja Koyok so much that for days he neither ate nor slept. At length his wife took him to task for this stupid behaviour and, on being told of his dream, she made’ the practical suggestion that Raja Koyok should make preparations to resist the invader. ‘‘Call all the men of the village,” she said, and make a plan to meet these emergencies but first, you must eat” So Raja Koyok ate; then he called his brother Basi and all their followers, and they held a council of war. It was decided that a fort be built and weapons forged. The whole population cooperated in the war effort and in a short time all was prepared.
They had not long to wait; one morning the lookout man from his post on the Mempakul hills saw the sails of a fleet of seventy-nine ships shining in the sunrise, Chinese men-of-war.
The fleet anchored in a bay on an island close to Kuala Kilas. Ever since then, the island has been called Labuan, which means “the anchorage”. From there they launched an attack upon the Kilas Peninsula. Raja Koyok engaged the enemy at Tanjong Lumut and there they fought for five long months until the Bisayas were nearly exhausted. The Chinese, however, daily grew stronger for they had plenty to eat.
Then one night a strong wind arose and blew up black clouds, and a storm broke which lasted three days and three nights. During a cessation in the fight, Raja Koyok upbraided his people for their poor morals and urged them that they put their last ounce into the struggle. Then he said to Basi: “I am ashamed of myself too ! for am I not a Raja without supernatural powers, of which I have made no use? Let us invoke the Jinns and you and I will go out alone and do battle with the Chinese” Basi agreed but their warriors soon got wind of their intention. and implored the Raja to take them too, saying that they were not afraid to die in war for their country. What they feared was that their Lord and Master would be killed and with no leader and they would fall easy prey to the Chinese. ‘”Better,” they said, “to die together than to live under the shadow of a usurper’s rule! “.
Heartened by these loyal utterances, Raja Koyok consented to take them. Spreading to his feet, he buckled on his accoutrements and grasping his weapon he outlined in the downpour, followed by his warriors.
Now the Chinese did not like the rain. On the night of the storm, they were huddled together below decks, fast asleep, so that it was very easy for the Bisaya’s to silently paddle their canoes, to approach and board the enemy vessels. At the critical moment, when the Chinese were struggling up on deck, Rajah Koyok transformed himself into an elephant and Basi took the shape of a great white eagle. The Chinese were transfixed with terror at suddenly seeing two such fabulous monsters upon their decks.
With triumphant trumpeting the elephant stamped from ship to ship, wrecking them and sending them and their crews to the bottom, whilst the eagle screaming wickedly hovered overhead, swooping upon any ships which showed signs of preparing resistance. In a very short space of time, every ship was sunk and every Chinese drowned. All that was left was one little boat, which had miraculously escaped destruction. Taking this in tow, the triumphant Bisayas returned rejoicing in their Kampongs, the undisputed masters of their swamp.
The Flood comes and the Bisayas Find a New Country
Unfortunately by this time the Rajah had forgotten the warning of the flood given by the old woman in his dream. The place where the Rajah built the new fort was in the very centre of the swamp, surrounded by many square miles of meres, and brackish waterways.
One day a storm of more than ordinary in magnitude burst upon the country and it rained as though it would never cease. The waterways overflowed their banks, the meres ran together and became lakes, and soon his whole Kingdom was inundated and all the new houses were engulfed by the waters. Most of the Bisayas endured a terrible period of three days and three nights, sitting in the branches of a gigantic tree: but Raja Koyok and a few of his people paddled to higher land in the little Chinese boat. Luckily, the waters then receded, but Rajah Koyok decided that it would be more sensible to live on a high hill which would be safe from future floods.
So he and some of his people set out again in their boat. Kola Klias went downstream to Menunibok and out into Brunei Bay. They sailed, past the little islands which guard the river mouth and steered their boat towards those dark forested hills where the infant Padas river is borne amongst the crags and cliffs of the Murut Country. Eventually, they found the Kuala Padas and ascended its broad and placid stream until they came to the foothills, where the great mountains knelt with their knees in the water, further they ascended now they passed Jimpanga and came at last to the hill of their choice, called Maligai. There they staked their claim and thence returned to Kota Klias and the rest of the people. But he and his clan lacked the pioneer spirit of their Raja and elected to remain in Kota Klias, where they were assured of, at least, some sort of living. They swore they loved their Raja, and so great was the grief of every Bisaya at this parting that they wept unceasingly for one whole week.
At the end of that time, Raja Koyok dried his eyes and set forth on the return journey to Maligai Mountain with his family and twenty young couples. When they arrived Raja Koyok tied his boat up so securely they almost immediately turned to stone. It is there to this day called Batu Anjong.
Maligai Mountain proved so healthy that the Bisayas multiplied exceedingly and the whole country round about was peopled by them, some going to Ulu Padas, some to Ulu Tuaran. and some to Ulu Menigalon. But the Raja stayed in Maligai Mountain and built a palace in which he lived until his death.
One day whilst Basi was on a visit to Raja Koyok, the latter formally installed him as a Raja and fixed the boundary between their kingdoms. To him was allocated the flat land near the coast whilst Rajah Koyok ruled the mountain country. Raja Basi then returned to his kingdom and allotted the land to his people. Parties of settlers were sent out, each with a headman, who was picked for his bravery and strength of character. The title of “Belian” was conferred upon them. (In Baju it means old person.)
Brunei Infiltration
One day some of the Malays from the Sultanate of Brunei were hunting deer. In the course of the hunt they lost themselves; whilst seeking their way home, they met a party of Raja Koyoks people who enquired whence they came. On. hearing that they were Bruneis who were lost and had neither eaten nor drunk for two days and two nights, they invited them back to Gunung Maligi. Rajah Koyok looked after them very well for a week. He asked them about their country. “How their garden grew. The Bruneis replied they had no cultivation or gardens. All they had was a great multitude of Punai (green pigeons). Said they, that is why our county is called Brunei because there are such great numbers of Punai.
Raja Koyok sent the Bruneis to Raja Basi and Raja Basi sent them to their own country for twenty ‘five days, in return for their kindness. The Bruneis swore everlasting friendship together.
Shortly afterwards Brunei Raja sent a letter to Raja Koyok and Raja Basi enquiring how their country and crops were. The two Rajas replied that everything in their gardens was lovely, and they had an excellent crop of sweet potatoes. On receipt of this letter, the Raja of Brunei went to visit Bukit Malawi and inspect the gardens. And he saw that the country was indeed so beautiful that he exclaimed “Bisaiyah” which in Brunei Malay means “how beautiful.”
The Bruneis then began to visit the country, trading bangles etc. at Padas Besar and from Kota Klias up to Padas Damit. Eventually some Bruneis settled down at Padas Besar, Bangkalalak and Menumbok. There was a great demand for their goods because the Bisaya were very uncivilized their coats and trousers they made from the bark of trees, and they wore their hair long.
Shortly afterwards the Sultan of Brunei, who was called the Fiery Raja, paid a visit to Padas Besar; he called together all the people who lived in Klias, Little Padas, Gadong, Libawang and invited them to swear allegiance to him. But the people were a little suspicious of his intentions and asked for a year in which to make up their minds. Their request was granted and a year later the Rajah of Brunei appeared again at Pedas Besar and enquired rather abruptly “Do you or do you not wish to be ruled by me?” The Bisayas agreed (they probably had little option) and the Sultan conferred the title of Panglima on the Chiefs which had descended from father to son until the third or fourth generation. Despite this high-sounding title, the Rajas government was not efficient or good. There was much sudden death for when the Bruneis arrived at Pedas Besar and saw a pretty girl they immediately tried to capture her and carry her off. But the Bisayas resisted them and they were not defeated because they were very tough and the missiles of the enemy could not pierce them.
From
Some Bisaya Folk Lore as told to D. Headly from Dato Maha Raja Lela of Brunei. D. Headly was the Resident at Labuan and the interior Sarawak Museum Journal 1950, no.2
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