The Bisayah, Tabun, Tagal and Murut
The Bisayah
“The Bisayah are the indigenous people in Sarawak’s Fifth Division. Living side by side with them are the Kedayan and Pa Balat people. The Kedayan settled along the coast while the Pa Balat people fished in the sea and lower parts of the rivers in the area.”
Earlier, the Limbang River was called the Awang Brunei by the Bisayah and the Limbang by the people of Brunei. In later years, the Kedayan intermarried with the Muslims newly arrived from foreign countries. The Pa Balat today ( 1972) live in Kampong Ayer while the Bisayah live in the middle part of the Limbang River. The Bisayah are agriculturalists growing padi (rice) and sago.In olden days, the sago flour could be easily taken out of the Mulong tree by tapping the trunk. However, thieves used to plug the holes with pubic hair and sago stopped coming out freely and eventually stopped. The Bisayah need to cut down the entire tree to rasp and purify the sago.
The Bisayah were excellent boat builders. In ancient times, they frequently went to sea. However, now a days, (1972) they limit themselves to the mouth of the Limbang river. They have two types of boats, the Bakul and the Gubang which they use on the river and in the sea respectively.The Bisayu also settled on the banks of the Belait and Tutong rivers in Brunei. The Bisayu’s of the Tutong region are all pagans while those in the Belait region are Moslems. (remember, this was written in 1972)
In the beginning there was mighty spirit called Allak Talak. He made the world from a flat surface where all plants came from. Allak Talak sent his friend, Raja Gibrail, to earth to collect soil. The earth he brought back was made into wild animals (binatang) and evil spirits (antu). He sent Raja Gibrail back and he returned with the correct earth where he made evil spirits (antu), animals (binatang) and man (munsia). Alak Tanah blew life into man through his big toe. When man’s life ended, the breath would leave through his mouth. From this legend, the Bisayu believe that life came to man from below and ends on top. After death, man goes to Irat where the people are divided into two groups . The good enjoy happiness while the bad remain in misery.
The Tabun
On the Upper source of the Limbang river live a tribe of people called the Tabun. They lived in longhouses.
In ancient times, the people lived together in a big longhouse situated at the mouth of the Tabun stream, a tributary on the left bank of the Limbang River near the Lawi mountain range. Their longhouse was built on high stilts about 24 feet high from the ground. Around the longhouses strong fences were erected to prevent an attack from the enemy.
The Tabun were warlike people and were in great enmity with the Kelabit, the Kayan and the Kenyah who came to attack from Indonesian Borneo and from the upper Baram river whose source met the watershed of the of the Limbang range. They also raided the Kayan and Kenyah of the upper Baram River.
The Murut also attacked the Tabun. Their Chief, Tawi Layok, led them to move to Long Adat, a tributary of the Limbang river. This new settlement was far away from their former settlement on the Tabun stream.
While living there, they were continually raided by their enemies. After many decades, they moved further down the Limbang River to Long Bedit. After a few years they moved to Nanga Medalam after the death of their Chief, Tawi Layok. At Nanga Medalam , Tawi Layoks son became chief and the split into two groups. One group moved further up the Medalam tributary, while the other group stayed where they were. Some years after they had moved up the Medalam tributary, the Pengiran of Brunei gave them iron implements for farming.
After the harvest, the Pengiran of Brunei came again and asked for padi (rice) grain in exchange for iron implements and weapons. Chief Sibal Udang had died at the Nanga Medalam settlement and was succeeded by his son Ngeliling. He ruled for only short time and was succeeded by Tama Suling Wan. He ruled for many years when the Limbang river was taken by the Rajah of Sarawak in 1890. He helped the Rajah fight the Murut who was aligned with the Sultan of Brunei. As a result, Nanga Medalam became the ruler over Limbang for the Sarawak government. The present day (1972) longhouse consists of 27 families. Out of these, only five families are pure. All the rest are either Iban or Murut.
The Tagal
At Merapok, Trusan and Kabong along the Limbong river lived a group of people called the Tagal. In former days they lived at Sungai Apas opposite the present town of Merapok. From this settlement, a number of them, under Chief Melap, moved to what is now Sabah. Those that stayed were frequently raided by the Murut. After the succession of Trusan River to Sarawak the hostilities stopped.
After several decades of living in Sungai Miau, Chief Malap led his people moved to Bul which was also in Sabah. The later moved back again to Sungai Miau in order to settle at Sungai Tagas. In later years, Melelap died and was succeeded by his nephew Mayo. Mayo was later appointed Orang Kaya by the Sultan of Brunei.
In the days of Orang Kaya Mayo, the Tagal people barter traded with the Brunei Malays at Kuala Lawas. At this time, no Brunei Malays risked going further into the interior than Lawas.Over the years, the Tagal moved twice more. The first was to the tributary of the Simail where orang Kaya died of old age. After his death, his nephew succeeded him with title of headman. Pa Igon succeeded him. Later, the people of the Lawas River were ceded to Sarawak in 1905.
The Murut
The Murut are the largest group in the fifth division. They are scattered all over the that division inhabiting even the remotest section.
In ancient times, it was said that a giant man lived in Temueng and his friend named Pengiran lived in Kemaloh in what is now Indonesian Borneo. According to legend they were ancestors of the Murut people.
Temueng and Pengiran were much ashamed that they could not defeat their enemy, Yada. Temueng moved from Kemaloh to Penang Trusan. Pengiran also moved and settled in Ilot, now in Indonesian Borneo.
Owing to the extraordinary size of his body, Temueng could easily eat one pig per meal and this caused him to become an extremely strong man. From this folktale, the Murut knew how they came to live in Trusan area on the Sarawak side of the island of Borneo.
When he lived in Ulu Trusan, he carved a number of rocks and posts of his house were all made of rock which are intact to this day. (1972) While he was living at Long Lopeng, hundreds of Kayan came to attack him. When the enemy came, he smoked his pipe. However, when the enemy came closer, he knock each of them on the head and killed them all.
One day when Temueng went out hunting. While wandering about, he found a huge coil of rottan which can be used as a ring for a fish trap. At first he thought the rottan was a leg ornament, so he put his leg in it. The rottan was much larger than his leg and this scared him. He and his people fled from Long Lopeng and down the Trusan and Limbang Rivers. They moved there in small groups, each group gradually followed by another. Expanding their territory down the Trusan, they moved until they were attacked by the Kayan.
After having beaten the Kayan, the Murut began to separate and settle in various areas of Lawas and Limbang regions. There population increased from migrations from Indonesian Borneo.
From : The Bisayah and Indigenous Peoples of Limbang by Benedict Sandin in the Sarawak Museum Journal December 1972
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