Tom’s note: Matang is located to the west of Kuching and has many Javanese Kampongs. This is the story of how the people got there.
In the period before James Brooke came to Sarawak and became its ruler, there arrived in the bay between Santubong and Tanjong Datu a sailing-vessel from Java. As the vessel was heading towards the mouth of the Sarawak River, the sailors suddenly noticed several pirate ships heading towards them. Alarmed, the sailors summoned their captain, whose name was Datu Matang, from his cabin. Seeing the pirates, Datu Matang ordered his crew to increase their vessel’s speed in the hope that they could enter the Sarawak River and gain safety before the pirates could catch up with them.
The sailors headed up river, but it became apparent that the faster pirate boats would manage to overtake them before they could reach safety. Realizing this, Datu Matang ordered his crew to change direction and to head for the river mouth at Sungei Sebubuk.
Reaching this river mouth ahead of the pirates, the crew sailed their vessel up the river as far as they could and, to avoid detection, then steered their vessel into a small stream far from the mouth of the river where he anchored their vessels and spent an anxious night fearing a surprise attack by the pirates.
The night passed without incident and the next morning, Datu Matang ordered his crew to head towards the river mouth. He hoped that the pirates had by then gone away and that they would be able to continue their voyage in safety.
However, just as they were arrived at the mouth of the river, Datu Matang and his crew could hear the voices of the pirates crews calling to each other, and so they again beat a hasty retreat back up the river to safety.
This time, Datu Matang and his crew waited a whole week before they again ventured towards the river mouth. But when they reached the mouth of the river, the pirates were still to be found there.
Prevented from heading for their destination by the pirates, Datu Matang and his crew found themselves in something of a fix. Not only were they unable to sell the goods they had brought with them, but their supplies were running low – so low, in fact, that they had to start eating the goods they brought with them to trade.
However, despite their difficulties, Datu Matang and his crew did not give up hope, despite the difficult position they found themselves in. Datu Matang had noticed that the soil in the area where they were hiding was fertile and very suitable for agriculture, while the water in the stream in which they were anchored was clean and suitable both for drinking and bathing.
A conference called by Datu Matang and attended by all of his crew was then held and all decided that they should plant various types of vegetables to supplement their dwindling food supplies, while they were obliged to remain where they were because of the presence of the pirates.
A suitable site was then selected, cleared and planted with vegetables of various types. Everything that was planted thrived and grew well in the fertile soil, and soon Datu Matang and his crew found that they not only had enough for their own needs, but that they had a surplus from the crops they had planted.
On seeing this, Datu Matang called all of his group together and said that he wished to return to Java, taking the excess crop with him to sell on his return. This suggestion quickly found favor with his crew, for they had by this time been absent from their homes for a long period and were missing their families and friends.
Everyone set to work harvesting the crops and, once these were stowed away onboard their vessel, they set forth for the mouth of the river. Although they had by this time been living for some considerable time up the river, Data Matang and his crew were worried that there might still be pirates. However, fortune was with them, and the coasts were clear. They then set sail for Java and reaches home without any further incidences.
The return of Datu Matang and his crew
The Kampongs, after a lengthy absence during which their families had heard no news, caused much rejoicing. Not only were families reunited, but the returning sailors brought with them a full cargo of fruits and vegetables. These were not the normal goods a returning sailing-vessel brought from a trip, but valuable and welcome the same.
Once all the goods had been removed from the sailing-vessel, Datu Matang told his crew to proceed to their homes and to come back the following day. The cargo could be sold, and the profits apportioned in the usual manner.
The following day, all the fruits and vegetables were offered for sale and found a ready market because of their good quality. The profits were divided and everyone was happy with the amount they had earned from their trip.
Not long after this, Datu Matang and all his crew met once again. They were all worried about the condition of the farms they had left behind in Sarawak. After all the work they had put into clearing the land, they were not happy about letting these farms revert to jungle once again. After a number of discussions, Datu Matang and all of his crew decided that they should return to Sarawak to cultivate their farms and ship produce back to Java for sale.
When Dayang Fatimah, the wife of Datu Matang, heard that he was returning to Sarawak, she not only agreed to this proposal but also insisted that she be allowed to accompany Datu Matang together with their two children.
When this news reached the ears of the people in the kampong, they too said that they wished to follow Datu Matang to Sarawak. Datu Matang could not refuse their requests. Indeed, so many people wanted to follow along that eventually a number of vessels sailed from Java together with Datu Matang’s boat.
And when Datu Matang and the others arrived in Sarawak, they found the farms they had left behind were still in good condition. But because there were many more people arriving this time, land had to be cleared. And because the people intended to remain there for some time, they began to build proper houses for themselves and their families. In other words, the people began to build a permanent kampung in people in that area.
However, although Datu Matang and his followers settled more or less permanently in Sarawak, they did not break their ties with Java. Datu Matang and other members of his family frequent voyages to Java, taking with them fruits and vegetables which bringing back with them sarongs and other items. In this way, Datu Matang and his followers earned their living and gradually prospered. Barter trading was also carried out with the Bidayuh living nearby and who grew rice for their livelihood. Because the new settlement prospered, many others living in Java decided to migrate to Sarawak. Thus, the settlement grew larger and larger.
Eventually, after living many years in Sarawak, Datu Matang fell ill and died at, it is said, 102. He was buried in his own kampung and the traces of the original settlement and the grave can still be seen today. Datu Matang’s death was a sad blow to his wife, his children and his other relatives. With Datu Matang’s death they and the other people in the kampung, felt as helpless as motherless chickens.
When news of Datu Matang’s death reached Java, several members of his family came to Sarawak to invite his widow, Dayang Fatimah, the rest of her family to return to Java. When Dayang Fatimah decided to return to Java, most of other people in the kampung followed suit and other people and returned to Java with her.
Before leaving for Java, Dayang Fatimah chose two brothers, Pak Jempul and Pak Lukang, to remain behind to look after her late husband’s and house. Dayang Fatimah promised these two brothers that, unless within the next year, or she sent either one of her relatives or some other representative to Sarawak to take over, Datus properties then these would then belong to the two brothers.
Because by this time increased piratical activities were making sea travel between Sarawak and Java a risky proposition, Dayang Fatimah decided to remain permanently in Java and thus it that after two years the property of Datu Matang reverted to Pak Jempul and Pak Lukang.
One day, a Chinese boat trader came up the river to trade with the people of Kampung Matang. In exchange for their fruits and vegetables, he sold them other items of which they were in need. Because his trade turned out to be so profitable, this Chinese trader, who had hitherto been based at Santubong, decided to set up a shop in the Kampung. Here he sold goods to the Malay and Bidayuh in exchange for their farm produce, and the people no longer had to travel a long distance to sell their goods and to buy their daily necessities.
This shop was situated on the banks of a small river. Later, when this Chinese trader died, his relatives continued his business. At the same time, other Chinese moved into the area to plant gambler along both banks of the river, which later became known as Sungei China. Sometime later, James Brooke became Rajah and later, James Brooke build a road connecting Kuching with Gunong Matang. This was in the 1870s.
On one occasion, the Rajah sent the Datu Imam to inspect the condition of the road. When Datu Imam and his followers reached the late Datu Matang garden, he was very impressed with all the fruit trees to be seen there and wondered whose garden it was.
He and his followers then spotted a house. When they went up to the house, they found a group of farmers waiting for the durians to fall.
They invited them into the house, and there he and Pak Jempul treated Datu Imam and his followers to a feast of various fruits. At the same time, they told Datu Imam the story of Datu Matang and how came to be the owners of the garden.
Sometime later, Datu Imam and his family again came to Matang to visit Pak Lukang and Pak Jempul. But this time, Datu Imam had a different purpose for his visit. He had come to ask the two brothers if they would be willing to sell their garden to him. The two brothers agreed, assuming they be allowed to remain in the garden as caretakers. Because both of the brothers were by this time were quite old, they both died not long after. The death of the two brothers caused something of a problem for Datu Imam because the difficulty in finding someone to look after the garden for him. Someone who was not used to living in such a place would find life there difficult. If the garden was left unattended, then people in the area were certain to help themselves to the fruit.
Thus, Datu Imam and members of his family found that they had to come and live in the garden for two or three days at a time during the fruit season. This Datu Imam continued to do until he became old, and then his children continued the custom. Meanwhile, the garden was looked after and expanded by workers. When the Datu Imam died, the garden inherited by his children, and it still remains in his family’s possession to the present day. (1982) The people of Matang refer to the garden as ‘Kebun Datu’.(Datus orchard) Meanwhile, most of the people who had first settled in the area with Datu Matang moved to Sungei Sebubuk and the kampung there is known Kampung Matang while the original Kampung Matang is now known as ‘Kebun Datu’.
Datu Matang Ahmad Junaidi bin Abdul Latiff translated from Malay to English Sarawak Gazette, March 1982
You can purchase our book, Sarawak River Valley: Early Times to 1840 from Amazon.com