We begin this series with the rulers of Santubong from ~966-~1512.(the dates are not exact as the symbol ~ tells you) We obtained the information from a Dukun in a Kampung who said his grandfather told him the history. So, why do I believe they are true?

In the kampung, there are sayings called a tucha. They are used to communicate with the unseen world. One tucha calls on the previous rulers of Santubong by name. My wife remembered the first two rulers as did her mother and probably her grandmother. They must have inherited the names from aeons ago. They did not know the Dukun.

 The following is as the Dukun could remember it. I believe he has an eidetic memory that goes back before his time with his grandfather. Either that or he had it written in a book somewhere. He used to call us at 2 a.m. and give us a piece. Then the next day another piece. Always after midnight. Maybe it would be another week or month before he would give us some more of the history. Over a period of several months we pieced together the history.

We have searched everywhere, from Malay books, Jawi impressions English and Dutch sources to find a triangulation but to no avail. We are still searching.

From a person who I believe had an eidetic memory plus the tucha that had been practiced and passed down through generations by my wife and her relatives , I believe the history to be true.

Unfortunately, the white people at the Sarawak Museum Journal do not believe me. We have sent it in for publication and have found out this to be true. They say oral history is not believable or that we only publish stories. Oral history will always be a part of history because without it there would not be any history.

We have not received any notification of rejection only silence. Our other articles have received the same treatment. Our book was ridiculed by Dr. Sanib Said  in the Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. However, our e-mail list is over a thousand strong with many readers who are scholars in the field. We also publish in Malay. Let the journey begin !

Indrana Jang  Sorgi aka Hyang Gi ~925-974

Indrana  Jang Sorgi (Hyang Gi) became the first Malay ruler of the area. He was from Tanjungpura. His grandfather’s name was Indrana Manika, the first ruler of Tanjungpura. When Indrana Manika died, he was replaced by his son Indrana Sapan who became the second ruler of Tanjungpura.

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The Wikipedia Ensiklopedia Bebas  “The Kingdom of Tanjungpura” reports Hyang Ta as a ruler of Tanjungpura. It also records his father, Manika. https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerajaan_Tanjungpura

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Indrana Sapan had two sons, Indrana Jang Talar and Indrana Jang Sorgi. Talar was also known as Hyang Ta and Sorgi as Hyang Gi. The message from the grandfather, Indrana Manika, stated he  wanted one of his grandsons to rule Tanjungpura after their father’s death.

Before the appointment of Hyang Gi, Indrana Jang Talar (Hyang Ta) was  made the ruler of Tanjungpura. This made Indrana Jang  Sorgi (Hyang Gi) unhappy with the decision. He requested that Talar give the throne to him after Talar ruled Tanjung Pura for~ ten years.

To avoid a dispute among those within the palace, Talar gave Indra Jang Sorgi (Hyang Gi) the area of Mora Ponek (Santubong) to rule. Hyang Gi agreed with the arrangement. He built his kingdom at Mora Ponek. He changed the name, Mora Ponek to Indra Ponek.

Santubong was called Ponek meaning “free’ in old Sarawak Malay. Indra, in the old Sarawak Malay, means semangat while  Roh means the soul or the spirit, something unseen. Purik, again from the old Sarawak Malay, means a stress-free place. Some people believe it means “free” from Srivijaya rule.

When it came to the selection of the site for the palace and gardens, Hyang Gi chose a place where there were many rocks scattered about in a haphazard fashion. After consulting with the unseen world, it was determined he should follow the river to the place where the palace and gardens were to be built. He built his home and established the dynasty on a hilltop at a place called Sungey (Sungai) Jaong.

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NOTE

The site of the palace was later shifted to another place nearby, according to oral history, on a site called Mungguk Maras or Bukit Maras. The authors visited the site on 3 March 2018, now a huge construction project, and found about 80 shards and five pieces of very rusty metal. Upon entering the site the area is to the right on two pieces of flat ground covered in dirt. Shards were also located on the top and around the top of a huge boulder in the centre of the plots described.

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When Hyang Gi became the ruler, a system of laws was established for the people to obey. He insisted on this because he wanted the allegiance of the people to respect him as opposed to his brother, Hyang Ta, ruler of Tanjungpura.

Hyang Gi was also the representative of the Srivijaya via Tanjungpura. His laws were strictly enforced under the penalty of death. He carved a person’s figure into a rock at Sungei Jaong to constantly remind the people of his association with the unseen world. This was where the punishments took place. The figure represents a person lying down on a rock soon to be executed for violating the rules. The carving remains in place at Sungei Jaong in Santubong.

His second action was to expand the port for the traders who came to Indera Ponek. Docks were built and a small trading area was established. These were for the exchange of goods for Indra Ponek.

Hyang Gi appointed his son, Indra Siak, as the ruler of Indra Ponek (Santubong) because his eldest son, Indra Adeng, had married Hyang Ta’s daughter and settled in Tapang near Tanjungpura, well away from Santubong.

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NOTE

Jampi Seloka is a classical Malay poem in the form of a mantra. The poem includes a Tuca Kerabat (royal mantra) that is only practised within the royal family. In this poem, the rulers are mentioned in order in the stanzas. They are passed down through the royal families.

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NOTE

Hyang Ta is listed as a ruler at Po’ni. (Chau 1911 p. 159 n. 13) Hianzta (Hyang Ta?) is also listed as the Ruler of Po’ni (Ongkili 1972 p. 3) Hiang Ta is also listed as a King in 977(Majumdar 1937 p. 413)According to oral history, Hyang Ta was the ruler of Tangupura. His brother, Hyang Gee wanted a Kingdom and was given Santubong.

Majumdar continues: “The History of the Sung Dynasty gives a more detailed account of Pu-ni a which undoubtedly refers to the west coast of Borneo. The fact that their king bore the title Maharaja proves the Indian origin of their civilisation. Some of their customs strikingly resemble those of India, e.g. they used cotton cloth, and for their marriage presents they first sent the cocoa-tree wine, then areca nuts, next a finger ring, and lastly cotton cloth or some gold or silver.”(Majumdar 1937 p. 413)

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The story of Indra Siak comes together with the following tale. It must be remembered in a time where there were no televisions, radios or computers, people would sit in the kampongs and listen to the story tellers. When people refer to Indra Siak this story is connected to him.

Indra Siak ~974-1011

Indra Siak was the youngest son of Hyang Gi. His eldest son, Indra Siak, had married Hyang Ta’s daughter and had stayed in Ketapang in Tanjungpura.

The Legend Indra Siak and the Patin

Indra Siak did not have any children until he was 53. He was concerned about the succession. One day he asked his wife to go with him to fish at the mouth of Sungey (sungai) Tekoyong, in Santubong. While fishing, near Kampong Pasey Putih, they did not catch any fish. However, in the late evening, they caught a fish. They went back to the palace at Sungei Jaong after placing the fish in a box in the boat. When they reached home, they totally forgot about the fish. That very night, Indra Siak dreamed that he was approached by an old man asking why he had left a child, that they had wished for, in the boat. Indra Siak awoke, rushed to the boat, and opened the box. The fish had changed into a human baby. He was startled and then became very happy and brought the baby back to Astana. He woke his wife and explained what had happened and both were overjoyed. They named the son Indra PatinTuah Ku. The very next day, they announced to the people that he had an heir and ordered the Patinggi to prepare for a royal ceremony to declare his son as royal blood. The son, as part of the tradition, had to be bathed in seven types of water. These included water from a geyser, dew, rainwater, well water, mountain water, river water and seawater. The ceremony was to be performed within seven days after the announcement of the birth. After the third day, Indra Siak dreamed of an old man. In the dream, the old man said the baby could not be bathed with river or sea water or else the child would change back into a fish.

When Indra Patin turned ~10, his adopted mother gave birth to twins. One was a male named Sagenta Galam while the other, a girl, was called Siganta Idam. Indra Patin became very angry and jealous. He knew his parents forbade him to visit the river but, in his anger, he went anyway. His parents rushed to the river and tried to bring him back. He became angrier and angrier and wanted to know why he couldn’t swim and play in the river like other boys and girls.

The father decided the only way to calm him down was to tell him the truth. After he told him they said, “even though you came from a fish we have unconditional love for you “. Then they all cried together. Indra Patin sought forgiveness from his parents and told them that he loved them but that he wanted to return to the river as a fish so his parents could have more time for the twins. So, willingly, he changed into a huge Patin fish which had a spirit known as “mambang” (haunter). He also said that if they or their descendants should ever need him, they should call his name seven times. He told them he would always be Sagenta Siak’s son. Because of his passionate love for his son, Indra Siak forbade the then-present and succeeding generations from eating the Patin fish. To do so would bring sickness and death.

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Note

To this day, in 2023, some of the Sarawak Malays refuse to eat Patin.

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