Editors Note:
The translation was difficult. I had to go back and forth from Brunei Malay to Sarawak Malay to Indon Malay. For example, in Sarawak Malay budak means a young man or teenager. In Indon it means a helper on a ship. Sakai was another word. I wasn’t sure if it meant Ulu person who had or had not entered Islam. Some words, like tempuling I just left. I also had to remove the genealogies in the text as they were just too confusing to comprehend. Another factor is one page of English equals one and three quarter pages of Malay. How much of this story is true, I really don’t know as it contradicts what I wrote in my book. Here is the results of my efforts. Have fun and enjoy!
When Sultan Muhammed Hasan died in 1598, the throne was passed on to Sultan Abdul Jalil Akbar because he was the eldest Prince. When his brother, Pengiran Muda Tengah, began to ascend the throne he said he was the eldest Prince because he was born before his father had ascended the throne. Sultan Abdul Jalil was a wise man and he proposed to make Sultan Tengah a Sultan in a province of the Kingdom.
The offer was made to Sultan Tengah to leave Brunei. He left Brunei with a thousand Bruneians, composed of Sakai people including Kedayan and people from Pulau Bunut. Officers in good standing and their wives and children also accompanied the entourage. Most of Sultan Tengah’s escorts are the ones whose current grandchildren claim descendants even though they have been in Sarawak for a long period of time.
After arriving in Sarawak in 1599, he built an Istanna, a lapau and developed a circular city around the palace. He then appointed a national magnet, a Dato Patinggi, a Dato Shahbandar, a Dato Amar and a Dato Temenggong. The titles were from the Brunei royal family. These titles were carried out through the days of James Brooke. Upon completion of these tasks, he proclaimed himself Sultan Ibrahim Ali Omar.
After the palace was completed, he gathered the ministers and told them he was going to Johor, Pahang. He departed in 1601.
During the Guardian Ceremony of the wedding of one of the Princes, he was asked to dance. The dance was not the same as what he was used to and being a religious man, declined. Unknowingly, his hand swept the face of the Sultan of Pahang. Rajah Bonda told him to leave Johor immediately. In some accounts, it was said he was in a rage and refused to lie with the princess, Encik Zohra.
When he left Johor, Pahang he encountered a terrible storm with thunder and lightning. The mast broke and water entered his rooms. For two days he did not see the outline of a shore. For safety, the precious cargo had to be dumped overboard. He became stranded in Sukadana.
It is mentioned from another source that the people of Sukadana had just converted to Islam by Shiekh Shamsuddin, a cleric from Makkatul Muharramah, who brought a red Yakkut ring and a Holy Book, the Quran, to be presented to the Queen of Sukadana. He also changed his name to Sultan Saiffudin. It is also noted that Sultan Tengah taught Shiek Shamsuddin Islam. (From here we go into a long genealogy from the Salasilah Melayu dan Bugis beginning with the Rajah from Java and ending with Sultan Tengah marrying Puteri Surya Kusuma.)
The marriage of the Sultan Tengah to Puteri Surya Kusuma was bold and opined with the teachings of Islam.
To expand the teachings of Islam, The Sultan Tengah continued to carry out his mission. He asked the Sultan to find his new quarters to preach to those who had never heard of Islam. In the Sambas and Brunei Silasilah it is recorded that the Sultan was so much in love with his wife and Sambas that they decided to move to Sambas.
Sultan Tengah departed from Sukadana and went up the Sambas river with forty boats complete with weapons. At a place called Kuala Bangun, he rested and constructed a village. The Princess of the Sultan Tengah gave birth to a Prince called Radin Sulaiman, a second prince named Pengiran Badaruddin and a third son named Pengiran Abdul Wahab who was called Pengiran Temenggong Jaya. The Princesses were named Radin Rasmi Puteri and Radin Ratnawati.
The arrival and departure from the Kota Lama were welcomed by the queen of Kota Lama Ratu Sepudak with the customary ceremonies reserved for the King of Java who received a gualan, tawak-tawk and a gong. Datu has told the Sultan many stories about the times they had spent together.
The Sultan Tengah understands the meaning of the stories it is a kingdom with two religions. In the Kota Lama, the Queen dare not speak out against the wishes of her Uncle who was gaining favour with the Hindus.
The Sultan Tengah married Princess Mas Ayu Bungsu, the daughter of the Queen of Kota Lama. Following the marriage, the Radin Sulaiman has conferred the title of Wazir. Also after the marriage, Queen Sepudak fell ill and died of old age. She was replaced by her son (?) in law Pengiran Prabu Kencana Amur Kasumayuda. However, before the old queen died, the government wanted the post handed over to Sultan Tengah but it was objected to by Pengiran Arya Mangkurat who preferred the old style Hindu government.
In 1630, Sultan Tengah was to leave Kota Lama for Matan. He also requested the new queen hand over his princesses. While in Matan he married Putri Matan a man famous for his name Pengiran Manku Negara who would become Sultan of Matan. His son became Sultan in 1645.
In 1655, he set off for Sarawak and was left off of a rock called Batu Boya laying on the rock while waiting to get in the river for defecation. The Saki then stabbed him with a tempuling on his side. He was startled and he grabbed the kris from the helper and he got the kris from the helper’s hand and he chopped off the stick of the tempuling, the Sakis head and also his friends head.
Kernudian RajaTengah pun belayar dari Sambas pergi ke Sarawak. Setelah sampai ke Batu Buaya di Kuala Sarawak, Raja Tengah pun terun ke sampan minta kayuhkan kepada seorang Sakai Ketila bertiga dengan budak membawa keris, setelah datang ke darat ia pun bertinggir di atas batu hendak buang air, maka oleh sakai itu ditikanurya dengan tempuling kena rusuk bagin damaka baginda pun terkejut, lalu men gambit keris pada tangan budak itu dipancungnya batang tempuling itu dan sakai itu dan budak yang membawa keris itu pun dipancungnya juga sudah itu lalu baginda pulang ke perahu.
The Dato Shahbandar, Dato Petinggi, Dato Amar and the Temmenggong made arrangements for the funeral as per Royal Brunei custom.
The tomb of Rajah Tengah was later found about 20 meters from the roadside not far from the bend in the road to Kampong Buaya. The shape of the tombstone was suitable for a Sultan. The area around it was clean and not covered by trees, as if had been taken care of by certain persons. The Pengulu of the Kampong, Abang Muhammed Safiuddin, said the tomb was based on the memory of the elders. Thus ends the first and only Sultanate of Sarawak with only the titles of the four Datos left to remind us of a time long ago.
From:
Sultan Tengah (Sultan Sarawak Pertama Dan Terakhir) by Haji Awang Mohd. Jamil Al-Sufri in the Sarawak Museum Journal December, 1997 part two
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