Bisaya (Borneo) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Bisaya are an indigenous people of north-western and along the coast of Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

, Malaysia, concentrated around the Beaufort district, Padas river in Sabah, Limbang river in northern Sarawak

Sarawak

Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...

state. They also known as Malay or Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

among the Dusun

Dusun

Dusun is the collective name of a tribe or ethnic and linguistic group in the Malaysian state of Sabah of North Borneo. Due to similarities in culture and language with the Kadazan ethnic group, a new unified term called "Kadazan-Dusun" was created. Collectively, they form the largest ethnic group...

, Murut

Murut

Murut may refer to:* Murut people, an ethnic group of the northern inland regions of Borneo* Murutic languages or Murut languages, spoken by those people* Tagol Murut language, the most widely spoken of the Murutic languages* Murut, Azerbaijan, a village...

or Rungus people. As early as thirteenth century Bisaya was the first community to accept Islam as their way of life. Nowadays, most Sabahan Bisaya are Muslim and Sarawakian Bisaya are Christians. But in some part of Sabahan Bisaya located at kampung Manunggang, there are some pagan Bisaya who belief in no God. The first Bisaya leader is known as Awang Alak Betatar or Muhammad Shah. They are distantly related to the Visayan of the Philippines, most of which are more related to Bahasa Malaysia than Philippine

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

Visaya

Visayan languages

The Visayan languages of the Philippines, along with Tagalog and Bikol, are part of the Central Philippine languages...

. Such similarities may be due to the standardizing effect and influence Bahasa Melayu

Malay language

Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

had over not just the Borneon Bisaya but also all other ethnic languages spoken in Malaysia.

Prehistory

Bisaya’s indigenous people settled in Borneo thousand of years ago. The Bisaya were a people who were loved, feared and respected by the others on this island. They are skilled in agriculture such as paddy planting, ginger, sago, local ginger, tapioca, banana, yam, pepper, coconut, and so on. They also hunt animals and breed others such as chicken, duck, goose, goat, buffalo, cow and many more.

Bisaya people are skilled in catching fish in the river or sea, and they can hold their breath under water without drowning. One of the tragic stories of the Bisaya happened a few hundred years ago when Awang Kuyoh, son of Awang Alak Betatar was drowned by the Sulu people, who took his wife back to Sulu Island. Legend has it that the Bisaya sailor called Awang Semaun and his crew sailed around this island starting from Klias River, and he tied a handkerchief in front of the boat. When he arrived at the starting point, the handkerchief was torn and that’s how this island came to be called Handkerchief Island or Pulau Sapu Tangan or Pulau Peraca in local language. The Imperial Colony called it Borneo. From Spanish records, this island was known as Borneo during the first visit of the Spanish sailor Magellan.

In the thirteenth century, the Bisaya were led by a leader called Sultan Awang Alak Betatar bin Bonian Mas Kayangan. In 1363, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Sultan Muhammad Shah. Sultan Muhammad Shah had appointed his only son as a leader of the Peninsula Klias and he was known as Sultan Awang Koyoh bin Sultan Muhammad Shah. In 1370, he migrated to Barunai and spread the teaching of Islam to the people. Sultan Muhammad Shah became the first Muslim ruler in Barunai.

Sultan Awang Koyoh bin Sultan Awang Alak Betatar's government was situated along the Klias River and until now it is still known as Kota Klias. He died on 1621. The successor of the throne was his son Sultan OKK Setia Pahlawan Awang Kassim bin Sultan Awang Koyoh. He led the people until 1855. After he died, his son Sultan Tunku Laxamana Awang Ishak Ismail Jalil bin Sultan OKK Setia Pahlawan Awang Kassim ran the government. Before he died in 1961 he left a will to his successor among his great grandchildren to keep the secret until now.

The Lost Treasure

It was believed that Awang Alak Betatar had made two weapons as the symbol of his throne. The weapons were handmade and created from the rock of star and the shape is similar to each other which is black and long sword. Sultan Awang Koyoh was the successor of his father's throne after he left Kota Klias and Awang Koyoh have keep that sword of star. Awang Alak Betatar became barunah or barunai ruler and called as Sultan Mohammad Shah. A Keris also part of a weapon which became as a symbol of Kota Klias throne. It was believed to be lost during the assassination of Awang Koyoh nearby Labuan

Labuan

Labuan is a federal territory in East Malaysia. It is an island off the coast of the state of Sabah. Labuan's capital is Victoria and is best known as an offshore financial centre offering international financial and business services via Labuan IBFC since 1990 as well as being an offshore support...

water. Some fishermen had caught a big fish with this Keris some 60 years ago.

The Keris and the Andiban were both made from gold. It was told by the eldest, when Awang Alak Betatar killed the wild buffalo or tambadau, the golden horns was discovered by Awang Alak and that inspired him to create another small and secret weapons.l

Brunei Historical Centre version

The popular legend of the Bisaya origin as described Bewsher(1958),Sandin(1971) and Hussain & Newman(1987) goes as follows:-

In 1370, Ma-ho-mo-sha [Maha Mokhsa] was a King of Barunai [P'o-ni]. A Chinese mission commanded by Chang Ching Tze dispatched to P'o-ni in 1370 (9th month, 3rd year of Hung-wa), found the king in a burned out capital with just 1,000 inhabitants. He sent a tribute mission to the Emperor of China in August 1371.

Some versions of the Syair Awang Semaun trace the foundation of Brunei to fourteen saudara (brothers and first cousins). Other versions say they were all sons of Dewa Amas of Kayangan, a supernatural being who fell to earth in an egg at Ulu Limbang, and fathered them by fourteen different aboriginal wives:

Patih Barbai [Marbai] [Peti Barambai], Paduka Sri Pangiran Bendahara Sri Maharaja Permaisuara. The official version states that he became the second Muslim ruler as Sultan Ahmed - see below.
Awang Si Mawn [Semaun], Pangiran Temenggong.
Patih Mambang.
Patih Tuba.
Patih Sangkuna [Peti Runak].
Patih Manggarun.
Patih Malakay.
Patih Pahit. m. Si Lampang, a captured Banteng.
Damang Sari.
Patih Sindayung.
Damang Libar Dawn, Juru Shahbandar. Emigrated to Java, where he lived for nine years. m. a Javanese lady, by whom he said to have had issue, one son and one daughter (?): a) Nakhoda Ragam (or Sultan Bolkiah - see below). a) Palingkam Kahaya.
Hapu Awang.
Patih Layla Langkung.
Awang Alak Betatar [Umuk Batata]. The official version states that he became the first Muslim ruler as Sultan Muhammad Shah.

Paduka Sri Sultan Muhammad Shah[1363 - 1402] , Sultan of Brunei, a younger son of Dewa Amas of Kayangan, by an aboriginal lady. He was chosen by the saudara to become the first ruler. Constructed his palace at Pirasung. Legends have Brunei founded some 29 reigns ago by 14 brothers of heroic stature and semi-divine descent, according to a Monograph of the Brunei Museum Journal

Brunei Museum Journal

Brunei Museum Journal is an academic journal, published annually by the Brunei Museum. Its first volume was produced in 1969.The journal is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge of Brunei Darussalam, Borneo, and Southeast Asia...

. The exploits of the 14 founding heroes of Brunei are recounted in a very lengthy poem called the "Sha'er Awang Semaun.". Awang Alak Betatar was not the eldest, but was chosen to be their leader because of his intelligence and good looks. He was installed Sultan of Brunei and he remarried with the daughter of the Sultan of Johor.

Tales from Limbang

The legend tells of an immigrant family living in the North of the Borneo Island. In this family were seven children, six boys (Peti Barambai or Pati Barabai, si Garamba, Peti Garamba, Peti Runa or Pati Begunak, Smaun or Si Maun and Alak Batata or Urak Betatar or Lok Batata or Awang Alah Bertabar) and a girl (Siti Duyah or Duri or Bunga Sunting). A boat race was used to determine who was to become the Rajah of Brunei.

This race was won by Alak Betatar the youngest brother. He became the first Rajah of Brunei and later converted to Islam and became Sultan Mohammed, the first Sultan of Brunei. Peti Barambai, the eldest brother, became the Raja of Java. Si Garamba settled in the Limbang area and became the ancestor of the Bisaya’s. Peti Garamba settled in the Tutong(Brunei),Peti Runa in the Kinabatangan River (Sabah) and Smaun in the Birau River(south of Tutong). Siti Duyah married a Chinese named Awang Sunting (or Ong Sum Ping) and settled near Mount Kinabalu (Sabah).

Origin and etymology

Several theories were put forward by several researchers regarding the origin of the word Bisaya:

Beyer H.O. in 1926, Hester E.D. in 1954 and Harrison in 1956 suggested that the name may have come from the empire of Sri Vijaya (Sonza, 1972). However, in 1960, Eugene Vestraelen (a Professor of Linguistics at the University of San Carlos, Cebu City) cautioned that linguistic derivation of VIJAYA would not be BISAYA but BIDAYA or BIRAYA.
In 1960, John Carol suggested that the name originated from a culture hero named Sri Visaya. Derek Headly (1950) recorded that Bornean Bisaya legend which says that the Sultan of Brunei, upon seeing the beautiful land of Bisaya, exclaimed Bisai-yah! meaning How beautiful!
Suhaili A. Shatar (1961) recorded from Sultan Tunku Laksamana Ishak Ismail Jalil bin Sultan OKK Setia Pahlawan Awang Kassim, the word Bisaya came from the sentence of ‘Mabisa Iyo’ which means ‘that guy looks so great and handsome’. Later the pronunciation change into ‘bisa iya’. In the end, comes the word ‘bisaya’.
Sonza (1972) asked the question, " Did the Bisayas of the Philippines originate from the Borneo? So did anthropologists and historians for many years.
Even the Visaya in Philippines did not considered themselves as the indigenous. They believe that the migration of the Bisaya people from borneo was the one who helped them to protect their lives. ‘Si lapu-lapu’ was the person who responsible of the revolution in Visaya island. It was believe that ‘Si lapu-lapu’ was sent by the Borneo Rulers at that time to free the people of Visaya Island from their cruel king. Lapu-Lapu was the king of Mactan, an island in the Visayas, Philippines, who is known as the first native of the archipelago to have resisted Spanish colonization. He is the Philippines first national hero. He also can call as 'Datu Lapu-Lapu'. Lapu-lapu is the word from grouper fish in the Philippines. Datu or datto is the title for chieftains and monarchs in the Philippines.
On April 27, 1521, When Ferdinand Magellan "discovered" the Philippines and landed in Cebu, he ordered Filipinos to honour the king of Spain. Warriors of Lapu-Lapu refused his demand, defeated and killed Ferdinand Magellan at the Battle of Mactan.
In 1970, there were more than 10 millions Bisayas estimated to live in the Philippines compared to about 14 thousand in Sabah and 3312 in Sarawak.

Belief and customs

The majority of the Muslims Bisaya lives in Sabah and some of them live in Sarawak as a Christian. Though they treasure their cultural tradition of medicine, marriages, death etc., they don't actually practice it now, possibly due to the influence of the religion. Even though they would call the traditional medicine men or women to perform rites in times of illness, many now would go to the clinics available around their places for treatment.

Music, arts and crafts

The traditional musical instrument consists of Kulintangan, gong, and many of small gongs (cf. Asmahs claim that the Bisaya are supposed to be the best gong musicians). It is as if somebody just beats the gong and everyone-men, women, young and old just starts to dance. All these instruments are used in the wedding ceremony, celebrating very important people etc.
Besides the musical items, the Bisayas are able to make good weapons for various purposes. There are andiban, sumpit, parang, keris and knife.

Culture and tradition

Liliput dance
Jipin (Zapin) dance
Sayau Bagarus dance (Grinding some sago trunk to produce sago flakes)
Mengalawat dance (Performances as they stepping on the sago flakes to produce sago juices)
Mencayau dance (To celebrate victories after defeating the pirates)
Kulintangan Bisaya consist of 27 tradisional songs and 3 berasik songs (spells for curing illness).
Martial arts or silat Bisaya with bamboo music
Tarik tali
Gasing
Kite playing (kikit)
Ugang Bamboo
Badaup during harvesting the paddys.
Mibulang or Babulang such as buffalo racing.

One of their main festivals called Babulang

Babulang

Babulang is the largest or grandest of the many rituals, ceremonies and festivals of the traditional Bisaya community of Limbang, Sarawak. It is a joyful occasion; involving many people; and incurs quite a substantial amount of expenditure to organize...

or Mibulang is celebrated annually in Batu Danau, Sarawak near the Brunei border. More photos of the festival in June 2006 showing their black traditional costumes and their buffalo racing tradition are available on flickr

Flickr

Flickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...

at http://www.flickr.com/photos/babulang2006/

Bubu mengalai or bubu dance using some spells as below:

‘Ya Bamban Ya Lukah, Ya Bamban Eh Basari, Main Kita Si Ipar Muda, SiLukah Pandai Menari’

Arm wrestling (Berambit/Bahambit)
Scaling an infant on the month of Safar from Islam Calendar.
Lastik/Melastik.
Crossbow.
Andiban or spear.
Traditional Medication (Bobolian).
Traditional costume (White Shirt, Songket, Tarbus, Smoking pipe, Keris, Bracelet etc)

Traditional desserts

Kelopis
Bahulu
Ketupat
Kuih Cincin
Kuih Tapai
Kuih Sapit
Kuih Jala
Kuih Penyaram
Kuih Lamban
Kuih Gelang

Festivals: Rumbia

The leaves (roun rombia )

The Rumbia's leaves can be woven into a roof, the women are trained by their elders (women ) to inherit the rumbia-weaving skill. The Rumbia'leaves known as roun rombia in Bisaya dialect. Meanwhile the process of weaving the Rumbia's leaves known as manyarut. The woven Rumbia's leaves need to be dried under the sun. These leaves would last for two to three years, environment-friendly.

The branch

In the past, the branch of Rumbia tree used as wall for a house or hut ( in the farm ). The branch can be used to build chicken home, fence to guard the plants ( vegetables etc ) and the dried branch used as a torch ( to spread the fire; to clear the land for agriculture purpose ). Meanwhile, skin of the branch can be woven into basket, mat, and others. Among the well-known woven stuff from this Rumbia parts are saging (a kind of basket carried at the back of a person), lalibu (a flat woven-basket useful during paddy harvesting), and topau (a mat used to dry the paddy seed).

The Trunk

We start from the upper part, here we can get a punoh, this part is a delicious 'vegetable'. Can be eaten raw, sweet and soft. The punoh served as main menu (vegetable) during wedding reception among Bisaya community. Then, sago (staple food of Bisaya, young generation didn't agree with this) is extracted from the Rumbia's trunk. The skin (palunoh) of Rumbia tree can be used a firewood, floor for hut, and wall too. The trunk can be used as a bridge, it is a strong trunk and last longer. During flood, my brothers and I used to build a boat from the Rumbia tree. I missed those days, we are adult now. In case of emergency, you can get water from the roots of Rumbia tree. It tastes water, of course.

The first king of Borneo

In the year 977, we are told, Hianzta, king of Puni, sent envoys to China, who presented tribute with the following words: "May the emperor live thousands and tens of thousands of years, and may he not disapprove of the poor civilities of my little country." The envoys presented a letter from the king. This was written on' what looked like the very thin bark of a tree; it was glossy, slightly green, several feet long, and somewhat broader than one inch; the characters in which
it was written were small, and had to be read horizontally. In all these particulars the letter resembled the books of magic which are still written by the Battas of inland Sumatra. The message ran: "The king of Puni, called Hianzta, prostrates himself before the most august emperor, and hopes that the emperor may live ten thousands of years. I have now sent envoys to carry tribute; I knew before that there was an emperor, but I had no means of communication. Recently
there was a merchant called Pu Lu, whose ship arrived at the mouth of my river; I sent a man to invite him to my place, and he told me that he came from China. The people of my country were much delighted at this, and preparing a ship, asked this stranger to guide them to the court. The envoys I have sent only wish to see Your Majesty in peace, and I intend to send people with tribute every year. But when I do so I fear that my ships may occasionally be blown to Champa, and I therefore hope Your Majesty will send an edict to that country with orders that, if a ship of Hianzta arrives there, it must not be detained. My country has no other articles, and I pray Your Majesty not to be angry with me." The envoys were entertained and sent home with presents.

How early the Arab doctrines were taught in Barunai is impossible to state with any precision. Local tradition ascribes their introduction to the renowned Awang Alak Betatar, afterwards known as Sultan Mohammad Shah. Like most of his subjects this warrior was a Bisaya, and in early life he was not a Muslim, not indeed a civilised potentate at all, to judge by conventional standards; for the chief mark of his royal dignity was an immense chawat, or loin-cloth, escorted by eighty men, forty in front and forty behind. He is the earliest monarch of whom the present Barunais have any knowledge, a fact to be accounted for partly by the brilliance of his exploits, partly by the introduction about that time of Arabic writing. After much fighting he subdued the people of Igan,Kalaka, Seribas, Sadong,Semarahan, and Sarawak [Most of the ethnics extinct due to illness and disease] and compelled them to pay tribute. He stopped the annual payment to Majapahit of one jar of pinang juice,a useless commodity though troublesome to collect. During his reign the Muruts or Lun Bawang were brought under Barunai rule by peaceful measures,and the Chinese colony was kept in good humour by the marriage of the Barunai king's brother and successor to the daughter of one of the principal Chinamen.

This is an interesting account in many ways, and tallies very closely with what other evidence would lead one to suspect. For there is reason to think that Barunai, before it became Muslim, was a Bisaya kingdom under Buddhist sovereigns and Hindu influence; and nearly all the particulars given with regard to the people of Borneo are true of one or other of the races allied to Bisayas and living near Barunai to-day.

Beaufort history

Beaufort, Sabah; name was given in commemoration of the first English Governor called L.P. Beaufort. He had arrived here on 1889. Beaufort town situated nearby the Padas rivers to replace the Kota Klias government of Borneo Thrones. The relocation of the administration center had been approved by the current rulers, Sultan Tunku Laxamana Awang Ishak Ismail Jalil in 1884.

Borneo history (Sabah)

The name of Borneo was the first known as Bonian among the Bisaya people. When the native bisaya converted into Islam together with their leader Awang Alak Betatar, the word was change from Bonian into Bornian due to the mother tongue of the preacher which is came from Taif, Arab Saudi. At the same time the native people had to pronounce Borneo until the Malaysia Day in 1963. Today it was known as Sabah.

Sabah history

In 1959, Tun Datu Haji Mustapha Datu Harun met Sultan Tunku Laxamana Awang Ishak Ismail Jalil in a place called Kampung Takuli, Beaufort

Beaufort

-People and titles:* Beaufort , the surname of many people* House of Beaufort, English nobility* Duke of Beaufort , a title in the peerage of England* Duke of Beaufort , a title in the French nobility-Places:...

, Sabah. He was to convey a message of freeing the Borneo from British Colonial. Tun Mustapha asked Sultan Tunku Laxamana Awang Ishak his view regarding the new name of Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

. The Sultan Tunku Laxamana Awang Ishak told Tun Mustapha to use Sabah

Sabah

Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...

as the name of the state. That is his ancestor Awang Alak Betatar mentioned the word Mongoi da sasabah every times he wants to go to the sea. The meaning is let's go fishing to the sea whereas the island was surrounded by the sea and had a lot fish.

Tun Mustapha had offered Sultan Tunku Laxamana Awang Ishak to form Sabah Rulers but he rejected it because he is too old. According to the record his age is almost bicentennials. He prays someday his grandchildren will embrace all the people with the information when the times come and may them guidance by Allah the Almighty. The census of Bisaya is at least 1,000,000 people throughout Borneo (Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan) and West Malaysia. Most of them lived in Sabah.

Prehistory

The Lost Treasure

Brunei Historical Centre version

Tales from Limbang

Origin and etymology

Belief and customs

Music, arts and crafts

Culture and tradition

Traditional desserts

Festivals: Rumbia

The first king of Borneo

Beaufort history

Borneo history (Sabah)

Sabah history

See also