Extracted from Iban Migration into Sarawak, revised by James Joshua Guang

THE PAKU AND ANYUT

A wealth of material has survived concerning the history of the Paku, a tributary of the Saribas, which joins that river below the modern town of Betong. In fact, it may well be that the Paku is the best-documented river in Sarawak. From the days of Tindin right down to the present, the major events, leaders and migrations of the Paku people are all known to some degree. Even though many of the details are missing, this record is unique for its continuity and relative completeness. It will be recalled that the initial pioneer settlers in the Paku were Tindin who made a peaceful agreement with the Bukitans and Rusak, who at a later date was the first Iban to make contact with the Lugus – the not yet Malay people of the Saribas coast. Both Tindin and Rusak settled in Lower Paku at no great distance from each other. The descendants of Rusak although wealthy and influential people never had many political influences beyond their own longhouses. But the heirs of Tindin and his grandsons remained important in the political affairs of Paku for generations to come. For about five generations after the death of Tindin, they ruled the entire district. Later, as will be recounted, they shared control of Paku and its tributaries with another great family and they themselves continued to rule only the Upper Paku.

THE PAKU

Tindin led his people to settle in the upper Paku, another tributary of the Saribas. Tindin, the son of Chaong who lived at Tanjong Lipat in the Skrang was brave and wise in handling the affairs of his people. It was due to these qualities that he was able to conclude a peaceful settlement with the Bukitans in the area where he migrated. Soon after the death of his father Chaong, Tindin succeeded him as war leader. While he was still living at Tanjong Lipat, the Goddess Indai Kumang visited Tindin and gave him charms to make him successful in war. She also promised that seven of his descendants would be great war leaders. Shortly after this, Tindin moved from Skrang up the Enteban stream where he and his followers cleared the virgin jungle. From the Enteban, Tindin moved again heading north into the Padeh and Layar regions of the Saribas District. These rivers had long been the home of the pre-Iban such as the nomadic Punans and the Bukitans under the leadership of Entiggar and Ginyum just as the Rimbas and Krian rivers were being inhabited by the Serus.

 One day while at Ulu Enteban, Tindin met the Bukitan chief named Entinggi of Paku. Entinggi was a cousin of Entigu. They immediately began to fight with swords and spears. After long hours of fighting, Tindin asked Entinggi of his name. The Bukitan replied that he was Entinggi of Paku whose nickname (ensumbar) was Keti Aur Tulang, which means a kind of strong bamboo tree rooting. Tindin then mentioned his own ensumbar, which was Pimpin Bragah Ngindang, which refers to a kind of bird hovering in fight. “No doubt we cannot kill one another as we are both apparently being cared for by the goddess Kumang11,” said Entinggi. Hence, they stop fighting and went their separate way. Shortly after this incident Tindin heard that Paku was a very fertile land but that it was also the home of the mighty Bukitans under Entinggi and Entigu. Entigu was another Bukitan chief. In order to drive them out of the Paku, Tindin declared war on the Bukitans. When Entinggi heard about this, he summoned his leaders including Entigu, Meragasing, Merajilan and Agan. He asked them whether it would be wise to defend themselves in their own land. After discussing among themselves, they agreed not to fight on their own ground for they fear that in the event of defeat, the lives of their women and children might be in danger. So Entinggi agreed to lead them and seek the Iban invaders in their territory. Entinggi felt sure that Tindin would lead his troops from the Upper Enteban across the Padeh and down the Geraji stream towards the Layar River. So the Bukitan chief led his own warriors from Paku towards Enteban in order to attack Tindin and his men while they are on the way to Paku. At Tinting Kayu Ukir12, the two forces met and they fought hard with neither side showing any sign of surrender.

 HOW THE SEA DAYAKS ARE CALLED IBAN

After some warriors had been killed and wounded, Entinggi called Tindin by the Bukitan word isan. Tindin was surprise and said, “Why do you address me as isan. Have you got any son?” Entinggi answered, “Yes. I have a son named Demong. Now let us sit down and try to resolve our misunderstanding peacefully.” Tindin was glad to hear these gracious words from the headman of his enemy and he agreed to stop fighting and try to reason out their quarrel. Tindin declared that it would be both wise and proper if Entinggi agreed to a marriage between his son and Tindin’s own daughter in order to restore peace as soon as possible between the Bukitans and the Dayaks. However, Tindin insist that the marriage can be approved if Entinggi agrees to pay him compensation known as drian palit mata or a dowry. The dowry is for the purpose of abolishing racial enmity between the two tribes. Entinggi promptly agreed and said that he had no malice in his heart neither had he any territorial ambition other than to defend the life of his people against the invading Ibans. It was here that the Bukitans first called the Sea Dayaks Iban due to the fact that they were pushing other races out and taking all into their possession. Entinggi was pleased and agreed to Tindin’s suggestion. He assured him that before long he would pay the drian palit mata as claimed so that his son, Demong would marry Rinda, Tindin’s daughter. Tindin also felt it would be proper to demand of Entinggi a padi bin full of new heads plus a large brass gong in recognition of his rank as a chief extraordinary authority, who had the right to claim for dowry according to the tradition founded by Serapoh. Entinggi agreed to all this. At the conclusion of the negotiation he invited Tindin to accompany him to the Paku to see for himself the beauty and fertility of that district. The eager Tindin at once consented and took some of his leading warriors with him. In Paku, Entinggi took Tindin to meet various Bukitan chieftains including Entigu. Tindin found that Entigu and his people were nomads who wandered in the forest while Entinggi and his people were settled down and planted crops for food. After Tindin had seen the length and width and fertility of the land, he told Entinggi that he was attracted and would like to migrate there with his followers if Entinggi would permit them. The Bukitan chief had no objections so long as the proposed marriage took place. Entinggi said, “Through this marriage, the future of this country will become the everlasting inheritance of our descendants.” When all the things including the dowry had been discussed, Tindin asked for further presents as a token of the first marriage between a Dayak and a Bukitan. These includes

1. One brass cannon

2. One blowpipe

3. One tanggui serawong of the kind worn by high ranking Iban brides especially on the first day they live with their husbands.

 Entinggi agreed with all this that a month later the marriage feast was celebrated in Skrang. Rinda was taken by Entinggi to Paku to live with Demong. Not long after this, Tindin migrated to Paku and settled at the Upper Pengar stream near Spaoh. He then moved again to Tanjong Melanyut where he died of old age, greatly mourned by both the Dayaks and the Bukitans. He was buried opposite Nanga Beduru. A year after her marriage to Demong, Rinda gave birth to a male child. She later had four more children, three boys and one girl named Jawai. Unfortunately Jawai died when she was about fifteen years old. But because of her noble birth, her body was not buried in the normal Sea Dayak practices. Instead the corpse was placed in a coffin and put on a platform about six feet from the ground to await the decomposition of the flesh. This method of burial was known as lumbong and the site of Jawai’s lumbong is still known although today the practice has disappeared along with the Bukitan people who originated it. Rinda died shortly after the birth of her youngest child, Bakak. She was killed by a falling rafter during a hurricane and was buried with her father at Nanga Beduru. After the death of Rinda, Demong remarried. This time he married a Bukitan named Lemia, by whom he had many children. These children afterwards married other Bukitans before they moved into Julau, a left tributary of the Kanowit River of the present Third Division.

BATU DEMONG

As Demong grow older and knew that the time of his death was approaching, he made a plan to safeguard the interest of all his children . those of his Iban wife as well as those of his second Bukitan wife. He erected a stone at a place called Nanga Entaih not far from the mouth of the Awas River in Upper Krian as a landmark for his children. He ordered that the stone served as a boundary marker between the lands which would be inherited by the children of his first wife and those of his second wife. According to this settlement Rinda’s children (who claimed themselves as Iban) would own the old land lying from Paku River and Upper Krian as far as the erected stone only. The children of Lemia (who was a pure Bukitan) would own the new land lying from the stone towards the Julau and Rejang Rivers.

 However, while the first group (Iban) was allowed to pass beyond the stone, the second group (Bukitan) was not allowed to turn back towards the old lands. This stone of Demong is still intact and the Demong’s ruling on the division of land is still followed down to the present day. People from Paku and Krian have gone over to the Rejang but not one from the Rejang has ever returned to the former land.

 It was in the early days of the sons of Demong that another pioneer came to Paku and made contact with the people of the coast who at this time were not yet Muslim but who later became the Malays of Saribas. The name of this pioneer was Rusak. He came from the Undup and was the grandson of the Undup chief, Jelian.