A Princess Adrift: Bajau

Origin StoriesHorst H. Liebner

© Horst H. Liebner, 2016

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© Horst H. Liebner, 2016

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… elaborates on Liebner 1998 and 1996: Since I wrote that article, a number of ‘new’ stories became available. … is thought as a ‘trigger’ for further discussion and research.… and should remind us of the function of any oral tradition: Telling a Story.

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‘Sama’ in Malay means ‘kita’ or ‘we’. It is believed to have originated from within the group itself, a belief supported by the fact that it still is commonly used among their members in referring to the group. This practice is almost universal in Sabah, the southern Philippines and in southern Indonesia. Unlike ‘Sama’, ‘Bajau’ is not a term of self-reference popularly used in Sama-Bajau communities. They seem to prefer calling themselves ‘Jomo Sama’ (People of Sama) or ‘Jomo Bajau’ (People of Bajau). [Gusni 2003: 5]

Bajau? Bajo? Sama? Same?

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Moken, Moklen

Orang Suku Laut

Bajau, Sama(l)

Bajo, Same/a

Areas with settlements of (in most cases formerly) ‘Nomadic Boat People’

Sopher 1965

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Moken, Moklen

Bajau, Sama(l)

Bajo, Same/a

Areas with settlements of (in most cases formerly) ‘Nomadic Boat People’

Sopher 1965

Jurgen Freund

Orang Suku Laut

Reuters

Reuters

T. Allen

‘Nomadic Boat People’

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Why do they migrate?

‘During the war with Bone in 1824 and 1825, this place became a refuge for the

Bajau people of Bajoe […] It has been asserted that at those times at the estuary of the Pasalui river more

that 200 houses were erected; since then,

however, the crowd of people slowly dispersed

again, and the Bajau people, not finding sufficient

protection […] scattered, so that at the time of my

presence not one house was found.’ [Vosmaer 1839: 73]

Kolaka

Sulawesi, 1842

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Dulunya itu kata orang tua dari Bajoe, dari Bone - jadi waktunya berperang Bone dengan Belanda itu Belanda tidak mau mendarat - selamanya di kapal saja tembak - ini orang Bajo tidak sanggup melawan kalau begitu caranya - jadi dia berenang ke kapal, anunya pasukan Bone itu - tiba di kapal, dia kepalanya dipotong dengan peledang, jadi sisanya itu lari ke laut, tidak mau mendarat itu, hidup di laut terus - belum ke sini, tetapi waktunya dulu itu yang dinamakan bajak laut - di situlah mencari kehidupan di laut, jadi tidak mau mendarat, jadi dulunya itu waktunya sudah anu itu Belanda [started to rule over Selayar], sudah masuk di Padang itu [the Bajo people], di Dongkalang, tapi tidak pakai rumah, tapi tinggal di perahu, baru kemari [Apa Tana].

[Umbo Kulle of Apa Tana, Liebner 1996: 17]

‘The elders say that [the Sama-Bajau people of Apa Tana] came from Bajoe, in Bone – so when Bone was at war with the Dutch, the Dutch wouldn’t land – they stayed on their ships, bombarding [the land] – the Bajo couldn’t fight this – they swam out to the ships, the fighters of Bone – when he [the commander of the Sama-Bajau] arrived [at the ships], his head was cut off with a sword, so the other fighters ran out to sea, didn’t want to go on land any more, living on the sea only […]’

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‘[… when a small Dutch reconnaissance detachment in front of Bajoe is attacked and encircled by a fleet of ‘lippa-lippa’ and asked to surrender] the two [commanding] officers, far from displaying such a disposition, readied themselves, to assail the bravest [of the attackers] with the rapier in hand. [A shot of a 18pd gun from one of the ships stops the action … after the successful landing at Bajoe] more than 400 enemy dead covered the field, in between them the krain Badjo, one of the most referred leaders of the people of Bone.’[Van Rijneveld 1840: 251, 258]

Landing at Bajoe, 27 March 1825

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‘[…] waktunya sudah anu itu Belanda [started to rule over Selayar], sudah masuk di Padang itu [the Bajo people], di Dongkalang, tapi tidak pakai rumah, tapi tinggal di perahu, baru kemari [Apa Tana].’

Dongkalang

Padang

Apa Tana

Bajoe

‘[…] when the Dutch started ruling over Selayar, the Bajo people had already entered Padang, Dongkalang, though didn’t use houses, but lived on boats, and then they came to Apa Tana.’

[Umbo Kulle of Apa Tana, Liebner 1996: 17]

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But: How did they come to Bone?The ‘official’

story: M. Yunus Hafid et al. 1996

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The Bajo people live in Ussuq, where a prince of Luwu, Sawerigading, fells a giant tree to build a boat for roaming through the world. When the tree falls, the many eggs of the birds nesting in it break, and their yolk causes a flood that floats the Bajo out to sea. They manage to build a raft and drift to Makassar. On the raft is a beautiful girl that marries the crown-prince of Gowa.

Ussu

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But: Bone??

Informants mentioned a manuscript they called lontaraq bilang that could explain further details … … searching for which, however, proved fruitless – but revealed a fair number of variations of the story.

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Calloh, near Bulu Puloe

A dugout strands at Calloh. In the boat is a girl, Caddiq-Caddiq Yamiq, and a box containing the lost Royal Umbrella of Gowa. When the King of Gowa hears about this, he asks girl and umbrella to be taken to Makassar. They marry; one of their offspring becomes first Lolo Bajo of Jampea.

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To avoid incest with his twin sister, an unnamed prince of Luwu fells a tree called bulanreh to build a boat; the eggs of the birds nesting on it break, and their yolk becomes the spring for the river of Palopo. The daughter of the king of the Bajo is fishing in her sampan on the shore, and driven away by the flood of the newly emerged river. She drifts to Gowa where she marries the king.The King of the Bajo sends his people out to find his daughter; as they can’t find her, they disperse allover the Archipelago.When the King of the Bajo receives news that his daughter is in Makassar, he joins her and her husband, as do some of his people.Luwu

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… but: Bone??

Copy of a manuscript from

History of the Badjo’s of South Celebes

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The first Bajo emerge from the waves at a place called Ussu in Luwu. Sawerigading, a prince of Luwu, wants to sail to Cina to avoid incest with his twin sister, and fells a tree called welenreng to build a boat. The falling tree causes a flood that rushes (some?) Bajo people and the daughter of the Bajo king onto the sea. The Bajo search for the lost princess and find her in Gowa, married to the King of Gowa. King and crown-prince of the Bajo decide to join her; many Bajo follow, and swear allegiance to Gowa.

Ussu

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The King of Gowa allows the Bajo to stay in his realm, and they roam through the islands of the Spermonde Archipelago.I Papu, the Bajo king, dies.Petta Torisompae emerges and has a child with a sister of the Bajo princess married to the King of Gowa.Petta Torisompae flees to search for allies to attack Gowa; he finds them in Buton, Ternate and Batavia.

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The King of Gowa informs the Bajo of the impeding attack. They flee to the islands in the direction of Jawa and Sumbawa. The Lolo Bajo goes with his people.Petta Torisompae conquers Gowa with help of a Dutch armada, and Ternatan, Soppeng and Butonese troops.

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To anticipate a conflict , the Bajo decide to sail to Makassar to negotiate and submit to Bone. Petta Torisompae acknowledges his family ties with the Bajo, and invites them to open a mart a Cellu , the seaboard of Watampone, his residence.The Bajo are given the right to roam the reefs and islands to the east of Bone, and build houses at Batulappa, to the east of Cellu.

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On various occasions, the Lolo Bajo of Bone sends messengers to call all Bajos living ‘all the way to Togian, Banggai and Kendari ‘ to Bone: The Lolos of Bone claim allegiance over all Bajo of eastern Sulawesi .

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We, however, are not informed explicitly about an exodus of the Bajo to Kolaka. Instead, we hear of various movements of the seat of the Loloship …

Arumpone Singkeruq Rukka , 1860-71

Arumpone La Pawawoi Karaeng Segeri, 1895-1905?

Arumpone We Banri Gau, 1871-95?

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There is a number of conflicting versions of the genealogy of the Lolo Bajo in the text.

… based on an oral register?

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Moken, Moklen

Orang Suku Laut

Bajau, Sama(l)

Bajo, Same/a

Photo by Alex Goh Chun Seong

Pulau Omadel

Labuan Haji, Pulau Bum-BumLorem

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‘Sultan Mahalikul Alam, who reigned Johor, had a daughter named Princess Siti Zairan Kebaran, who was known for her beauty. Her beauty attracted two brothers from Sulu, Haklum Nuzum and Seliangaya Bungsu. To be fair, Sultan Mahalikul Alam organized a prahu race between these two brothers: they had to sail to Pulau Angsa that was situated at Johor coast and whoever won the race would be married to Princess Siti Zairan Kebaran. During the race, Seliangaya Bungsu’s prahu broke and he lost the race, which caused him not to return to Johor …’ [Ismail Ali 2010: 157]

Pulau Angsa

Johore

Johore

Pulau Omadel

‘… and [he] decided to continue sailing until he reached Pulau Sambuanga (Zamboanga) at southern Philippines. […] Seliangaya Bungsu settled down at Pulau Sambuanga and married a local and had two children, a son and a daughter. It was believed that the two siblings committed incest that had shamed Seliangaya Bungsu, who then sailed out to Pulau Omadal, and it is believed that his ascendants were expanded in Pulau Omadal and also in other islands especially Pulau Bum-Bum that was situated opposite the main land, Semporna.’ [ibid.]

Zamboanga

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‘It is said that several hundred years ago a certain Sultan of Johore had a beautiful daughter, Dayang Ayesha, with whom both the rulers of Brunei and Sulu fell in love. Ayesha herself favoured the suit of the Sultan of Brunei, but as his rival was the better match she was packed off to Sulu with a strong escort of men and war-boats. Thereupon the Brunei prince, nothing if not a dashing lover, led out his own fleet and gave battle on the high seas; when the fight was at its fiercest he brought his own prahu alongside that of the princess, took her aboard and sailed away before any of the escort could stop him. The Johore people were aghast. Death stared them in the face whether they went on to Sulu or returned to Brunei, so, cruising the seas, they picked up a living as best they could, stealing their wives from unwary villages.’ [Rutter 1922: 73]

Brunei

Sulu

Johore

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‘It is said that several hundred years ago a certain Sultan of Johore had a beautiful daughter, Dayang Ayesha, with whom both the rulers of Brunei and Sulu fell in love. Ayesha herself favoured the suit of the Sultan of Brunei, but as his rival was the better match she was packed off to Sulu with a strong escort of men and war-boats. Thereupon the Brunei prince, nothing if not a dashing lover, led out his own fleet and gave battle on the high seas; when the fight was at its fiercest he brought his own prahu alongside that of the princess, took her aboard and sailed away before any of the escort could stop him. The Johore people were aghast. Death stared them in the face whether they went on to Sulu or returned to Brunei, so, cruising the seas, they picked up a living as best they could, stealing their wives from unwary villages.’ [Rutter 1922: 73]

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Johore

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A princess of Johore is driven out to sea by a storm; the King of Johor commands his people to search for her. As they can’t find the girl, they are afraid to return to Johore – and as they own no land in the areas they visit, they and their offspring are forced to live as nomads, roaming the seas.

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Johore

A princess of Johore is driven out to sea by a storm; the King of Johor commands his people to search for her. As they can’t find the girl, they are afraid to return to Johore – and as they own no land in the areas they visit, they and their offspring are forced to live as nomads, roaming the seas.

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… ????… the stories repeat a number of elements: • a ‘princess’ driven to sea.• her marriage with a crown-prince or king

• dispersal of the Bajau people, in search, awe, etc.

• incest

Sopher (1977: 401) hence suggests that ‘the widely dispersed sea nomad groups […] have ultimately a common cultural origin [and …] that the[se] incident[s] can be seen to coincide […] with a much broader movement, for which there is other indirect evidence, of boat people by sea.’

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… ????

… all stories relate the Bajau/o to major polities of the Malay Archipelago.

Johore

Brunei

Sulu

Luwu

Bone

Gowa

‘These myths[s …] linked [the Bajaus] to the most prestigious […] kingdoms having historical connection[s] with the region, […] reflecting a succession of political legitimacy. Taken together, these myths have more to do with political ideologies and the subordination of maritime people in a succession of sea-orientated trading states than they have to do with actual migrations or literal origins.’ [Sather 1997: 18]

… it remains unresolved which of these motifs reflect actual historic occurrences:While some more recent events in, e.g., the lontaraq bilang can be crosschecked with European and local sources, the main motif –the princess and her marriage– are hard to corroborate.

In the origin myth of Gowa it is a certain Karaeng Bayo who marries a female To Manurung, a ‘Descendant One’.The –fairly unreliable– chronicles of Brunei relate, that ‘Sultan Abdul Mubin had inherited from his mother the fiefdom of the Bajaus’ (Nicholl 1989: 189), while the second ruler, Sultan Sharif, reputedly had a Baju wife and thus could rule over both Brunei and Sulu.

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… ????

Brunei

Sulu

Luwu

Bone

Gowa

… a necessary legitimation: judged on linguistic grounds the Bajau are not indigenous people of the eastern and northern parts of the Archipelago.

[van Dewall 1855: 446-7]

Orang Suku LautJoho

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‘The Sama-Bajaw languages form one of eleven subgroups of the Western Malayo-Polynesian branch of Austronesian languages [… and are] an Indonesian-type language’ (Miller 2007: 18), hence not related to the ‘Philippine-type’ languages spoken around the Sulu Sea.

The vocabulary of the Same language cannot be grouped with the surrounding Sulawesian languages (Grimes and Grimes 1987).

Orang Ra’yat, Orang Johor

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The Badjaus probably are relatives of the Orang Laut of the Malay Archipelago. They are Muslims and born mariners. In the Malay Archipelago they are also called ‘The People of the Rajah’; in Bilitung their name is ‘Seka People’, in other places ‘People of Johore’, in Makassar ‘People of the Water’ , and in Java ‘the Floating Folk’.

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Johore

… depending on the context they are narrated in, the stories are used to mark the social and political status of the Bajau.

‘According to one variation of the widely told Johore princess myth, the Bajau originally came from the powerful Sultanate of Johore on the Malay peninsula. In this tale it is the Sultan of Johore himself whose incestuous wish was responsible for the plight of the Bajau. Desiring to marry the most beautiful woman in his kingdom, who happened to be his sister, the Sultan compelled the Imam to perform the marriage. The imam hesitated but finally agreed on the condition that it would be performed in the middle of the ocean, for to marry one's sister on land was against Allah's will. The Sultan agreed, and called together all his people and told them they must build a bridge of boats far into the sea. Just as the the imam began to chant the marriage rites, a great wind arose and scattered the boats far and wide. The Sultan and his sister and the imam were swept into the sea and drowned. The boats were carried far to the east and finally they arrived in the Sulu islands. But they had no kingdom and have no religion.’ [Warren 1980: 230]

The boats were carried far to the east […]. But they had no kingdom and have no religion.

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87-8]

Brunei

Johore

The rajahs all say they are of Johore descent.

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Dewall, H. van 1855: ‘Aanteekeningen omtrent de Noordoostkust van Borneo’, Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde, 4.

Grimes, Charles E., and Barbara D. Grimes 1987: Languages of South Sulawesi, Pacific Linguistics D–78, Australian National University, Canberra.

Gusni Saat 2003: ‘The Identity and Social Mobility of Sama-Bajau’, Sari 21: 3-11.Ismail Ali 2010: ‘Since Birth till Death, what is Their Status’, Researcher’s

World – Journal of Arts, Science and Commerce, 1.1.Hafid, M. Yunus, et al. 1996: Pola pemukinan dan kehidupan sosial ekonomi

masyarakat Bajo di Sulawesi Selatan, Departemen Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan, Ujung Pandang.

Liebner, Horst. 1998: ‘Four Oral Versions of a Story about the Origin of the Bajo People of Southern Selayar’, Living Through Histories: Culture, History and Social Life in South Sulawesi, eds. Kathryn Robinson and Mukhlis Paeni, Australian National University, Canberra, pp.107–133.Miller, Mark T. 2007: A Grammar of West Coast Bajau, University of Texas,

Arlington.Miller, Mark T. 2011: ‘Social Organization of the West Coast Bajau’, SIL

Electronic Working Papers 2011-009.Nicholl, Robert 1989: ‘Some Problems of Brunei Chronology’, Journal of

Southeast Asian Studies 20.2: 175-95.Rijneveld, J.C. van 1840: Veldtocht der Nederlanders op het Eiland Celebes in de Jaren

1824-1825, Broese, Breda.Sather, Clifford 1997: The Bajau Laut, Oxford University Press, Oxford.Sopher, David E. 1977: The Sea Nomads, National Museum, Singapore.St.John, Spenser 1862: Life in the Forests of the Far East, Elder, London.Vosmaer, J.N. 1839: ‘Korte Beschrijving van het Zuid-Oostelijk

Schiereiland van Celebes’, Verhandelingen van het Bataviaasch Genootschap van Kunsten en Wetenschappen 17: 61-184

Warren, Carol 1980: ‘Consciousness in Social Transformation: The Bajau Laut of East Malaysia’, Dialectical Anthropology 5: 227-38.

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