Dayak Bidayuh National Association

EARLY BIDAYUH

A long time ago in this Island of Kalimantan there were no human beings.  There existed only deer and pig and beasts of various kinds.  Fish and fowl abounded but there were no human beings.

 In the beginning there was a man called Tenabi, a solitary figure.  Did he desire to eat fish, fish were plentiful.  Did he desire to eat fowl, found abounded.  Whatever he wanted in food he had simply to get it, but of padi and rice there was none.

 He made a garden and planted plantain, sugar cane, the sweet potato, tapioca and the keladi (taro).  This with the flesh of beasts constituted food in that generation.  He was ignorant of farming.

 When first he farmed he scattered the seed, but it grew not, the ground being hard.  He knew not how to dibble.  But after a long while-a great many years-he found out by chance.  While scattering seed he used a staff while he walked and he noticed, while scattering the grain, that which by chance fell into the hole caused by his walking staff grew, that which fell on the ground grew not.  Hence he found out how to dibble.

 He was however very ignorant.  He knew nothing whatever of adat (customary law).

 Tenabi lived at the foot of the hills called Suit and Baru.  He lived all by himself.  After a long period of time he married a female Kitupung.  She gave birth to a son and afterwards died.  He, to his astonishment found himself alone again.  He was without a wife.

 He then conceived in the calf of his leg.  At the end of eight months he was unable to walk, and soon afterwards the calf of his leg burst and there appeared a female infant.  He nursed it, giving the juice of the sugar cane.  When the child had grown up to be a young woman she became the wife of Tenabi.  In course of time she gave birth to a child.  When the child was a year old the mother whipped the child nearly half killing it.  Tenable scolded his wife and they began quarrelling about the child.

 Says Tenabi:  "The child is mine.  You may not correct it."
 
 Says the wife:  "Are you certain it is yours."

 T:  "Certainly it is mine."

 Wife: "By no means.  I certainly gave it birth."

 T:  "In the first place I gave birth to you."

 Wife:  "It is not likely that you gave birth to me."

 T:  "What! will you not believe me."

 Wife:  "I shall not believe what you say."

So they make trial by ordeal, take two eggs, for Tenabi one, for the wife one.  They place them in a basket and put it up in the loft.  At the end of eight days Tenabi's egg burst and out comes a female child, very beautiful-the wife?s egg becomes rotten.  The woman thus loses.  She then nurses the child, whom Tenabi names Timunyan.  So:  they had three children, two boys and a girl.

 In the course of time the two sons left their father.  The daughter alone remained at home.

 The two sons, name Padat and Tirauh, went and lived at the foot of Sinyang and Saki, together with their wives and children where they built their village.  They both made gardens where they planted sugar cane and plantain.  The gardens adjoined each other.  Padat bought a gong from a Malay and paid for it in sugar cane.  He had not enough of his own so he taught his son to steal from Tirauh's sugar cane at night.

 In consequence the son of Tirauh continually saw track of someone stealing his sugar cane, and thereupon told his father that every night there was a thief stealing from his garden.  His father told him to set a trap, which he did, with the result that next day Padat's son was impaled.  His head was taken and there was great rejoicings and gongs sounding.  Padat, hearing the row, asking a friend to go and see what it was all about.  The friend went to enquire and got the answer, they are rejoicing at taking the head of a thief.  The friend returns with the news.  Padat then says it is the head of his son and promptly determines to go on the warpath.  Padat removes from that district to a place called Sikangan and from there wages war with Tirauh.  Tirauh finds things unpleasant and removes himself and his family to Sikarang (Sarawak River right branch) and lives on  a spot called Inikabuh.  There he lives in ease, farming and gardening to a great age.

 Sikaya, his son, was a farmer too, and made his farm regularly every year.  As he was dibbling one day, all by himself, a female spirit called Sekama from the top of Penrissen Mountain placed the seed in the holes made by his dibble, Sikaya not seeing her.  Feeling tired and being that his dibbler was blunt, he took out his chopper and sharpened his dibbler on the stump of a tree and as he used his chopper he chopped the spirit's foot, which bled-whereupon she revealed herself and she asked why it was he had wounded her for it was she who had placed the seed in the holes.  Sikaya thereupon fell in love with her for she was beautiful to behold.  When hey had been married for some time she inquired to Sikaya :  "Why is that I do not see in your farm puun bine.?"  To which Sikaya answered :  'We do not possess such a thing.  What, may it be'  We are ignorant of such a matter and have been for generations'.  Whereupon his wife went and make sukoi and pugang and initiated Sikaya into the mysteries of puun bin
e rice, and she further taught him all the rites and ceremonies in connection with farms, from the day of cutting down to the jungle to the end of the harvest, together with the attendant incantations.  Hence it was Sekama, the wife of Sikaya, who was the source of the adat.

 In course of time she begot a child and initiated folk into the rites and ceremonies attendant on birth.

 She had two children, a boy who was well on and a girl who was still an infant when an incident happened.  Sikaya so far forgot himself as to commit adultery with an ordinary human being.  On the night of his fall he came with his load of firewood and a bundle of vegetables, and on entering the house he was ordered by his wife to throw the firewood and vegetable, below.  Then she said:  ?Don?t you come near me, you have fallen.  You have committed adultery with another woman this morning?.  Daylight came round and the wife returned to the place from which she came, to Penrissen Mountain.  Sikaya saw her not again.  She left both her children with Sikaya.  But every day she came and fed the infant, she being invisible to Sikaya.  When the child was old enough to feed herself she ceased to come altogether.

 The grand-children of Sekama and Sikaya are the following:

  Berma-Biata-Puruh-Bungu-Singgai-
  Bratak-Bibawang-Bikarup-Piminjan

 All these are the descendants of Sikaya and Sekama.

 A grandson of Sikaya by name of Sijati, together with his younger brother Sikatang, their wives and children, moved to a place called Sigun at the source of Simuh.  Here they lived comfortably for a long period.  Sijati had a daughter lovely to behold and just the age to be a wife.  But her father was anxious she should marry a 'brave'.

 It happened just at this time that Sijati was at enmity with a people called Bitaup and continual warfare was waged, with the result that Sijati always got the worst of it.  Being afraid that his people would be entirely wiped out, he became subject to Bitaup and paid them twelve jars, which placed in the head-house (pangah) ready to be taken away.

 It happened that a visitor turned up by name Sijingot and took up his quarters in the pangah.  There was a youth in the pangah at the time.  He asks the youth:  'Why this sign of subjection, and so many jars too?'  Says the youth.  'That means we are under subjection to Bitaup'.  Whereupon the stranger says:  'If I were living here I would not submit to Bitaup.  They would certainly be in subjection to me'.  Then the youth ran and told his grandfather Sijati there was a stranger in the pangah, who said that if he lived here he would certainly not be subject to Bitaup.  Whereupon the old gentleman repairs the pangah, having previously stocked his betel box (tambok) with chewing materials.  He takes with him his war sword.  When he gets there he prepares a ?chew? places it on the end of the blade of his weapon, and hands it to the stranger, who cleverly receives it on the blade of his weapon.  That was a sign to Sijati that Sijingot was a bold warrior.  Sijati then asks:  'Of a truth didst thous say thou art able to regain this sign of slavery?'  Sijingot says:  'Listen thou to me.  Am I a lump of scum' that I should not regain this'.  Sijati answers:  'If any one  is able to regain this property, to him will I give my daughter Sigarai in marriage.  Thous shalt behold her when she returns from her work'.  When evening came Sigarai returns and Sijingot on seeing her falls in love at once.  Sijati invites Sijingot to live with him in his own house.  There are festivities and ultimately Sijingot proposes, as accepted and finally marries Sigarai the daughter of Sijati.

 After being a husband but a month, he commences to wage war with Bitaup and succeeds in bringing home two heads, where at there are great rejoicings.  Bitaup being rather riled, attempts to retaliate by sending a party to demolish Sijati's followers.  But Sijingot the brave is victorious and slays them all, except one whom he bids return to his village to tell of defeat.  For a whole year does Sijingot wage war against Bitaup, until at last Bitaup are on the point of being annihilated and to save themselves they become subject-and give their sign of subjection to Sijati in the shape of eight jars.

 The descendants of Sigarai and Sijingot were many, who called themselves 'BETA'.

  Si Tarut settled on the spot Ateng

  Si Jawi settled on the spot Raya

  Si Jabun settled on the spot Rambai.

These settled these three spots, being on the hill-Si Buran.  Here they lived for a long time, until they began to be persecuted by Malays.  A great may more were killed, the community was broken-some fleeing to Bena, some to Sigun, some to Tibiah, some to Tuan.  However they returned once more and settled down on Si Buran, when in a short time there came a famine.

 This famine was caused by a huge rite to celebrate their return.  It occupied a whole year and people did nothing but sound gongs and drums for a whole year, day in day out.  This adat took place on the word of an old man, by name Bai Jani, who said if they carried out this adat, those who were poor would become rich and those who had no children would be prolific.  After an interval of two or three years, they began to look out for a new site for their village- and as the omens were favourable for Kuab Hill they cleared it and a great number settled there and prospered exceedingly.  Here things went on pleasantly and prosperously for some time until a plague appeared, and once more the people were scattered, some returning to Buran and some living on the farms.  Some however consulted omens again, with the result that a hill called Sibuti was chosen and a village arose there.  After living here for some time there appeared a Tuan Chahuers [Rev. Chalmers] who taught the people the Ten Commandments, the adat of our Father in Heaven.

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