Gunung Pulai and the Great Flood
Several versions of a story about a great flood and how the mountain Gunung Pulai saved the Orang Seletar.
—-Told by Tok Batin Salim Palon of Kampung Sungai Temon, shared with me by NatureClassroom—
Long ago, in the times of our ancestors, the rain fell in torrents for 40 days and 40 nights. The water level rose fast, reaching the base of Gunung Pulai. The Orang Seletar frantically gathered their families and relatives and rowed their boats in search of shelter. Together, they found shelter at Gunung Pulai and tied their boats to each other to counter the strong currents.
During the flood, some of the boats broke and some people drifted away. Those that drifted away went on to form different groups. That is why the Orang Asli are formed by many different tribes and groups. There are differences between the Orang Asli groups, just like how Hakkas, Teochews, and Hokkiens differ from each other as Chinese people.
When the flood happened, there was no sign of the Malays or any foreigners. There were only the Orang Seletar. Only when the water receded did you see other groups such as the Chinese, the Malays, and so on.
When the water receded, if you tied the ancestors’ boats together, they could reach the shores of Singapore. That was what my late grandmother and aunt told me. Tied together, the boats could reach Singapore, even forming three layers. The Orang Seletar have history in Singapore, like those places that carry the Seletar name. There is also history at Tanjung Sungai Besar. The outsiders named that place Causeway, but our ancestors called it Tanjung Sungai Besar (’Cape of the Big River’). The history of our ancestors extends to Singapore, to Pulai, to Santi and even to Kota Tinggi. The ancestors of old were everywhere.
[Chan et al. interview]
- An origin myth of the Orang Seletar tells of a great flood, which caused the waters to reach the base of Gunung Pulai. The Orang Seletar tied their boats together to repel the currents but eventually some drifted away, their destinies unknown to this day. [There is an ancient grave site on an islet near Pulai Golf Resort, which dates back to “from when men had tails”]
[News article 乡音脞谈https://www.orientaldaily.com.my/news/longmen/2013/06/18/60849 ]
- 话说在很久很久以前，海人（Orang Laut）聚居在柔佛沿海一带。后来，天降40天40夜的暴雨，把土地都淹没了。露出水面的只剩下蒲莱山，于是海人就把他们的木舟系在一起，再把绳头绑在蒲莱山上。这样，他们才得以幸免于难。水退后，原本系在一起的木舟散开了，有的木舟仍留在蒲莱山脚的蒲莱河，有的则漂流到远地，所以海人就分成了好几个不同的支族。告诉我这个传说的朋友凯蒂来自实里达族（Orang Seletar），她说在雪兰莪的玛美里族（MahMeri）与他们一样，同属海人，传承著同样的传说。
- (translation by me): According to Ketty Salim in Sungai Temon, a long long time ago, Orang Laut (Seletar?) settled at the coast of Johor. Then, heavy rain came for 40 days and 40 nights, and flooded everything on the land. The only thing protruding from the water is Gunung Pulai (Pulai Mountain). And so the Orang Laut tied their boats together, and tied the rope end to the mountain. And they managed to survive. When the water receeded, the boats that were tied together detached from each other, some boats still remained at the foot of the mountain, in the Pulai River (Sungai Pulai). Other boats drifted away. And so the Orang Laut were seperated into different branches/groups. The friend who told me this story is Katy from the Orang Seletar tribe. According to Katy, the Mah Meri are the Orang Laut too, having the same folklore
[Yvonne Young article]
- The Orang Seletar has a legend not unlike the Noah’s Ark from the Bible. According to Edi’s mother, prior to the Second World War, the rain fell in torrents for 40 days and nights in Johore. The water level rose to the foot of Gunung Pulai. To counter the strong currents, the Orang Seletar tied their houseboats together. Unfortunately, the rope broke. Some of them were carried away by the currents and were lost.
- Told by Leti
Variations in the retellings:
- Yvonne Young 2012: the event happened prior to WW2; for others, there is no specified time, but it should be ancient
- Chinese News: translation of 海人= Orang Laut, is this Orang Laut folklore in general or just Orang Seletar?
- Chinese News: The separation into different branches: is this referring to the separation into different Seletar villages? or the separation of Orang Laut groups into different branches? Or the separation of Orang Asli into different groups?
In another telling of this tale, Kais, Tok batin of Bakar Batu
- In the beginning, there were only Orang Seletar people around. No Malays, no Chinese, no Indians.
- The world sank into water “bumi tenggelam” (might refer to a great flood). He did not mention the word for flood ‘banjir’
- The only thing that was not submerged was the peak of Gunung Pulai. And so the people gathered there.
- At some point, the boats of the people broke, “pecah”.
- He did not continue on what happened after the boats broke
Crocodile Spirit, Buaya Keramat
Ariffin bin Nopiah (1979, p. 36)
- As for white crocodiles, they are believed to protect the Orang Seletar when they go hunting the ordinary crocodiles
Benjamin (2016, Indigeny – Exogeny)
- Seletar mediums communicate with local crocodile spirits (no specific color)
Jumaat 2017
- White crocodile: a penunggu. If they encounter white crocodiles during their fishing, it is a good sign. The white crocodile is called by them a buaya keramat ‘sacred crocodile’ and believed to protect them during their fishing out in the sea
- note: White crocodile also part of Orang Kallang story (mentioned in this CNA video): A woman gave birth to twins, one of which was a white crocodile. They release the crocodile into the river. It became a guardian spirit for the Orang Kallang. The human twin would have certain control over the white crocodile. This control can be passed down through generations
The Orang Seletar used to not eat crocodiles
- [Thomson 1847]: They don’t eat snake, monkey, monitor lizards and crocodiles
- NOTE: but recent interviews say they do eat monitor lizards and crocodiles now
- [Jamilah 2014, p. 152]: in the past the Seletar people abstained from eating snakes, monkeys, crocodiles and iguanas. (notes about snakes being dirty, see Magic and Beliefs)
Mati Bulan ‘Death that follows the moon phase’
Jumaat 2017
- In the old days, the people before were not buried as they are now when they die, the tale goes that the Orang Seletar don’t really die, but only mati bulan. Mati bulan means a death that will live again when the moon rises again
- The body is left on a perahu and left in the mangroves
- The body won’t smell or become rotten
- When the moon rises or during a crescent moon, the body will move little by little following the phases of the moon until the full moon, when the body will relive again into a normal human
- The new man becomes a new person
- They will look for fish, crabs and such
- When the phases of the moon turns dark, they will die again, and the cycle repeats
- This phenomenon caused the number of Orang Seletar to keep growing, because they dont ‘die’ and the numbers of people in one place kept on increasing
- And this increased their difficulties in life
- Therefore the Orang Seletar tried to find a way to solve this problem
- They asked the bomoh, and the bomoh will ask the maha kuasa, almighty to let the Orang Seletar who have died, to die not a mati bulan death but a true death mati pisang.
- Mati pisang comes from how the banana tree, when it is cut, it will not bear fruit ever again
- So mati pisang means a death that is only once and true, and won’t come back to life again
- Their wish to the maha kuasa has been granted until this day
- This is why they believed to this day their numbers along the Selat Tebrau remain not so many
Singa Pulau ‘Lion Island’ / Singapore
- [From Chan et al. interview]
- Orang Seletar claim the naming of Singapore, and not Sang Nila Utama who was said to be the giver of the name, recorded in the Malay Annals
- Not puram (Singapuram) but pulau. The Orang Seletar named the island Singa Pulau, i.e. Lion Island, as opposed to Lion City
- Eddy Salim heard from ancestors
- The beginning of Orang Seletar started from *Singa Pulau (*now known as Singapura)
- Their ancestors were hunting wild boar in Singapore when they spotted a strange animal that looked like a lion
- When Sang Nila Utama arrived on the island, he asked the Orang Seletar what was the name of the island, and they said “Singa Pulau”
- The island was dense with Orang Laut Seletar that lived in various areas in Singapore like Jurong, Kranji, especially Sungai Seletar where there was a Bente or Bendel, i.e. a temporary village
Anak Naga ‘Dragon Child’
- shared by Leti
- Found big eggs, believed to be the eggs of dragon. A child ate the eggs, starts to become a dragon
- Cautionary tale of taking strange things from the forest / disrespecting the forest
- Narrated by Leti Akon
- (transcript)
I want to introduce myself as Leti. I listened to my grandmother’s stories in the past. My mother had also told this story. A long ago story about the child of an elder becoming a dragon. This story my mother… it was my mother who told this story to me. My grandmother had told this story too. I remember the story, a little bit. When I had grown up, I still remember this story. Until now, I still remember it.
My grandmother lived in Sungai Papan… Sungai Papan, with her relatives and siblings. My grandmother’s siblings that got married were a lot. There were seventeen families. Seventeen, she had seventeen siblings. Her children were also numerous
One day, the children… her uncle’s children…her uncle… her uncle and his children went into the forest. They went to the forest. They went to the forest to look for what-you-call-it, to look for animals, for food…to look for food. If there is no food, what are we going to do? If we did get food, we would cook it. We cook it. They entered the forest and walked. He had three children.
Father: Follow me into the forest.
Children: What are we looking for?
Father: We’re looking for mousedeer.
Children: Mousedeer? Oh, let’s go then.
Father: The spear… Bring my spear. Just bring the spear. In case we encounter tigers of something. Bring the spear. I will bring the knife. Let’s go.
Before they continued, they cast spells. Before entering the forest, they cast spells. Yes, they cast spells
Father: Right now I want to enter the forest. Your grandchildren want to… pass through. Whenever we pass by or something, take care of me, take care of all of us. We enter this forest, in case of animals, like tigers or snakes or something. We ask for them to stay far away. Take care of my children, your grandchildren. The one that I follow, protect us.
They walked and walked and walked
Children: Father! We… can it be just Father that enters into the forest? In the forest, it is hard to find that thing, Father Father: No. The spear… bring the spear.
They walked, and walked and walked and walked
Children: Oh, Father!
Father: What?
Children: I saw an egg, oh, Father.
Father: What eggs?
Child: Big eggs!
Father: What will we do with them?
Child: Eggs, Father! Two of them! Eggs…Eggs, oh, Father. Eggs, Father… Two pieces. I will take and bring them back.
Father: For what reason do you want to take them? That egg, you don’t know which animal it belongs to.
Child: Just take them. They’re big, oh, Father. Such a waste. I cannot leave them. I will take one piece and bring it back. As for the other one, I leave it.
He brought it back…When he brought it back…
Father: What are you doing with that egg? Is it a snake egg?
Child: I don’t know.
Father: You know to put that back! Put it back.
Child: No! Father, we have walked and hunted quickly, but we didn’t see any animals. Not even a chicken, nothing. We’ll return home hungry. When we return, we will already be tired.
They returned home, bringing the egg
Father: Bring one piece, you are hungry, right?
His wife said: My dear, what did you get, my dear?
Father: We didn’t get anything!
Mother: Then, you didn’t see anything
Child: Mother! I saw one piece…I saw eggs, two of them. I took a piece, Mother. I left… one piece.
Mother: What egg is that?
Child: I don’t know. It might be a snake egg. Snake eggs are big, right, Mother? It’s a snake egg. I am going to cook it, Mother
The egg cooked and cooked
Child: Why did the one just now not cooked through, Mother? The one just now is not cooked, the egg just now
For nearly two hours, the egg burned on and on and on. When it is cooked, the egg…He feels the egg and cracks it. The egg is not cooked yet. When the egg is cooked…
Child: Oh, the egg is cooked!
Mother: You want to eat it or not? You want to eat it. But that egg, you don’t know what type of egg it is.
When he is done eating…
Child: Half of this…Half… half of it I ate, half of it I didn’t eat, but this egg, I ate a lot of it. It is very big, but eating it makes me quesy.
Mother: Never mind, never mind. Leave that thing.
The next day, his body became hotter and hotter, hotter and hotter. His body became hotter and hotter. He wanted to bathe in water. He went to bathe. His father tied the boat outside, at the sea, at the wooden stake. After that, he returned home.
Mother: Why do you keep bathing?
Child: I don’t know, Mother. My body is hot. I don’t know why.
He went to bathe in water again. Month after month, it has already been three months after that.
Child: My body is hot, Mother. I want to sleep in the sea. I want to sleep in the sea. Because my body is hot. Why am I hot? I ate a lot of the… the don’t-know-what egg.
Mother: Without knowing what egg it was, you ate it. You only care about eating
After that, a lot of the times you would see him sleeping in the sea, immersing in water. He bathed again. When he wanted to go on land, after he would immerse in water again.
Mother: Go sleep in the house near the boats. The house is cool.
Child: I can’t, Mother, it is hot
He descended into the sea again. It has already been three months, he has been scaling. His body had been scaling
Mother: Your body, I think it is scaling, why? Why is the skin on your body becoming like patches of skin? Why are they blue? Your eyes, why are they blue?
Child: I don’t know, Mother. I ate the egg that day. My body feels hot. I don’t… If I am here my body is hot. Into the sea, I am not hot.
After three more months, a lot of time you’d see…Why does his head have horns? Why? There were already horns formed. The horns had formed.
Mother: Eh, you are like what-you-call-it…like a dragon. You became a dragon.
His mother… his mother was feeling sad. They started casting spells, casting spells. His uncles and aunts cast spells, all of them cast spells. When they cast spells… but they did not lessen his symptoms. The skin scales grew and grew, becoming more and more. The feet got smaller and smaller. The hands also got smaller and smaller. When he was small…
Child: Mother, I will live at sea. Because I cannot live on land. Because of what? My body, if at sea, my body… I am at ease. I don’t know, Mother!
Day by day, the horns had already grown big. Day by day, this face…
Mother: Your face is increasingly becoming more and more different, your face…
His face became more and more swollen. When it was already swollen…
Mother: Your swollen face is like … A snake
He was getting smaller and smaller. The feet got smaller and smaller, and longer.
Mother: Blue, your body is blue
They tied him up. He went to bathe
Mother: Enough bathing Child: Mother, I want to go to the sea. I will take care of the sea. Maybe I will… not be near you. Because of what? My body… at sea I am at ease, for me. I will not return… I will not return here. I will take care of the sea. I will make rivers.
Day by day, he got smaller and smaller. His father tied him up. His mother tied him up. He could not endure it. They wanted to tie him, he could not endure it. After that, their child was pitiful. Their child wanted to swim and swim. He was pitiful. After that, they already tied him up, tied thoroughly. After a while, his father and mother felt sorry for him. His mother took off the ropes.
Day by day, he got longer and longer. They had already entered the fourth month after the incident. Already… his face was already different. His face was already different. His mother cried, cried and cried. When she cried, his father helped to cast spells on him. His relatives also helped to cast spells, with the knocking and knocking, casting and casting spells of the shaman. No… they couldn’t do anything. After that, many of them also cried and cried.
Child: Already, the time in the water…The time is already near. I will not live with you. I will go to the sea. I will take care of the sea, Mother. I…
Mother: Don’t go!
Child: No. I can’t… cannot live with you. Because of what? My body is already different. It’s already scaling. My body is…Look, day by day, you neglect me. You tie me up. My body is more and more different.
After a while, you’d frequently see that the face is already increasingly…. already not a face
Mother: Why is your face getting… longer and longer?
Oh, the body is also getting longer. Here, there are horns. His mother could only cry, his mother. His mother could not do anything. His relatives also could not do anything. Casting spells also could not do anything. In the end, one day, he said
Child: Release me. Let me go to the sea. I am already… not able to live here. It is hot. My body… my body is hot. I cannot be forced to stay on the side. I want to go to the sea.
His father tied him with rope. That didn’t do it too. He was still struggling. He wanted to go to the sea. After a while, the face had finished forming. All of it had formed. It was finished. All of it had formed. When he finished changing, already became longer, only then his father said, only then did he know.
Father: You ate that egg. Apparently, you got cursed. Cursed by the animal
After that, his father said,
Father: Based on your behaviour, you ate this egg. Apparently, you became a dragon… I release you
Child: Father, release me, Father. I will go to the sea. Take care of the rivers. Do whatever
Like so his father released him. They released him, he returned. He returned again. Then, he went to the sea again. He returned again. For three days, he returned, three days. In the end. In a week’s time, he did not return. In a week’s time, he did not return again. His mother could not do anything. His mother could not do anything. She cried and cried a lot, but for what. After a while, she went straight to the sea. When she went to the sea…his mother, when she went to the sea, told this:
Mother: Next time, whoever of us, our children go to the forest, go wherever, and encounter whatever animal, things that we do not know of, do not eat recklessly. Or else we’ll be tied to curses that we do not know about.
That is all, until here the story ends
[2024 update] This story (told slightly differently by Leti, was published as one of a series of Orang Asli story collection “Stories from the Orang Asli Communities”, published by Yayasan Gamuda
Mak Pacat ‘Mother of leeches’
- a couple found a child in the forest
- took the child home, fed him, but found out that it was actually a vampire/leech
- Cautionary tale of taking strange things from the forest / disrespecting the forest
- Narrated by Leti Akon
(transcript)
Wife: My dear… my dear, where are we going?
Husband: We are going to look for tamarinds.
Wife: Where are we looking for tamarinds?
Husband: There, that place we went that day.
Wife: Sure, we’ll look for tamarinds. If we find some, we’ll bring them back.
Husband: Let’s go.
Wife: The others are not joining us?
Husband: No need. We don’t need them to follow us just this time. They’ll just take care of the children. Let’s go.
They walked and walked, straight into the forest. They went straight into the forest.
Husband: The tree… in the distance there’s the tree. Don’t step on the tree. Cut the tree, cut it. Don’t enter anywhere under the tree. They cut the tree. When they cut it… already cut it…already…
Husband: I don’t want to…I enter into this forest, I am not here to look for whatever. I do not want to look for whatever. I ask for the thing in the distance only. I ask to avoid bad things, so I and my wife here, you will protect us. I want to go look for tamarinds
They cut and cut and cut (trees in their way)….
Wife: My dear… we’re far. We… are going deeper and farther into the forest. Husband: Never mind. It is far, but the tamarind fruits, they are abundant there. The tamarind trees… In the distance there are many fruits. Let’s go.
Wife: I cannot.The white tamarinds…the white tamarinds are unripe.
Husband: Now they are already ripe, I think. We’ll go.
They walked and walked, and entered inside the forest. kiap kiap (sounds of birds crying)
Wife: There… the sound of birds, birds…The sound of birds… sometimes… there are tigers or something. Husband: We don’t want to look for tigers, we want to look for food.
They walked and walked.
Wife: You are walking too fast. Don’t you walk so fast!
Husband: That tamarind tree, we are almost near it, reaching it.
They walked and walked. The bird sounds were a lot, going kiap kiap. They don’t know what’s coming, a tiger or something.
Husband: We are not looking for tigers or snakes. Your eyes… let your eyes work, close your eyes and blink. Look in the distance.
They walked and walked…
Husband: Oh, my dear, we are near, my dear. There, we’re near, the tamarind is near. Wife: My dear, the sound of a child…. the sound of a child crying!
Husband: What? You listen correctly. How is there a child crying in the forest? In the forest, how is there a child? Did you hear it correctly? Did you hear it wrong? It was probably the sound of don’t-know-what… sound of birds of something.
Wife: No, you listen.
Husband: Ah, you’re right! It’s the sound of a child! Where is that sound of the child coming from? The sound of a child… Listen to it. Is it here? In this forest? You will search there, I… I will search here. We look for it together
It got louder and louder, the sound of the child crying: waa… waa. This child is at the tree. They walked and walked
Wife: Is it there? Husband: I don’t know, look in that puddle. Look in the puddle. Maybe the child is in the puddle.
Wife: Ah, you’re right, the child is in the puddle! When is there a child in the puddle? Take it, my dear. The child… the child is crying. Oh, a child. His mother, his father, how can they throw away the child in the forest? Where is the child…? In the forest, there’s a child. These people… these people really do not love their child… these people.They really don’t love the child, abandoning him somewhere in the forest.
In the forest how are there people? They had to take the child.
Husband: My dear, the child, my dear… The child, wash his body, there’s dirt on him, wash him. Maybe he is thirsty, my dear. Let him breastfeed, my dear, let him. They gave and gave and gave him milk.
Husband: My dear, I want to go there. That one… the tamarind tree is near. That tamarind, I am almost near it. You just wait. You let the child drink milk.
Wife: Alright, I’ll wait here, I sit on the ground here
She went to sit down. She gave and gave milk
Wife: I give the child milk… Why when I give milk to him, he smiles? Why?
Husband: Maybe the child is thirsty. You just give him milk. I want to show you the tamarind. Let me walk a little more, I’ll be near the tamarind tree. Oh, the tamarind tree is near. Oh, its fruits are big, my dear. They are almost ripe, the tamarind fruits. Never mind. I’m near the tree. I’ll take the fruits.
The wife still gave the milk…The more she gave…
Wife: My dear! My dear! This child is sucking hard on my breasts!
Husband: How is he sucking hard?
Wife: He is sucking hard but does not let go. Husband: You give… give him milk, maybe he is hungry.
Wife: But he is different. I feel he is different. My body… my breast! I keep pushing him, he smiles more and more, this child. The child is smiling more and more.
Husband: The child is hungry. Never mind. I take the fruits
Her husband went away again. Not yet… he almost cut the tree.
Husband: I’m going to reach near this tamarind, almost near it, I am. You shout again, you keep shouting!
Wife: This child is really getting stronger and stronger at sucking my breast! You come here! Leave the tamarinds!
Husband: You really are not right!
Wife: Come here!
His wife was in the middle of breastfeeding
Wife: Look, the child is holding the breasts very forcefully. He’s smiling. I even pushed it but he does not let go.
He understood, then her husband returned back to her.
Husband: I am coming back! To see you. Oh, you are right, what you said. What is wrong with this child?
He pushed the child…
Husband: You push, yes, push.
The child did not let go… he pushed. At once… He grabbed… the child was naked. He grabbed the child. Stomped on it… when he stomped on it…He had stomped the child, that might have pulled out his wife’s nipple. The nipple of his wife had been ripped off.
Husband: Why has your nipple been ripped off? Your nipple is missing. A hole, on your breast. Your blood is coming out a lot.
Wife: My body is weak, my dear…My body is weak, my dear. Help me, my dear… Ah, my dear. Help me… my body is weak
Husband: It ripped out your… Is this child truly bad?
All at once, he threw the child away.
Husband: I throw it away.
The child didn’t cry, but it smiled. He took… an axe. He went to take the axe. He chopped the thing up. Apparently, when he looked at what he did.
Husband: Oh leeches! It’s not a child. It is not a child, my dear. Leeches… it’s the mother of leeches. Apparently your blood was sucked by leeches. Wah! Look at the blood. So much blood! Look, the leeches are coming out
He chopped it again and again. It broke into pieces. The blood… The leeches came out a lot… all of it was leeches
She said again, Wife: My dear, I am getting weaker, I am weak. I am weak, my body is weak. I feel my body… my eyes are losing consciousness
Her husband then said:
Husband: Oh no, we go back, we go back.
They went back.
Wife: My dear, I will die. I will die, because of what? My breast…My body is weak. I can’t feel what-you-call-it… I’m weak. My blood has already dried up.
When they reached home.
He shouted, shouted and shouted: OH. He shouted out, OH WA WA. The people did not respond. The people did not respond, he walked out more. He brought them to the sea. Until he cried and cried, he went to the sea to ask for help. But the people did not hear him, then, “OH WA” he shouted for his siblings. His siblings, they didn’t hear him. He brought her to sea… far out to sea. When they reached… He shouted.
Only then the people responded: What?
Husband: You come here!
Siblings: Why?
Husband: Here, your sister is here.
Siblings: Why? Husband: Your sister is here! Come here.
When… The people all came. The people, all his/her relatives and siblings, all came to her direction. When they were facing her direction, they reached the ends of their boats
His wife said: I will die. Take care of our children. Our children, take care of them. Maybe I cannot. I will be gone. I now can’t fell my body.
Her husband cast and cast spells but that also could not do anything. Casting spells also could not do anything. Because of what? The blood came out a lot. They wanted to stop the blood but could not the blood… the blood had already dried up. The heart had already…
Wife: I… My heart is already weak.
They kept casting spells but nothing can be done. Casting spells could not do anything. After a while,
Wife: I will leave you behind. Because of that, take care of the children.
After that, the sister came to help cast spells too. It could not do anything. It could not do anything after that, she said:
Wife: I will go. I will go, because I cannot… I will leave you. Take care of our children
When the… her siblings all reached her. They helped to cast spells but they could not do anything. After that, after the casting of spells, she said:
Wife:Take care of your siblings. Take care of yourselves
She said and advised like that and she was gone. When she had gone, they cried When they cried…when they cried, to his siblings he advised. He advised the children of his relatives:
Husband: Next time, if we enter into the forest and encounter whatever kinds of animal… whatever, ro not take them. We do not know what those things are. Ikap is one lesson to us. Next time, whatever, you enter inside the forest and encounter whatever kinds of animal, don’t do it. If you don’t know and take things… do not take them.
They all shouted as one: We remember, oh ha.
Their boats dispersed, the people dispersed. They went out to the river.
Mythical Queen (??)
Pelras 2002 (this story is not seen anywhere else, also those who lived on the Java coast?? who are they?)
- At Segamat, well into the interior, is found the sacred place (keramat) where one venerates a mythical “queen” (raja perempuan) to whom the Seletar have been subject in the past. Some of them (orang kita) who have lived “on the Java coast” (in Riau?) were under the authority of a king. These two persons, gifted with special powers (they could travel from one place to another at the speed of wind) are in Seletar eyes the only legitimate possessors of power, and they do not recognize thus the sultans of Johor as their true rulers, because they are for them only temporary guests (penumpang). Likewise, they consider Malays as relatively recent occupants.
[Is this raja anyway connected to spirits, whose name sometimes have the term raja?
Penunggu Laut and other sea spirits
[Juma’at 2017]
- There are spirits, who are intermediaites between the shaman and the penunggu laut called Raja Mambang: Mambang Tali Arus Besar, Mambang Tali Arus Kecil, Mambang Tanah and Mambang Air
- Mambang = makhluk halus, spirits that reside in a place
- Chou 2010 p. 88 Orang Suku Laut of Riau some sea spirits name Hantu Gin Bisu. Tok Putih and Raja Blaer
Naga ‘dragon/serpent’, the maker of rivers
- Shared by Kais, tok batin of Bakar Batu
- In this podcast
- In the beginning, there was only land. There were no rivers. The Naga made rivers by slithering and cutting through the land. In its wake it created a river, with its bends, resembling the shape of a slithering snake.
- This ability was given to it by a higher being
Tree people?
- Asiah and Suradi 1977 interviewed people from Kampung Bakar Batu whi recalled a story that mentioned that the Orang Seletar’s ancestors came from tree barks or from huge giants living in the jungle
Pulau Nenas
- https://johor.sinchew.com.my/news/20250420/johor/6468749
- An island next to Telok Kabong
- Stories of unicorns, strange sounds and a woman wandering in the mangrove forest. The island used to be a place where a quarry was built for granite.
Orang Seletar Digital Resource 