RENTAP: The History of the Iban Warrior during Brooke's rule in Sarawak

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES
UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SARAWAK (UNIMAS)

SSF1033 INTRODUCTION TO MALAYSIAN SOCIAL HISTORY (WA15)
SEMESTER 2, 2021/2022

E-BOOKLET ASSIGNMENT: GROUP 5

TITLE: RENTAP: THE HISTORY OF IBAN WARRIOR DURING BROOKE’S RULE IN
SARAWAK

LECTURER: DR LUCY SEBLI SEIDELSON

PREPARED BY:

NAME MATRIC
MUHAMMAD AZZUANSYAH BIN ASMORI NO.
81911

MONICA RUNAI ANAK SWIE 80164

NUR IZZATUL AIDA BINTI CHE KAMAL 80647

IRDINA AHBA BINTI NORMAN 78053

CASSY ALVYEN JUSIN 79017

GAYATHRI A/P A MURUGA 79471
SUBRAMANIAM 80113

MOHAMMAD IEZAM HAZIQ BIN RAZAK

Social history, sometimes known as new social history, is a branch of history that examines people's
lived experiences in the past. It was a major growth field among researchers in the 1960s and 1970s, and
it is still highly represented in history departments in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany, and
the United States. Our research has two objectives: to discover more about Rentap's past and to look into
Rentap's involvement in preserving Sarawak during Brooke's reign. Furthermore, the learning units that
we have chosen to complement the study's aims are learning unit 1: Introduction: What is History?,
Chapter 8: Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous Peoples, and Chapter 14: The Way Forward. In addition,
three concepts are used to explain the relationship between Rentap history and social history: History vs
Historiography, Types of History, and Individuals, Events, Places, Times, and Choices as Part of History.
We also talk about the Iban people's culture in Sarawak, as well as Rentap, an Iban warrior. Rentap was
regarded as the "Bujang Berani" because he was a vocal opponent of James Brookes and refused to submit
to his administration style in Sarawak at the time. Rentap was enraged by James Brookes' perception of
the Ibans as pirates, which contributed to the resistance. Rentap's campaign to keep Sarawak free of
colonisation and rule by James Brooke began here, even if he was unsuccessful in driving the Brookes out
of Sarawak at the time. Finally, it is hoped that the story of Rentap's war will inspire people to protect their
homeland and prevent it from being re-colonized by foreign powers.

To identify the history of
Rentap.

To explore Rentap contributions
in defending Sarawak during
Brooke’s rule.

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LEARNING UNIT 1:

History is about evidence. It is also about their things: hunches, imagination,
interpretation, guesswork. First and foremost, though, comes evidence: no evidence,

no history (John Vincent, 2005)

History is a slippery word to use. It has two meanings. One is the study of the past,
which is a human activity. The other meaning is the past itself, meaning an expanse

of time.

History is an event that occurred in the past in the lives of society and has
influenced the development of the present (Pallavi et al,2018). History is a story or
human activity that takes place in a specific historical period and is researched by
historians or archaeologists based on evidence discovered, with the history being

related to society today.

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LEARNING UNIT 8:
ORANG ASLI & ORANG ASAL

A heterogeneous group, they are widely dispersed in all states in
Peninsular Malaysia. The Native of Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular

Malaysia are referred to as Original People in Malay.

According to SUHAKAM, Orang asli are minorities in the
Peninsular while East Malaysia’s Orang Asal make up most of

demografic.

Today, the Orang Asli population numbers about 150,000,
representing a mere 0.5 percent of the national population.

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LEARNING UNIT 14:
THE WAY FORWARD

The 'way forward' refers to the
right course of action or way of
progressing with a plan or project.
The 'way forward' is similar to
saying 'the way ahead' or the
expression 'the right way to go'.

• "The Way Forward" is defined as the path of action to be taken in the future.
Furthermore, "The Way Forward" is also recognised as something that is
likely to lead to success because if someone believes that a certain course of
action or development is the way forward, that person would undoubtedly
support it because it is likely to lead to success (Dictionary DK). For example,
Malaysia's historical history is supposed to pave the path for the new unity
and signify racial oneness among people of many religions, cultures, and
races.

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CONCEPTS:
HISTORY VS HISTORIOGRAPHY

HISTORY: a) The Past, ‘Long Time Ago’ (Expanse of time!)

b) Stories about ‘the past’ but retold in the present; a long time ago stories
brought back to life again (i.e., STUDY of the past) (A human activity)

c) History is the study of how things change over time, and it encompasses
every facet of human society. History encompasses political, social,
economic, scientific, technological, medical, cultural, intellectual, religious,
and military changes. Professional historians usually specialise on a single
facet of history, a specific period, a specific historical style, or a specific
geographical place. (John, 2005)

HISTORIOGRAPHY:

Historiography refers to writing about ‘the past’.
Historiography refers to writing but with a perspective or a view or an
opinion or an interpretation.
Historiography refers to the history that has been proven and written by
historians according to the evidence that has been found by
archaeologists.

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Types of History

political history intellectual history

diplomatic history economic history

cultural history social history

1. Political History:
- Political history means a review of political events, the ideas of the movement, the
voters, and the leaders. In addition, political history is closely related to other fields of
history including diplomatic history, constitutional history, social history, people's
history and public history (James,2015)

2. Diplomatic History:
- Diplomatic history refers to the branches related to various diplomatic acts, diplomats
from various countries and in this section aka the tone of topics such as war plans,
international alliances, studies of various organization (James,2015).

3. Cultural History:
- Cultural history plays an important role in the lives of all world societies. Cultures
around the world are diverse and unique and this can be seen in Malaysia because
Malaysia alone has a diverse culture because Malaysia consists of Malays, Chinese,
Indians, Iban, Bidayuh, Kadazan - Dusun and many other ethnicities.

4. Social History:
- Social history is a study of the practices, customs and beliefs of society practiced by
people who come from various social backgrounds.

5. Economic History:
- Economic history is related to historical events that influence and affect the status of
the world economy.

6. Intellectual History:
- Intellectual history refers to the development or evolution of ideas and human actions
in a matter. (UrbanPro,2017)

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About Individual, Events, Places, Times, and Choices
as Part of History

History necessarily involves
individuals, events, places,
times and choices as part of
history and that aspect is an
important aspect that explains
a particular history and needs
to be proven authentic by
finding artifacts - artifacts or
books that contain history
retold by historians (Pallavi et
al, 2018).

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SARAWAK ETHNIC GROUP
• Sarawak is known as the State of Bumi Kenyalang because it is made up of people

from diverse ethnic groups. Sarawak is home to 30 ethnic groups. The Ibans are
Sarawak's largest ethnic group, followed by the Chinese, Malays, Bidayuh,
Melanau, and others. The majority of Ibans dwell in Sarawak, but some also live in
Sungai Kapuas, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. According to the study, the Iban
people like moving from one location to another as well as travelling to hunt
animals or fish for food. However, it is impossible to pinpoint the Ibans' exact
origins because evidence suggests that they once lived in the Ketungau and Hulu
Kapuas areas of West Kalimantan, Indonesia, before migrating to Sarawak,
Malaysia (Nazri, 2018). The Ibans are thought to have arrived in Sarawak in the
early 1540s

Chang Fah Poh (1999)

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• The Iban people are also better known as ‘Sea Dayak’ among foreigners in the past
because the Iban people practiced a nomadic farming pattern. The title exists
because the Iban people moved in the sea as pirates and became reliable sailors
(Chang Fah Poh, 1999).

• The Iban people usually live in longhouses built of belian wood as well as various
other timbers. The length of longhouses inhabited by Ibans usually depends on the
number of relatives or immediate family members who want to live together in a
longhouse. Each longhouse built will usually be led by an Iban customary chief or
the head of the longhouse called the "Tuai Rumah". Tuai Rumah is responsible for
administering Iban affairs and customs in the longhouse headed by him.

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• The traditional custom of the Dayak Iban Tribe that was popular in the past was the
custom of "Ngayau" which is the custom of beheading the enemy. There are two
types of wood practiced by the Iban people, namely "Kayau Serang" and also
"Kayau Anak". The custom of "Kayau Anak" is the most feared custom by
everyone in ancient times. The custom of "Kayau Serang" is usually led by the
"Tuai Rumah" himself where he will call an entourage consisting of strong and
powerful Iban men called "Bujang Berani" and they will attack other longhouses
who are considered their enemies.

THE STORY OF NGAYAU:

NGAYAU

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• The story of the "Ngayau" custom was once told in a book by Karya Bock in 1881
entitled "The Head Hunters of Borneo" which tells the courage of the Dayak Iban
people who are known for their courage to sacrifice their lives to the last drop of
blood to get a head - human heads that are considered enemies. Therefore, the
slogan "Agi idup agi ngelaban" which means "Still alive is still fighting" is very
famous among the Iban people and is used by the Iban community until now. In
addition, the heads beheaded by the "Bujang Berani" will be called "Antu Pala" and
the Iban community believes that the skulls bring luck, wealth, strength to the
owner of the head and the occupants of the longhouse. However, the custom of
"Ngayau" was abolished immediately because many Iban people have converted to
Christianity and cause the custom is very inappropriate to practice anymore,
especially in modern times today.

• The second custom practiced by the Iban people in the past was the custom of
"Ngayap". This custom is a custom used by young Iban men who want to seduce
the virgin and this activity is done at night only. This practice is done to enable the
young man and the young woman to get to know each other and tell their feelings
to their partner. However, this custom must be done in a civilized and polite manner
because the Iban people are very firm in the tenets of community life to avoid
misunderstandings and slander that can tarnish the values of Iban culture.
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• When the process of "Ngayap" goes smoothly, then the man and his partner will
get married. The man will send an entourage to his future wife's family to get the
consent of his future wife's family. After getting the agreement, the issue of "Nguai"
will be raised, which is a solution for housing after they get married later.

• According to Chang Fah Poh (1999), the third custom is related to death. In the
event of a death at the longhouse, the news should be disseminated to relatives who
know the deceased. In the past, corpses that had been bathed and given complete
clothing would be placed in "Ruai" and covered with Iban woven cloth called "Pua
Kumbu". Then, an old woman called "Tukang sabak" will deliver a set of mantras
called as a poem of grief to mourn the passing of the deceased.

• The Iban people will celebrate Hari Gawai dayak on every June 1 where the Iban
people will make worship, application or pray to "Petara". Gawai Day is also
celebrated to give a sign of gratitude for the rice sustenance believed to be given by
"Petara" to the Iban community because for generations the Iban community loves
to cultivate. There are three types of Gawai that will be celebrated by the Iban
community, namely Gawai Batu, Gawai Kenyalang, Gawai Antu and also Gawai
Dayak.

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THE BACKGROUND OF RENTAP:

Rentap or real name Libau Anak Ningkan, is an
Iban – Dayak warrior figure who is famous in
Sarawak for the story of his struggle to defend
Sarawak during the reign of James Brooke or
called the White King (Rinazul, 2022). Rentap
was born in Hulu Kapuas, in the Western part of
Borneo, in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. After
Rentap was born, his family migrated to Nanga
Skrang, Sri Aman. After Rentap manage to get a
human head during his first “Ngayau” custom, the
name Libau was changed to Rentap (Chang Pat
Foh, 2006). He became famous as the chief
commander of the Dayaks in Sarawak for
opposing the expansion of James Brooke’s
colony. In addition, Rentap is very famous for is
the title as “King of the Land” and his slogan that
is still used to this day by the people of Sarawak
is “Agi Hidup, Agi Ngelaban”, which carries
“Still alive, still fighting”.

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THE HISTORY OF RENTAP PROTECTING SARAWAK
FROM COLONIZED:

• On August 19, 1844, in a spot named Karangan Peris in Nanga Skrang, Rentap and his
forces fought for the first time with James Brooke and Captain Keppel's troops.
Furthermore, after Rentap defeated James Brooke at Beting Maru, James Brooke built a
fort at Nanga Skrang to prevent people from moving from Skrang to Batang Lupar and
then out into the South China Sea. The fort was built to prevent cooperation between the
inhabitants of Nanga Skrang, Linggir "Mali Lebu" from Paku, and Aji Apai Limba from
Padeh in carrying out "Ngayau" beheading acts. James Brooke's action was also aimed at
reducing the Iban opposition in Nanga Skrang to his rule at the time (On, 2010).

• Rentap's second resistance came in 1853, when he led an Iban team of "Brave Singles" to
attack James Brooke's army at the Nanga Skrang fort, which was led by William Brereton.
Rentap's team and James Brooke's army engaged in a hard combat at Lintang Batang,
Nanga Skrang. A "Brave Bachelor" named Layang, a Rentap devotee, murdered Alan Lee
with a spear during the conflict, while William Brereton fled owing to his injuries. Rentap
ordered his crew to return to the upper Skrang River after the incident, but Brooke's
followers torched and destroyed 20 longhouses that were Rentap's followers' homes.

• According to the On (2010), Rentap decided to retreat and establish his fort in Sungai Lang,
which lies upstream of Sungai Skrang, because of the incident. However, when James
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Brooke's force arrived at the fort, dozens of his soldiers had already been killed while
battling inside. In August 1854, however, James Brooke's force successfully stormed
Rentap's strongholds, injuring Rentap in the process.

• Rentap and his followers escaped to Bukit Sadok, Betong, and erected a fort there. Because
Rentap's fort on Sadok Hill was placed on a high hilltop and surrounded by many steep
cliffs, it was extremely difficult for James Brooke's force to conquer it. Furthermore,
Rentap fort is only accessible via a short road that winds through a steep ravine, and the
perimeter of the fort is surrounded by a two-foot-thick strong tebelian wooden fence.
Rentap also possesses a weapon in the form of a massive cannon to defend his fort, known
as "Bujang Timpang Berang," which was built by his buddy Aji Apai Limba. However,
Aji Apai Limba was killed in Sungai Langit, Betong because he was shot by James
Brooke's army before they attacked Rentap at his fort in Bukit Sadok, Betong (On, 2010).

• Because James Brooke's army had made three efforts to capture Rentap in Bukit Sadok,
Betong, the conflict between James Brooke's army and Rentap's army was quite intense.
The first attempt occurred in June 1857, when a member of James Brooke's party who
attempted to infiltrate Rentap's defences was shot and taken down the Zadok hills, with
Rentap and his followers roaring for pleasure and pounding their gongs as a sign of triumph.
James Brooke's men launched a second attack on Rentap's fort at Bukit Sadok in 1858, but
their cannon was unable to penetrate the fort's fence, which was reported to be roughly 2
feet thick and constructed of tebelian wood. After an effort to attack Rentap's fort failed

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for the second time, Rentap's squad joyfully called to James Brooke's team to use an even
bigger cannon if they wished to attack Rentap's fort (On, 2010).

• However, James Brooke's onslaught did not end there, as his team made a third effort to
attack Rentap's fort on Sadok Hill in 1861, and the attack was successful, as his squad took
Rentap's fort after firing a massive cannon known as "Bujang Sadok." Rentap fort's barrier
at Bukit Sadok was demolished with the cannon. Nanag and Luyoh, the late Aji Apai
Limba's brothers, surrendered and were punished for paying 40 deer jars. James Brooke's
soldiers made a similar offer to Rentap and his men, namely a fine of 12 jars and
instructions to vacate the fort immediately. Rentap, on the other hand, declined the offer
and counterattacked James Brooke's troops with a larger cannon in the third attack.

• Furthermore, the feud between Rentap and James Brooke has resurfaced. All women and
children were ordered to evacuate the fort, and a Rentap artillery operator and three of his
comrades were killed by James Brooke's artillery fire during a battle with his squad. Rentap
and his troops' fort and longhouse were also torched by James Brooke's army on October
20, 1861. Rentap retreated to Bukit Lanjak Entimau as a result of his defeat. Rentap then
relocated to Ulu Entabai, which was on a tributary of the Kanowit and Julau Rivers, and
established his fort at Bukit Stulak.

• Rentap and his followers migrated to Bukit Sibau in Ulu Wak, Pakan, due to Rentap's
ageing and decrepit age, and Rentap died at the age of roughly 70 years. Rentap's body and
coffin were not buried, but rather placed in a hut as a symbol of respect to him, who is
regarded as the Iban community's foremost warrior and nobleman, or "Brave Bachelor,"
for his valour against James Brooke. Rentap is regarded as a true fighter because he refused
to submit to James Brooke's dominion to the end of his life (On, 2010).

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In conclusion, the purpose of this research is to learn more about Rentap's
struggle against James Brooke during his reign in Sarawak. Several subjects and
concepts were picked to promote Rentap's study against James Brooke till the
end of his life, and he stuck to his life's slogan, "Agi Idup, Agi Ngelaban." In
addition, the Iban culture's uniqueness is detailed in terms of the Iban people's
origins, the "Ngayau" custom practised by the Iban people in the past, and the
Iban people's Gawai Day celebration. The objective of this research is to learn
about Rentap's background and to explore into his role in defending Sarawak
during James Brooke's reign. The importance of knowing and understanding
Rentap's struggle, as well as appreciating his fortitude in challenging James
Brooke at the time, is significant, and hopefully many people are aware of his
story.

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