The History of Sulu. Najeeb M. Saleeby

fight he inquired as to the reason why they wanted to sink his boats and drown him. He told them that he had committed no crime against them and that he was not driven there by the tempest, but that he was simply traveling, and came to Sulu to live among them because they were Mohammedans. When they learned that he was a Mohammedan, they respected him and received him hospitably. The chiefs of Sulu who were living at that time were Datu Layla60 Ujan, Datu Sana, Datu Amu, Datu Sultan,61 Datu Basa, and Datu Ung. Another class of chiefs called Mantiri were Tuan Jalal,62 Tuan Akmat,63 Tuan Saylama, Tuan Hakim, Tuan Buda, Tuan Da’im, and Tuan Bujang. The Tagimaha chiefs were Sayk64 Ladun, Sayk Sahdu, and Sayk Bajsala. The Baklaya chiefs were Orangkaya Simtu and Orangkaya Ingsa. All the above chiefs were living at the time Raja Baginda came to Sulu.

There also came to Sulu from Bwayan,65 Sangilaya Bakti and Sangilaya Mansalah. The latter’s wife was Baliya’an Ñyaga.

Five years after Raja Baginda’s arrival at Sulu the Raja of Jawa66 sent a messenger to Sulu with a present of wild elephants. The messenger’s name was Jaya. He died at Ansang, and two elephants only arrived at Sulu.

After that time there came Sayid67 Abu Bakr from Palembang68 to Bruney and from there to Sulu. When he arrived near the latter place he met some people and asked them: “Where is your town and where is your place of worship?” They said, “At Bwansa.” He then came to Bwansa and lived with Raja Baginda. The people respected him, and he established a religion for Sulu. They accepted the new religion and declared their faith in it. After that Sayid Abu Bakr married Paramisuli, the daughter of Raja Baginda, and he received the title of Sultan Sharif.69 He begot children, and his descendants are living to the present day. He lived about thirty years in Bwansa.

After Abu Bakr, his son Kamalud Din succeeded to the sultanate. Alawad70 Din did not become sultan. Putri71 Sarip lived with her brother Alawad Din. Alawad Din married Tuan Mayin, the daughter of Tuan Layla. After the death of Sultan Kamalud Din, Maharaja72 Upu succeeded to the sultanate. After the death of Upu, Pangiran73 Buddiman became sultan. He was succeeded by Sultan Tanga. The sultans who followed are, in the order of their succession, Sultan Bungsu,74 Sultan Nasirud75 Din, Sultan Karamat,76 Sultan Shahabud77 Din, Sultan Mustafa78 called Shapiud79 Din, Sultan Mohammed Nasarud80 Din, Sultan Alimud81 Din I, Sultan Mohammed Muʿizzid82 Din, Sultan Isra’il,83 Sultan Mohammed Alimud Din II, Sultan Mohammed Sarapud84 Din, Sultan Mohammed Alimud Din III.

      Sulu historical notes

       Table of Contents

      Introduction

      These notes were copied by the author from a book in the possession of Hadji Butu, prime minister to the Sultan of Sulu. Pages 1, 2, and 3 form a separate article. They appear to be a supplement to the Genealogy of Sulu, but they were undoubtedly derived from a different source. Their contents are well known to the public and are probably an attempt on the part of Hadji Butu to register what seemed to him a true and interesting tradition of his people.

      Page 4 was copied by the author from an old, dilapidated document which was torn in many places. It no doubt formed part of an authentic genealogy of Sulu, older and more reliable than that of the manuscripts on pages 148 and 149. It is written in Malay.

Page 5 is a copy of a Sulu document issued by Sultan Jamalul-Kiram I in the year 1251 A. H., or about seventy-three years ago. It confers the title of Khatib or Katib85 on a Sulu pandita86 named Adak. In conferring a title of this sort it is customary among the Sulus to give the person so honored a new name, generally an Arabic one, such as Abdur Razzak.87 The same custom is observed in the case of accession to the sultanate and other high offices.

      The writing at the top of the page is the seal of Jamalul Kiram. The date given in the seal is the date of his sultanate. The flourish at the end of the signature below is the mark of the writer.

      Sulu notes

Translation of page 1 of the original manuscript.—The first person who lived on the Island of Sulu is Jamiyun Kulisa.88 His wife was Indira89 Suga.90 They were sent here by Alexander the Great.91 Jamiyun Kulisa begot Tuan Masha’ika.92 Masha’ika begot Mawmin.93 Mawmin’s descendants multiplied greatly. They are the original inhabitants of Sulu and chief ancestors of the present generation.

Translation of page 2 of the original manuscript.—In the days of the Timway94 Orangkaya Su’il the Sulus received from Manila four Bisayan captives, one silver agong,95 one gold hat, one gold cane, and one silver vase, as a sign of friendship between the two countries. One of the captives had red eyes, one had black eyes; one, blue eyes; and one, white eyes.

Translation of page 3 of the original manuscript.—The red-eyed man was stationed at Parang,96 and is the forefather of all the people of Parang. The white-eyed man was stationed at Lati,97 and is the forefather of all the people of Lati. The black-eyed man was stationed at Gi’tung,98 and is the forefather of the people of Gi’tung. The blue-eyed man was stationed at Lu’uk,99 and is the forefather