Pasai Siong

One of the old, old books that our mother collected was a copy of the Sarawak Museum Journal dated Dec 1954. To our happiness, there is a very old story about Pasai Siong. We have relatives who are Kanowits. And this Pasai Siong story belongs to them.

Reference : SMJ Dec 1954. Article by Anthony Richards & TK Jaro..

The Pasai River is a tributary of the huge Rejang River of the Third Division of Sarawak.

Once there was a Kanowit Headman by the name of Tugau. He built a huge longhouse at the mouth the Pasai River. It was reputed that his longhouse was ten fathoms above the ground!!

One day he asked his son-in-law Siong to build a boat out of one single tree. His condition was that even the paddles must be made from this tree. His reward was a pig. Upon finishing the boat, Siong claimed his reward.

After eating the pig, Tugau sent Siong out on another mission - to find and kill another with his very own golden-headed spear. Siong found a white pig and he speared it. But strangely the golden spear head came off the shaft and the pig went away with the blade at its side.

Siong returned home to tell Tugau what happened. But Tugau ordered Siong to find the spear head, and must come back with it.

The journey of locating the white pig was full of trials and tribulations. After a long time, he heard drums coming from a house.

At the door he wasw greeted by an old man who told him that the child of their king was ill. The old man asked Siong if he would provide a cure and that he must have been directed there by the Gods. Siong was cautious but was willing to see the "patient".

The old man took him to see the princess. In her side, Siong found his golden spear-head. He told the old man and the others that on the next night, there must be no light while he was at work to cure the princess.

The next day, he prepared himself by finding a short length of bamboo. That night, he pulled out the spear-head and hit it in the bamboo and then covered up the wound.

The princess soon recovered from the wound and the people were very pleased. Siong was permitted to marry her. They lived together in the house for about a year.l

One day, a swarm of bees came to the longhouse and the people learned from them that there would be plenty of fruit soon.

The king and his people prepared at once for the harvesting of fruit. Siong and his wife followed until they came to a great lake. There to Siong's surprise, everyone turned into pigs as soon as they were in the water.

Siong was reluctant to go into the water. But his wife asked him to follow. Indeed he turned into a pig too. But he could not swim as well as the others. He returned to the bank of the river and became human again. His wife asked him to take a boat, and made him promise not to kill a white pig.

When Siong reached the place where the fruits were (apparently Assan),he saw pigs crossing the river. When he got to Pulau Kerto, he found a white pig, dead. Someonehad killed it. Siong took the pig and found inside the pig full of gold and gold ornaments.

With his treasure and the golden spear head, Siong returned to Tugau.

Note: Some of the jars left in Rh Tugau might still be found if people are adventurous enough to dig for them.

T.k. Jaro according to the article, himself had in his possession a fine jar from this site.