Sintang Kingdom

1. History

Data about the early history of Sintang Sultanate has not been discovered yet. Sintang Sultanate is assumed as the continuation of Sintang Kingdom which was greatly influenced by Hinduism. The explanation on this article begins from the period of Sintang Hindu Kingdom:

1.1. The Period of Sintang Hindu Kingdom

Sintang Hindu Kingdom located in Tabelian Nangan Sepauk Village, about 50 kilometres away from Sintang City. Its history can be traced back through several historical remnants of the kingdom such as a Siwa statue with four bronzed hands found in Temian Empakan Village, Sepauk Sub-district. Other remainders of the kingdom are stone axe, Aji Melayu tomb, and Lingga and Joni stones – local inhabitants call them Kalbut stones – depicting the figure of Mahadewa, stones resembling pig/goat‘s heads. Those are found in Tabelian Nanga Sepauk Village.

Aji Melayu is an ancestor of Sintang Hindu Kingdom‘s Kings. There are only few data telling about who the real Aji Melayu was. Some data relating to Aji Melayu tell that he was a Hindu missionary in Sepauk coming from Tanah Balang (Malacca Peninsula). He had settled in Kunjau before moving to Tabelian Nanga Sepauk Village. He had a son named Dayang Lengkong by marriage to Putung Kempat.

Dayang Lengkong was the next inheritor of Sintang Hindu Kingdom. His position in Sintang Hindu Kingdom can be traced back from his genealogy: Dayang randong → Abang Panjang (Pencin) → Demong karang → Pati Kara → Demang Minyak (Macak) → Senari → Hasan → Demang Irawan (Jubair Irawan I) → Dara Juanti.

In the eighth century, Demang Irawan removed Sintang Hindu Kingdom to Senatang in the intersection of the Melawi and Kapuas Rivers. The word “Senatang” gradually was pronounced “Sintang.” Under Demang Irawan‘s period, the name “Sintang” became popular. He ruled both Sepauk and Tempunak.

After Demang Irawan passed away, Dara Juanti succeeded his role. She was married to Patih Lugener from Java Island but, had no son. Under her reign, Sintang Hindu Kingdom reached its golden age. As she had no descendent, Abang Samad – Dara Juanti‘s adopted son – came into the next successor of Sintang Hindu Kingdom in 1640 A.D.

The next successors of Sintang Hindu Kingdom were: Jubair Irawan II → Abang Suruh → Abang Tembilang (Abang Pencin) who was given titled Pangeran Agung. Abang Tembilang, a Muslim, was the last ruler of Sintang Hindu Kingdom. From him, the new age of Sintang Sultanate was begun.

1.2. The Period of Sintang Sultanate

Since the death of Abang Tembilang, Abang Tunggal (Pangeran Tunggal) had held the power of Sintang Sultanate. He wrote a testimony demanding Abang Nata to be the coming Sultan of Sintang Sultanate. Abang Nata was the son of Pangeran Tunggal‘s elder sister named Nyai Cili who was married to Mangkunegaran Malik.

At the time, Abang Nata was 10 years old thus Abang Tembilang hired two ministers, Pengeran Dipati and Sina Pati Laket. When Abang Nata grew elder, he started ruling Sintang Sultanate, which made him the first leader of Sintang Sultanate given title as Sultan.

Actually, Pangeran Tunggal had two children, Pangeran Purba and Abang Itut. However, Pangeran Purba left Sintang after he got married with the daughter of Sultan Nanga Mengkiang.

Under the reign of Abang Nata, Sintang people reached their advancement. He built the first mosque in the capital of the sultanate with 50 people capacity in maximum. At the same era, Sintang Sultanate‘s territory broadened up to Ketungau Hilir, Ketungau Hulu, Serawak, Central Kalimantan, and Melawi. During his tenure, he had made tremendous physical advancement. More than that, he also made some important decisions dealing with Sintang Sultanate. Those are below:

Establishing Sintang Islamic Sultanate
The highest Sintang authority is sultan
Compiling Sultanate‘s constitution consisting of 32 points
Building a mosque as worship place
Building a palace for Sultanate‘s administration.

Abang Nata – Sultan Nata – got married with Putri Dayang Mas Kuma, the daughter of Sultan Sanggau. From this marriage, they had a son named Adi Abdurrahman.

Sultan Nata passed away in 1150 H and was buried in Sungai Durian Sintang Village. His son, Adi Abdurrahman – Sultan Abdurrahman Muhammad Jalaluddin (Sultan Abdurrahman/Sultan Pikai) – came into the successor of his father as the Sultan of Sintang Sultanate.

Sultan Abdurrahman got married with Utin Purwa, the daughter of Sultan Sanggau. From this marriage, his wife gave birth to Raden Machmud and Adi Abdurrosyid. Sultan Abdurrahman married for the second time with an anonymous woman. From his second marriage, he had a boy named Abang Tole. Sultan Abdurrahman‘s reign was succeeded by Adi Abdurrosyid with a title Sultan Abdurrosyid. In addition, his other sons were inaugurated as mangkubumi (high administrators in the Malay and Java courts).

Sultan Abdurrosyid passed away in 1210 H and was buried in Sungai Durian Sintang Village. His son named Ade Noh – his title was Pangeran Ratu Ahmad Komaruddin – succeeded Sultan Abdurrosyid‘s position. Under the reign of Pangeran Ratu Ahmad Komaruddin, the Dutch colonial government came for the first time to Sintang on July 1822 A.D. headed by Mr. J.H. Tobias – a Kust van Borneo‘s commissaries.

On November 1822 A.D., Sultan Ade Noh passed away after a long term of disease. Then, he was succeeded by Gusti Muhammad Yasin – Pangeran Adipati Muhammad Jamaluddin. In that period, the Dutch colonial government and all their entourage entered Sintang for the second time. This second entourage was headed by Dj. Van Dungen Gronovius and Cf. Golman – high officials of the Dutch colonial government. They were accompanied by Syarif Ahmad Alkadrie as the spokesman. He was a royal official holding position as the head of Pontianak‘s Treasurer.

The Dutch had successfully made an agreement and cooperation in trade noted on Voorlooping Contract (temporary contract) signed on December 2^nd, 1822 A.D. After signing the agreement, they also signed some treaties in 1823, 1832, 1847, and 1855 A.D. The Dutch gained so much benefit from those treaties. Consequently, they had the power to intervene Sintang Sultanate‘s administration.

In 1855 A.D., Pangeran Adipati died. His son named Adi Abdurrasyid Kesuma Negara – Panembahan Abdurrasyid – came into the next sultan in Sintang Sultanate. By the death of Panembahan Abdurrasyid, Panembahan Ismail ruled Sintang Sultanate. The coming successor of Sintang Sultanate after the death of Panembahan Ismail was Gusti Abdul Majid named Panembahan Abdul Majid Pangeran Ratu Kesuma. The Dutch colonial government seized Gusti Abdul Majid and alienated him to Java for accusation of not willing to assist the Dutch attacking Panggi troops. However, finally, Gusti Abdul Majid escaped and was brought to Sintang in the era of Indonesia‘s pre-Independence Day.

During his alienation in Java, Sintang Sultanate was held by a vice sultan named Abdul Muhammad Djun. Starting from that time, Sintang Sultanate fell into the rule of the Dutch colonial government.

2. The Genealogy

Here is the genealogy of sultans in Sintang Sultanate from the era of Sintang Hindu Kingdom:

Dayang Lengkong
Abang Panjang (Pencin)
Demong Karang
Pati Kara
Demang Minyak (Macak)
Senari
Hasan
Demang Irawan (Jubair Irawan I)
Dara Juanti
Abang Samad
Jubair Irawan II
Abang Suruh
Abang Tembilang (Abang Pencin) who was given title Pangeran Agung
Abang Tunggal who was given Pangeran Tunggal
Abang Nata (Sultan Nata)
Adi Abdurrahman (Sultan Abdurrahman)
Adi Abdurrosyid (Sultan Abdurrosyid)
Ade Noh (Pangeran Ratu Ahmad Komaruddin)
Gusti Muhammad Yasin (Pangeran Adipati Muhammad Djamaluddin)
Adi Abdurrasyid Kesuma Negara (Panembahan Abdurrasyid)
Panembahan Ismail
Gusti Abdul Majid (Panembahan Abdul Majid Pangeran Ratu Kesuma)
Abdul Muhammad Djun

3. The Period

The historical data explaining the sured dates time when Sintang Sultanate was established is unknown. Hence we cannot know firmly the period of the Sultanate. Sintang Sultanate was the only existing sultanate in Sintang District before being ruined on April 1^st, 1960 A.D. Since 1966 A.D., Sintang has been a district in West Kalimantan Province with Sintang City as the capital.

4. The Territories

Sintang Sultanate occupied 32.279 kilometers squares encompassing Ambalau, Bijai Hulu, Kayan Hulu, Kelam Permai, Ketungau Hilir, Ketungau Hulu, Ketungau Tengah, Sei Tebelian (the Tebelian River), Sepauk, Serawai, Sintang, and Tempunak. Those regions are the territories of Sintang in present.

5. Governmental Structure

There are only few data about Sintang Sultanate structure. Below are some data on Sintang‘s governmental structure before and after Indonesia‘s Independence Day.

Before 1936 A.D., Sintang was a landschop (region) under the rule of the Dutch‘s governmental system called Gouvernement. The landschop was divided into four onderafdeling (districts) headed by a controller. Those onderafdeling were:

Onderafdeling Sintang, located in Sintang
Onderafdeling Melawi, located in Nanga Pinoh
Onderafdeling Semitau, located in Semitau
Onderafdeling Boeven Kapuas, located in Putussibau.

This governmental system ended in 1942 A.D. when Japan came to Indonesia. During Japanese occupation, there were no significant changes in Sintang‘s governmental system. At the time, Japan colonial government changed Kepala Negara (regent) became kenkarikan, Wakil Kepala Negara (Vice Regent) became bunkenkarikan, and camat became gunco (sub-district head).

After the Independence Day, one of the Dutch‘s territories, afdeling Sintang was replaced to be Sintang District. Indonesian government altered some the Dutch‘s terms into Bahasa Indonesia such as onderfadeling to kawedanan (sub-district), district to kabupaten (district), jabatan residen to bupati (regent), and kepala distrik to camat (sub-district head).

The chronology of Sintang governmental system from the early years of the Independence Day up to now is below:

October 27^th, 1956, members of temporary Indonesian Representative House were inaugurated after the establishment of Indonesia Constitutions No.3 Year 1953, No.25 Year 1956, and No.4 Year 1956
November 6^th, 1959, deconsecration and decentralization began to be implemented in Sintang with a regent as the head of a district assisted by Badan Pemerintah Harian-BPH (Daily Executive Board). This policy was drawn after the establishment of Presidential Decree No.6 Year 1959. Further explanation about this policy was on Indonesian Constitution No.18 Year 1965
February 1^st, 1966, Sintang governmental system has been adjusted to other districts in Indonesia.
In 2000, Sintang District was divided into 21 sub-districts by the establishment of Regional Regulation No.14 Year 2000
In 2003, Melawi separated from Sintang District after Regional Regulation No.43 Year 2003 has been published
Since 2005 until present, Sintang District has consisted of 14 sub-districts, six villages and 183 hamlets.

6. Socio-cultural Life

Historically, the origin of Sintang people can be classified into two groups. The first one is a society who holds Malay culture, and second, those who hold Dayak culture. Those two societies grow and develop differently from each other in many ways. Malay people settle the areas along the riverside of the Kapuas and Melawi Rivers. They depend greatly on natural resources from those rivers. They make trading with other areas by using river transportation.

Islam came to Sintang in the period of Pangeran Agung (Abang Encin). Islam was cordially accepted in Sintang and developed well there. Sintang Sultanate also appreciated the arrival of Islam as portrayed in the figure of Pangeran Agung who embraced Islam as well as architecture and cultural events which are greatly influenced by Islam. Now, Islam dominates Sintang District. Sintang people are Muslims who apply Islamic jurisprudence in almost all their lives.

Differ from Malay people, Dayak people settle Sintang inlands. They greatly depend on the natural resources gained from the forest. As Dayak people live in forest, where the nature is so important for them, most of them hold animism.

Though they live in various sense of acculturation, they can live harmoniously. Acculturations in Sintang take forms in various syncretic and eclectic ways of life.

Generally, local tradition developing in Sintang in the present is greatly influenced by Malay culture. Sintang Sultanate‘s tradition – that was well-known for having strong Islamic background – has tremendous influence to the Malay tradition and culture in Sintang now. (HS/sej/47/05-08)

(NI/ter/11/06-08)

Sources:

“Kabupaten Sintang”, on www.id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sintang, retrieved on May, 7^th, 2008.
“Sejarah Sintang”, on www.sintang.go.id/selayangpandang/default.asp?topicId=1, retrieved on May, 7^th, 2008.
Wibowo, Taufik. t.th. “Kesultanan Sintang”, on Istana-istana di Kalimantan Barat. t.tp.:t.p.

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Comment of "sintang kingdom"

14 Aug 2011. Nugra Sius

Jubair dari bahasa Arab, Zubair, artinya pengaruh Islam sudah masuk sejak berdirinya kerajaan ini ?

14 Nov 2011. angelia novia

ga isa d'copy y?

Malay history