By : Muhammad Darma
FB NOSTALGIC PENINSULAR MALAYSIA
Raub had been known as a centre of gold since the beginning of our current era and possibly since the end of the before the current era’.
The Malay Peninsular has been known as a centre for gold trade at the turn of the era. Written history has mentioned the Malay Peninsular as the land of gold.
Claudius Ptolemy (c. AD 90 – c. AD 168) was a Greco-Roman writer based in Alexandria. He was renowned as mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet.
In the 2nd centry Ptolemy in his book Geographia drew a map of the whole world which included Peninsula Malaya naming it Aurea Chersonesus or ‘Golden Peninsula’ otherwise the ‘Golden Chersonese’. Ptolemy was named the Malaysian peninsula as the Golden Chersonese or Aurea Chersonesus which meant Peninsular Gold or Real Gold.
Ptolemy had much feedback from traders and explorers who had regularly visited the Malay Peninsula to buy gold.
There is evidence that these traders followed the Bernam River hiked up the Titiwangsa range in elephants to buy gold in Raub.
The Bernam river although has considerable dried up today was the main passage-way for these gold traders from the West and Middle East. River side graves and the construction and structure along the Bernam River in Perak bears witness to this fact of traders plying to Raub. These graves remain to this day.
Further it had been chronicled in Britain that the name Golden Chersonese was given because of the reputation of the Malay Peninsula as a very well-known gold suppliers to the world.
The Malay Peninsula is also mentioned in Gospels Hebrew version of King James, Book of Job 28:16 where it is quoted:
‘It cannot be Valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious Onyx or the Sapphire.’
Mount Ophir means Gunong Ledang of today. This further goes to prove that the Malays had inhabited Peninsular Malays since the beginning of the current era or even before. This is so considering that the Bible was written at about the same time.
This is also evidenced in the texts of Theravada Buddhism where it refers to the Malay Peninsula as Suvarnabhumi which also means Golden Land.
William James Perry in his book The Children of the Sun, published in 1927, ‘The Malay Peninsula contains numerous Remains of antiquity, not in the form of temples, ancient mines of boots, testifies to a high Civilization.’
Traders from China plying the Straits of Malacca had repeatedly mentioned a mountain called by the name Kim Sua which means Mountain of Gold (Gunong Ledang) Chinese records tell much about the existence of Malays in the Malay Peninsular
Using evidence from Malaysian Chronicles, Genealogy and Legend, it has been established that Puteri Gunong Ledang demanded of Hang Tuah that the Sultan needed to erect a golden bridge linking Gunong Ledang to Melaka. This can only be seen as an abundance of gold in and around Melaka.
1. According to an interesting blog owned by Chegu Zainol, Raub came to be named in 1882.
2. According to Zaffuan Haji Manap, “ Kawasan yang bernama Raub di Hulu Pahang adalah salah satu daripada tempat di Pahang yang kaya dengan bijik emas dan bijik timah sejak zaman dahulu lagi. Daerah Raub dahulunya tidak berdiri sendiri tetapi adalah sebahagian jajahan Lipis atau Hulu Pahang yang luas dan subur. Berdasarkan cerita orang tua-tua dahalu asal-usul nama daerah istimewa ini berpunca daripada perbuatan orang.
Raub lies at the heart of the gold belt that stretches from north Peninsula to Negri Sembilan
Melayu yang “meraub” atau mengaut emas dari tebing sungei dengan begitu mudah sekali dengan hanya menghanukan tangan kosong kerana banyaknya kandungan emas yang terbenam di bumi Raub. Ketiga itu salah satu tapak yang mengandungi banyak sekali emas ialah di kawasan padang di kaki bukit rumah Rehat Raub yang dahulunya kawasan berair dan menjadi laluan angkatan bergajah para peniaga dari Hulu Pahang menuju ke Kuala Kubu Selangor. Namun begitu tidak begitu jelas bilakah sebenar nama Raub itu wujud secara rasmi.
We can Safely conclude that the Dataran Raub as the beginning of ‘life’ in Raub. Sebilangan orang tua-tua menyebut bahawa nama Raub mula dikenali setalah Raja Impeh bin Raja Abdullah dan abangnya Raja Ismail bin Raja Abdullah dating dari Selangor membuka lombong emas secara giat di sekitar kawasan Bandar dan Sempam seperti yang ada hari ini”
‘Bingkisan Sejarah RAUB, Rao dan Pagaruyung: Pertaliannya dengan Raub dan Pahang’ Zaffuan Haji Manap (2007)
It has been established that the name Raub surfaced some time towards the late 1800s. The strong suggestion would be 1882.
3. The former ketua kampung Sempalit Encik Nasir Salleh attested strongly to the chronicles of the Selangor Tengku Laksamana Alang Shah and his two sons Awang dan Kassim in 1882. (quoting Chegu Zainol)
4. This claim is described by J.A. Richardson in his book, The Geology and Mineral Resources of the Neighbourhood of Raub Pahang. According to him (page 36), "People found that for every "dulang" of sand there was a handful (raub) of gold". The old folks' tale recounts that in the early 19th century, an old man and his two sons discovered gold every time they scooped up the earth in Raub. Thus, the town and the district derived their name from the Malay word raub which means "scoop".
5. Another case goes as follows;Pada satu hari Laksmana Alang Shah dan anaknya berhasrat untuk membuat gula paku lalu mereka ke tebatan tersebut lalu mencabut sepohon paku. Apabila pasir yang melekat itu bederai kelihatan serbuk emas. Sejak itu Laksmana dan anak buahnya meraub pasir dan tanah berlumpur disepanjang tebing sungai itu untuk mencari emas. Setiap kali meraub mereka amat gembira mendapat emas. Meraub menjadi buah mulut pendulang emas di situ, ungkapan itu timbulah cadangan menamakan tempat bertuah itu sebagai Raub.
On the same tone with another more evidenced perspective!
History is judged and written based on the principles and tenets of evidence of history and weighed from scientific research along the following tenets: -
a. Archaeology
b. Geology
c. Linguistics
d. Gentics – DNA
e. Artistic remains f. Written History and
g. Folklore (due care has to be employed)
a. Chronicles
b. Genealogy
c. Legends
d. Myths
e. Epics
f. Sacred Text
While admitting that verbal narration of history and folklore contributes to establishing history, much research and consistency is required.
It has been quoted and written and passed down from generation to generation that the name Raub had derived from ‘genggam’ (handful). The action of scooping ‘meraub’ was been generally accepted as the derivation of the name Raub.
We have to look outside the box too. The tenets of histography allows for history to be weighed by empirical evidence.
6. This perspective can be interpreted as Raub taking its name after the Rao or Rawa Malays.
This part of Pahang Raub) had been ‘colonised’ by the Rao (Rawa)
[The Rao Malays The Rawa or Rao Malays from Rao Mapat Tunggul, in Pasaman, West Sumatera, Indonesia arrived in Malaysia between 1773 to 1848 to Negri Sembilan, 1857 to 1863 to Pahang (Raub), in 1867 to 1873 to Selangor, in 1875 to 1876 to Perak and some in Kelantan.
After the Rao-Mandailing (1848) war and the Padri war (1816-1833) at Sungei Ujong most of the Rao Malays moved away with the largest number settling joining the already large community in Raub.]
I would hypothises strongly that Raub took its name from the word Rao (Rawa). The Malays from other parts of Pahang had always referred to Raub as the land of the Rao (Rawa). This got fossilised and it became Raub. And over time the name stuck.
If we were to consider as 1882 as the year when the name Raub was established may be confusing. During the Pahang Wars, 1858 – 1863 Raub was already an established entity. This was when the brave Rawa men of Raub District lead by Wan Daud joined the Jelai men to fight all their way to Temerloh defeating the Bendahara’s forces. So by 1858 Raub was already in existences
We have to weigh the facts that in Bahasa Melayu Raub means ‘genggam’ scoop. As Richardson stated, “People found that for every "dulang" of sand there was a handful (raub) of gold" .
Whether the name Raub is from a scoopful of gold or from the Rao Malays is indeed a very interesting topic.
Soured from;
1. J.A. Richardson in his book, The Geology and Mineral Resources of the Neighbourhood of Raub Pahang
2. Bukti PraSejarah di Malaysia Mokhtar Saidin Dewan Bahasa 2010
3. The Golden Chersonese and the Way Thither Isabella L Bird Rediscovery Books 2006
4. The Golden Khersonese Wheatly, Paul University of Malaya 2010
5. Early Kingdoms of the Indonesian Archepelago and the Malay Peninsular Paul Michel Munoz Didier Millet 2006
6. From British to Bumiputera Rule, Local Politics & Rural Dev in P Malaysia Shamsul A B ISEAS 2004
7. Shamsul A B Kassim Ahmad Dewan Bahasa 1995
8. The Epic of Hang Tuah, Malay Great Works Series Muhammad Salleh ITNM 2011
9. A History of Pahang W Linehan Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 1936 (1973)
10. Malaya, Gullick JM Ernest Benn 1963
11. Pentadbiran Kesultanan Melayu Melaka Pentadbiran Kesultanan
Melayu Melaka Syed Zulflida S.M Noor Arkib Negara Malaysia 2006
12. From Inderapura to Darul Makmur Farish Noor Silverfish Books 2011
13. Mat Kilau pahlawan Pahang Arkib Negara Malaysia 2011
14. Sejarah Raub (Saffuan Haji Manap) Anjung Media Resources 2007
15. Sejarah Melayu, Selalatus Salatin A Samad Ahmad Dewan Bahasa 2008
16. The Malay Annals John Leyden MBRAS 2001
17. History, The Malay Civilization Mohd Arof Ishak Persatuan Sejarah Malaysia 2007
18. The Malay Archipelago Alfred Russel Wallace Periplus Publications
19. The Study of Ancient Times in the Malay Peninsular & Straits of Malacca Braddell, Roland MBRAS 1989
20. Out of Eden, The Peopling of the World Oppenheimer, Stephen Robinson 2004
21. Eden in the East Oppenheimer, Stephen Robinson 2004
22. A number of internet websites
Thank You
Muhammad Darma 2013 as published in JAMBRAS
C&P: 12 MARCH 2021 @ 28 REJAB 1442H: 1.38 PM (JUMAAT)
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