Dawn has barely broken at the Kampung Berjaya flea market when I hear someone calling out my name. It’s Mohamad Fauzil Mohamad Kader, one of my most prolific suppliers, walking towards me looking decidedly excited.
Without stopping to catch his breath, the Penang-based seller who never fails to drive up to Alor Star every Friday to set up shop, blurts out that he has an interesting item somewhere among the jumble of things in his car that would surely tickle my fancy. His comment sends my heart racing as his resourcefulness over the years has given me many rare opportunities to gain ownership over quite a sizeable number of historically important memorabilia.
"Come back in half an hour's time," he says, before heading off to perform his Syuruk prayers at the nearby surau, a duty he performs without fail before starting to unpack the burgeoning load from his nearly three-decade-old Proton Saga Aeroback.
Putting a lid on my growing curiosity, I head off along my usual circuit which covers all the make-shift stalls lining nearly a full kilometre of side roads surrounding the Kampung Berjaya wet market. Unlike other times, concentrating on the items on display today turns out to be a challenge as I try to second-guess the mysterious treasure.
Strangely, it is during situations such as this that time seems to move grudgingly slower than usual. Fortunately, the chance discovery of a large stack of Gila-Gila magazines offered at fire-sale price comes to my rescue.
My successful purchase of the popular satirical comic monthly that features local artists published in Bahasa Malaysia helps to kill time and adds a spring to my step as I start retracing the route back to Mohamad Fauzil's stall.
RESTIVE CHIEFDOM
Arriving exactly at the stipulated time, Mohamad Fauzil promptly hands over a large manila envelope. My heart skips a beat upon noticing the word ‘Naning’ written in bold on the front. If the title holds true, then the contents in the envelope should be about the former restive Negri Sembilan chiefdom that was annexed by the British and became part of Melaka during the tumultuous Naning War in the early 1830s!
Wary of prying eyes, I walk to the back of Mohamad Fauzil's car and use it as a shield against the foot traffic which has grown considerably heavier. The contents turn out to be several black and white photographs and a stack of neatly handwritten notes detailing the early history of Naning. Almost immediately, the spell-binding tale about the brave Negri Sembilan warrior patriots starts to unravel right in front of my eyes.
According to ancient Malay tradition, the first Minangkabau pioneer who settled on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula was Dato Perpateh Pinang Sebatang. It was said that he built his first settlement in an area some 35 kilometres inland from Melaka and named it Naning. He then married a local maiden and encouraged his followers to follow in his footsteps. Over the course of time, the tiny settlement began to prosper in tandem with its population growth.
SACRED HEIRLOOMS
In order to mark the establishment of his authority, Dato Perpateh took on the title Orang Kaya Seri Maharaja Merah Dato Naning. His official regalia comprised a keris, a spear and a seal of authority all of which was brought from Minangkabau. He also had in his possession a silk tunic endowed with magical powers called Baju Sakepal Setampok Pinang.
The exact date of Naning's founding isn’t known but many historians believe that it could have happened in the 15th century, around the time when the Melaka Sultanate was at its zenith. News of Naning's flourishing existence was reported to the Sultan of Johor sometime after the capture of Melaka by Alfonso de Albuquerque's Portuguese forces in 1511.
Naning was subsequently included among the 'Nine States' or Negri Sembilan which were loosely linked to Johor by ties of nominal suzerainty in the 17th century. These states included Rembau, Sungai Ujong, Johol and Jelebu, all of which were established much later compared to Naning. The Dato Naning succession involved a complex election process from among the members of the founding suku kaum (uterine families) that contributed to the establishment of the settlement.
Unfortunately, records of subsequent leaders who held the title of Dato Naning after Dato Perpateh have been lost to the annals of time. It wasn’t until the fall of Melaka in the hands of the Dutch in 1841 that historians have been able to trace the names and approximate appointment dates of later Dato Naning.
DUTCH TREATY
Soon after establishing their grip on Melaka, the Dutch sent a military expedition to Naning and persuaded the Dato Naning at that time to sign a treaty which required future holders of the title to obtain approval from the Dutch Governor prior to their official appointment. The terms also required Naning to pay a levy of one tenth of its annual rice crop to the Dutch.
The Dutch Governor, however, soon realised that he had to mount a military expedition if he wished to strictly enforce the rice tax and the cost incurred would be much more than the value of padi that he was due to receive. As a result, the Governor and his subsequent successors chose to turn a blind eye to the fact that only one hundredth part of the amount due was delivered to Melaka annually.
Two decades later, the Dutch authorities finally agreed to formally reduce the tax to 400 gantangs of rice per year and the Naning Agreement was amended accordingly in 1765 to reflect this change.
The Dutch handed temporary ownership of Melaka to the British in 1795 to concentrate their resources in preparation for the Napoleonic Wars that was sweeping across Europe. Although they were unaware of the latest Naning tax revision, the British saw themselves as mere seat warmers in Melaka and didn’t bother to fully enforce revenue collection which, in their mind, was still at the initial rate of 10 per cent.
In 1802, Dato Anjak, the eigth Dato Naning, passed away and was succeeded by his nephew Abdul Said who was more commonly known as Dol Said. Dato Dol Said's appointment was confirmed by the British in Melaka and he was given full control of the Naning territory which covered almost all of Alor Gajah district at that time.
The dissolution of Napoleon Bonaparte's Grand Armee in 1813 led to the resumption of Dutch rule in Melaka two years later. Their return, however, was brief. The British returned to Melaka on a more permanent basis upon the signing of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty in 1824.
MISINFORMATION AND WAR
The Collector of Land Revenue in Melaka after the handover was William Thomas Lewis. His Dutch wife, oblivious to the Naning tax revision, reminded him that the 10 per cent rice crop levy was still in force. In 1829, the Melaka Deputy Resident visited Dato Dol Said and demanded that Naning fulfilled its tax obligation. Dato Dol Said rejected the demand and claimed that Naning was independent of British influence.
The incident was reported to the British East India Company officials in India who passed responsibility of the matter to their superiors in London. A year later, the decision to enforce the tax was made. A military expedition comprising 150 Indian soldiers and two six pounder guns were despatched to Naning.
With the assistance of Raja Ali, the Yam Tuan Muda of Rembau, Dato Dol Said and his men used their jungle fighting skills to deadly effect and forced their enemy to retreat while abandoning their artillery in the dense jungle.
Learning from their previous mistakes, the British mounted a larger expeditionary force at the end of 1831 that included 1,000 Indian soldiers armed with powerful European artillery. A local Malay contingent armed with muskets was assigned to protect woodcutters whose task was to clear a passage 75 metres wide from Melaka all the way to Rembia. In order to further isolate Dato Dol Said, the British successfully secured friendship treaties with all the Rembau customary officials and turned Raja Ali over to their side.
NANING FALLS
With the odds stacked against him, Dato Dol Said and his men continued to resist with every ounce of their strength. It took the British soldiers more than six months to cover a distance 50 kilometres before capturing the Naning headquarters of Taboh on June 16, 1832. To prevent further uprisings, the British temporarily abolished the appointment of Dato Naning.
Dato Dol Said managed to escape in the nick of time and lived in exile for two years before finally surrendering in February 1834. He was given a full pardon and a house in Melaka where he lived out the rest of his days supplementing his monthly 100 rupee monthly pension from the sale of herbal concoctions to the local villagers.
Dato Dol Said was only brought back to Taboh when his health began to fail in 1849. Upon his demise, the patriot was buried in a handsome tomb near the graves of earlier Dato Naning, beside the rice fields whose crops he’d preserved from taxation. The rice tax which he fought was never collected.
Shifting my focus to the accompanying photographs, an image catches my attention. Scribbled notes at the back reveal that the image was taken on Aug 17, 1953 and features the 16th Dato Naning, Dato Mohamed Shah Mohamed Said in a gaily decorated palanquin. He was on his way to the mosque for the installation ceremony after successfully completing the holy water bath ritual.
DATO NANING TITLE REVIVED
The final few pages of the handwritten notes delve in detail about an interesting turn of events in the 1920s that brought about the revival of the Dato Naning title by the British. Since its abolishment in 1832, the local officials preserved the Dato Naning customary procedure by creating an equivalent post of Penghulu Naning. Several decades later, the title evolved to become Demang (Penghulu Besar) Naning.
In 1918, Omar Hassan was elected Demang Naning. His appointment was recognised by almost all the Naning Malays except for his fellow losing contender, Yunus Nordin. Three years later, Yunus publicised his pretensions by spiriting away several Naning heirlooms including the sacred keris and two seals of authority.
Omar lodged a complaint with officials at the Alor Gajah District office. The Resident Councillor, L.E.P. Wolferstein deduced that supernatural powers were probably believed to emanate from the sacred regalia and Yunus should therefore have been struck down for such an impious act. Instead, he was in the pink of health. As such, Wolferstein believed that Yunus' claim couldn’t be summarily brushed aside.
Left with no other alternative, the Attorney General in Singapore advised that Omar should be recognised by the Straits Settlements Government as Dato Naning. With that unassailable title, Omar could then sue Yunus in the Melaka High Court for the return of the sacred heirlooms.
STRANGE INCIDENT
The proclamation ceremony took place without a hitch on Sept 3, 1921 but Yunus still remained obstinate. In pure defiance, he started wearing the sacred keris in public. The act prompted government officials to raid Yunus' house, but while they were there all of them fainted and only recovered when they left the premises empty handed.
Omar passed away a year later after appointing his sister's son, Othman Kering as successor. Omar's wishes were upheld by the Naning Customary office holders but since Othman was just 11, his uncle Mohd Arshad was appointed to act as Dato Naning until he came of age. Yunus was once again passed over despite his continued possession of the sacred heirlooms.
Yunus lived out his days as pawang (medicine man) until the 1980s. His longevity was seen by many as a form of punishment as he was forced to endure the excruciating pain of watching others receiving the title he so coveted.
"Have you made your decision? Just give me RM 50 for everything. I’m in a good mood today," quips Mohamad Fauzil. His sudden appearance jolts me out of my reverie. Delighted at the bargain, I quickly hand over the money and thank him profusely.
Clutching the precious envelope together with the stack of Gila-Gila magazines, I head towards the carpark as happy as a lark. Once again, my outing at the Kampung Berjaya flea market has paid handsome dividends.