THE origin of one of Sarawak’s most popular tourist destinations, Mount Santubong, remains a mystery. The people here have many versions as to how Santubong got its name.
Located 35km from the capital city, Kuching, on the northwestern coast of Borneo, Mount Santubong and its surrounding rainforest, mangrove swamps, rivers and sandy beaches, have been home to the native Iban community since the seventh century.
According to the Encyclopaedia of Iban Studies, the natives refered to the place as “Si-antu-ubong”, which in the Iban language means “spirit boat”.
It was customary for the Iban people to place the dead in a boat-like coffin made from a single hollow log.
It is believed the vessel will take the dead to the world beyond.
Some people, however, believed that the name was introduced by the Hakka Chinese, who called it “San Chu Bong”, which means wild boar king.
Kampung Santubong chief Suhaili Kifli, 64, said many of the Malay villagers still held on to this legend.
“According to history, some of the first people who lived here claimed that they saw a huge wild boar as big as a human,” he said, adding that Santubong in Iban also means “collapse”.
Another interesting legend often associated to Santubong is that of two beautiful princesses from heaven, Santubong and Sejinjang.
According to the legend, the King of Heaven had sent the princesses to restore peace when war broke out between Kampung Pasir Puteh and Kampung Pasir Kuning.
The princesses brought peace to the villages and helped the villagers become prosperous.
Many princes asked for their hand in marriage. Both the princesses, however, fell in love with a prince and fought over him.
Angered by their behaviour, the King of Heaven cursed them and turned Santubong into Mount Santubong and Sejinjang into Mount Sejinjang.
Some people say the mountains resemble women lying on their back and a crack on the peak of Mount Santubong is the scar on Princess Santubong’s cheek, which she obtained during the fight with Princess Sejinjang.
“It is hard to believe such mythical tales. But people have shared these stories for a long time,” said Suhaili.
He said Santubong was formerly a strategic business location, where traders gathered and later settled down.
In the 11th and 13th centuries, it was a trading and iron mining hub.
Excavation works at Santubong village have revealed early Malay, Hindu, Buddhist and tribal relics from the ninth century.
In the 15th century, under the rule of the Brunei Sultanate, Santubong was the capital of Sarawak.
The first and only sultan of Sarawak was Sultan Tengah, who was the son of the third sultan of Brunei.
The mausoleum of Sultan Tengah, who died in 1641, is located in Santubong and is a tourist attraction.
Santubong was also among the places in Southeast Asia where Alfred Russel Wallace, a Welsh naturalist, had spent years researching on the theory of natural selection. He was later credited with Charles Darwin for the theory of evolution.
Wallace, who came to Sarawak in 1854, had spent 15 months exploring and collecting 2,000 beetle species, 1,500 moth species and 1,500 other insect orders along Sungai Sarawak from Santubong to Bau, as well as in the peat swamps of Simunjan.
Today, Santubong is transforming with the increasing number of tourists coming here to experience its natural beauty, as well as wildlife.
The area is a wildlife sanctuary, providing shelter to a myriad rare animals such as the Irrawaddy dolphins, Proboscis Monkeys and clouded leopards.
To get a glimpse of the species, it is recommended for visitors to go on the Mount Santubong jungle- trekking trail, which will take them through scenic spots.
At the foothills of Mount Santubong is the Sarawak Cultural Village, which is the official venue for the world-renowned Rainforest World Music Festival.
Known as the “Living Museum”, the village showcases Sarawak’s cultural heritage including architecture and handicraft of diverse tribes.
Daily activities of the tribal people are demonstrated here such as weaving, cooking and dance performances.
Another attraction off Santubong is Pulau Satang Kecil, which is among the four “Turtle Islands” that make up Sarawak’s first marine national park, Talang-Satang.
The national park was established to conserve Sarawak’s marine turtle population.
The coastal fishing villages here like Kampung Santubong and Kampung Buntal have facilities such as Internet access, roads, schools and homestays for tourists.
“Santubong has a lot to offer in terms of nature and this has attracted many visitors.
“There are many changes in this area and one of which is the retaining wall project that has helped protect the village from floods.
“As the village is located near the sea, it is often hit by floods.”