HISTORY OF BORNEO 17 



his son Hiawang to succeed to the throne of Puni. 

 Having induced the emperor to stop the yearly- 

 tribute of forty katties of camphor paid by Puni to 

 Java, and having agreed to send tribute to China 

 every three years, Hiawang returned home to take 

 up the reins of government. Between 14 10 and 

 1425 he paid tribute six times, besides revisiting the 

 Chinese Court ; but afterwards little Puni seems to 

 have again ignored her powerful suzerain. 



It is probable that the Chinese colony in North 

 Borneo which gave its name to the lofty mountain 

 KinaBalu(Chinesewidow)andtotheKina Batangan, 

 the chief river which flows from it, was founded 

 about this time. Several old writers seem to refer 

 to this event, and local traditions of the settlement 

 still survive. The Brunis and Idaans (a people in 

 the north not unlike the Bisayas) have legends 

 differing in detail to the effect that the Chinese 

 came to seize the great jewel of the Kina Balu 

 dragon, but afterwards quarrelled about the booty 

 and separated, some remaining behind. The Idaans 

 consider themselves the descendants of these settlers, 

 but that can only be true in a very limited sense. 

 Both country and people, however, show traces of 

 Chinese influence. 



There is good evidence that the Chinese influence 

 and immigration were not confined to Bruni and the 

 northern end of the island. In south-west Borneo 

 there are traces of very extensive washings of 

 alluvial gravels for gold and diamonds. These 

 operations were being conducted by Chinese when 

 Europeans first came to the country ; and the 

 extent of the old workings implies that they had 

 been continued through many centuries. Hindu- 

 Javan influence also was not confined to the court 

 of Bruni, for in many parts of the southern half 

 of Borneo traces of it survive in the custom of 

 burning the dead, in low relief carvings of bulls 



VOL. I c 



