2 HISTORY OF SANTUBONG OF SARAWAK. 
signifies apparently “the mountain visible a long way off,” 
and there is said to be a mountain of this same name in North 
China. | 
On the island are now several villages, viz., on the West 
Coast, Santubong which is situated almost immediately below 
the south end of the mountain ridge, and Bankissam which lies 
southeast of Santubong, the two being only separated by a 
stream known as the Santubong River: on the east coast we 
have the fishing village of Buntal which on its land side abuts 
on a Mangrove swamp. 
There seoms to be good reasons for believing that San- 
tubong has had a checkered history so far as its inhabitants 
are concerned. In pre-EHuropean times this neighbourhood 
was the rendezvous of desperate pirates who on more than 
one occasion must have sacked the village, at the same time 
destroying everything which could not be conveniently carried 
off; so that quite possibly we are indebted to these lawless 
people for the scattering of the interesting relics we describe 
later on. To this cause may perhaps be assigned the total 
disappearance of those large colonies of people whose ruined 
workmanship alone is known to us. The present inhabitants 
are descended from immigrants who several generations ago 
left their homes in various parts of Sarawak to found the 
villages above mentioned. To Santubong village came many 
Milanos from Matu and many Sea Dayaks from Sibuyau: to 
Bankissam came some Kuching Malays and one small village 
is peopled by Malays from the Kalaka River. When these 
people became sufficiently numerous, the Chinese shopkeepers 
also appeared. 
The headman who, as representative of the Sarawak 
Government, administers justice and commands order is a 
eertain Hadji, a Malay of rank claiming relationship to the 
royal houses of several countries including Bruni and Johore. 
His sense of order however does not appear to be very highly 
developed as his villages are always in an untidy and un- 
sanitary condition. 
The houses of the village are like all Malay houses raised 
on piles and built of a wooden framework with roof and sides 
Jour. Straits Branch, 
