Putatan District, North Borneo,1884

Putatan District, North Borneo,1884

This flourishing and extensive district which on the 1st May 1884  passed under the rule of The British North Borneo Government, may be briefly described as an alluvial plain bounded to the southward by some salient spurs thrown off by the coast range of mountains to the westward, to the north by the mountains  dividing it from the watershed of the Inanam river,and to the north-west by low ranges and detached hills running parallel with the coast, from Tanjong Liadan (Dusun, "Pangalat" and "Kalat”) opposite Gaya, to the base of the sandy promontory of Tanjong Aru ( Dusun, "Torongo " ). 

Further to the south a few detached hills stud the coastline, the general axis of the course of the Putatan river—which in its upper portion bears the name of the Pagunan, is from north-east to south-west, as far as hitherto explored, with a bold Sweep round to the southward where it debouches on the lower part of the Putatan plain. 

At the Bajau villages of Putatan and Lokbunoh it forks and forms a delta, its northern branch discharging into the sea some little distance to the south of Tanjong Aru by the Pitagas mouth, while  its southern arm debouches into the sea by the Telipuk mouth immediately to the south of Dumpir point. 

The Bajau village of Torongon lies  a short distance north of this mouth, while another Bajau village, Ketiow, is situated on the left bank close to the sea, at the embouchure of the little river Permuan. A 'blocked-up mouth also lies immediately to the north of Bukit  Linchuk, a hill rising from the sea-beach and situated equidistant from the 'two- existing 'mouths. 

The Putatan soil is a rich alluvial clay loam, superimposed on sea sand., and varying from a depth of only a few inches at the edge of the basin as at Pitagas, where the Tanjong Aru sand bank forms its northern boundary, to a depth of over twelve feet in the heart of the district, where it can be seen in exposed sections of the river bank. 

This formation points to the Putatan river-plain having been formerly a shallow inlet of the seat extending up to the base of the coast range, with the mud-charged waters of the Pagunan discharging into its bight. The hills now dotting the plain, were then islets, and a chain of them stretched across the mouth of the bay of inlet represented, by the present coast hills of Pandan Pandan, Linchuk, Karindingan, &q„  and the range extending from Nappas to Tanjong Liadan.

The effect of this island breakwater was to conduce to the gradual deposition of the fat alluvial mud brought down by the Pagunan over the bed of the sheltered inlet, this process being aided by the formation of the broad sandbank stretching from Tanjong Aru to Pitagas and Nappas. The ultimate result of the operation of these various natural causes would be the formation of the Putatan plain, whose broad and fertile expanse now supports such a large and industrious population.

The river survey, so rapidly and ably made by Mr. D. D. Daly in the course of a one day's hurried journey up the river to the foot of the mountains at Pagunan village, and back again, will give any one a good idea of the general lie of of the country. The district is purely a rice producing one, with some sago plantations some distance up the river. 

The rice cultivation is of the most elaborate kind, the dykes, levels sluices, &c, being quite on a par with those found in countries such as Burmah itself. The "padi" is, however, small in the grain and deteriorated, and the distribution of first-class Rangoon rice will be a benefit to the district at large. The flat lands are firmly held at over $40 to the acre, the different properties being carefully marked off by stone and wooden landmarks, in many cases carved to represent a human figure. Every inch of available flat land has been brought under cultivation, the bases of the wooded knolls, that stud the large plain and add such a charm to the landscape, being in many cases scarped to gain an additional acreage of flatland. 

The Dusun population are an intelligent, well fed and well set-up looking race and are decidedly of a higher type than their neighbours of Papar, Menggatal and Tawaran. Smithies abound, and iron-shod plough shares, millstones worked' by regular mechanism, and remarkably well-made winnowing machines,together with iron-toothed harrows, form the agricultural implements in vogue. The Chinese, of whom there are some 80, are an unprepossessing lot, principally runaway Labuan convicts, who may be, later on, advantageously replaced by respectable Chinese traders. They own no land and are principally occupied in the distillation of rice arrack, varied, with smuggling. Amongst them are to be found some good blacksmiths, carpenters, &c. The Bajau population may be roughly estimated at 500, and the Dusun at 7000 to 8000, no census having yet been taken.

Formerly the " tamu," or native market, held every tenth day at Pagunan village is said to have been the largest on the coast. Owing, however, to blood-feuds between the Tagaas most aggressive tribes whose habitat lies along the coast ranges between the heads of the different rivers from the Menggatal to the Bangawan and the Liwan people, who inhabit the tobacco districts, lying to the south of Kinabalu, which goby that general name this market was broken up, the roads, to the coast blocked by the Tagaas, the people of the interior forced to sell their produce at prices below the market value to the Tagaas, and the whole trade of the upper Pagunan and its adjacent districts, now in the hands of these aboriginal "Protectionists" finds its way to the coast by a route diverging from the Ulu Pagunan to the Inanam river, where a market is held every 9th and 10th day, much to the detriment of Putatan, the Dusun population of which are most, anxious for there-establishment of their market, a task which must be undertaken before long. 

The principal produce brought, down to  Inanam is tobacco, which is, bartered by the Tagaas for iron bars, cloth, gunpowder, fish, &o. Going inland from the Inanam the principal -tobacco-growing districts of the Liwan country are (1) Narap.(2) Samalang. (8) Kernan. (4) Sinatan. (5) Lembiadan. The district is an extensive one said to be very rich in produce and reputed to contain within its confines the sources of the Labuk, Sugut, Segaliud, Lokan, Tungkolan, Kramurk, Tungut and Mungkwayo,. rivers, all within a day's, walk of each other, it is certain that from,the head of the Pagunan, the head of the Sugut can be struck in five days walking, while from the head of the latter river to  that of the northern branch of the Kinabatangan,is a very short distance indeed.

It may be safely surmised that 1885 will see the revenue of Putatan more than balance its expenditure. Chinese are already intimating their intention to Open shops in the district, the disposition of the large Dusun population .is excellent, and the country is –at the present moment being  managed entirely without police. All ordinary native "bicharas " are heard and settled, as heretofore, by the respective Datus , a system which works well and is very popular with the natives. One of the principal Dusun inhabitants, a wealthy widow by name Si Limpai,of the village of Terrawi, having had the title of " Mantri Babu "conferred on her by H. E. the Governor, on the occasion of his Excellency's opening the river, her patent of nobility was duly presented to her on 26th July, by the Magistrate in charge of the District, amid salvoes of brass,artillery and all Dusun formalities, A road marked out by coloured streamers,houses adorned with bright coloured hangings, the slaughter of a buffalo, cow,&c, with flags, triumphal processions and other pageantries, lent animation to the scene and ceremony and a universal sentiment of satisfaction seemed to prevail.

The Pagunan is reported to have a long course, and to take its rise only two day's walk from the upper Tawaran , but both it and the comparatively insignificant Inanam are said to be overlapped by the Tawaran and Papar rivers.

The coast boundaries of the Putatan district are Tanjong Liadan on the north to Suwongan  river on the south, embracing the coast villages of Api Api, Nappas, Torongon, Malintod, Keetiow, and Dumpir. The inland villages may be enumerated as follows, omitting some not yet taken over.

(1)Pitagas. (2) Lokbunoh. (3) Putatan. (4) Buit. (5) Terrawi. (6) Binduan. (7)Nasob. (8) Bangkong. (9) Bhang, (10) Tanah. (11) Lunghap. (12) Kinampang. (13) Babait. (14)Krahnau. (15) Nohbong. (16) Putatohn. (17) Pagansakan. (18) Pagunan, making in all some 24 villages. To these, however, must be added 3 more,viz., Sugud, Tampassak and Indai, lying in the valley of the Sugud, called at and near its confluence with the Putatan river, at the village of Rumaia, the Tarikan river. This makes a total of 27 villages, belonging to the Government, which, with 10 more not yet taken over, gives a grand total of 37 villages.

The principal produce of Ulu Pagunan is India-rubber, armadillo skins, beeswax and tobacco, with a little gutta percha , but the trade may be said to be as yet in an embryonic stage, and the checking of Tagaas head-hunting and re-establishment of the fair ( "tamu" ) will revolutionize the whole district. It may fairly be said, in conclusion, that the Government is to be congratulated on its acquisition of the most populous and highly cultivated river and district in North Borneo, and on having metamorphosed a stronghold of buffalo thieves into a law-abiding and orderly community.

Note;

~Tawaran – Tuaran

~Dumpir – Dumpil

~Mantri Babu - chief

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