All around rebellion

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The all-round rebellion (1900-1915) describes a conflict between the indigenous people of Sabah , Malaysia and the North Borneo Chartered Company , which ended on April 17, 1915 with the capture and execution of their leader Ontoros Antonom.

history

Although the actual rebellion began in February 1915 and reached its climax and end in April 1915, the roots of the all-round rebellion go back to 1900. The all-round rebellion follows the Mat Salleh rebellion almost seamlessly .

prehistory

EW Birch, governor of North Borneo since 1901, campaigned for a complete abolition of poll tax in 1902 and established a new tax system based on production methods. The background was the goal to increase the tax revenue for the North Borneo Chartered Company . The trade in jungle products - it played a prominent role among the natives - now required a license. In addition, indirect taxes such as licensing requirements for fishing boats and taxes on land ownership were introduced. Proclamation IX of 1902 was introduced as a legal provision for indigenous people to claim ownership of land. There was an annual fee of two strait dollars to register each title, which ultimately amounted to a land ownership tax.

The resident's suggestion for the Inner Areas of Borneo that land ownership should be limited to three acres of land per male adult directly provoked popular opposition. Most of the chiefs of the regions around Tabunan, Keningau, Tenom, Rundum and Pensiangan refused to recognize the new regulation because it directly interfered with their tradition of shifting agriculture. The North Borneo Company first responded to the resistance with sentences and imprisonment. When that didn't help, they appointed Haji Jamaluddin, a Muslim chief loyal to the society, as district chief of Tenom.

In connection with the reorganization of the land ownership regulations, the North Borneo Company began to cross the interior with a network of mule tracks to connect the individual villages and to intensify trade. The Murut in particular were obliged to do forced labor. Within the current research, this fact is considered to be the main cause of the escalation in 1915. Further annoyances for the Murut, such as the tax on tapai , a liqueur produced by the natives, and the Ladang Ordinance of 1913 - with the aim of curbing the slash and burn economy and encouraging the nomadic indigenous tribes to settle in the interior - are viewed as minor triggers in this context .

The riot

Statue of Ontoros Antanom in Tenom

In this situation a young but famous and influential warrior emerged as the mouthpiece of the natives. Antanum or Antanom (full name: Ontoros Antanom) (1885-1915) was a chief from the tribe of the Murut. He was said to have supernatural powers. His supporters were mainly found in the chiefs and villagers of Keningau, Tenom, Pensiangan and Rundum.

In February 1915, a storm of tremendous violence broke out inland, in which an estimated 60 villages took part. The first wave of violence was directed all around against the colonial forces under NB Baboneau and CH Pearson, who were attacked by no fewer than 600–700 Murut warriors. The Murut were repulsed; twelve of them were killed and 20–30 wounded. Startled by the events, the British equipped a major punitive expedition under the command of Bunbury, the British resident of Tenom, against the Muruts led by Ontoros Antanom on the Sungai Selangit near the settlement of Pensiangan.

Ontoros had a fortification built there, which Bunbury described as follows:

"The fort consists of seven underground houses that are connected to one another. The surrounding hills are reinforced with udang and sula (long and short pointed stakes made of bamboo) and lushly planted; a fence amid innumerable loopholes ... The size of the fort was about 80 × 40 feet. "

The assault on the Muruts fort began on April 14, 1915, but was not very successful. The British now shifted to cutting off water and food supplies. On April 16, the Murut announced that they were considering surrender. On April 17th, white flags were waved and Bunbury sent its interpreters, who came back with 800 straits dollars, various goods and two rifles. They asked the Muruts that Ontoros should surrender. Eventually he and his two close confidants, Kalur and Ansakul, came out and were immediately handcuffed. After a brief interrogation, Bunbury had her executed on the spot. During the night the battle raged on and the Muruts tried to escape from the fort. Their losses were considerable; around 350–400 Muruts were killed, and another 300 managed to escape.

After Ontoros Antanom's death, the violence of the conflict between the indigenous people and the North Borneo Chartered Company gradually ended. The Company wisely refrained from further retaliation and made Pensiangan the administrative center of the district. All around was abandoned as a settlement in 1920. A statue of Ontoros Antonom stands in the center of Tenom today .

Evaluation of the rebellions

Although the story of the Mat Salleh rebellion, like that of the all-round rebellion, is part of the self-image of the history of Malaysia to this day, it must not be ignored that both rebellions were limited to a relatively small territory and involved a relatively small number of people and that by contrast, the vast majority of Sabah had remained calm.

Above all, the fact that Ontoros succeeded in uniting the various Murut tribes residing on the riverbanks is significant: over all tribal feuds and blood revenge matters, he swore these headhunter tribes to a common enemy - namely the British colonial rulers.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Callistus Fernandez: The legend by Sue Harris: A critique of the Rundum Rebellion and a counter argument on the rebellion. ( Memento of the original from June 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 2.4 MB) In: Kajian Malaysia. Jld. XIX, No. December 2, 2001. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / web.usm.my
  2. ↑ Tregonning, S. 118th
  3. ↑ Lim, p. 27ff.
  4. ↑ a b Lim, p. 28ff.
  5. ↑ CFC Macaskie: The Law and Legislation of the State of North Borneo. 3 J. Comp. Legis. & Int'l L. 3d ser. 200 (1921).
  6. ↑ Fernandez, pp. 68-70.
  7. ↑ correspondence NB Babaneau of Resident Bunbury, February 27, 1915 Colonial Office document CO874 / 835, quoted in Fernandez, S. 72nd
  8. ^ A b c Correspondence from NB Babaneau to the government secretariat, April 24, 1915, Colonial Office Document CO874 / 835, quoted in Fernandez, p. 72.
  9. ↑ Tregonning, p. 211
  10. ↑ see also the assessment in Tregonning, p. 212
  11. ↑ Fernandez, p. 73

Remarks

  1. ↑ Tregonning even reports of "1000 screeching Murut warriors armed with blowpipes, spears and useless muzzle-loaders who attacked Baboneau's quarters all around and tortured captured police officers to death" .
  2. ↑ Corresponds to about 24 meters x 12 meters.
  3. ↑ The appearance of the statue is purely fictional as there are no known photos or drawings of Ontoros.
  4. ↑ The number of Ontoros supporters who took part in the fighting is given by Tregonning as 1000 and by Fernandez as 700–900.