Migration to Undup

The Undup River and the Kumpang1 were among the very first areas to be populated by the Ibans who came from what is now Indonesian Borneo.  This probably because both these rivers are easily accessible from the lower Kapuas.
Singalang Burong’s grandson named Surong Gunting, who was living at Merakai2 in the Kapuas drainage, held a historic conference to organize migration routes into the Undup and Batang Ai.

It was from Merakai that Kajup who was ordered by Surong Gunting to lead his followers to migrate and settle at the Undup River.  The Undup River mouth is just above the modern town of Simanggang.  However, not very much is said about Kujup who may have been a Maloh Dayak.  He became the first person to be buried at Ruding Embawang3.

After the migration of Kujup, another ancestor named Jelian4 migrated from Ketungau River, a tributary of Kapuas into Undup.  Jelian lived at Wong Empangu who later married Tiong the daughter of the famous Kantu chief named Beti.

Another early pioneer in the Undup was Langkup.  He was remembered more for a problem he had with his wife than for his role as a pioneer.  His wife has the same name as he did – Langkup.  Hence, she has to change her name to Lemok.

Migration into the Undup continues where another chief named Galungan came with his followers from Merakai and lived near Bukit Balau Ulu, which is located on the modern Sarawak-Indonesia frontier at the head of the Undup drainage.  After many years later, Galungan moved again with his people to live at Bukit Balau not far below the present town of Simanggang.  It is here that Galungan and his people called themselves as the Balau Dayaks because they have lived twice by hills of the same name.  In the same manner those who inhabited the Undup River called themselves the Undup Dayaks.

While residing at Bukit Balau, Galungan married a woman named Sendi.  Soon after their marriage, he left his original followers and moved to Sebuyau, a tributary of the Batang Lupar.  Sebuyau is located at the mouth of the Batang Lupar.  These people then became known as the Sebuyau Dayaks.

From Nanga Sebuyau, Galungan moved to the Sadong where he died.  After his death, his followers gradually moved westward to Merdang Gayam, Merdang Limau, Merdang Lumut, Samarahan, Tabuan and Lundu.

Some of their descendants have lived for generations in the vicinity of modern Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak.  All of these people have continued to call themselves the Sebuyau Dayaks.  They often stress that they are quite unlike other Sea Dayaks an assertion that is not true.

Footnotes

1. Kumpang is a tributary of the Batting Ai in the Lubok Ant District. [↩]
2. Merakai is a tributary of the Kapuas River. [↩]
3. Ruding Embawang is a Maloh cemetery situated below the mouth of the Undup in Batang Layar. [↩]
4. Jelian migrated into the Undup after the death of Surong Gunting at Bukit Tiang Laju. [↩]