The "historical" Sandokan

andokan has lived in 19th century Borneo. His family seat was at the site of the Kinabatangan, one of the biggest rivers in Borneo. He was head of Melapi, a village at this river. His father's name, quite long, was Maringganlapasentdhan, he was also named "Taribong Mandog Awan" which means in Malay "Harimau Udara" and in English "Tiger of the Air". His sons got such names, too, but unfortunately these names were already forgotten. (So, "Tiger of Malaysia", Sandokan's nick-name, is also possible!) Sandokan's mother was Adoran. He has got four brothers: Kassanudin, Paid, Manggi, and Pagkon. Pagkon was the grandfather of the famous Pengiran Sammah, who had fought the British at the time of the British North Borneo Company and was shot by them on 17th February, 1884.

andokan's family was a real noble family of Borneo, perhaps one of the first. Most of the nobles of North Borneo had immigrated into the country, so Sandokan's family is something like a "pure Borneo noble family". Because he discovered and secured the birds-nests-caves in the area of Gomantong, he founded his family's wealth. These birds-nests gained high prices on markets because they were and are a costly speciality for the Chinese. Twice a year there were collected. There are lots of stories in which Sandokan had to secure his property - also against the Sultan of Sulu. These stories were based on the people of the Kinabatangan area themselves (which were also written down by the Brisith residing there in the 1880/90s) and on reports by his family members, mainly on his genealogy. - His descendants lived also in the town Sandakan, and it could be no coincidence, that this town has a similar name like himself. At the Kinabatangan existed also a cave where family members were buried.

n Marudu, an area 200 kilometers away from the Kinabatangan region, Sandokan is remembered as a friend of Syarif Osman, a mighty leader, who has fought the British. Osman's Marudu may have been the economic and social centre of that time, so Sandokan may have come here for that reason. Osman's banner was the red tiger flag. Sandokan has defended Osman's fortress against the British on the 19th August, 1845. Marudu was destroyed on that day. - In Limau-Limawan, a village in the north of the bay of Marudu, Sandokan is remembered as a nautic hero who has governed the sea from Sulu up to the Straits of Malacca.

hat has happened to the historical Sandokan after the battle of Marudu is not known to me. Emilio Salgari's first novel on Sandokan begins with the year 1849 - that is four years after the historical incidents of Marudu. Clearly Sandokan's home and exile is now Mompracem, but Salgari also mentioned Sandokan's reason of being a pirate now: because the British had destroyed his home. And the home of Sandokan in the novels is Marudu! Salgari's description of the battles with the British resembles the historical situation in 1845.

(Please don't take any information from this page without my permission! Thank you! - Bianca M. Gerlich)