Kinship, Islam, and Raiding in Maguindanao, c. 1760–1780attacked Siau, burned its settlements and captured and enslaved many
of its people to avenge Salawo’s death. In retaliation, the rajas of Sangir
led by the raja of Siau (Ismail Jacobs) in alliance with the Dutch and
Ternate, launched an attacked by burning Maguindanao and Malurang
houses and fields.
Historical records prove that Salawo existed. Documents refer to a
jogugu (subaltern chief ) of Malurang named Siabu – i.e., Salawo^87 – just
prior to his murder.^88 The sources do not reveal much more, however, ex-
cept that he appears to have been in the company of a half-Maguindanao,
half-Sulu (Tausug) chief named Timbang Sulug.^89 Perhaps more revealing
are the oral histories that reaffirm the historicity of Salawo and provide
texture to his life story. Salawo has been immortalized in a traditional
Sangirese sasambo (lyric poem), a fragment of which reads: “[S]ince
the Salawo incident, these islands have continuously experienced war”
(Mengkeng landungi Salawo, Nusa taniedong seke).^90 In at least three ver-
sions of the story familiar to the Sangirese, Salawo’s murder is attributed
to his desire to marry the Siau princess named Nanding (a.k.a., Elizabeth
Jacobs), first daughter of raja Ismail Jacobs.^91 Unfortunately for Salawo,
Nanding’s family’s opposition and his supposed insistence and disrespect
eventually led to his murder by Nanding’s uncle, Prince Luli.^92
What then is the significance of these shared narratives and similar
causation? Presuming that the oral versions of the story are reliable, then
they point to Salawo’s desire to extend marriage relations under the aegis
- That ‘Siabu’ and ‘Salawo’ are the same and therefore refer to the same person, see
Nelman Mangamba & Christina Pasaribu (tr.), Manga Wekeng Asal’u Tau Sangihe
= Cerita-cerita Asal Orang Sangir = Stories of the origins of the Sangir people (Davao,
Philippines: The Committee for the Promotion of the Sangir Language, 1995):
103. - NA, VOC 8130, Letter from the Governor of Ternate to Batavia, 31 May 1760,
fol. 45. - Ibid.
- H. B. Elias, Sejarah Pergerakan Kebangsaan Indonesia di Pulau Siau (Manado:
Markas cabang Legiun Veteran R. I. Kotamadya Manado, 1973): 53. - Ibid.: 92–93.
- The dating of the story to 1590 is incorrect. Ibid., 74; Gidion Maru, Kumpulan
Cerita Rakyat Kabupaten Kepulauan Siau, Tagulandang , dan Biaro asal usul Siau dan
kisah-kisah lainnya (Manado: Lembah Manah, 2012), 51–55. The ‘Salawo affair’
happened around 1760. See NA, VOC 8143, Meeting of the Political Council, 9
October 1780, 4-5.