INTRODUCTION

Several years ago P. E. de Josselin de Jong called attention to the fact that in the dynastic narratives of western Indonesia and Malaysia – for instance in Aceh, Negeri Sembilan, Minangkabau, and Melaka – the same theme constantly recurs: the mythical origin of the dynasty is rooted in the marital union of an immigrant from abroad with a woman from the autochthonous population which has lived in the region since time immemorial. To this day the relation between a ruler and his realm is often conceived of as that between husband and wife.

The publications in question (de Josselin de Jong 1980a, 1980b, 1986; Jordaan and de Josselin de Jong 1985) investigate a general aspect of the relation, namely the contractual creation of social order. I shall briefly return to this aspect below. In this chapter I wish to examine the autochthonous party in the relationship. I shall first focus on some characteristics that are ascribed to this party and compare these in a broader Southeast Asian framework. Then I shall present a specific case in some detail. The tribal context of this case, originating from the Mentawai Islands to the west of Sumatra, seems at first sight to refer to a quite different situation. In the concluding section I hope to show, however, that these tribal traditions can help to achieve a fuller understanding of the meanings of the matrimonial motif in the dynastic myths.

In the Malay narratives, the primordial autochthonous people are distinguished from the immigrants by some specific qualifications. The latter are always differentiated by the possession of authority and political power. The autochthonous people, by contrast, are sometimes characterized by attributes of ministerial wisdom. In other tales, a new dimension is added: their association with wilderness. In Jambi and Palembang, for instance (Heringa 1994), the father of the mythical bride, an indigenous chief, is called Lebar Daun, “Broad Leaf ”, a vegetative association to which in other versions an animal one is added: Lebar Daun takes the shape of a dragon, a turtle, or a goose. Sometimes even the bride herself appears in the guise of a wild animal. This recalls conceptions in the origin myths of the adjacent region of Kerinci where the autochthonous bride is often depicted as a kind of a spirit of the wilderness, with long hair that grows all over her body (Jet Bakels, personal communication).