THE LAND

THE STORY OF POS LANAI

Fort Dixon, Pahang Royalty, and the Practices of Ancestors

The Orang Asli of Malaya have been here for thousands of years.

Their origins trace back to various locations across the early Nusantara region. Some say that the genes of the Semai people can be traced to the Khmer people- Semai settlements have been recorded in the regions of Batang Padang, Slim,Bertam, Sungei Telom and Hulu Jelai (Schebesta, 1926). Stories about the Orang Asli settlements. In his book, “The Story of The Sengoi Mission”, Paul B Means records his missions up the Telom River in the 1930s, where he found Orang Asli settled there.

This fabled Orang Asli settlement is called Pos Lanai.

Malaysia stilt homes at Semang village o

THE PEOPLE

Made up from a collection of Orang Asli from various villages- Kg.Tijah, Kg. Perangkap, Kg Berenggan, and Kg Dabil, the collective name of all these villages are known as Pos Lanai. The early settlements of this Pos Lanai community can be traced hundreds of years from their early settlement, northeast from Pos Lanai- It was known as Dusun Genggong and Dusun Rawex, near the rivers of Sg Suah, Sg Kajau , Sg Tekal, Sg Telom, Sg Temuh, and Sg Kodaq .

Communities from three areas along these main rivers slowly moved closer to Pos Lanai across the years. The three locations are

Dusun Genggong (far northeast) along Sg Suah from the north,
Settlements along Sg Tekal in the west, and
Settlements from downstream Sg Telom , southeast of Pos Lanai.

In the 1950s, the authority in charge of Orang Asli- Jabatan Hal Ehwal Orang Asli (JAKOA)- asked these communities to settle closer to the river Sg Telom, so that the Jabatan could reach out to them more conveniently.

During the communist insurgency after 1948, Orang Asli were encouraged to stay near the jungle forts so that they could be provided security and medical assistance, and to keep them away from supplying and assisting the Communist rebels.

The Communist insurgents set up an organization called "Asal", which means "aboriginal", aimed at enlisting aborigines to provide armed help. An Asal group was organized for each river valley and was usually led by a prominent Orang Asli headman or chief.

In response to the constant harassment from the security forces and the insurgents, the Orang Asli in certain areas met and agreed to a pact of mutual help called "river valley pacts" (Short 1975). The strategy was that one village would support the Communists and another, the government. Neither would give any information to either side in case it might directly or indirectly endanger the aborigines. All the other villages would remain neutral. This pact ensured the aborigines that whichever faction emerged victorious at the end, they would not be adversely affected; they would have at least one of them with the victors to support the others.

Alberto Gomes ,The Semai , the Making of a Ethnic Group in Malaysia.

That was how the jungle forts were built by the British in the Semai Orang Asli’s home- Pos Lanai.

The famous jungle fort here was named Fort Dixon, after a British soldier named Dixon was downed by communist here. Fort Dixon facility had a school, clinic and a runway for planes to bring in supplies to the British troops stationed there. Many current elders of the Orang Asli in Pos Lanai recall having been up to Fort Dixon and even worked there.

The fort was built with the help of the Semai Orang Asli in 1955.

Among many early experiences in Kuala Lipis District was my long journey up the Jelai River to the remote, isolated police post at Kuala Medang where I stayed overnight before returning early the next morning accompanied by my armed escort of special constables. The great beauty of the jungle-fringed river, at places overhung with giant lichen-covered branches from vast trees, was stunning, particularly at several junctures where there were rapids which created turbulence. Sadly the very next week, one of our best jungle squad commanders, a police lieutenant, was killed in a fire-fight with communist forces near Kuala Medang He was buried with full ceremonies in Kuala Lipis with many military, police and government representatives present. It was my sad duty to be in charge of the police burial detail. As a tribute to him a large jungle fort that was later built in the Kuala Medang area was named after him, Fort Dixon. The fatal juxtaposition of great beauty and the shock of great tragedy struck me at the time as strangely incongruous. I'm sure his 'semangat' [spirit] will always haunt the great beauty of the river and jungle where his young life ended. This Fort was named in memory of Police Lieutenant R.B. Dixon who was killed with two of his squad close to the Fort site at Kuala Medang, Pahang 20/12/52. He had been leading an assault on Communist Terrorists.

David Brent (Asst Superintendent of Police, Malaya 1952-58)

Some Semai Orang Asli have also been known to take part in the special platoon Senoi Praq set up by the British to combat the communists-

The Semai Orang Asli’s history can also be traced back to the Pahang Royal History.

According to records, one of the Orang Besar Pahang is known as Raja Bukit Betong, believed to be a Semai Orang Asli from Sg Kerlak in this area. The oral history of this Raja Bukit Betong also correlates to a king known Maharaja Perba, who claimed to have originated from Hulu Jelai.

When the administration of Hulu Pahang (North Pahang) was separated from the administration of the then-Pahang Sultan, Hulu Pahang was believed to be administered by Maharaja Perba. He supposedly bought the land from Sultan Abdul Ghafur Mohaidein Shah, the last Pahang royalty from the Melaka Sultanate (1567-1614). Maharaja Perba is believed to have “bought” the land with “segantang ulang aling emas, satu dasar bali isi emas dan sesuku tangan baju isi emas”.

These areas have always been rich with gold, and the Semai Orang Asli also relate the same oral history of how Raja Bukit Betong found gold in these rivers and took it to the Sultan.

Thus, the Semai Orang Asli settlements in the areas of Pos Lanai can be traced back hundreds of years, recorded during the times of the Malay Raja of Pahang. They seemed to have had a good relationship with the Pahang royalty, respecting the administration of their people according to Semai customs and practices.

To this day, some Pos Lanai families possess artefacts believed to have belonged to the Pahang royalty and nobles. For example, a gong kept by Jeffrey bin Hassan’s family is believed to have been passed down by various Tok Batins.

The Pos Lanai Semai community hold dearly to their ancestral belief and customs.

Amongst the customs are:

Selection/election of village chieftain Tok Batin, either through family lineage, taken over by younger members, or by election of the community of a member most knowledgeable of Semai customs and who portrays leadership qualities.
Tok Halak –the name given to the village sacred healer. He is not selected but is someone that has naturally the qualities to heal and subscribe treatment for the sick and oversee village customary events.
Birth and funeral rites
Customary weddings