Civility and Savagery by Andrew Turton

Author:Andrew Turton [Turton, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Ethnic Studies, General, Regional Studies
ISBN: 9781136797514
Google: ynR45N0mjVoC
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2000-05-18T05:39:41+00:00

In this section, I will first analyze some aspects of To Nai Sim as a ruler, and then go on to consider To Nai Sim as a Sam Sam, a Thai-speaking Muslim.

To Nai Sim as a Ruler

It is commonly said that To Nai Sim was a ruler or raja of Kubang Pasu. Most versions hold that he was appointed by the Sultan of Kedah, and some that he was appointed by a Siamese ruler. Kubang Pasu is adjacent to the Thai border on the road along which tribute from Kedah was conveyed to Siam by elephants. It is of particular note that most of the Sam Sam villages in Kubang Pasu are situated along this road. The most distinctive image of To Nai Sim as a ruler is a fearful one, because of his power. His powers were diverse: as a judge, as a man of wealth person, and as a possessor of magical power.

The Realities of to Nai Sim’s Rule

The degree of To Nai Sim’s rule lessened step by step within a certain area of influence, diminishing with increasing distance from his home village, Kampong T, to the edge of Kubang Pasu. In the peripheral villages his authority was limited in practice to his absolute role in sentencing criminals as he saw fit, as there was no enforceable code of law at that time. His fearful image as a ruler, possessing the power to kill people at will, is derived from his role as judge. Villages in categories A and B above relate similar stories, with varying amount of concrete detail. They say that To Nai Sim could only fine or sentence Malay criminals to imprisonment; death sentences had to be approved by the Sultan of Kedah. On the other hand, Thai who were taken from Thailand were often executed by To Nai Sim; even today people are scared of the Lubok Den (hole of Siam)10 at Kampong K, where the corpses of Thai who were killed by To Nai Sim were disposed of, believing that the vicinity is haunted by their ghosts.

One of the best-recalled features of his rule, which was often brought up in the villages of category B was corvée (kerah) labour for the opening of forests, construction of roads, and cultivation of fields. This work was never mentioned in category C villages. Mobilizing labour was the role of the village headmen who were known as the men (tangan) of To Nai Sim. These village headmen were also entrusted with the care of To Nai Sim’s cattle. In these villages, informants say that elephants belonging to To Nai Sim trampled over crops at night while they were loose, but no one dared protest. The area demarcated by the villages subject to corvée coincides with the area containing villages giving accounts of these straying elephants.

Only in the core villages of category A do the villagers have any recollection of To Nai Sim acting as an intermediary between Siam and Kedah in the sending of Bunga Mas dan Perak, the symbol of the tributary relationship between Kedah and Siam.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.