Rentap

Relief representation of Rentap at Rentap Libau Memorial Monument in Sarawak. Rentap (born Libau anak Ningkan; c. 1800–1863), also known as Libau Rentap, was a warrior and a recognized Iban hero in Sarawak (now a state of Malaysia) during the reign of the first White Rajah, James Brooke. His praise name, translates from the Iban language as 'Earth-tremor, World-shaker'. His famous and frequently quoted slogan was "" which translates into "Still alive, still fighting".

Birth and becoming a warrior Rentap was born in the Skrang area in the Second Division in Sarawak (then part of the Sultanate of Brunei). He was named Libau anak Ningkan by his father and mother, Ningkan and Imbong. They had five children, including Rentap. Not much is known about Rentap until he was appointed as a (lead warrior, literally 'fighting rooster' due to roosters being seen as strong and mighty by the Iban) by Chief Orang Kaya Pemancha Dana "Bayang" (commonly known as OKP Dana Bayang or simply Dana Bayang).

Rentap was mentored by Dana Bayang and accompanied him on major (headhunting) expeditions from south of Sarawak to the Kapuas River in what is now West Kalimantan, Indonesia. When Dana Bayang grew old, Libau Rentap took over as the commanding officer and led several similar sea war expeditions to raid Sambas and Pontianak, Indonesia. During one of these raiding voyages, Rentap attacked and killed a boatful of Sambas people including the nephew of Sultan Sambas. Rentap took the nephew's (Malay dagger) which was distinguishable by its golden handle and gained fame from the incident, recognized by the Iban-Dayak Skrangs as their great war chief.

Rise of the White Rajah James Brooke (1803–1868) was born in India and served as a cavalry lieutenant in the Bengal Army during the First Anglo-Burmese War, before retiring to England to recover from a serious wound. In 1833, he used an inheritance to purchase the schooner Royalist and began trading in the Far East. In August 1839, Brooke arrived in Kuching, Sarawak and assisted the Sultan of Brunei in crushing a Malay rebellion. In 1841, the Sultan gave Brooke the governorship of Sarawak and the following year ceded complete sovereignty of Sarawak to Brooke, the first White Rajah.

Brooke reinstalled the Malay chiefs into their former positions to help him administer their people in the state, and was highly successful in suppressing the widespread piracy of the region. While Brooke was fighting pirates in Sumatra, his enemies were emboldened. Sharif Sahib gathered Arab adventurers along the Batang Lupar river and invited the Skrang Dayaks to meet him at the entrance of the Sadong River, gathering two hundred Dayak bangkongs and Malay war boats. They raided along the coast, though Brooke returned to surprise one expedition and captured several war boats.

Later, the H.M.S. Dido arrived, accompanied by the East Indian Company steamer Phlegethon. It was decided to begin operations by attacking the Arab sharifs in their strongholds on the Batang Lupar river and then the Dayaks on the Skrang River.

War between White Rajah and Ibans of Saribas According to the account of Captain Henry Keppel, on 4 June 1843, Brooke and Keppel organised a war expedition to attack the Iban Dayak of Saribas to take the land along the coast.

OKP Dana Bayang's longhouse at Nanga Padeh was the strongest and most important, defended by two forts and a barrier of fallen trees that blocked the Batang Saribas River from being entered easily by their enemies. Brooke's forces took the longhouse and burnt on 11 June 1843. Dana Bayang, who was already old, had delegated the fighting to his three sons: Nanang, Luyoh, and Aji.

Brooke's forces proceeded up the Saribas to Karangan Pinggai and on 14 June attacked the fort of Linggir Mali Lebu, a chief mentored by Dana Bayang. They then attacked the Sungai Rimbas river forts at Sungai Tawai belonging to chiefs Rekaya Antau "Linggang Neneri" and Rekaya Gun "Mangku Bumi".

The defeated chiefs of Saribas and Linggi from Skrang went onboard Brooke's ship to sign the peace treaty of Saribas. The treaty forced them to stop headhunting ( in the Iban language), but they refused to sign it.

On 14 June 1843, Brooke's forces went up to Sungai Paku, the branch of the Saribas River and attacked Linggir Mali Lebu fort at Karangan Pinggai. On 17 June, Brooke's forces went up the Sungai Rimbas which is another branch of the Saribas River. They attacked the fort belonging to the Dayak Iban leader by the name Rekaya Antau "Linggang Neneri" and Rekaya Gun "Mangku Bumi" at Sungai Tawai.

Later, James Brooke summoned the Iban Dayak chiefs Dana Bayang, Linggir Mali Lebu and one Linggi representing Libau Rentap of the Skrang to his ship to sign the peace treaty of Saribas. It would have forced them to stop headhunting. Although, they had surrendered during the fighting, they refused to sign it.

Battle of Batang Lupar and Undop In August 1844, Brooke and Keppel forced out the Arab sharifs, destroyed Sharif Sahib's stronghold at Patusin, forced out Sharif Muller at Nanga Skrang and Sharif Jaffar and Pengiran Indera Mahkota (deposed governor of Sarawak) at the upper Undop. Sharifs Sahib and Muller fled across the border to the middle Kapuas while Makhota was later captured in a mud at Lingga. The battle at upper Undop deposed Sherif Jaffer of Lingga, bringing relative peace to the coast.

Sarawak expansionism Nanga Skrang fort In 1850, after Linggir's defeat at the Battle of Betting Maru, Brooke had a fort built at the junction of the Batang Skrang and the Batang Lupar rivers. The establishment of Fort James at Skrang prevented Rentap's warriors from joining those under Linggir and Aji (Dana Bayang's son) and blocked their passage to the South China Sea where they might raid the people living along the coast. While primarily a defensive measure to keep the peace, this was effectively an embargo against those who had not submitted to Rajah Brooke's rule, preventing them from collecting sea salt and other essentials. At 4:00 p.m., the attacking party reached within a few yards of the fort, whose defenders started throwing spears and stones in addition to using their muskets and small swivel cannons. At 5:30 p.m., the leader of the attacking party, a Malay named Abang Aing, was struck by a musket ball while trying to set fire to the wall. Rentap's warriors beat gongs and cheered in triumph, and the attacking party withdrew with their wounded leader that evening.

Broadening conflict Death of Ally, Aji Aji, the third son of Dana Bayang, continued to fight those who had submitted to Brooke's rule in the lower Layar river, travelling by land to bypass the fort at Betong. When the fort was completed in 1858, Aji made a show of defiance by having his warriors make a few exchanges of gunfire with the fort's defenders.

In response, Charles Brooke led a force from the Skrang fort to punish Aji and his supporters. When they reached the mouth of the Sungai Langit, Aji suddenly appeared charging across the shallow rapids and was mortally shot. The next day, the force divided into two columns: one sent to the adjacent Julau area to punish Mujah Buah Raya (Rentap's ally); the other, led by Brooke, would attack Sadok Hill.

Second war expedition to Sadok Hill In 1858, the Second Sadok Expedition, led by Charles Brooke, proceeded from the mouth of the Sungai Langit to the Nanga Tiga (three river mouths) at the Upper Layar River. Brooke's forces erected a stockade to leave their war boats and baggage, and advanced up-country. At Ulu Julau they defeated Mujah Buah Raya, burnt his longhouses and destroyed the surrounding paddy fields.

The expedition reached the summit of Sadok Hill and erected a stockade within firing distance of a small mortar they had brought with them. They fired 50 rounds of shell to little effect. Rentap did not return fire and the place seemed to be deserted. Some of Brooke's men approached the fort and when they were very close, Rentap's warriors opened fire.

Some of Brooke's war chiefs begged him to stop attacking, saying "We cannot pull up the planks with our own hands, we cannot climb over them and our small gun and musket shots make no effect on them." Thus they decided to abandon the attack. The retreat began at once. Rentap mocked them by saying "Bring all your fire guns from England and we are not afraid of you." Some shouted "!" (Still alive, still fighting!). However, he and his men did not pursue the retreating party down the hill outside their stockade.

Alliance with Sharif Masahor Luyoh, in anger over his brother Aji's death, went to Mukah and negotiated with Sharif Masahor. The Sharif was planning to rebel against the White Rajah, and promised to supply gunpowder to other rebels. Luyoh and his brother Nanang attempted to establish a stockade at the mouth of the Spak tributary, but it was attacked and demolished twice in a month by parties from the Betong fort.

Luyoh and Nanang then joined Rentap at Sadok Hill. They brought with them a well-known cannon their father had obtained on a raid, called (Angry One-legged Bachelor) as one of its handles had broken. (This gun is on display at Fort Lily, Betong, Saribas. It is marked with the year "1515", and had belonged to the Dutch East India Company in Kalimantan, West Borneo.)

Luyoh and Nanang built a stockade on a ridge below Rentap's fort on Sadok Hill.

The heroes in the Malaysian Armed Forces are 21 holders of Panglima Gagah Berani (PGB) (the bravery medal). Of the total, there are 14 Ibans, one Bidayuh, one Kayan, one Malay and two Chinese army officers. The majority of the Armed Forces are Malays, according to the book Crimson Tide over Borneo.

A book about Rentap entitled Rentap: Warrior, Legend and Enigma was written by James Ritchie and Edmund Langgu Saga.