KERAJAAN ISLAM SINTANG

Abstract

According to local tradition, the formation of the Sintang Kingdom was a result of a marriage—either symbolic or real—between a Malay aristocrat (Aji Melayu) and a daughter of a Dayak chief. Islamization of Sintang was a relatively long process. The procedure took place whether through marriages between the Malays and the women from local sub-Dayak groups or via religious proselytizers from Sarawak and Banjarmasin as well. The subject of the Sintang kingdom, consisted of the Malays (orang Melayu) who were (and still are) already Muslims, and Dayak sub-ethnic groups. The latter consisted of the so-called Dayak Serah, Dayak Mardaheka, and the Senganans. While the first two were faithful to their own traditional beliefs, the Senganans were the groups who already converted to Islam. In practice, the Senganans became Malays (Melayu).