The Folklore of 'Buluh Apa' in Tanah Abang, the First Administrative Center of Perak

The state of Perak is home to many fascinating legends. Among them are the tales of Sang Kelembai,

Pak Kadok, the Curse of the Tapah Fish,

and many others.

This time, orangperak.com would like to retell a story concerning Tanah Abang. Tanah Abang was the seat of government for the first Sultan of Perak, Sultan Muzaffar Shah. There are two versions of the story set in Tanah Abang, though both are quite similar. Both involve two young men who quarreled over the name of a bamboo plant found in that area.

"As the founder of Perak traveled up-river he said to have met a youth mourning over the body of his dead brother. The boy had been asking the name of a bamboo, the buloh apa or "which bamboo"

"What, brother, is the name of this bamboo?"

"Which bamboo."

"This bamboo."

"Which bamboo."

And the younger slew the elder in a rage before he discovered that "which" was the name of the bamboo.

(Excerpt from Papers on Malay Subjects, by Richard James Wilkinson)

The entourage of Raja Muzaffar, sailing from Kampar, reached the Perak River and traveled upstream as far as possible until they arrived at a spot on the riverbank where they found the body of a young man, with another youth weeping beside him, with no one else in sight. Upon seeing this, Raja Muzaffar and his attendants stopped there. Raja Muzaffar Shah asked the weeping youth how the incident occurred, and the young man recounted the story as follows. They were brothers. They were traveling upstream by boat that day and stopped at that location, where they encountered a clump of bamboo. The younger brother did not know the name of the bamboo and asked his older brother.

Younger Brother: What is the name of that bamboo, brother?

Older Brother replied: Buluh Apa (Which bamboo), brother.

Younger Brother asked again: Which bamboo is this, brother?

Older Brother replied: Buluh apalah (It is 'which' bamboo), brother.

Still not understanding, the younger brother asked again.

Younger Brother asked: What is the name of this bamboo, brother?

Older Brother replied: Buluh Apa (Which bamboo), brother.

Thus, the two brothers went back and forth, and eventually, the younger brother thought his older brother was mocking him. In a fit of extreme rage, he stabbed his brother to death. Coincidentally, Raja Muzaffar Shah and his entourage arrived at that moment. Raja Muzaffar then explained that the youth had killed his brother unjustly and without proper understanding. He added that the older brother meant the name of the bamboo was indeed 'Buluh Apa'. Upon hearing this, the youth fainted, overcome by the realization of his cruel act and the loss of his own brother, whom he loved and relied upon. The body of the older brother was buried right there.

In ancient times at Tanah Abang, the center of the Old Perak government, there were two royal princes who were physically identical. Equally handsome, equally strong, and equally refined. Only their temperaments distinguished them. The older brother was gentler and more compassionate, while the younger brother was somewhat rougher, hot-tempered, and impulsive in his actions. Like most royal children of the past, their leisure time was filled with hunting in the forest, silat (martial arts), and weapons training as a symbol of a prince's strength. One day, the two princes were practicing with weapons as if in a real battle. Because both were so skilled, neither could gain the upper hand. At the end of the match, they used bamboo as a fighting tool. The bamboo was very hard and dangerous, to the point that the younger brother felt very satisfied with its use. He then asked his older brother.

Younger Brother: This bamboo is quite hard, brother. What is the name of this bamboo?

Older Brother: Buluh Apa (Which bamboo), brother.

Younger Brother: (Laughs) You really like to joke, brother. I am asking what this bamboo is called?

Older Brother: Buluh Apa (Which bamboo), brother.

Younger Brother: Brother, I am asking you. As a wise man, you surely know the name of this bamboo.

Older Brother: Buluh Apa (Which bamboo), brother.

Feeling mocked, while returning to the palace, the younger brother stabbed his older brother in the back, killing him. The younger brother felt satisfied that he had eliminated a brother who liked to tease him. He told his parents and the ministers that his brother's death was an accident during silat practice and that there was no hidden intent. Thinking it was fate and that the dead could not be brought back, everyone resigned themselves to the divine decree. The funeral ceremony was carried out with the grandeur befitting a sovereign prince. The older brother was buried in Tanah Abang, not far from the historic Buluh Apa clump. Once the funeral was over, on the way back, the younger brother approached the kind Datuk Bendahara. The Bendahara was walking with his head bowed in grief over the death of the prince, who had been very close to him.

Younger Brother: Father Bendahara.

Bendahara: Yes, Your Highness.

Younger Brother: May I ask you a question?

Bendahara: Please ask, Your Highness. Whatever I know, I will answer. Whatever I do not know, I will ask those who are knowledgeable.

Younger Brother: Do you know, Father Bendahara, what is the name of the bamboo clump that grows near the silat arena belonging to me and my late brother? The same clump that grows near my brother's grave?

Bendahara: Oh, that... The name of that bamboo is BULUH APA, Your Highness.

Upon hearing the name of the bamboo, the prince's whole body trembled. He felt as if his soul were leaving his body. His face turned as pale as white paper. Seeing the change in the prince's demeanor, the Datuk Bendahara seemed to grasp the meaning of the incident. The Datuk Bendahara then recited a poem.

The breeze blows at Tanjung Jati People sail to Inderagiri

Do not follow the whims of the heart Lest you bring ruin upon yourself

Kapok is stuffed into the mattress To decorate for the feast

Do not mourn the things of the past Those who have gone will not return

From that day on, the younger brother wept for his brother's passing under the Buluh Apa clump. Not long after, the younger brother disappeared from the palace, and his whereabouts remain unknown. A 6-year-old prince had to be declared the Crown Prince of the state.