By Ling Hui
MIRI, March 18: Batu Siman mountain, known for its three adjacent peaks at Long Sela’an, is one of the mythical wonders in Ulu Baram, locally referred to as Kedaya Telang Usan.
The legend behind the mysterious mountain, according to Segah Sela’an Homestay manager Arthur Jalong Lawai, is related to Alan, one of the giants who used to reside in the area.
If you don’t already know the story of Alan the Giant, he once dropped his toddler into the water after he got bitten by an ant when crossing the Baram River.
His aggressive digging and scraping in the river, due to searching for his lost son with his gigantic hands, moved the earth and left hundreds of islands behind.
This was how the Lio Mato village got its name—‘lio’ refers to ‘island’ while ‘mato’ means ‘hundreds’ in the Kenyah language.
So the folklore continues at Long Sela’an when Alan finds his drowned son and decides to make a coffin for him.
“There are three peaks at Batu Siman, and one of them is shorter than the others. That is where Alan the Giant chopped off the rock to make a coffin for his son.
“Because to the giants back then, rocks were like trees,” Arthur told DayakDaily at his homestay last night (March 17).
Legends aside, Arthur said the caves at the foot of Batu Siman mountain are one of the places where birds nest collection is still actively participated in by the Kenyah folks in Baram.
He said the nearest community to Batu Siman currently is a Penan village called Ba’ Ajeng. It takes less than a day to travel by 4WD from the village to Batu Siman. — DayakDaily
