looked
into the deep, and that is how they found the pearling grounds, and the
people noted them, and remembered them. This is what they agreed upon;
whoever finds pearling grounds they belong to him from generation to
generation. That is what they agreed upon. That is the reason why the
Sulu people have the right, and that they came to make the dredge (badja) to get the mother-of-pearl shell from the deep, because they can not see them.
Later
Salips came from Mecca of the Arab nation; they came to Sulu to convert
the people into Mohammedans, as they had no religion. And when the Sulu
people, including the islanders, adopted the faith, then they agreed to have
a sultan and they elected Saripul Hassim to be sultan. Saripul Hassim
said: "I don't want you to make me your sultan if I do not know what
the rights of the sultan are, and who I have to govern over, because
this is not my country, this is your country."
And
this is how everybody agreed to accept him as sultan over Sulu and all
the islands ; this is how he became Sultan and governed over all, and
this is how Saripul Hassim accepted to be the sultan of Sulu, to have
full power over land and sea, and the people's rights, where they got
their living from on land and sea, were left to them, because they were
the means of their getting their livelihood.
But
a law was made, if they found valuables in the sea, such as pearls,
tortoise shell, ambal or anything extraordinary, they have to show it
to the sultan, and if the pearls weigh six chuchuk or over they become
the share of the sultan; if they do not have that weight, the people
can do with them as they please and sell them. If the sultan wants
them, he will buy them according to custom. As to tortoise shell, if
they weigh two ketties, they go to the sultan, and as to the ambal,
whether it is much or little, it falls to the sultan. Whoever finds it
must take it to the sultan. Whoever of his subjects violates this law
as agreed upon, the sultan can punish him as he pleases.
They
accepted this law as agreed upon, to be carried out by them (sultan and
people), and their descendants, and not to be changed; but they asked
of the sultan not to let any other nation take a share in this industry
; it is enough for them ; and the sultan agreed to this because they
did not know how to earn their living otherwise. This is what the
sultan and his subjects agreed to because the Sulu had no other
treasures on land beyond the cultivation ; the treasures came from the
sea only, therefore other people are forbidden because this is the
property of all my subjects, and especially my own.
Recently,
in my time and in the Spanish time, there came to me Captain Tiana ; he
wanted to dive for pearl shells. I said "I cannot give you my consent
at once because since our forefathers (sultan and people) we have an
agreement, I will confer with my people." I sent for the chiefs and the
dattos and I told them about it, that Captain Tiana came to me and
asked to dive for pearl shells. They said it cannot be done, because
there is an agreement between our forefathers that other nations
cannot join in this industry of the Sulu seas, because there is no
other means of earning a living for your subjects.
I informed Captain Tiana of it. He said: "Allow me to dive for pearl
