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Tutong River
Tutong River
	View of Tutong River from Tutong town
Native name	Sungai Tutong
Location
Country	Brunei
District	Tutong
Physical characteristics
Source
• location	Ladan Hill, Tutong, Brunei
• coordinates	4°24′52″N 114°48′12″E / 4.4143507°N 114.8033453°E
Mouth
• location	Tutong, Brunei
• coordinates	4°46′15″N 114°35′45″E / 4.7708740°N 114.5959063°E
• elevation	1 m (3 ft 3 in)
Length	137 km (85 mi)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	Danau
• right	Kelakas, Birau, Bakiau

The Tutong River (Malay: Sungai Tutong) is a river in Tutong District, Brunei. It is the second longest of the four main rivers in the country.^[1]

Etymology

The story revolves around the marriage of Si Tutong to a shark (ikan yu) and features two central characters: Si Tutong and his younger brother, whose name remains unknown. The two brothers lived along the Tutong River. One day, they set out to sea in a small boat to catch fish. Suddenly, their boat capsised, and they were rescued by a shark that happened to be nearby. The shark carried them to its underwater dwelling at the ocean floor. Upon arrival, they discovered that the sharks had transformed into human-like beings. These sharks only assumed their fish form when outside their underwater residence.^[2]

This transformation puzzled Si Tutong and his brother, who realised that the sharks that had rescued them were no ordinary creatures. The brothers were treated kindly and served a meal consisting of two options: fish and bananas. Each of them chose a different dish—Si Tutong selected bananas, while his brother chose fish. Since the younger brother had eaten fish, the sharks considered him an enemy, accusing him of consuming their kind. As a result, the sharks devoured Si Tutong's brother in retaliation.^[2]

Among the two brothers, Si Tutong stood out as a virtuous person who showed respect towards the sharks. Consequently, he was married to one of the sharks. According to the tale, Si Tutong lived with the sharks for some time and even had children with his shark wife. After a while, he sought permission to return to his home on land. Leaving his wife and children in the sea, Si Tutong returned to his village and never visited them again. However, they promised to assist Si Tutong's descendants whenever they needed help, especially when facing threats or attacks from crocodiles in rivers or seas.^[3]

To honour the contributions of Si Tutong's family who lived in the river, the community agreed to name the river after him—Sungai Tutong. It is a common tradition among communities to name places after significant events, people, animals, plants, fruits, or other notable occurrences. In the context of the origin of the name "Tutong," there are two interconnected elements: the tale of Si Tutong's marriage to a shark and the use of his name to commemorate the event.^[3]

Sites

Tutong Town is one of the largest human settlements in the district in which the river passes through,^[4] and it has a small commercial jetty used by locals.^[5] At the mouth of the river, it links up with Sungai Danau which also has its own former jetty in Kampong Danau.^[6] Several more kampongs such as Lubok Pulau, Nyanyag, Tanjong Maya, Layong, and Rambai also lie upstream of the river.

Some of Brunei's historical sites are located along the river banks, including:

Kuala Tutong old ferry jetty, used significantly especially in the 1950s, to get across from Danau to Tutong.^[7]
Kuala Tutong Mosque, built in 1993.^[8]
Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque, built in 1966.^[9]
Istana Pantai, an istana built in 1950.^[10]^[11]

Several islands located within the river included Bakuku, Setawat, and Tanjong Maya. The river ends at the Laden Hill Forest Reserve.

References

^ Chanson, Hubert (2014). "Rumble Sound Generated by a Tidal Bore Event in the Baie du Mont Saint Michel". UQ eSpace. doi:10.14264/uql.2016.584. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
^ ^a ^b Dayang Hajah Joriah 2023, p. 109.
^ ^a ^b Dayang Hajah Joriah 2023, p. 110.
^ activ8bn. "Tutong Town". Brunei Tourism. Retrieved 27 April 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ "Destination Tutong – Borneo Insider's Guide". Retrieved 27 April 2022.
^ "Travelling in Time". Travelling in Time. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
^ "What is there in Tutong?". What is there in Tutong?. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
^ "Brunei Tourism and Travel Information". bruneidesi.com. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
^ "Hassanal Bolkiah Mosque celebrates its golden jubilee | The BT Archive". btarchive.org. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
^ "Jabatan Muzium-Muzium - Monumen dan Tapak-Tapak Arkeologi". www.museums.gov.bn. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
^ Latiff (Haji), Adanan Haji Abdul (2011). Bangunan ristaan (in Malay). Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Brunei, Kementerian Kebudayaan, Belia dan Sukan. p. 4. ISBN 978-99917-0-770-9.

Dayang Hajah Joriah binti Haji Metali (2023). "Si Tutong Berkahwin Dengan Ikan Yu". Puak Tutong: Sejarah dan Perkembangan Awal Sosiobudaya (in Malay) (3rd ed.). Bandar Seri Begawan: Brunei History Centre: 109–110. ISBN 978-99917-63-95-8.