Badang and Bongkok are two hunchback heroes of Johor Baru.
They lived in different times, but are equally celebrated as historic icons of the world's oldest empire.
Badang was descended from a Bugis prince who visited Johor's original capital Tanjung Pinang in Bintan Island, one of the Riau Islands, and married a woman from the Bintan Aboriginal Malay tribe which formed the army and navy of the empire.
He also had the blood of a Chinese prince from the Ming Dynasty who married another woman from the Bintan tribe.
According to legend, one day, Badang met a genie. The hungry genie had stolen his catch from the Johor Straits.
Badang wanted to kill the genie, but it apologised and offered to give Badang superhuman strength.
Badang had to drink the genie’s puke in order to gain such strength, and he did it without hesitation.
Badang became a superman and army chief of the Sultan of Johor.
He created a dynasty of army chiefs and one of his heirs was Hang Mahmud, the father of Hang Tuah.
Hang Tuah and his cousins Hang Jebat, Hang Kasturi, Hang Lekir and Hang Lekiu (the sons of Hang Mahmud’s younger brother) became great knights of Johor (and later Melaka).
Hang Tuah’s sons Hang Isap, Hang Siak and Hang Nadim also became great knights of Johor and Melaka. They fought the Portuguese invaders of Melaka in 1511.
Hang Jebat’s son (and Hang Tuah’s son-in-law) Khoja Hassan also fought the Portuguese.
Khoja Hassan settled in Makasar and one of his heirs married the Bugis prince Daeng Rilaga.
Three sons of Daeng Rilaga namely Daeng Perani, Daeng Merewah and Daeng Celak helped Sultan Sulaiman Shah 1 who ruled Johor in 1720 quell a revolt by his cousin, Raja Kecil (Raja Rahmat) of Siak.
Daeng Perani, Daeng Merewah and Daeng Celak were made the regents of Selangor by Sultan Sulaiman. Daeng Merewah and Daeng Celak became Deputy Sultans of Johor or Yang Dipertuan Muda Johor.
Daeng Perani, Daeng Merewah and Daeng Celak married women from the Johor royal house, too.
The heirs of Daeng Celak are today the royal house of Selangor. Many members of the Johor royal house have the blood of Daeng Perani, Daeng Merewah and Daeng Celak.
The second son of Daeng Rilaga, Daeng Menambun and the youngest son, Daeng Kemasi, married into the royal house of Brunei.
Bongkok was a brave soldier of Johor who had the blood of Tuah and Jebat.
He is buried at Bukit Belungkun Kecil in Tanjung Belungkor, Johor Baru.
Bongkok served Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor.
But he opposed Sultan Hussein's decision to cede Singapore to Britain in 1824.
After Sultan Hussein died in 1835, his son Sultan Ali Iskandar Shah was ousted by his cousin Tengku Ibrahim Shah.
Tengku Ibrahim Shah was recognised as Johor's ruler by the British.
Bongkok staunchly defended Sultan Ali.
He organised a movement to retake Singapore from Britain.
According to legend, he also possessed superhuman strength like Badang.
Bongkok's brother Putih supported Ibrahim.
He tried to capture Bongkok unsuccessfully.
Eventually, Bongkok challenged his brother to a Tuah-Jebat fight to death.
His brother did not have the heart to kill him, and neither did he have the heart to kill his brother.
Consequently, he had one of his lieutenants stab him to death with a poisoned dagger.
Bongkok was buried on a hill close to Badang's resting place.
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