Origin according to oral history Bulungan was founded by a
Kayan group, the Uma Apan, also known as the Dayak Hupan, who originated from the interior region of
Apo Kayan (Kayan Highland Plateau), before settling near the coast in the 16th or 17th century. According to a local legend, Kuwanyi was the leader of the Dayak Hupan, which was a small ethnic group with a village of only 80 people on the banks of the Payang River, a branch of the Pujungan River. Due to the poor quality of life on the region, they moved downstream of a large river called the
Kayan. Datuk Mencang's proposal to Asung Luwan was rejected, unless the prince from Brunei was able to present a dowry in the form of the head of Sumbang Lawing, the killer of Sadang, his own brother. Through struggle, dexterity and intelligence, Datuk Mencang was finally able to defeat Sumbang Lawing. The duel was carried out by a test of dexterity in splitting a moving orange with a weapon. Datuk Mencang was superior and won the test of dexterity. Datuk Mencang ruled Bulungan from 1555 until 1595 with his capital located at Busang Arau (Kuala Sungai Pengian). The capital was later relocated to Limbu in 1695 by his descendant Wira Digedung. Bulungan declared independence from Berau. By the early 19th century,
Sulu became the dominant power in northeastern Borneo, placing Bulungan loosely under the sphere of influence of Sulu. This influence officially ended in 1878 (however already terminated by 1855) with the signing of a treaty between the English and Spanish, partitioning Sulu.
Dutch intervention After the Dutch conquered Berau in 1834, they forced the sultan to sign an agreement on 27 September, the main content of which was to acknowledge the Dutch as the sovereign and guaranteed the entire Bulungan region, making Bulungan an official Dutch protectorate. The Dutch then imposed their sovereignty upon Kutai in 1848, they signed a
politiek contract with the Sultan on 12 November 1850. The Dutch intervened in the region to combat piracy and the trafficking in slaves. By means of political marriage, Tarakan and other states in the Tidung Lands became subjects of Bulungan. During this period, the jurisdiction of Bulungan extended all the way towards
Tawau, entering into a dispute with the Sultan of Sulu, who also had a claim in the region. In 1881, the
North Borneo Chartered Company was created, thereby placing northern Borneo under British jurisdiction, despite initial Dutch objections. The Dutch installed a government post in 1893 in Tanjung Selor.
Discovery of oil Dutch rule over the Bulungan remained nominal in practice not until after the discovery of oil and natural rubber in eastern Kalimantan in the late 19th century. Since then, the Dutch government gave approval for the Dutch East Indies to intervene in the affairs of the states in the region in January 1900. In December 1914, with the Dutch increasing taxes regarding oil-related transactions, a rebellion led by the Datu Adil who was the self-proclaimed Raja of Tarakan and his brother Datu Djamalul erupted in Peningki and Salimbatu, urging the people to refuse paying taxes to the colonial government. They were arrested on the 21st and placed into the Tajung Selor Prison before being sent into exile at Samarinda the next year. The discovery of oil by the
BPM (Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij) in the islands of
Bunyu and Tarakan gave great importance to Bulungan for the Dutch, who made Tarakan the chief town of the regency. In 1928, the sultanate was granted
zelfbestuur (self-administration) status, like many princely states of the Netherlands Indies.
Incorporation into Indonesia After the recognition of Indonesian independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1945, Bulungan was incorporated into an autonomous constitutional unit called the
Federation of East Kalimantan as a self-governing entity still under the sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies on 4 February 1948 before joining Indonesia on 17 August 1949. A year after in 1950, Bulungan became a
wilayah swapraja, or autonomous territory, before receiving the status of
wilayah istimewa or special territory, in 1955. The last Sultan, Jalaluddin, died in 1958. The Sultanate was abolished in 1959 and the territory becomes a simple
kabupaten or regency.
Post-annexation On the dawn of Friday, 3 July 1964, a troop of Brawijaya 517 soldiers led by
Lieutenant B Simatupang under the orders of Brigadier General
Soepardjo quickly swooped in the Bulungan Palace, kidnapping its aristocrat inhabitants while burning the rest of the palace grounds which lasted for 2 days and nights on Friday 24 July 1964. The kidnapees were later murdered, one
Raja Muda Datu Mukemat in particular was reported to have been brought to sea between the islands of
Tarakan and
Bunyu, where he was shackled with stones as weight, shot dead and cast out into the sea. == Rulers ==