In the land that is now Malaysia, there once was a tribe of monkeys called the Mawahs, whose king was appointed by King Solomon to be the Raja of the jungle. Raja Mawah built himself a throne on the south bank of the Perak River and ruled the jungle fairly.
Dwelling nearby were the Siamang gibbons, who used to have great singing voices. Whenever they sang, animals stopped still and marveled at their tunes. One day, Raja Siamang was singing when a Tiger called to him. “O Siamang, you are the rightful king of the jungle!”
Raja Siamang was surprised and asked the Tiger why he thought so.
“Your voice is the voice of a king,” said the Tiger sweetly. “Unlike Raja Mawah, whose voice is like a toad.”
When the other Siamangs heard of this, they were very happy and began to parade themselves as kings of the jungle. Raja Mawah summoned them before him. “Why do you call yourselves kings?” he asked.
“We have the voices of kings,” replied the Siamangs. “We should rule the jungle.”
“But I am the king!”
“Listen to yourself!” shouted the Siamangs. “You croak like a toad. We shall rule the jungle, and all the animals will delight in hearing our songs!”
The Siamangs pulled Raja Mawah off his throne and seated Raja Siamang in his place. In return, the Mawahs built a fort of stones on the north bank of the river, then gathered their people and declared war on the Siamangs. The Siamangs did the same on the south bank, building their fort opposite the Mawahs’.
Raja Mawah led his people against the Siamangs in battle, and stones flew viciously from both banks of the Perak River for seven days and seven nights. Dead monkeys fell out of the trees, Mawah and Siamang alike—and on the ground, the Tiger feasted happily.
Then Raja Mawah called a truce, and he spoke to the Siamangs from atop his fort.
“I do not delight in war, and it grieves me to see death among my kin and yours. Treacherous though you may be, I will resign my throne and end this war now. You call yourselves kings on account of your voices, but you shall soon learn that the animals of the jungle know better than to trust sweet words.”
Hearing this, Raja Siamang leapt up in anger. “Begone!” he roared, and the other Siamangs clamored in agreement. “If any Mawah ever sets foot on the south bank again, may he be struck dead!”
Raja Mawah answered. “A curse to answer a curse—your voices shall remain strong, but harsh, and your singing will bring joy to no one.”
Raja Siamang tried to reply, but nothing came out of his mouth but harsh hoots. The other Siamang suffered the same fate, and they realized that their throats swelled whenever they sang. All the animals around them fled in fear at their cries. The Mawahs quickly retreated, leaving the Siamangs shouting in fury.
Till this day, no Mawah can be found south of the river, and the Malays of Perak can show you the two stone forts still standing on the riverbanks. And now, whenever Siamangs sing, their throats swell and produce harsh cries.