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Pitis Patani or Patani Coins from Sulu-Patani Story

Coin is something that interested me because it's a work of arts and crafts in itself, it gives an information about Socio-Economic of certain period in certain kingdom and important of all, coin is denoted or represent the symbol of sovereignty of sovereign nation and an independence kingdom, good in the past or present day. In trying to know How and What is like ? the medium of trade in the ancient Patani kingdom(From Langkasuka to Patani) I was surfing wildly to collect the information about coins and its related items, It is astonishing that Patani in the past was already produced coins (or possibly Note from paper)and used it as as the medium of internal and external trade, this little information was yet not satisfy me, I want more information simply to figure out clearly what is behind the Patani coins and how far the Patani coins travel in this world, during my journey to get more information, I was stuck with one blog article name SULU-PATANI COMMONALITY: SIGN OF INDEPENDENCY, ...this article gave me some hints of discovery about the travelling of Patani coins, I stop searching and read carefully and finally decided to present in Patani River as detailed under:-

SULU-PATANI COMMONALITY: SIGN OF INDEPENDENCY!

by Neldy Jolo

Sulu is known to be located at the south of the Philippines, a country that held Sulu for long since its independence from America. Sulu was one a maritime nation-state that traded over the Likusantara(Southeast Asia Region) in Melayu called Nusantara. Sulu is nowwaiting for its declaration of the independence in 2010.

Patani is located at the south of Thailand that is continuously having the conflict within for no clear reasons. I remember when we visited Patani in 2006 for our assignment to observe the situation there in our Peace Training Program. I was one of the peace movers to ask the people here, since I could speak Bahasa Melayu. They spoke a litbit different than what I know.

Upon our arrival to the Hat Nai Airport from Bangkok, we were fetched by a long van to bring us to Patani. This time the hot issues about bomb blasting are ringing. We took our dinner in the Melayu Patani small restaurant. I love to eat the Tom Yam, one of the very famous delicious delicacies here.

The very common to Sulu is the Pitis Patani that brought a meaning of coins or currency to the Melayu Patani. Pitis Patani in Sulu is commonly had a meaning of a kind of native cake that is wrapped by banana leaves. This is also a signifying act of people of having adead luck in their business or sells, like patay in pitis or miyatay in pitis. But it doesn’t mean that pitis is luck per se, since patay or miyatay is dead.

Sulu Pitis Patani

This is very interesting one. Since Pitis Patani would mean coin or currency in Patani then it is dead luck in Sulu. It is just simply means; if you are having trouble of your business or sells - meaning your (Patay Pitis) luck is dead, then you cannot have (Pitis Patani) coin or money. So, if you have no coins you cannot buy Pitis Patani for you to eat. Since Pitis Patani in Sulu also mean as native cake. The Pitis was also a currency of Brunei that started in 16th century last issued in 1868 which circulated into the 20th century.

While coin or money in Patani is Pitis Patani, in Sulu money is calledSiyn, a coin is called Kusing and then the currency is called Pilak. This is similar to the currency used term in Peninsula Malaysia “Perak” before independence, although the term bought the same meaning as silver. In North Borneo, money is called Pirok by the Sungai natives when conducting their business sells, Moh Syahrizan said. This is the remains of the Sultanate of Sulu influence to this land.

When we met one of the professors in Songkhla University in Patani, he was very happy when he was informed that one of us was from Sulu and Mindanao. He said, “You know brothers you are the people whom Patani People got the idea of revolution after other people in the world seeking for independence, like Aceh in the region”. He was pertaining to the revolution of the MNLF headed by Prof. Nur Misuari since early 70’s.

The interview of Charnvit Kasetsiri in Bangkok Post, clearly said that by ethnicity, Muslim in southern Thailand in opposite is of Malay decent but they are forced to name themselves as Thai following on the basis of nationality and provinces.

This is similar or exactly the same to the Tausug or Bangsa Sulu in Sulu. They are forced to write they are Filipino where in fact they are not, they are indeed Tausug a citizens of Sulu not of the Philippines.

I remember one time in Kuala Lumpur while attending the media conference, there was a young guy from Sulu who met somebody from Myanmar but a Filipino. This Filipino guy asked him “Are you Filipino!” knowing that the name tag bore the name Philippines and the Philippine Flag is there. This Sulu guy replied “No, I am not Filipino I am from Sulu but holding Philippine Passport”. This is the clear indication that Tausug or Bangsa Sulu were also forced to name themselves as Filipinos due to nationality or provinces.

This is the thing now that is fought by the UTC. According to them Sulu had lost its people. This is why we would go back to our nationality that is Tausug or Bangsa Sulu nationality. We would sail under One Flag, One National Language of multi dialects, the Bahasa Sug, One Government, One Religion by accepting others faith under One Darul Islam and One National Identity of different ethnicities.

Patani people tied with the agreement of not of their own consent. Anglo-Siamese agreement in 1909 was signed in the palace of King of with Governor Sir John Anderson. Sulu also experienced the case together with Mindanao when it was annexed to the Philippines under Treaty of Peace singed in Paris between Spain and America and Philippine Independence Act of 1934.