The Penarikan and Bernam land-routes
This short note by H. D. Noone (1939) examines two ancient overland and water routes connecting the Pahang and Muar river systems in the Malay Peninsula, arguing for their significance as prehistoric trade corridors.
Noone distinguishes the northerly route (the Jumpol–Serting penarikan described by Daly) from the southerly route via Tasek Bera, which he considers more deserving of scrutiny. He argues that the Sungei Palong, a tributary of the Muar, was formerly a palong (swamp) continuous with Tasek Bera, making it possible to carry boats from the Bera to the Muar by continuous swamp passage (p. 144). He supports this with ethnographic evidence: the Semilai people of Ulu Palong retain expert traditions of poling and dragging boats through stretches that would otherwise be unnavigable (p. 144). Noone then links the distribution of a higher Mon-Khmer numeral system (mui, mbar, mpe)—documented by Blagden in 1908—to the same trade route, noting its presence in Ulu Tembeling, Ulu Kuantan, Sungei Serting, Sungei Palong, Ulu Indau, and just north of Kuala Muar (p. 145). He further suggests the route may have connected to the Hindu-inspired Mon kingdom of Ligor (p. 145). In the final section, Noone defends the Bernam route as a viable trade corridor, noting its suitability for ocean-going craft, beaten tracks from the Ulu Jelai goldfields, and the distinctive slab-built graves of the area which he associates with possible Indian-origin trade settlements (p. 145).