Raja Ampat - Origin, Myth and Mystery

Raja Ampat literally means "Four Kings".  The root of the name comes from the four kings that ruled the four main islands of region until the 16th century or so, Misool, Batanta, Salawati and Waigeo.

These kings were not born as natural human beings, however...

As legend has it, there were actually seven eggs.  These eggs,  laid either by a great mythical megapod bird, or by a dragon or crocodile (depending on who you hear the story from), were found by a couple in Kabui Bay (on the island of Waigeo).  One egg hatched a female (who was called Pintolee... what became of her isn't exactly clear, but it seems maybe she was washed away as far as Biak island where she had a child called Gura Besi... who is a hero in his own right), one hatched a ghost who is thought to protect the sea in Raja Ampat, and one never hatched, and became a stone egg... the remaining four eggs hatched the four kings of Raja Ampat.  They each dispersed to each of the four largest islands, and shared the area, living together in peace established by alliances between these traditional kingdoms based on a common origin.  The four original kings were:  War (the king of Waigeo), Betani (the king of Salawati), Dohar (the king of Batanta) and Mohamad (the king of Misool).

Certainly if you speak to anyone native to the area the story still holds great power, and the belief and reverence for the families of these four kings in Raja Ampat is very apparent.  And if you visit the island of Waigeo, you can feel the mystery and power that it holds.

The last remaining stone egg was placed in the 'heart' of Raja Ampat, and can still be found by those worthy of a visit to its sacred resting place, in Kali Raja (The King's River), in between Kabui Bay and Mayalibit Bay on the island of Waigeo.

That's the way the story goes as I was told it by a descendent of the king of Misool.