Badang the Strongman: A Miracle-working Grave, A Folk Tale and a Nation’s Mythology
Coming in May
Many people know of the story of Badang the strongman,
an aboriginal slave who gains supernatural strength after eating the vomit
of a spirit. He throws a stone, which might or might not be the Singapore
Stone, and his miracle-working grave is believed to be on Pulau Buru in
the Riau Archipelago. However, independent scholar William Gibson tells
us the tale of Badang (and the location of his grave) is much more complicated
than is generally known.
About the Guest
Dr William L. Gibson is an author and researcher based in Southeast Asia since 2005. A former Lee Kong Chian Research Fellow of the National Library Singapore, he is the author of Keramat, Sacred Relics and Forbidden Idols in Singapore (Routledge, 2024). His articles have appeared in Signal to Noise, PopMatters.com, The Mekong Review, Archipel, History and Anthropology, the Bulletin de l’École française d’Extrême-Orient and BiblioAsia, among others.
Resources
William Gibson, “Uncovering the Origins of Badang the Strongman,” BiblioAsia 21, no. 1 (April–June 2025).
William Gibson, Keramat, Sacred Relics and Forbidden Idols in Singapore (Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2025). (From National Library Singapore, call no. RSING 363.69095957 GIB)
Credits
This episode of BiblioAsia+ was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Osman Ahmad and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to William for coming on the show.
About the Podcast
BiblioAsia+ is a podcast about Singapore history by the National Library of Singapore.