Indonesian Folklore

The Seven Shadow Award

2012-01-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

1st Award, January 14, 2012

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Nyi Banjarsari

2012-01-12T23:04:00.000-08:00

Folklore from Banten

IT was a rainy season. The villagers were happy, most of them were farmers. Rain would water their rice field and soon they would harvest their rice. Pak Bong was one of the farmers. He was also very happy.

He wanted to buy some clothes for himself, his wife, and his beloved daughter, Nyi Banjarsari. She was a very beautiful girl. Her parents loved her because she was very obedient. One night, Pak Bong had a terrible dream. An old man came to him and said the rain would never stop. There would be a great flood.

At first Pak Bong thought it was just a dream but he had the same dream in the following nights. He decided to tell all the villagers about his dream and asked them to evacuate on a hill not far from their village.

"Ha ha ha! You are joking, Pak Bong? How can we leave our rice field? We are going to have great harvest, remember?" Everybody was laughing at Pak Bong.

Pak Bong did not give up. He kept on asking the villagers to evacuate to the hill. Finally some villagers believed him. Together with his wife, and his daughter Nyi Banjarsari, Pak Bong and his friends went to the hill.

In the meantime, heavy rain fell days and nights. It continued until water entered the houses. The villagers were sorry they did not listen to Pak Bong and ignored his advice. Soon, the village was drowned! Pak Bong and his friends could not do anything. They were sad because their village was under water.

Then they prayed to God. They asked God how the water dried up from their village. The answer came in Pak Bong's dream. In his dream, the same old man told him how to save their village.

"If you want the water to dry up, you have to sacrifice your daughter. She has to jump into the water!" said the old man.

Pak Bong was very sad. He then told his family about his dream. His wife did not agree at all. She did not want to lose her lovely daughter.

"That's OK, Mother. If this is the only way to save our village, I would jump into the water," said Nyi Banjarsari.

Her parents could not say anything. They could not prevent their daughter from jumping into the water. Slowly, water dried up. Pak Bong and his friends then returned to their village. They built their houses and had their lives back. To show their thankfulness and gratefulness to Nyi Banjarsari, the villagers named their village into Banjarsari.***

A Farmer and His Three Cats

2011-12-29T20:52:00.000-08:00

Folklore From East Java

THERE was a poor farmer in Madura. He lived with his wife and his children. The farmer did not have his own rice field. He worked for his neighbors' rice field. He only got small amount of money when harvest came.

The farmer really wanted to have his own rice field. However, he did not have enough money to buy a piece of land. The farmer told his wife that he wanted to go to Java. He wanted to work there and got a lot of money.

The farmer left his house with a little money. On the way of the harbor, he met an old woman. She brought three cats.

"Please help me, Sir. I'm so hungry and I don't have any money. Please buy my cats," said the old woman.

The farmer was confused. he wanted to help the woman, but if he bought her cats, he would not bring any money.

Finally, he decided to buy the cats. The woman was very happy. she gave him a small cage so the farmer could put the cats in it.

Later the farmer was on the ship. At first the cruise was good, but suddenly there was a heavy storm. The ship could not continue the cruise to Java. It harbored in Mice Island. People named it Mice Island because there were so many mice lived in the island. The nice attacked people's barn and ate their supplies. The people were hopeless. They did not know how to combat the mice.

The farmer heard about the people's problem with the mice. He remembered about his three cats. he wanted to help the people by giving them his three cats.

The people really welcomed the farmer's help. And soon the farmer released his three cats. The cats had not eaten for a long time. they were very hungry. And when the cats saw the mice, they immediately chased and ate the mice.

Slowly the number of the mice decreased. the people were very happy. They wanted to repay the farmer's kindness. They all gave him a lot of money. The farmer was extremely happy. he went back to his home in Madura.

The farmer was not poor anymore. he bought land and his own rice field. He lived happily with his family.

His neighbor was jealous with the farmer. He also wanted to have a lot of money. He heard about the Mice island. So he collected many cats and joined a ship.

Finally he arrived in Mice Island. However, the name of the island was not Mice Island anymore. Its name changed into Cat island. The three cats that the farmer brought had bred. It made the island full of cats.

And so when he offered his cats to the people, they all were laughing at him.

"What? Are you kidding?! We have too many cats here. we don't need your cats!"

He was so embarrassed. Finally he went home to Madura and brought his cats back to him.***

--------------------------------------@@@------------------------------------

source: jongjava.com

Did you know?

Raas Cat is one of the purest Indonesian cat breed with special characteristics, located in Madura.

Find out more!

http://ilovecatsclub.blogspot.com/2009/05/madura-catsungrinded-pearls.html

http://www.catfancy-indonesia.org/site/RaasCat.php

http://jongjava.com/web/hobby/482-memburu-kucing-madura

http://kucing-online.blogspot.com/2010/05/mengenal-raas-kucing-asli-indonesia.html

Yomngga and the Dragon

2011-12-07T18:06:00.001-08:00

Folklore from Papua

YOMNGGA was a beautiful girl. She lived with her grandmother. Actually Yomngga had two sisters. But they lived in another village.

Yomngga was a kind girl. She always helped her grandmother in the field. Every morning they went to the field and they always went back home in the afternoon. Every day they took the same route. They did not know that a dragon was always looking at them when they passed by a big tree. It was the dragon's house.

The dragon was not an ordinary dragon. During the day he was a dragon, but in the evening he changed into a handsome man. A witch had curse him.

The dragon fell in love with Yomngga. However he did not know how how to express his feeling. He could only stay in the trees during the days. He was afraid people people would kill him if he showed himself. He wanted to visit Yomngga at night when he changed into a human. The problem was he did not know where she lived.

Finally he could not stand it anymore. When he saw Yomngga was almost passing by the big tree, the dragon got off from the tree and approached Yomngga and her grandmother.

Of course they were shocked. They got more shocked when they saw the dragon was able to talk like human.

"Don't be afraid. I will not hurt you. I just want to know where you live."

Yomngga was shacking. She did not know what to do. And after she calmed down, she told the dragon about her house. And it made the dragon happy. He then let them continue their trip.

At night the dragon came to the Yomngga's house. He came as a handsome man. At first, Yomngga was confused. But after the dragon explained about the witch, she understood.

The dragon continued to come to Yomngga's house on the following nights. Soon they fell in love and get married. Yomngga could understand that her husband always changed into a dragon during the days. The grandmother agreed with their marriage but she asked the dragon to keep on staying in the house when he became a dragon. She did not want the villagers to kill him.

Yomngga kept her marriage as their big secret. She even did not tell her two sisters.

Later Yomngga got pregnant. Her two sisters heard the news and they were very curious who her husband was. So the came to Yomngga's house. When they saw the dragon, they got very angry. And they got very angrier when they knew that the dragon was Yomngga's husband. They did not care although the dragon changed into a man at nights. They hated the dragon very much. Therefore, they planned to kill him.

One day the two sisters visited the dragon. The dragon did not know that they had prepared poisoned food. When the dragon ate the food, he died instantly.

The villagers saw the dead dragon. The two sisters told the villagers about the dragon. And when the villagers knew that the dragon was Yomngga's husband, they asked Yomngga to leave the village. Yomngga was very sad. She lost her beloved husband and she had to leave her grandmother in the village.

Yomngga left the village with a sampan. She rowed it along the small river. Since then people named the river as Yomngga's river. ***

The Sacred Cave

2011-11-10T02:08:00.000-08:00

Folklore from Central Java

ONCE upon a time there was long drought in Rembang, Central Java. Rain had not fallen in the place for a very long time. The air was very hot. All the leaves in the trees dried. The rice fields did not grow any plants. There was no source of water. Their only lake also dried.

The people were very thirsty. Children were dying. They did not get enough food and drink. Most of them were ill. Cattle also suffered from the drought season. One by one the cattle died. The villagers were very sad. For them, cattle were their precious things. They could not do anything when their cattle died.

Every day the villagers prayed to God. They wished to have rain. They really wanted to see rain fall so they and their cattle would have enough water to drink. And they also wanted to water their rice fields.

One day all the villagers had a meeting. They discussed how to stop the long drought.

"Sir, I heard there is someone who can help us. His name is Ki Mojo Agung. He has a great supernatural power. Maybe he can help us," said one of the villagers.

"Good! Do you know where he lives?"asked the head of the village.

"That's the problem, Sir. He lives very far from here."

"OK, then. I need some strong men to go to Ki Mojo Agung's house."

Soon some strong man had their journey to visit Ki Mojo Agung. They spent days and nights and finally they arrived at Ki Mojo Agung's house. They talked to him, and fortunately he agreed to help.

"I will help you. But you have to provide two things, a fish and a turtle. You can catch the fish and the turtle in the river there. Put them in this bucket. Remember, you have to keep the animals alive until we arrive in your the village. No matter how thirsty you are, don't drink the water. If you do, the animal will die."

The young men agreed. While they were trying to catch the fish and the turtle, they drank some water. They were so happy. and after they caught a fish and a turtle, they went back home. Ki Mojo Agung also joined them.

On the way back home, the young men started to be thirsty. One of them tried to drink the water in he bucket. Ki Mojo Agung was angry. He asked the young man not to join them anymore.

Finally they arrived. Ki Mojo Agung went to a cave. He put the fish and the turtle on the ground in front of the cave. People were very confused. They saw the fish and the turtle moving their bodies. They thought the fish and the turtle were ding. Well, they were wrong.

It was true that the fish and the turtle were floundering. But they were not dying. An amazing thing started to happen. On the ground where the fish and the turtle were moving their bodies, water came out. The villagers were happy. They immediately drank the water. They were very thankful

Because the water came out in front of the cave, the people named the cave as the sacred cave or Gua Keramat. ***

Wild Indonesia

2011-09-12T01:10:00.001-07:00

Nature Documentary narrated by John Lynch and published by BBC in 1999 - English narration

http://docuwiki.net/index.php?title=Wild_Indonesia

Watch the Videos, click the links below:

Underwater World

Magical Forest

The Stupid Crocodile

2011-09-10T00:29:00.000-07:00

Folklore from South Sulawesi

IT was very hot day. A crocodile was lying on the ground. He wanted to go to the river and enjoyed the water. However, he was too weak to go there. He was waiting for an animal to help him. His wish came true. A buffalo was passing by. He asked the buffalo to helped him.

"I want to go to the river. But I am too weak. May I jump on your back and take me to the river?" asked the crocodile.

"Certainly, Mr Crocodile. I'm glad to help you," said the Buffalo.

Soon the crocodile was on top of the buffalo's back. And when they arrived at the river side, the buffalo asked the crocodile to get off.

"Not now, there is not much water here. Please go farther," said the crocodile.

The buffalo continued walking. They were almost at the middle of the river. The water was on the neck of the buffalo. The crocodile get off from the buffalo's back. Instead of saying thank you, the crocodile bit the buffalo's leg.

"Hey what are you doing?" asked the buffalo.

"I'm so hungry. You have to be my lunch!" said the crocodile.

"But it is not fair! I already helped you!"

"I don't care!" said the crocodile.

A mouse deer saw their argument. He was standing at the river side. He wanted to know what happened.

"Hey, what are you arguing about?" asked the mouse deer.

"I already helped Mr. Crocodile, but now he wants to eat me."

The mouse deer knew that the crocodile was a mean animal. He wanted to help the buffalo.

"What? I cannot hear you. Both of you are too far from me. Come closer to the ground.

Slowly, the buffalo moved his body. The crocodile was still biting his leg. And when they were on the ground, the mouse deer whispered to the buffalo's ear.

"Kick the crocodile now and run. The crocodile cannot move fast to the ground."

The buffalo immediately kicked the crocodile with his other leg. The crocodile was in pain. He opened his mouth. The buffalo was free. Soon the buffalo and the mouse deer ran fast to save their lives.

"Wait for my revenge mouse deer. I will eat you alive!" the crocodile was angry.

Several days later, the crocodile met the mouse deer.

"Aha! I will eat you now!"

"No, wait! Do you know what I'm doing here?" asked the mouse deer. He continued, "Do you see that big and shining rope over there? Well, it's not a rope. It's a magic belt. The god of the jungle asked me to guard it."

"Really? What kind of magic does this belt have?" asked the crocodile.

"Anyone who wears the belt will have great power," explained the mouse deer.

The crocodile wanted to have great power. However, he did not know that the belt was actually a big snake. And the snake was sleeping.

The crocodile asked the mouse deer to go away. And when the mouse deer left. The crocodile lifted the belt and put it around his body.

The snake was angry! He squeezed the crocodile! The crocodile was in great pain. He asked for help but no one helped him. Slowly, the crocodile died. ***

The Legend of Telaga Pasir

2011-07-07T01:10:00.001-07:00

Folklore from East Java

ONCE upon a time, there lived a husband and wife in the jungle of Lawu Mountain, East Java. They were Kyai Pasir and his wife Nyai Pasir. They lived peacefully. Kyai Pasir was a farmer. He worked in a field. Nyai Pasir just stayed at home. Everyday she cleaned up the house and cooked for them.

It was a beautiful morning, Kyai Pasir left the house and went to his field. While he was walking, he stumbled upon something. He looked at the thing carefully, "What is this? Is this an egg? But what kind of egg is this? It's very big."

Kyai Pasir put the egg back to the ground. He continued walking. At home, Kyai Pasir told his wife about the egg. "Why didn't you bring the egg home?" asked Nyai Pasir.

"It's really big. I feel really strange about the egg," explained Kyai Pasir.

"If the egg is really big, then we both can eat. Please bring the egg home, Kyai," asked Nyai Pasir.

On the following days, Kyai Pasir went to the field as usual. He planned to bring the egg home as his wife's request.

Kyai Pasir was walking carefully . he did not want to stumble upon the egg for the second time. He looked around. And aha! He found the egg. He carefully brought the egg home.

"Nyai, this is the egg I told you."

"You are right, Kyai. The egg is big. I wonder what animal has this egg."

Nyai Pasit did not wait for long to boil the egg. And when it was done, they both ate the egg.

They both felt very full. And it made them very sleepy. Not long after that they fell asleep. In the morning Kyai and Nyai Pasir woke up as usual. Kyai Pasir took a bath then he went to the field.

On the way to the field, he felt his body so uncomfortable. He felt his body itchy. He stretched his body. Suddenly he felt his throat so hot. He badly needed water. He was screaming in pain. He was so shocked! he saw his skin changed into scales. Just like scales of reptile. He touched his head. He felt something was growing on his head. He was completely shocked. A horn was growing. And he also had a tail. His body slowly getting bigger. He changed into a dragon!

Meanwhile, at home Nyai Pasir also felt the same. She was so panicked. She was screaming. She was running to the field. She wanted to look for her husband. When she arrived at the field, she saw a dragon was moving his body on the ground.

Slowly Nyai Pasir also changed into a dragon. The two dragons were trying to walk but they were too weak to do that. They just could move their bodies on the ground. They moved their bodies so heavily and it made a very big hole. The hole was getting deeper and deeper. Soon water came out of the hole. The water came out very much. And it made a lake. Since then, people named the lake as Telaga Pasir. ***

KomuniAKSI

2011-07-07T00:37:00.000-07:00

Indonesian Social Movement

Visit the website
http://www.komuniaksi.org

Visit the blog
http://www.komuniaksi.com

Watch the videos
http://www.youtube.com/user/komuniaksi

The Legend of Dumai

2011-07-06T21:30:00.000-07:00

Folklore from Riau

ONCE upon a time in Riau there was a kingdom named Seri Bunga Tanjung. The leader of the kingdom was Queen Cik Sima. She had seven beautiful daughters. However, the most beautiful one was the youngest daughter. Her name was Mayang Manurai.

One day, all those seven princesses were swimming on the pond in Sarang Umai. They were really having fun in the pond. They were laughing and splashing the water to each other. They did not know that someone was watching them. He was prince Empang Kuala from the neighboring kingdom. He was passing through the area and accidentally he saw all those seven girls swimming on the pond.

The prince was in love with Mayang Mengurai. He tried to know who she was. She asked the local people about her. And after he knew that Mayang Mangurai was the youngest daughter Queen Cik Sima , he sent his best soldier to the queen. . The soldier told the queen that prince Empang Kuala would like to propose Mayang Mangurai to be his wife.

Sadly, the queen rejected the proposal. She would like to see her oldest daughter to get married first. She thought that it was not good if her youngest daughter to got married earlier than her oldest daughter.

Prince Empang Kuala was really angry. He felt that he was being humiliated by the queen. Therefore, he asked all of his soldiers to attack Seri Bunga Tanjung kingdom.

Queen Cik Sima was a brave woman. She asked her soldiers to be ready ans also to fight back. The war could not be avoided. The angry prince really wanted to destroy Seri Bunga Tanjung kingdom. He commended his soldiers not to go home before they won the war.

Queen Cik Sima was so worried with the war. Many of her soldiers were dead. She was really concerned with her seven daughters. She asked some soldiers to bring her daughters. She asked soldiers to bring her daughters in a safe place in the jungle. The soldiers built a hut for the seven princesses. The queen also asked the soldiers to provide enough food until the war was over. After the soldiers were sure that the seven daughter were safe, they went back to join the war.

Queen Cik Sima never gave up. Her great spirit to defend her kingdom motivated her soldiers to do their best. Slowly, they were able to make Prince Empang Kuala pulled back his soldiers.

Queen Cik Sima thought that the prince already gave up . But she did not know that the prince was preparing a new strategy. The prince came back with more soldiers. The war continued. It lasted for months. Both sides have lost so many soldiers. And finally Queen Cik Sima was facing Prince Empamg Kuala. They were fighting!

Queen Cik Sima was a great woman She had a great skills and martial arts. The prince could not beat the queen. And finally the queen could kill the prince. Before the prince was dead, he remembered Mayang Mangurai when he first met her in Sarang Umai. He was dying and he was only able to say, "Umai! Umai!"

People were very grateful that the war was over. And to commemorate the war, people named the area as Dumai. It was from the last word said by Prince Empang Kuala. ***

Home

2011-06-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

From: homeproject | May 12, 2009

WE are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth's climate.

The stakes are high for us and our children. Everyone should take part in the effort, and HOME has been conceived to take a message of mobilization out to every human being.

For this purpose, HOME needs to be free. A patron, the PPR Group, made this possible. EuropaCorp, the distributor, also pledged not to make any profit because Home is a non-profit film.

HOME has been made for you : share it! And act for the planet.

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Watch the Movie
http://www.youtube.com/homeproject#p/f

HOME official website
http://www.home-2009.com

PPR is proud to support HOME
ht tp://www.ppr.com

HOME is a carbon offset movie
http://www.actioncarbone.org

More information about the Planet
http://www.goodplanet.info

The Legend of Leech

2011-06-10T21:47:00.001-07:00

Folklore from West Nusa Tenggara

I Karma was a farmer. He lived alone. His father had died years ago and his mother had just died. Before his mother died, she told him a message.

His father put a bottle of coconut oil at the roof of the house. An old man gave his father the bottle. The old man said that the oil was guarded by a woman. I Karma never checked the bottle. He thought it was not important.

Several days after his mother died, a strange thing happened. Every time I Karma went home after working at the field, he always found some food. The house was also neat and clean. It seemed that somebody had cooked and cleaned the house.

It happened everyday. I Karma was very curious. And one day he went home earlier. He wanted to know who helped him. When he peeped through the window, he saw a beautiful woman was busy cooking. He immediately came inside.

"Who are you?" asked I Karma.

"My name is Ni Utami. I'm here to help you," said the beautiful woman.

I Karma was so amazed with her beauty. He let her continue cooking. Time passed by and I Karma fell in love with Ni Utami. He asked her to marry him and she agreed. Ni Utami asked him to promise. He had to take care of her and their baby.

They were happy, especially when they had a baby. One day I Karma remembered of his mother's message about the bottle. He looked for the bottle. And when he found it, he saw the bottle was empty. There was no coconut oil inside the bottle. He thought the oil evaporated.

Everyday I Karma worked at the field. And in one hot day Ni Utami came to the field. And in one hot day Ni Utami came to the field. She brought some food for her husband. She also brought their baby.

It was hot, I Karma was very thirsty. He already drank all the water. He asked his wife to get some water at the well spring. Ni Utami refuse because it was very hot. I Karma was angry. He forced his wife to go to the wellspring to get him some water. Ni Utami did not have any other choice. She hoped I Karma would not regret his decision to force her to go to the hot day.

Ni Utami could not walk steadily. She was sweating a lot. And when she arrived at wellspring, She fell down.

Meanwhile, I Karma was waiting for his wife. He was so thirsty. He then went to the wellspring. When he arrived there, he saw his wife lying on the ground. She was very close to the wellspring.

Something strange happened. Ni Utami's body was slowly melting. She told I Karma that she was the woman inside the bottle who guarded the coconut oil. She was made of coconut oil and she could not stand with the heat.

She said goodbye to I Karma because she would change into coconut oil.

I Karma really felt sorry. But it was too late. His wife had left and would never come back. I Karma later went back home with his baby.

At night the baby cried. He was thirsty. I Karma fell asleep and he did not hear the baby was crying. The baby crawled and slowly he was next to I Karma. The baby bit I Karma's hand. He sucked I Karma's blood. I Karma screamed in pain. He ;push the baby and threw him to the floor.

Amazingly the baby changed into a leech. And when I Karma went to sleep, the leech again sucked his blood. This time I Karma could not release the leech from his body. He lost so many blood. Slowly I karma died. ***

Nyai Anteh and the Moon

2011-05-06T23:31:00.000-07:00

Folklore from West Java

THERE were two girls lived in a palace. There were princess Endahwarni and Anteh. Princess Endahwarni was the daughter of the king and the queen while Anteh was the daughter of the lady-in-waiting. Anteh's mother died while she was a baby. The queen felt sorry to her and raised her like her own child.

Anteh was more beautiful than Princess Endahwarni. She was often jealous with Anteh. However she still loved Anteh just like her little sister. The king and the queen thought it was time for princess Endahwarni to get married. A prince from a neighboring kingdom named Anantakusuma proposed the princess to marry him. The king and the queen had accepted the proposal. And it made Endahwani became very restless. She never met Anantakusuma yet.

A week before the wedding, Prince Anantakusuma came to talk about the wedding ceremony. While he passed the palace garden, he heard a girl singing a song beautifully. He came to the garden and saw a beautiful girl singing. He thought the girl was Princess Endahwarni. But he was wrong, the girl was Anteh.

The wedding could not be cancelled. During the ceremony, Princess Endahwarni saw that her husband was always looking at Anteh. She knew that her husband fell in love with Anteh. She was trying to steal her husband. She was very angry. She asked Anteh to leave the palace.

Anteh was very sad. She never fell in love with the prince or wanted to be his wife. Anteh then went to her mother's hometown. She stayed at her uncle's house.

Years passed by and Anteh was married and have two children. She helped her husband to earn the living by working as a tailor. The dresses she made were very beautiful. She became very famous. People then called her Nyai Anteh.

Princess Endahwarni heard that Nteh became a famous tailor. She was very guilty asking Anteh leave the palace. She wanted to apologize to Nyai Anteh by asking her to stay in the palace again. She even asked Nyai Anteh to become the palace tailor.

Nyai Anteh agreed but she asked her family to stay in the palace. Princess Endahwarni did not mind with that. And since then Nyai Anteh lived in the palace.

Nyai Anteh had a pet. It was a cat. Every time Anteh was making a dress, the cat always accompanied her. Nyai Anteh was very happy that she could be back in the palace. But she did not know that prince Anantakusuma still love her. He secretly often looked at her. Although Nyai Anteh was not young anymore, she was still beautiful. And hat why the prince still loved her.

It was a beautiful evening and the moon was full. Nyai Anteh and the cat were in the garden. Nyai Anteh was weaving the dress. Suddenly the prince came to her.

"Anteh, I have to tell you something. I love you and I want to marry you."

"But that is impossible. I don't love you. You are married and I'm also married."

Nyai Anteh was very scared. The prince was forced her to run away. Nyai Anteh prayed, "God, please help me. I don't want to live here anymore."

Suddenly moonlight covered her body. Slowly the light lifted her and the cat. The light brought them to the moon.

The prince was very shocked. He regretted his behaviour. He was very sorry but it was too late. Nyai Anteh stayed in the moon and never came back to the earth.

People said that we still can see the image of Nyai Anteh and the cat during full moon. We can see that Nyai Anteh is weaving. ***

Ni Timun Mas and I Lantang Hidung

2011-03-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

Folklore from Bali

NI Timun Mas was a beautiful girl. She lived with her mother in a house near a jungle. Ni Timun Mas always helped her mother. When her mother worked in a rice field, Ni Timun Mas always stayed at home to clean up and cook. she was not allowed to go to the rice field. Her mother was afraid that a giant would kidnap her. Yes, there was a giant lived in the jungle. His name was I Latang Hidung. He loved to eat young people!

Her mother always went home in the afternoon. She always asked Ni Timun Mas not to open the door while she worked. Her mother would sing a song, "Ni Timun Mas, I'm home. Please open the door" Then Ni Timun Mas opened the door.

Sadly, it happened. I Lantang Hidung came to see the house. The giant was hungry. He banged the door. Ni Timun Mas was so scared. Because the door was not opened, the giant left. He was sure there was somebody in the house. He was hiding behind the trees.

And when her mother went home, the giant knew that the door would be opened when a song was sung. He planned to come back and he would sing the song. Ni Timun Mas told her mother about the giant. She was very happy that the door was not opened. Unfortunately, they did not know that the giant already knew their secret.

On the following afternoon, I Lantang Hidung came. The giant sing the song, "Ni Timun Mas, I'm home. Please open the door." He imitated Timun Mas mother's voice.

Of course Timun Mas thought it was her mother who came home. She opened the door and suddenly I Lantang Hidung grabbed her. The giant kidnapped her and brought her to his house in the jungle.

When her mother arrived, she was so shocked. The door was opened and her daughter was not home. She ran and cried. While she was looking for her daughter, she met a man. He was beating a cat. She felt sorry. She bought the cat from the man and kept the cat. Then she continued her journey, this time she saw a mouse was beaten by a man. She saved and bought the mouse. Later, she met a man who was beating a dog. Again, she saved and bought the dog. And finally she met a man who was trying to kill a snake. She also saved and bought the snake.

It was already dark. The mother decided to go home. She would look for her daughter later in the morning. At night, she remembered she remembered her daughter. She cried. The animals she saved were looking at her. They were carious. The cat asked her.

"Why are you crying?"

The mother was surprised. The animals could talk like humans. She explained that a giant kidnapped her daughter. The animals were so sorry. They wanted to reply her kindness. They would free Ni Timun Mas from the giant.

The animals went to the jungle. They saw the giant was sleeping and Ni Timun Mas was tied with a rope. They set a plan. The mouse would bit the rope. The cat would observe and told them when the giant woke up. The dog and the snake were ready to attack the giant.

They started to do their plan. The mouse slowly bit the rope. It started to loosen up. Finally she was free. Unfortunately, the giant woke up. The cat immediately told his friends. The mouse asked Ni Timun Mas to follow him. The dog and the snake immediately attacked the giant. The dog bit and the snake squeezed the giant, The giant was loosing so much blood. He finally died.

The animals and Ni Timun Mas arrived home. Her mother was very happy. She did not worry animore because the giant was dead, Since then, Ni Timun Mas, her mother and the animals lived peacefully. ***

The Legend of Malawen Lake

2011-02-17T18:46:00.000-08:00

Folklore from Central Kalimantan

ONCE upon a time there was a husband and wife who lived near the jungle. They were very poor. They did not have any children yet. Every day they prayed to god to give them a child. One night the wife had a dream. An old man came to her and told her that she and her husband had to meditate for 100 days in the jungle. The wife told her husband about her dream. They hoped it was a sign from god to give them a child.

Later they went to the jungle. After spending for 100 days, they went home. And it was true! Not long after that the wife was pregnant. And nine months later the baby boy was born. The named him Kumbang Banaung.

Kumbang grew as a handsome and strong young man. However he was not obedient. He never listened to his parents' advice. And it happened again when he wanted to hunt in the jungle. It was already dark and his parents asked him to wait until morning. But Kumbang ignored it. He insisted to go to the jungle to hunt.

His parents could not do anything. His father gave Kumbang a magic plate. The plate could help him in a difficult situation. After he received the plate, Kumbang went to the jungle.

It was dark and Kumbang could not see clearly. And he had to face the worst risk. He was lost! He kept on walking and finally he crossed the jungle. He arrived in a village. there was a party. Kumbang saw a very beautiful girl. He came to her and introduced himself.

The girl's name was Intan. her father was the head of the village. The party was her birthday party. Kumbang fell in love with her. And after the party was over, everybody went home. Kumbang also wanted to go home. He tried to memorized the way to go home. He was lucky. He could go back home. He arrived in the morning. His parents were so worried. Kumbang did not tell them about his experience. He planned to visit Intan again. And after his parents slept, he left the house.

Kumbang met Intan again. She was happy to see Kumbang. She also loved him. They continued to see each other in the following nights. And it made the villagers restless.

They did not like to see what Kumbang and Intan were doing every night. The villagers told the head of the village to do something. Intan's father had an idea. He came to a rich merchant and asked him to marry his son with Intan. The merchant agreed.

The head of the village told Intan that she would get married soon. Intan was so sad. She told Kumbang to propose her soon. Kumbang immediately told his parents. However they did not agree. They were poor and they thought it was not appropriate for him to propose a rich girl. Kumbang was so angry. He left the house. And he also brought the magic plate.

When he met Intan, Kumbang asked her to run away. And while they were leaving the village, some villagers saw them. They tried to stop the couple. Kumbang and Intan were running. They kept on running and finally they were at the side of a river. They had to cross the river but there was no sampan. Kumbang then remembered about his magic plate. He threw the magic plate to the river.

Amazingly, the plate grew bigger. He asked Intan to get on the plate. They used it as a sampan. While they were crossing the river, suddenly rain fell down heavily. There was a big storm. Heavy wind blew them upside down and finally they were drowning.

Slowly the river changed into a lake. People named the lake as Malawen Lake. People also believed that Kumbang and Intan changed as white crocodiles. They stayed in the lake. Up to now people still believe that the white crocodiles still live in the lake. ***

My Nest Is Better Than Yours

2011-02-14T05:06:00.000-08:00

Folklore from Riau

A quail and a weaver bird were best friends. Although they were very much different, they always helped each other. They always looked for food together. They met in the morning and looked for food until in the afternoon. At night they separated and went home to their own nest.

It was raining. The quail and the weaver bird were under a big tree. While they were waiting for the rain stop, they were talking about their nests.

"My nest is great. It is very clean and strong. I made it by arranging the old leaves and the twigs. I'm really comfortable living in my nest," said the weaver bird.

"Well, my nest is great. It is also very strong. And I don't have to be bothered making it. I just need to find a big broken tree and I can live there," said the quail.

"But compared to your nest, my nest is better," said the weaver bird.

"I don't think so. My nest is better than yours," said the quail.

They kept arguing. Each of them said to have a better nest. What started as a little argument then turned to almost a fight. To prove whose nest was better, they agreed to stay in their nests.

"Let's stay in my nest tonight. Tomorrow we will stay in your nest," said the weaver bird.

"I agree!" said the quail.

It was a late in the afternoon. The were going to the weaver bird's nest.

The nest was at branch of a tree. It was high. The weaver bird did not have any problem reaching the nest. He was flying and in just a minute he arrived at his nest. Meanwhile the quail had problem arriving at the nest. He could not fly well. Instead, he tried to climb the tree. Finally he succeeded. He arrived at the weaver bird's nest.

The weaver bird and the quail shared the nest. They started to sleep. Suddenly, the rain fell down heavily. The wind was blowing strongly. The branches of the tree were moving back and forth. The The quail was terrified. He was afraid he would fall down.

"Do something! The branch is swinging. I don't want to fall down."

"Don't worry. We are not going to fall down," said the weaver bird calmly.

The weaver bird continued to sleep. However, the quail could not sleep at all. He regretted his decision to spend the night at his friend's nest.

In the morning, they looked for food as usual. And in the afternoon they went to the quail's nest. And when they arrived, the weaver bird was surprised.

"You live here? Under the big broken tree?" asked the weaver bird.

"Yes. And you don't have to worry with the wind. The tree is lying on the ground, so it won't swing."

Later, they started to sleep. Then rain was falling down heavily. Unfortunately, water was slowly approaching the nest. And they were finally wet.

"I'm so cold," said the weaver bird.

"Don't worry, you will dry soon. Let's continue sleeping," said the quail.

In the morning, the weaver bird complained about the quail's nest. The quail also complained about the weaver bird's nest. Then they realized that their life were different. Since then, they never said to have the better nest. ***

The Legend of Singaraja

2011-01-12T20:34:00.000-08:00

Folklore from Bali

SRI Sagening was the king of Klungkung Kingdom, Bali. He had a lot of wives. His last wife was Ni Luh Pasek. She was the most beautiful wife and that made the other wives were jealous. They often told bad things to the king. Sadly, the king was influenced and he finally asked Ni Luh Pasek to leave the palace. Ni Luh Pasek was very sad, but she had no other choice. She became very sad when she knew that she was pregnant! Ni Luh Pasek arrived at a village. An old man felt very sorry with her condition. His name was Jelantik Bogol. He was a holy man and had supernatural power. He married Ni Luh Pasek. And when the baby was born, Jelantik Bogol named him I Gusti Gede. He loved I gusti Gede just like his own son.

I Gusti Gede grew as a strong man. He also mastered a lot of skills such as martial arts and supernatural power. His step father taught him the skills. One day his step father asked him to go to a jungle in Den Hill. It was the place Ni Luh Pasek was born. Jelantik Bogol asked him to go there to get more supernatural power. Before he left, his step father gave him two weapons, a spear and a keris, it's a traditional wavy double-bladed dagger. I Gusti Gede did it. He went to the Den Hill and meditated. While he was meditating, a spirit of the jungle came to him. The spirit spoke to him.

"You will be a great king. Go to Panumbang beach, help the people there."

I Gusti Gede continued his journey. When he arrived at Panombangan Beach, there was an incident. There was a ship from Bugis sinking at the beach. The people had tried to help, but they did not succeed.

I Gusti Gede wanted to help. He asked the people to stay away from the ship. He prayed and took out hos weapons. Suddenly, two big spirits came out of the spear and the keris.

I Gusti Gede asked the spirits to pull the sinking ships back to sea. The people could not see the spirits. They only saw I Gusti Gede moving his hands. The spirits slowly pulled the ship. In just a minute, a ship just back in the sea. The owner was very happy. He gave some of his wealth to I Gusti Gede. People were amazed with his power. they named him as I Gusti Panji Sakti.

I Gusti Panji Sakti went back to Den Hill. He started to build a village. People came one by one. I Gusti panji Sakti protected them from bad people. Slowly the village became a kingdom. I Gusti Panji Sakti became the king and he named the kingdom as Sukasada.

sukasada became a big kigdom, I Gusti Panji Sakti planned to make another kingdom. He opened up a new area. It was full of buleleng trees. Therefore he named the kingdom as Buleleng Kingdom.

He also build a great palace. People named it Singaraja. Singa means lion and Raja means king. With his power I Gusti Panji Sakti was like a lion. He always protected his people from bad people. While he became a king, Buleleng Kingdom was safe and prosperous. ***

Majalengka

2010-10-20T14:29:00.001-07:00

Folklore from West Java

RATU Ayu Panyidagan was a queen of Panyidagan Kingdom. The queen was beautiful and wise. She led the country peacefully. Many men from other kingdoms fell in love with her. However, the queen was not interested in them. Actually the queen was restless. She wanted to get married and have a baby soon. She wanted her child to be the next leader. She was still waiting for the right man.

The queen had a dream. A handsome man came to the kingdom. However a disaster came along with the arrival. The queen asked her advisors to interpret her dream. The advisors asked the soldiers to guard the border of the kingdom.

Fortunately, there was a big river at the border. People had to cross the river if they wanted to enter the border of the kingdom. The soldier were standing by to monitor anyone crossing the river.

Days and nights the soldiers were standing by the river. And one day, they saw a man was rowing a sampan. The soldiers were getting ready at the river side. And when the man arrived, the soldiers asked him, "Who are you? and why are you going to our kingdom?"

"I came from Cirebon Kingdom. My king asked me to meet your queen."

The soldiers did not want to take a risk. They asked the man to return and go back home. However the man refused and the fight between them was unstoppable.

The man had great skills in martial arts. He was able to defeat the soldiers. One soldier, escaped. He wanted to tell the queen that the man was coming to the palace.

The whole soldiers were protecting the queen. But the queen asked them to welcome the man. She was really curious why he was sent to meet her.

Later the man arrived the palace. He talked to the queen politely.

"Your majesty, I'm here because my king sent me. Our kingdom is in great problem. People are suffering from strange illness. They are dying and many of them have died. The medicine to cure the illness is maja fruit that groe in your kingdom. Therefore I would like to have your kindness to give me some of the maja fruits."

The queen was silent. She was thinking very hard. She was not thinking whether she would give the fruits or not. It was not a problem for her. There were a lot of maja fruit trees in her kingdom. Giving some of the fruits would not be a problem.

However, she was thinking something else! She was thinking how handsome the man was. He was also powerful. He was able to defeat the soldiers. And he was also very loyal. He did his duty from his kingdom to find the fruits.

The queen than said,"You can get the fruits as many as you like. But there is one condition. You have to marry me."

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. I cannot do that. I cannot marry you. I'm married and have a wife," said the man.

The queen was angry. She asked the soldiers to put the man in the jail. This time the man could not win the fight. There were too many soldiers fighting him.

Not long after the man was in the jail, rain fell down heavily. There was also big storm! People were only staying in their houses. and in the morning, sun was shining brightly, suddenly people were screaming.

"The palace is gone! The queen is gone!"

Other people were also screaming, "Maja langka! Maja Langka!"

It means maja fruit are rare. People were very confused. They did not know why the palace, the queen and the maja fruits suddenly disappeared. They kept on talking about that and later they named the place as Majalangka. Slowly it became Majalengka.***

The Legend of the Seven-Headed Snake

2010-10-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Folklore from Bengkulu

THE people of Kutei Rukam Kingdom in Lebong, Bengkulu, were happy. The Crown Prince Gajah Meram would marry a princess from Suka Negeri Kingdom. King Bikau Bermano asked his people to prepare a great party.

One of the wedding procession was the bride and the bridegroom had to take a bath in the bath Lake. when they were swimming, suddenly the prince and the princess were gone. The soldier immediately jumped into the lake. But they could not find the prince and the princess. They were absolutely confused why the prince and the princess suddenly disappeared.

The king was sad. He asked all the soldiers to swim. But still the prince and the princess could not be found. Later an old holy man came to the king. He said that the prince and the princess were kidnapped by the seven-headed snake. He was the king of the snake and he had many snake soldiers. The only person that could help was a young man who had great skills in martial arts and supernatural power.

The young man he meant was the king's youngest son. His name was Prince Gajah Merik. He was also the student of the holy man. The king was very touched when the Prince Gajah Merik was willing to find his older brother and his brother's wife.

The holy man gave Prince Gajah Merik was not afraid of them. Instead, he fought them bravely. The snake soldiers could not fight him. Gajah Merik was so powerful. He could easily kill the snake soldiers.

And finally he was face-to-face with the snake king. He was a seven-headed snake. He was very angry!

"Hey, you human! Why did you kill all my soldiers?" asked the snake king.

"They tried to stop me. I want to free my older brother and his wife."

"I will free them. But you have to do two things. First you have to make my dead soldiers live again. And second, you have to beat me of course. Hahaha."

With his power, Gajah Merik touched the dead snakes. Amazingly, they lived again. Then, the prince and the snake king were fighting.

Unlike the snake soldiers, the snake king was very powerful. He almost killed Gajah Merik. Fortunately, Gajah Merik had better skills. And after fighting for seven days. Gajah Merik won the fight. The snake king asked Gajah Merik to forgive him and let him free. Gajah Merik felt sorry and he let the snake king and his soldiers go away.

Later, Gajah Merik brought Gajah Meram and his wife back to the palace. The king was very happy. He also planned to make Gajah Meram to be the new king. However, Gajah Meram refused it. He said Gajah Merik was better to be the next king. He was very courageous and powerful. He also had great heart. He was willing to sacrifice himself.

Gajah Merik agreed to be the next king. But he asked his father to let the snake king and his soldiers to be his soldiers. The king agreed. Since then, the snake king and his soldiers became the soldiers of Gajah Merik.

Until now, people in Lebong, Bengkulu, believe that there is a seven-headed snake who guards the Test lake. They do not dare to say bad words when crossing the lake. Otherwise, the seven-headed snake will be angry!***

The Legend of Gunung Bangkai

2010-09-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

Folklore from South Kalimantan

THERE was a woman who lived near the jungle. She lived with her son. Her husband died many years ago. Her son's name was Andung. He always helped her mother.

Andung was in the jungle to collect some firewood. And while he was walking to go home, he heard someone asking for help. Andung was looking around and he saw an old man was injured. Andung immediately help him. The old man was really grateful. He gave Andung a gift.

"I want you to have this necklace. You have already helped me and this is my gratitude to you. This necklace is great. It can cure all disease," said the old man.

Andung was really happy. It looked so beautiful. And when he arrived home, he gave it to his mother. She was very happy to receive the necklace.

Andung wanted to have a better life. He wanted to leave his home and had a better job. He told his plan to his mother. At first she did not agree. However, Andung insisted with his plan and his mother could not hold him anymore.

"Before you go, please wear this necklace. I hope you will always remember me."

Andung had his journey and he finally arrived in a kingdom. When he arrived, he saw an old woman suffered skin rash. Andung really felt sorry. He then remembered the message from the old man who gave him the necklace. He tried to cure the old woman. He put the necklace into a glass of water. he asked the old woman to drink the water. Amazingly, the old woman was cured. She told everyone that Andung cured her.

The news spread very fast. Many sick people came to Andung. They all were cured. And the news about Andung was heard by the king.

The princess was ill. The king had already asked many healers to cure her. But none succeeded. The king asked Andung to cure his daughter.

Andung was also sad to see the princess. She was so beautiful, and sadly she could not leave her room. She was very weak. Her illness forced her just to stay in her room.
Andung put the necklace into the glass of water. He asked the princess to drink the water. And amazingly, she was cured. She was able to walk again. The king was extremely happy. He was so thankful to Andung. To show his gratitude, he asked Andung to marry the princess. Andung agreed. He then lived in the palace.

Later, the princess was pregnant. She wanted to eat a special fruit. However, the fruit was only found in the jungle. Andung then asked some soldiers to accompany him to go to the jungle.
Andung knew the jungle very much. It was not far from his house. On the way to the jungle, he saw his mother. She was very old and poor. His mother was very happy.

"Andung? I'm so happy to see you," said his mother.

Sadly Andung was ashamed with her. He did not want to admit her as his mother. "Who are you? I don't know you," said Andung.

Her mother was very sad. She prayed to God to punish him. Andung suddenly could not move his body. He realize he was wrong. He tried to apologize to his mother but it was too late. Andung finally could not move his body at all. Slowly, he changed into a stone. The stone looked like a human dead body. It was slowly getting bigger and bigger. The stone then turned into a mountain. People named it as the mountain of human dead body or Gunung Bangkai.***

The Hanging Stone

2010-07-14T23:44:00.000-07:00

Folklore from North Sumatra

ONCE upon a time, there lived a family near Lake Toba, North Sumatra. The parents had only one child. She was a beautiful girl. The girl was adult. The parents thought it was time to get married.

The parents planned to arrange her marriage. They have already matched her with a young man they chose. They did not know that they daughter already had a boyfriend. She loved him very much. Sadly, the parents did not agree with their relationship. They still asked her daughter to marry the man they chose.

The girl was very sad. Everyday she cried. She did not love the man her parents had already chosen for her. She only wanted to marry her boyfriend.

The time to get married was getting closer. Everyday the girl just sat near the Lake Toba. She was very hopeless. Her only friend was a dog.

The girl wanted to end her life. She wanted to jump to the Lake Toba. She was walking slowly. She approached the edge. She was very confused. She did not want to die or leave her boyfriend.

While she was thinking very hard, suddenly she slipped and fell to a big hole. The girl thought that it was time for her to die. She was surrounded by big stones. She felt the stone were getting closer to her. The stones were squeezing her.

Then she said, "Prapat... Prapat..." It means moving closer. amazingly, the stones were slowly moving closer to her. She was being squeezed!

Meanwhile, the dragon was barking. He was looking downward and keep on barking. It attracted people's attention.

They came to the dog and also looked downward. They heard a girl's voice saying, "Prapat... Prapat."

The people recognized her voice and her dog. They tried to help her. Some of them went to the girl's house. They wanted to tell her parents.
The parents immediately went to save their daughter. More and more people came. They all tried to save the girl.

Unfortunately it was too late. The stone were finally squeezing her. However, they were still able to hear voice saying, "Parapat... parapat."

Her parents were sad. They regretted their plan to marry her. Since then people named the area as Parapat.

Time passed by and several years later earthquake attacked the area. Stone were falling down to the lake. and when the quake stopped, people saw a big stone which looked like hanging. Actually the ctone clung to the cliff.

People said that the stone was the girl who was trapped inside the stones. Since the stone looked like hanging, so people named it as the hanging stone or Batu Gantung. ***

Breaking the Sun

2010-07-05T23:36:00.000-07:00

Folklore from Papua

A long time ago, the sun did not shine too long. It was only shine for a while then it set to the west. Earth was in the dark most of the time. People did not like it. There were not many things they could do during the day. The wished to see the sun shine longer.

There was one man who really hated to be in the dark. His name was Rangga. Everyday he was thinking how he could make the sun shine long enough. One day he had an idea.

"I think the sun is too big to move. If we can break it into some pieces, the sun can move quickly. Therefore we can have enough light from the sun," said Rangga to his friend.

"But how can we break the sun?" asked one of his friend.

"We can break it by throwing a spear. But it should be a magic spear," said Rangga.

"How can we get the magic spear?" asked his friend. We ask the elf to guide us to find the magic spear," asked Rangga.

Then Rangga and his friends meditated in the jungle. It was not an easy thing to do. They were disturbed by wild animals. Luckily they had strong concentration. They were save from the animals. after a while, an elf finally came to them.

"What do you want my child?" asked the elf.

"We want to break the sun. We need to find a magic spear," explained Rangga.

"Hmm.. the magic spear belongs to the great thief. You have to fight him and grabs the spears from him, said the elf.

Rangga and his friends understood. They knew about the great thief. They herd that he had a supernatural power. Luckily the elf had also give them the supernatural power to fight against the great thief. Rangga and his friends were looking for the great thief. They finally found him. At first Rangga nicely asked the great thief to give him the spear, but of course the thief refused.

"Why should I give you the spear so you can break the sun? I love darkness. I can steal easily, ha.. ha.. ha.." said the thief.

Rangga and his friend knew that they did not have other choice. Then they were fighting. Thanks to the supernatural power given by the elf. Rangga and friends won the fight.

Finally Rangga held the magic spear. He held it firmly. he did not want to waste the time. He wanted to throw the spear and break the sun.

Rangga concentrated and threw the spear with great power towards the sun. and it worked! The sun was breaking into some pieces. The biggest piece became a moon and the small pieces became the stars.

Since then, the sun shines long enough. and when it set to the west, the earth was not completely in the dark. The moon and the stars gave people enough light. ***

The Legend of Kemuning Flower

2010-06-06T21:15:00.000-07:00

Folklore from Riau

ONCE upon a time there was a wise king. He had ten beautiful daughters. His wife died a long time ago. All his daughters were named with colors.

Their name were Princess Jambon (pink), Princess Jingga (orange), Princess Biru (blue), Princess Hijau (green), Princess Kelabu (grey), etc. And the youngest was Princess Kemuning (yellow).

The king loved all his daughters. However he was too busy with his jobs as the king. He asked the servant to take care of his daughters.

His daughter became spoiled. But the youngest daughter was different. She was not spoiled. She often helped the servants. They loved her very much.

One day the king planned to go a very far place. He asked what the gifts of the daughters wanted to have. They all said great things, like jewelries or beautiful dress. However Princess Kemuning did not say anything.

"How about you, dear? Do you want anything?" asked the king.

"I just want you to come home safely, Father," said Princess Kemuning.

The king smiled. He knew his youngest daughter had good personality.
After the king went, all the daughters were fully take care by the servants. They had problems controlling the princess. All the princess became more naughty and spoiled. They often asked the servants to do anything.

The servants could not do anything. Consequently they did not have time to take care of the garden. It was messy. Leaves were every where. The garden was dirty.

Princess Kemuning was sad to see the condition of the garden. She knew her father loved the garden. So she started to clean the garden. She swept the leaves.

"Hey, look, we have a new servant," said Princess Jingga. And they all were laughing at her. But Princess Kemuning ignored them.

Later the king came home. He brought all the gifts.

"Princess Kemuning, this green stone necklace is for you. I'm sorry, I could not find the yellow one. I have tried to look for it but I did not find it," explained the king.

"That is all right, Father. I love it," said Princess Kemuning.

Princess Kemuning often wore the necklace. It was very beautiful. It was matching with her yellow dress. Unfortunately, Princess Hijau were jealous.

"Kemuning, the necklace is mine. The color is green right?" said Princess Hijau.

But Princess Kemuning refused to give it to her. She knew Princess Hijau already got her gift. But Princess Hijau still insisted to get it. She talked to the other sisters that they planned to do something bad.

Princess Hijau asked Princess Kemuning to play in the garden. While they were playing, suddenly suddenly she grabbed Putri Kemuning's necklace. The other sisters hit Princess Kemuning's head. They hit so hard and it made Putri Kemuning died. They all very confused, They then buried her in the garden.

Meanwhile the king was looking for all his daughter.s. He did not see Princess Kemuning. The daughters said that Princess Kemuning ran away. But the king did not belive them. He asked all the soldiers to find her. But they never found her.

The king was sad. He often thought about her. One day the king was in the garden . There was a tree growing. The leaves were like green stone necklace and the flowers were yellow. The flowers reminded him of Princess kemuning. He named it Bunga Kemuning or yellow flower. ***

Awang Garang

2010-06-02T03:23:00.000-07:00

Folklore from Riau

A long time ago, there was a young fisherman in Riau. His name was Awang Garang. His job was not only fishing but he also often helped people building a new ship. Awang Garang was very skillful, that's why people always asked for his help.

One day the Sultan of Riau asked his soldiers to make him one ship. They were working days and nights. However the ship was not finished yet. The ship was always broken. The soldiers were scared. They were worried that the Sultan would be angry. They then asked Awang Garang to help them. He knew the problem. He said, "You have to use three different kinds of woods."

He was right! The ship was strong. All the soldiers were very eager to finish the ship. Unfortunately, an accident happened. Awang Garang's right eye was hit by a hammer. He was so angry. He cursed the ship.

"I curse you not to able to sail in the sea," cursed Awang Garang.

Then he went home. His right eye was blind. Therefore he covered his eye with a black bandage.
Finally the ship was finished. Strangely it could not go to the sea. It was still stranded on the beach. All the soldiers pushed the ship to the sea but it did not move at all. One of them remembered about Awang Garang's curse. Later they went to Awang Garang's house.

"You have to help us. You cursed the ship right? Now you have to make the ship sail in the sea!" said the soldier.

"I will help you. But I need 37 young men along with their equipment. Besides that you also have to prepare seven pregnant woman wearing different colors of clothing. And remember, you all have to close your eyes when I'm working with those 37 men."

They agreed. Later 37 young men and seven pregnant women were standing beside the ship. Awang Garang ordered the 37 seven men to find some big trees. They cut down the trees and peeled the skin. Then they put the trees under the ship. Awang Garang asked the 37 men to be ready to push the ship. He asked the seven pregnant woman to pray.

Awang Garang then screamed, "Everybody, on three then you all push the ship. OK, one.. two.. three.. push!"

Slowly the ship moved and it finally went to the sea. Everybody was happy. They all thanked Awang Garang.

Not long after that the seven pregnant woman delivered their baby boys. The babies grew as great soldiers. And together with Awang Garang they fought against the pirates. Because they already helped the kingdom, then the Sultan gave titles as panglima or chief. Awang Garang became Panglima Hitam Elang and the seven soldiers had titles after the name of Awang Garang and the color of the cloth their mothers were wearing. They were Panglima Awang Merah (red), Panglima Awang Jingga (orange), Panglima Awang Kuning (yellow), Panglima Awang Ungu (purple), Panglima Awang Hijau (green), Panglima Awang Biru (blue) and Panglima Awang Nila (indigo). ***

Mak Isun Kayo

2010-05-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

Folklore from West Sumatra

ONCE upon a time in Payakumbuh, West Sumatra lived a young man named Mak Isun. He was a diligent farmer. Mak Isun always thought of how he could be richer. One day, while he was at the rice field, a man passed by. His name was Pak Sole. He brought a monkey. Me was a monkey tamer. He made money by doing peoples order to pick up the coconuts. He did not have to climb the coconut trees. He always asked his monkey to do that job.

"Pak Soleh, where are you going?" asked Mak Isun.

"I'm going to pick up some coconuts"

"How much do you get for the work?"

"That depends. If the place is near from here, I got three coconuts. But if the place is far, I get five coconut. In one day, I can get 25 coconuts," answered Pak Soleh.

Mak Isun was thinking. "Hmm... if I can get 25 coconuts in one day, I could be rich. I can sell the coconuts at the market. I'm sure I can get a lot of money."

"Pak Soleh, do you want to sell your monkey?"

"This is not my monkey. This belongs to Pak Kari. I work for him. But I'm not sure about my job. I heard Pak Kari wants to sell all his monkeys," replied Pak Soleh.

"Don't worry, I will buy all hos monkeys and you can work for me later."

Then, he met Pak Kari and bought all his monkeys. He also hired all Pak Kari's employees. He told the villagers to contact him if they needed service to pick up the coconuts.

Mak Isun was right. He had a lot of money to his new business. He was richer. People then called him Mak Isun Kayo, kayo means rich.

However, Mak Isun Kayo was not satisfied. He wanted to get more money. So, he told his employees. "Now the fees of picking up the coconuts are raised. If the place is near from here, they have to pay five coconuts. And if the place is far from here, they have to pay ten coconuts," said Mak Isun.

"But the villagers will not agree. Its too expensive," said one of his employees.

"I don't care. They will not have a choice. I am the only one who has this business. The villagers will pay me after all."

All the employees knew that was not a wise decision. They then planned to do something.

Later in the morning, Mak Isun was surprised. He heard noise around his house. When he peeped through the windows, he saw a lot of monkeys around his house. He asked for help, but no one dared to help him. He then asked help from his employees.

"We will help you, but you have to promise not to increase the fees!"

"OK, I promise," said Mak Isun.

The villagers were laughing. They always talked about a rich man who was surrounded by his own monkeys.***