Mah Bongsu and a Snake

Folklore from Batam

ONCE upon a time in Batam, lived an orphan named Mah Bongsu. She was a nice girl. Mah Bongsu was poor. To earn a living, she worked as a maid at a rich woman’s house, her name was Mak Piah. She had a daughter named Mayang. Mah Bongsu and Mayang were at the same age.

Mak Piah was a mean lady. She always asked Mah Bongsu to work hard, she often hit Mah Bongsu and sometimes she did not gave enough food to Mah Bongsu. Mah Bongsu was helpless. She could not do anything.

She was alone in this world and she did not have any other place to stay. Everyday she prayed to
God. She wanted to have a better life. Mah Bongsu was washing the clothes in the river. Suddenly she saw a big snake swimming towards her. Mah Bongsu was scared. She wanted to run away. However, she saw the snake was wounded. It was bleeding. Mah Bongsu felt sorry to the snake. Carefully, she brought the snake home. She put the snake in her room and healed the wound.

When Mah Bongsu was healing the wound, a piece of the snake’s skin was removed. Mah Bongsu took it. Amazingly the skin turned into gold. Mah Bongsu was happy. Everyday the snake removed its skin and the skin always turned into gold. Mah Bongsu collected all the gold and save it. She wanted to sell it later. Mah Bongsu sold all the gold and she became a rich girl. She did not work for Mak Piah anymore. She was richer than Mak Piah. Mah Bongsu also helped all the poor people. She bought a big house and she brought the snake with her.

Mak Piah was very jealous. She was so curious. She wanted to know how Mah Bongsu got the wealth. Secretly, she went to Mah Bongsu’s house. She saw Mah Bongsu was healing a snake.

Later, Mak Piah asked her daughter, Mayang, to go to the river. She asked Mayang to find a wounded snake.

And when Mayang finally found a wounded snake, she brought it home. Sadly, the snake bit her and poisoned her. Mayang instantly died. Mak Piah was scared, she tried to run away. Just right before she left the house, the snake was able to bite her. And she also died then.

Meanwhile, the wounded snake at Mah Bongsu’s house was finally healed. Amazingly, the snake turned into a handsome man.

“ Thank you, Mah Bongsu.

Actually, I’m a prince. A witch cursed me into a snake . And thanks to you I changed into a man now. Because you already helped me, I want to propose you to be my wife. Will you marry me?” asked the prince.

Mah Bongsu was so happy. She accepted the proposal and lived with the prince. Since then people named the river where Mah Bongsu found her husband as Sungai Jodoh. It means the river of soul mate. ***

Nyi Banjarsari

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.***

The Legend of Tanjung Lesung

Folklore from Banten

THERE was a handsome traveler, his name was Raden Budog. He was resting under a big tree and soon he fell asleep. He had a dream. In his dream, he met a very beautiful woman. The woman was standing in front him. Raden Budog tried to touch her. Suddenly, a twig of the tree fell down and hit him. And that made him wake up from his sleep. He was upset!
Raden Budog could not forget that woman, he wanted to meet her. He traveled days and nights and never stopped to rest. And finally he arrived in a village. All of the villagers were farmers. Some girls were pounding rice in a mortar. The people called the mortar as lesung. They were busy pounding and the sound they made was like a harmony. The girls pounded the rice everyday, except Friday. Friday was a holy day for them, because it was time to pray to God.
Raden Budog enjoyed the sound. He was looking at all the girls one by one.
And suddenly, Aha! He saw the girl he met in his dream.
Raden Budog was very happy. He came closer to the girls. All the girls were afraid and they all went home. Raden Budog followed the beautiful girl.
And when the beautiful girl arrived home, Raden Budog knocked the door.
An old woman opened the door.
“Who are you, young man,” asked the woman.
“My name is Raden Budog. May I spend the night in your house? I’m a traveler and I don’t have a place to stay,” said Raden Budog. He was trying to find an excuse to stay in the house.
“My name is Nyi Siti and I live with my daughter. Her name is Sri Poh Haci. My husband passed away. If you want to spend the night here, you can sleep in the terrace. I’m so sorry, I don’t allow men to stay in my house,” said Nyi Siti.
In the morning, Sri Poh Haci woke him up.
She also gave him a glass of coffee. Raden Budog was extremely happy. He then tried to find a way how he could stay in the village and got married with her. Later, he told Nyi Siti that he would help her in the rice field. Nyi Siti agreed.
Days passed by and later Sri Poh Haci also fell in love with him. Then they got married.
Raden Budog still worked in the rice field and Sri Poh Haci also continued to pound the rice in the lesung. One day Raden Budog wanted to pound the rice. He also wanted to make the good sound. However it was Friday, and he forgot that pounding rice in the lesung was not allowed on Fridays. And when he was busy making the sound, the villagers screamed.
“Hey, look! A monkey is pounding the rice!”
Slowly the villagers came closer to Raden Budog. He did not notice that all the villagers were looking at him, until one man yelled at him. “Hey, monkey! Stop it! It is Friday!”
Raden Budog did not understand why the villagers called him monkey. And when he looked at his body, he was surprised! His body was full of hair. He even had a tail. He had changed into a monkey! Raden Budog was so ashamed. He ran away to the jungle.
Since then people named the village as Lesung Village or Kampung Lesung.
And since the village is located in a cape, people then named the village as Lesung Cape or Tanjung Lesung.***

The Legend of Pinang Mountain

Folklore from Banten

ONCE upon a time in Banten, there lived a poor fisherman. His name was Dampu Awang. He lived with his mother. Dampu always worked hard. He wanted to be a rich man. However, he only had a small boat. And he also did not have big net just like his friends. That was why he could not catch a lot of fish and did not have much money.
Dampu heard that there was a rich merchant coming to his village. The merchant had a big ship. He always sailed in the sea. He bough and sold things in the places he visited. Dampu wanted to work for him. He did not want to be a merchant.
Dampu Awang had made up his mind. He was tired of being a poor man. He really wanted to be rich. His mother could not do anything. She finally let him go.
Dampu met the merchant. He told him that he wanted to work for him.
"Okay, I will let you join me. But you have to work hard. If you want to be rich merchant like me, you have to pay attention to what I'm doing," said the merchant.
Dampu Awang was extremely happy. He already imagined that he would be a rich man.
Since he join the merchant's ship. Dampu always worked hard. Slowly the merchant trusted him. He asked Dampu to buy and sell the merchant's thing. Dampu did the assignment very well. He started to make a lot of money.
The merchant was happy. He knew that Dampu could be a great merchant. He was old and wanted Dampu to marry his daughter. Dampu agreed. By marrying the merchant daughter, he could become a rich man. He would have a big ship and sail to many places.
Meanwhile, Dampu's mother heard that her son had become a rich man. She also heard that he was already married and had a big ship. Everyday she prayed to God. She hoped that Dampu would come home soon.
God answered her prayer. Dampu and his wife arrived at the village. Many people greeted Dampu. They all praised him.
Dampu's mother tried to meet Dampu.
She mentioned Dampu's name loudly. She finally came closer to Dampu.
"Dampu...Dampu... It's me, your mother."
Sadly he ignored her. Dampu was so ashamed of his mother. She was old and her cloth was worn-out. She was also dirty.
"Guards! Ask that old woman to go away. She is not my mother. my mother was a rich woman and she already died," said Dampu to his guards.
The guards pushed Dampu's mother away. She was so sad. She prayed to God.
"If he is not my son, let him sail safely. But if he is my son, punish him."
God again answered her prayer. When Dampu sailed in the sea, great storm attacked his ship. Rain and thunder attacked the ship. Dampu realize his mistake but it was to late. The ship was slowly sinking and it finally submerged.
The ship slowly changed into a mountain. People named it Pinang Mountain.***

Panji Kelaras

Folklore from Banten

ONCE upon a time, there was a king. he is very rich and had great power. However he was not happy. His only child, the prince, was not a good son. The prince had bad attitudes.
He liked to do cockfighting and gambling. Every time the prince had cock fighting. He also ignored his father's advice. Until one day, the king could not hold it anymore. He asked the prince to leave the palace and lived in the jungle. The prince knew it was his punishment. So he left the palace and went to the jungle. He had never been to the jungle before. He was very confused. He did not know where to stay.
While he was busy looking for a place to stay, he found a hut. He was so happy. He immediately knock the door, then a beautiful girl opened the door. She was an orphan. Her parents just died and now she lived alone. The prince fell in love with her. He asked her to marry him. The girl agreed and later they got married. The prince and his wife had a happy life. They got happier when the wife was pregnant.
The prince worked harder. He wanted to give the best to his baby. When the prince was working in the field, he heard that his father, the king, died. And now there was no king in the palace. The prince rushed to the palace. When his wife asked to join him, the prince forbade her. The wife was sad. She was pregnant and she was alone in the jungle. While she was sitting for the husband, and eagle flew above her. The eagle dropped an egg. It was a chicken egg. She keep the egg. And when she delivered a baby son, the egg also hatched.
She named her son Panji Kelaras. While she was working, Panji Kelaras always played with his chick, which soon grew as a cock. Meanwhile, Panji Kelaras father now was the king. However, the king did his bad behaviour again.
He liked to do cock fighting. The king's cock always won the fighting. He was not satisfied, he made a competition of cockfighting and the prize was a bag of gold. Many people brought their cocks and fought them with the king's cock. No cock should beat the king's cock. Panji Kelaras heard about the competition. He asked his mother's permission to go the palace. She gave him her blessing. She let her son go to the palace because she wanted him to meet his father, the king. When Panji Kelaras arrived at the palace he immediately gave his cock to the soldiers.
Soon, the kocks were fighting. Finally, Panji Kelaras cock won the fighting. He was so happy. The king kept his promise. He gave Panji Kelaras a bag of gold. When Panji Kelaras left the palace, the king secretly follow him. The king was surprised when Panji Kelaras went to the hut he used to stay with his wife. And he was more surprised when he saw his wife hugged Panji Kelaras. "
Who is he?" asked the king. He was jealous.
"He is you son. Where were you? I was waiting for you for long time but you never came back," said his wife.
The king regretted his mistake. He apologized to his wife and to his son. Later the king asked them to stay in the palace. And when the king died, Panji Kelaras became the king. He led the kingdom wisely.***

Putri Pinang Gading

Folklore from Bangka Belitung

A long time ago in Belitung, there were a couple of husband and wife. The husband was a fisherman. The husbands name was Pak Inda and the wife’s name was Bu Tumina. They lived alone in their house. They did not have any children.
Pak Inda always went fishing in the morning. And in one morning as always he went to the sea. On the way there, he stumbled on a stick of bamboo.
This is dangerous. Someone may get hurt with it, said Pak Inda. He threw the bamboo to the sea. Then he continued walking. Again, he stumbled on a bamboo. “Why are there a lot of bamboos here?” asked Pak Inda to himself. He wanted to throw the bamboo to the sea. Before he did that, he looked at the bamboo carefully. I think this is the same bamboo I threw awhile ago. How can it be here again? Pak Inda was confused. He then threw the bamboo to the sea. Amazingly the bamboo kept on coming back to him. He knew that this bamboo was different from other bamboos so he brought it home. At home, Pak Inda told his wife about the bamboo. Bu Tumina suggested him to put the bamboo in a box. They put the box in their bed room. In the morning, they heard a baby crying. Pak Inda and Bu Tumina looked everywhere to find the baby. Finally they found a baby girl inside the box where they put the bamboo. However the bamboo was gone.
Pak Inda and Bu Tumina were very happy. They named the baby girl Putri Pinang Gading. Pak Inda and Bu Tumina took care of her with great love. Even though Putri Pinang Gading was their only child, they did not spoil her.
They taught her to be independent. They also taught her how to protect herself from wild animals. That was why Putri Pinang Gading grew as a great girl. One day, a giant bird attacked their village. The bird was wild. It hurt many people. Nobody dared to kill the giant bird. Putri Pinang Gading knew she had to do something. She wanted to kill the bird.
Be careful my daughter. We love you very much and we don’t want anything bad happen to you. Here, take this arrow with you. The arrow has poison and it can kill the bird. Just aim it at the bird’s heart, said Pak Inda. He knew his daughter could do that.
She was skillful with arrows. Putri Pinang Gading then went to the village. She was waiting for the bird. The villagers were scared. They asked her to be careful. Suddenly, the giant bird was flying right above her. The bird tried to attack her. Putri Pinang Gading then prepared her arrow. She aimed at the bird’s heart.
Wooosshhh! The arrow hit the bird’s heart! The bird fell on the ground and died instantly. The villagers were very happy. They thanked Putri Pinang Gading for her great action. On the ground where the giant bird fell, bamboo plants grew. The bamboos were poisonous. Later the villagers named the area as Membalong. It means poisonous bamboos. Membalong is now a district in Bangka Belitung. ***

Umpit and the Wild Hogs

Folklore from Bangka Belitung

A long time ago in Bangka, lived a hunter. His name was Umpit.
He was called Umpit because he always went hunting using his blowpipe. The villagers liked him very much. Umpit often hunted the wild hogs. Those animals often destroyed the villagers’ plantation. After Umpit killed the wild hogs, the villagers gave him some money.
Pak Raje was the richest man in the village. Nobody liked him. He was very stingy. He did not like to donate his money. One day he asked Umpit to hunt the wild hogs. Umpit agreed. At night he was prepared and waited at the Pak Raje’s plantation.
While he was waiting, suddenly seven wild hogs entered the plantation. Umpit prepared his blowpipe.
Then, whoosssh! One of the hogs was shot.
Amazingly, the hog disappeared.
Umpit could not find the hog anywhere.
However he found blood shed on the ground. He followed the blood trail. It went to the jungle. Finally the blood trail stopped in a big cave. Slowly he entered the cave. Then he heard a voice.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Umpit.
I’m looking for a wounded hog. I shot it using my blowpipe.”
“So, it’s you! You are the man who hurt my daughter!”
Slowly a woman appeared in front of him.
“Come, follow me,” said the woman.
She then pointed a girl. She was wounded. Her leg was bleeding.
“She was not a real hog. We are the goddess of the jungle. I will forgive you, but you have to cure my daughter.”
Umpit was so scared. He did not know that it was not the real hog. He then took some leaves. He knew some medication because his parents taught him before.
He put the leaves on the wound. After a while, the girl was cured. The woman then gave Umpit a present. Umpit immediately went home. He ran very fast.
At home, Umpit immediately opened the present. Wow! He got jewelries, gold and diamond. Umpit sold the jewelries and now he became a rich man.
Pak Raje heard that Umpit had become a rich man. He asked Umpit how he became rich. After he knew all about it, he borrowed Umpit’s blowpipe.
He waited at his plantation, and he shot a wild hog.
He followed the blood trail and arrived at the cave. He met the woman and the injured girl. Pak Raje was asked to cure the girl. But he could not do that, and that made the woman angry. She asked all the wild hogs to attack Pak Raje.
Pak Raje ran very fast. He went to Umpit’s house. He asked Umpit to help him from the wild hogs. He agreed to help if only Pak Raje donated some of his money. Pak Raje said yes and he also promised he would be helpful to the villagers. ***