The Salako Custom of Paddy Planting
Salako Custom of Paddy Planting
By: Sunawar Owat Version (http://dayakblogs.blogspot.com/2008/11/sejarah-asal-usul-adat-istiadat-bauma.html)
Translated By: Naremang Salako (http://naremangsalako.blogspot.com)
This
story is a translation from Sunawar Owat version about the Salako
custom in paddy planting. I am aware that this story might differ from
other version which is usually told orally. So far I still can’t find
any written story about Salako folklore, and to me this is the best
version I can find. I have heard this story before when I was still a
child, but I can’t remember much of it. I tried my best to explain and
write the story as the written version in Bahasa Indonesia by Sunawar
Owat. Beside translating this story, I’m also trying to explain in
terms of the Salako custom according to universal view of interpreting
this story. Before I continue with this work, I would like to say
special thanks to Sunawar Owat for posting and publishing this story,
and to all the administrators of Komunitas Dayak Blogger web page,
especially to Oktavianus Arthadiputra.
Part One:
This story
happens as believe by the Salako people that there is a greater world
of Gods and Goddess called Sepangko in Kayangan (a place far greater
than heaven). This Place is a place where all the custom or law in
their life is learned.
It has been told for centuries about a story
of Nek Panitah (Give Orders) and his wife Nek Duniang (Worldly).
Although they are husband and wife, but they never sleep together.
After many years, it is said that one day Nek Panitah prayed and asked
to have a child. He said, “Oh Jubata (God), I asked You to make a child
for me”. Then, suddenly after Nek Panitah finished his word, appear a
male child in front of him. Nek Panitah gave the child a name, and
because the child doesn’t went through any circumcision, Nek Panitah
name him Baruakng Kulub (uncircumcised Bear)
Baruakng has grown up
to be a young playful boy. He went down to earth to play with his two
human friend by the name of Umang-Umang and Bulit-Bulit. The three of
them like to play gasing (top spinning), and Baruakng always win.
Baruakng knows well that his two friends still eat “Kulat Karakng” (a
type of mushrooms) and that why his two friends never wins against him.
One
day Baruakng goes down to earth again. As he went, he forgot that a few
grain of rice still stick at his calf. As they were playing, the few
grain of rice is seen by Umang-Umang. He took it and ate it. Suddenly
Umang-Umang feels very energetic. He continues playing and he defeated
Baruakng.
When he loses, Baruakng asked Umang-Umang, ”How can you
defeat me?”A little bit surprise, Umang-Umang said, “I ate something
that stuck at your calf, and may I know what it is?” “O my friends,
that is rice.” Baruakng answered. “What is rice?” asked Bulit-Bulit
“Well,
before it cooked to be eaten, we have to get grain called rice from a
paddy grain. Actually I don’t realize the grain of rice stuck at my
calf after I had my meal,” answered Baruakng.
“Can you please bring it for us to see,” beg Umang-Umang
With
a sad voice Baruakng said, “It’s difficult. My mum and dad will get
angry if I brought it down. They say it is prohibited for human being
in the world. Human being “piroro” (doesn’t care or do not prudent
enough),”
Because Baruakng feel so sad, he rushes back to his
world called Sepangko (A place where God and Goddess stay). When he
reaches his world, he rushes to their paddy hut, where they kept their
entire harvested paddy. At the paddy hut, Baruakng met his mother and
asked permission from his mother about his intention. Then his mother
said to him, “Let’s go home. Don’t you ever bring the paddy down to
earth because if your father knows, he will be angry with you.” And so
both of them went home.
The next day, Baruakng followed his
mother to their paddy hut. While his mother is working at the paddy
field alone, Baruakng took one paddy grain and hide it in his leather
trouser. Unfortunately his father knows it and he was scolded badly by
his father.
Baruakng misses his earthling friends a lot, and so he went down to earth to meet them.
When he meets Umang-Umang and Bulit-Bulit, he asked them to play gasing with him.
Then Umang-Umang asked him, “Do you bring the paddy?”
With a sad voice Baruakng told his that he didn’t bring the paddy grain because his father has found out about his intention.
“Why don’t you hide the paddy grain inside your foreskin of your penis” suggested Umang-Umang.
On
hearing Umang-Umang suggestion, Baruakng rushes back to his place. He
took one paddy grain and hid it inside his foreskin penis as suggested
by Umang-Umang. Then he rushes back down.
When he met his friend
again, Baruakng reminded them, “Don’t you ever plant this paddy grain
outside your house. Please plant it at your dapur (place for cooking
made of soil using fire wood) so that my father won’t see it.”
As
the story goes, Umang-Umang planted the paddy grain that Baruakng gives
him at the month of June, July and August. The paddy grows into
seedling, first comes out the shoots, then the flowers. From flowers it
matured into paddy grains, then it turn golden and ready to be
harvested.
Then one day, NeK Panitah look down to earth and he was
so surprise to see the golden color of the ripen paddy grain on earth.
He got so angry. “ Look what have Baruakng done. He has given the
scared paddy to the human. It is your fault. You never look after him
properly when he went down to play,” said Nek Panitah scolding Nek
Duniang, his wife.
“Well, what can I do because I have told him not to,” explain Nek Duniang.
“Unworthy wife, it is your entire fault. I will kill that child,” said Nek Panitah angrily.
Upon
hearing what the husband had said, Nek Duniang cried loudly. She knows
that what the husband had said means he will do it. So she secretly
went down and meets Baruakng. She advise him,“ Go and hide as far away
as you can, because you have done something very wrong that made your
father very angry with you. You should not give the paddy grain to the
human.”
Nek Panitah is getting ready to punish his son Baruakng.
He made pate’ (a trap made from a piece of wood which is sharpen to
kill). Mean while, Nek Duniang stops crying and her skin turn scaly.
She looks down and he saw Baruakng in sadness because he is longing to
return home to be with his parents. Out of pity, Nek Duniang send an
adoh (old female pig) down to her husband pate’, and the adoh is killed
by the pate’. She then told him about it. “Look that is our son dead
body that turn into an adoh. He was killed by your pate.” She then went
and meet her son, and said,” Be good my son. Follow a straight road. If
you turn right, you will reach Subayatn (heaven), and if you turn left
you will reach earth where human lives.”
After listening to his
mother advice, Baruakng then start walking, and he forgot that he had
turn to the right path, and reach Subayatn. In Subayatn, Baruakng meet
a beautiful lady by the name Si Putih (the white). They fell in love
with each other. They then get married. After a few years of marriage,
Baruakng is longing to see his mother again. And so he went back to
meet his mother.
Upon meeting his mother, his mother asked him,
“Which way do you choose to go, my son?” “I followed the straight path
and turn right. Then I meet one beautiful lady, Si Putih and married
her.” Baruakng answered her mother. “My son,” his mother said, “I want
you to return back to your wife. When you are with her, I want you to
look for gutu (lice) at your wife head. At the top part of her head, I
want you to pluck one of the hairs. By doing this, she will hate you,”
said his mother.
While Baruakng was away, his wife Si Putih was
dreaming to get pregnant. “I have been married to Baruakng for a long
time, but until now I still can conceive,” she told herself. Then she
got pregnant. After nine month ten days of pregnancy, she gave birth to
all kind of birds.
When Baruakng return back to his wife, he was
surprise to see that his wife has given birth to all kind of birds. He
was so sad to see what had happen to wife, until he forgot his mother
advice. “Tomorrow I must return to my mother, “said Baruakng to
himself. And so he went up again to meet his mother. When he meets his
mother, he asked her, “Mother, why did my wife give birth to all kind
of birds? What food shall I give them? Who shall I name them?”
Then
the mother said to Baruakng,” O my son, it’s not difficult to give name
to your children. All you need is to plant an aur (a thin, small type
of bamboo with small long spiking leaves) at the end of your pante’ (a
place to dry paddy grains or other things). Then you release one by one
of your children there. You start by releasing the oldest first, and
you name them by saying Keto, then Kohor, Caruit, Buria’,(birds species
name in Salako). You start again, also by releasing the oldest first,
and you name them by saying Biang, then Jantek, Ro’oh, Jeje, Ansit,
Dugal, Tongo’,Adatn, and Kijakng. This is the step and processes of how
you start bauma batahutn (process of paddy farming).
“O my son
returns back to your wife. You must divorce her. Just pluck a piece of
her hair, she will hate you,” advise Nek Duniang again to Baruakng.
Then came Nek Panitah, Baruakng father , and said, “You must divorce
her. Then you should go down to earth and teach them about the custom
of bauma batahutn. It is you who has given human the paddy. You should
find another wife of human origin.”
And so Baruakng follows what
his mother and father had asked him to do. Then he went down to earth,
and he married to Jamani, a human being. After some time as husband and
wife, Jamani got pregnant. Jamani delivered a baby boy, and the child
is given a name Kulikng Langit. Kulikng Langit grows into a playful
teenager. Close to their house, there is a fruiting Langsat tree (a
type of small round tropical fruits when the fruit ripen turn into
golden yellow colors. It flash is whitish and taste sweet). The desire
to eat the ripen Langsat fruit is so great that made Kulikng Langit
climb the Langsat tree.
While Baruakng is getting ready to go up
to Sepangko to meet his parent, not knowing that Kulikng Langit has
climb the Langsat tree, he advice his wife,”O my wife, I’m going to
meet my parent. Tell him while I’m away not to ignore what his brothers
and sisters says (Keto, Jantek etc.). If our son want to climb up or
went down a tree, please asked him not to ignore the words of Kohor,
Jantek, Keto, Buria’, Biang, Ro’oh, Jeje. If our son ignores what his
brothers and sisters say, something bad will happen to him.”
When
Kulikng Langit knows that his father was away, he climbed the Langsat
tree to get it fruits. While he was climbing, Keto fly by in front of
him. He knows because his mother had told him what his father said he
should not do. Keto fly by him for three times, yet still Kulikng
Langit ignored his sister and continue climbing. Before he could reach
the top, he slips and fell down. His body fell directly at the top of a
boulder, and he died.
Upon realizing what had happen, Keto
said,”O my brothers and sisters, we should tell our father what had
happen to our human brother. And so Keto with the brothers and sisters
brought Kulikng Langit dead body to Sepangko.
Upon receiving his
grandson dead body, Nek Panitah said, “I am the One who gives life to
you, rise and breathe again.” Kulikng Langit was alive again, but he
was prohibited to return to earth. Then he turn to Baruakng, and
said,”O Baruakng, return back to the world of human. Teach them the
Palangkahan (a technique of avoiding dangers while doing their chores)
from all birds sound.” And so , until today the human being (Salako)
still believe that birds sounds brings a sign when they want to start
their chores, especially about their bauma batahutn custom.
I'm still working about the interpretation of this story. Hope to finish it.
Thank you for reading and I would like comments please.