Akimogong

Akimogong story

Once upon a time, there was a woman who had a beautiful baby girl. The woman and her husband loved their daughter very much. The baby was always smiling and good tempered. She grew up into a lovely young woman. Many young men wanted to marry her but her mother did not agree. “My daughter is not yet old enough to get married,” she said.

But really, as she only had one child, she wanted her daughter to stay at home as long as possible. The girl was not even allowed to leave the house without her mother going with her.

One day, when the girl was alone at home, she heard a strange voice calling out her name, “Kinomulok, Kinomulok, why don’t you come to play with us?” she look outside. There was a tall skinny wizard with long
waving fingers smiling at her. There were three or four terrible-looking goblins with him. All carrying swords.

“My mother will not allow me to go out,” Kinomulok replied.

“I don’t care about that,” said the wizard. “I’ve come to fetch you.” The goblins rushed into the house and seized Kinomulok. In a flash, they tied her up with rope and pulled her outside the house. She fell down on the ground outside and fainted. The wizard thought she was dead.

“Never mind,” he shrieked. “We can take her spirit with us and leave her body behind.” He then spoke same magic words and the girl changed into a ghost.

They all rushed out of the village as fast as they could go. The wizard was laughing. “Wonderful, wonderful, now I can have a wife without having to pay a dowry.”

At that time, two of the villagers, who were returning home after working in the fields, saw the strange party leaving.

“Hey where are you going, old man?” they called out.

The wizard raised his hand as if he were aiming a gun. There was a puff of smoke and the men disappeared.

The wizard and his attendants ran into the jungle. They were going to mountain in the far distance, where the wizard lived.

However, they passed by a tall tree at the top of which lived a kind magician called Akimogong. “Who is that?” he shouted. He thought it was a feast. He was found of rice wine and always liked a party.

He then saw the wizard and the goblins dragging away the young girl.

“Where are you taking that girl?” he asked.

The wizard pointed his hand at Akimogong but nothing happened. His magic was  useless against Akimogong. Akimogong then spoke some magic words which changed the wizard and his goblins into jungle mice, and the girl into a mall stick.

Akimogong carried the stick back to the village where the girl lived. He saw many people crying, “Two of four men have been killed by a wicked wizard.” They said. Someone told him that Kinomulok had died too. He went to her parents house. Her mother and father were crying.

“Don’t cry!” he said. “Your daughter is not dead. The wizard placed a spell on her and tried to take away her spirit.” He placed the small stick on Kinomulok’s chest. In a few minutes, Kinomulok opened her eyes.

“Oh, I have had such a horrible dream! Dreamt  I was being taken away by a wicked wizard and his men,”

“Don’t worry!” her mother said, “You are all right.”

She hugged her daughter and thanked Akimogong for his help.

When Akimogong told the girl’s parent what had happened, they were very grateful. Later, Akimogong wanted to marry their daughter, and they agreed.

The wedding feast lasted three days and nights, and when it was over, Akimogong and Kinomulok lived together happily ever after.

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The king's judgment

The king's judgement story 

Once upon a time, there was a poor man named Juan. He led a very hard life and often had no food to eat.

One day, when he was feeling very tired and hungry, he passed by the house of a rich merchant called Pedro. Pedro was cooking some food which smelled very good.

“Ah!” thought Juan. “The smell of that food makes me feel better.”

He went to thank Pedro for allowing him to smell the food.

“You have smelled my food,” said Pedro. “so you must pay me for it.”

“I’m sorry,” replied Juan. “but I don’t have any money.”

“I don’t care. You must pay me something.”

“All right.” Said Juan. “Let’s go to see the king. We can ask him to settle the matter for us.

They set out together for the king’s palace. On the way they met a young man named Manuel. He was trying to pull his horse out of a ditch.

“Please help me pull my horse out of the ditch,” he begged them.

Pedro did not want to help. But Juan helped Manuel by pulling the horse by its tail.

He pulled so hard that the tail came off in his hand.

“Look what you’ve done!” cried Manuel. “You’ll have to pay me for my horse’s tail or find a new tail.”

“I’m only a poor man,” said Juan. “How can I pay you any money or find a new tail for your horse? I was only trying to help you,”

“Please come with us to see the king. We can ask him to settle the matter.”

When Juan, Pedro and Manuel arrived at the Palace, Juan explained to the king what had happened.

The king kept quiet for some time. He then ordered one of h servants to bring in some silver coins. He placed them on the table in front of him.

“Smell them,” he ordered Pedro. “Juan was happy to smell your food. So you will have to be happy to smell the money.”

Pedro did as he was told. He afterwards left the palace without saying another word.

The king then turned to Manuel. “Is it correct that you want Juan either to pay you some money or to find a new tail for your horse?” he asked.

“Yes Your Majesty.”

“In that case,” said the King, “You must lend your horse to Juan until it grows a new tail.”

Juan was very pleased with the King’s decision. He left the palace riding the horse. Manuel walked home silence.

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Two magic hair

Two magic story 

Many years ago, there lived man called Tikus (Mouse). He was called “Mouse” because he was only four feet tall. He lived by himself in the jungle.

One day, he was invited to a feast at a nearly village. He ate and drank until he was full and then decided to go home.

“You’ve too much to drink.” Said the village headman.. “It is very late. You had better stay here tonight.”

The village headman gave him a present of two chickens to take home with him.

Tikus began to walk back through the dark forest. He Had not gone very far, when he heard someone following him. “Bump! Thump! Bump!” he wondered who it could be. Suddenly, someone caught hold of his shoulder. He looked round. There was a huge, horrible-looking giant, over ten feet tall.

“what do you want, Gergasi (Mr. Giant)?” he cried. “I have not done you any harm. Please let me go.”

“I am hungry,” roared the giant in a frightening voice. “I want to eat you for dinner.”

“Sir, please take these chickens instead.”

Gergasi seized the chicken from Tikus. “Ho, ho, ho! They really look very tasty, little man, and much more appetizing, than you!”

Gergasi held Tikus with one hand while he fed himself with the other. He did not wait to cook the chickens. “Yum, yum! They tasted very good. I feel much better now.”

He looked down at Tikus. “You’re not such a bad little man after all,” he said. “One good turn deserves another. I think I’ll let you go this time. here, take this small present as payment for the chickens.”

He handed over to Tikus two long, strange-looking hairs from the bag he was carrying. One was black and the other white.

“The black hair will protect you from all danger and the white hair will bring you happiness and wealth.”

Before Tikus could thank him. Gergasi had disappeared into the thick jungle.

Tikus soon forgot about the two hairs. However, one day, many weeks afterwards, he was again invited to a feast at the same village. A fight took place between two men who had had too much to drink. The village headman tried to stop them but they took no notice of him. One of them took out a knife and tried to stab the other.

Tikus suddenly remembered the strange present which Gergasi had given him. Although both the man were much bigger than he was, he seized one of the men with his right hand and the other with his left. He banged their heads together. “If you don’t stop fighting,” he said in a loud voice that surprised everyone. “I’ll teach both of you a good lesson that you’ll never forget.”

The men asked to be forgiven and promised not to fight any more.

Tikus became famous after that. The village headman asked him to stay there to help him look after the village.

Not long afterwards, he married one of the village girls. He earned a living by cutting and selling timber from a nearby forest. It seemed to be impossible for anything to go wrong with his business. It grew and grew. Soon he was able to employ hundreds of workers. He made so much money that he did not know what to do with it. He used some of it to provide schools and a hospital for the villagers and their children. He also helped the poor. He lived happily with his wife and children to an old age.

When he died, everyone said. “he was a good man. He brought peace, happiness and prosperity to the village.”

The blind elephant

The blind elephant story 

There were two brothers, Daeng and Jomroon, who lived in a village on the banks of the Chao Phya near Bangkok. They had both studied under the same teacher. After leaving school, they decided to go to Bangkok to earn a living. On their way, they passed through a thick forest, Daeng saw the footprints of an elephant on the path they were following.

“These are footprint of a male elephant, blind in its left eye,” he told his brother,

“How do you know that?” asked Jomroon. “All I can see is that the elephant was traveling from south to north.”

Daeng however, did not want to hurt his brother’s feeling so he said nothing more.

After some time, they saw a large male elephant eating some bananas. When it saw them, it lifted its trunk and made a loud noise. It then ran away into the forest. before it did so, Jomroon noticed that it was blind in its left eye.

He thought to himself, “How can Daeng be so clever? We went to the same school, and passed the same examinations.”

After working for about two years in Bangkok. Daeng and Jomroon went home for a holyday. As soon as they arrived back at their village, they visited their old teacher to give him two pots of cooking oil which they had brought from Bangkok.

While they were sitting down talking together, Jomroon told his teacher about the blind elephant.

“How did Daeng know that the elephant was male and blind one eye? He asked.

“Jomroon, did you know that the pot of oil which you gave me is only half full?”

“Yes,” said Jomroon. “I was surprised to see that because it was full when I bought it in Bangkok.”

“Do you see that the pot of oil which Daeng brought me is full? This is because,” the teacher continued. “he bought a thicker pot, so that the oil wouldn’t leak from it so easily.”

He looked at Daeng. “Can you please tell Jomroon how you knew about the elephant?”

“I saw that trees on both sides of the path had been scratched by its tusk. Only male elephant have tusk. Also is footprint were deeper on the left than on the right. I knew this was because it was blind in its left eye.”

“You see,” the teacher smiled an Jomroon, “What we learn at school isn’t enough. We have to learn more from life after we leave school.”

Why crocodiles are afraid of dayaks

Why crocodiles are afraid of dayaks story

Once upon a time, there was a Dayak who was a very good hunter. One day, as he was returning home carrying two jungle fowls, he was startled to see a large crocodile on the path in front of him. “Where are you going, Mr. Crocodile?” he asked . actually, although he was afraid , he knew that he could climb the steep hill behind him faster than the crocodile could with its short legs.

“I’m looking for some food.” Said the crocodile.

“Well, why don’t you come home with me? I’m sure my wife will cook something for you. In any case, we can eat these two jungle fowls.”

The Dayak though this was the best way to answer the crocodile. He was afraid that if he did not treat the crocodile politely. The crocodile would eat him up.

“Thank you,” replied the crocodile. “You are very kind.: he was curious to see how the Dayak lived as he had never visited one of their house before. He was very friendly and could talk very well.

After eating the meal which Mrs. Dayak had cooked had cooked for him, he said, “I am very comfortable here. Can I stay with you longer?”

“Of course,” the Dayak said. He though that it would make hi appear a very important man to have a crocodile staying at his house.

“Why not allow him to marry our daughter?” his wife asked.

“You must be mad!” her husband cried.

“Well, what’s wrong with that? Have you never heard the old Dayak story about the crocodile who married a girl and afterwards changed into a handsome, rich young man?”

“I don’t believe in fairy stories,” her husband said. “In real life it never happens like that.”

“All right,” his wife answered, “even if he’s not a handsome, rich, young man, he will have to work to support you. That is the Dayak custom.

Finally, the Dayak agreed to the crocodile marrying his daughter.

He soon found out that his son-in law was lazy and good-for-nothing. The crocodile only wanted to lie in the sun the whole day and show his sharp teeth from time to time. He refused to do any work. He would not even catch fish for his father-in-law. He ate so much that his father-in-law’s supply of rice was soon finished. He then forced the Dayak’s neighbors to give him more by opening his terrible-looking mouth and showing his sharp teeth. Very soon, he was hated by all the Dayak’s.

“What should we do?” they asked each other. “If we keep quiet. All the crocodiles will think we’re afraid of them. We must find a way to teach him a good lesson.”

So one day, while he was sleeping, they jumped on him and cut him to pieces.

The news of what had happened quickly reached the king of crocodiles. Surprisingly enough, he agreed with what the Dayaks had done. “customs are important,” he said quietly, “They must always be followed. As he married a Dayak girl, he should have followed the Dayak customs. He deserved what he got.”

And so, to this day, a crocodile will not dare to look a Dayak in the face or do any harm to him.

The broom

The broom story

There was once a simple good villager, who was the father of four boys. He took good care of his children, and worked hard so that they could all live well and happily, with enough to eat every day, and a comfortable home in which to live. The sons had a good life because their kind father took such loving care of his family.

This good villager, whose name was Astina, enjoyed reading the holy stories of Bali. Every morning after his work was finished and all his children had been fed and put to bed, Astina took out his book of holy stories and read them till he felt too tired and went to sleep himself. He believed in the teachings of these holy stories, and tried both to understand and to follow them, in order that he might lead an even better life than he was already leading.

However, Astina’s four sons were not like him. They did not follow their father’s kindly ways. Every day his sons fought among themselves or with their neighbor, and caused much trouble within their village. This distressed Astina very much, and he spent many night wondering how to change the ways of his boys. During these nights Astina also consulted the holy books of Bali, hoping to learn from them some way to solve his problem and to stop his children from quarrelling.

One evening his four sons had been especially naughty, and Astina had had to listen to complaints from several neighbours on his return home after a hard day in the field.

Astina decided that the time had come to call his children together and to talk seriously to them. Astina asked his sons to sit down. Then he went to the kitchen and brought out the kitchen broom, which was made from the strong veins of the leaves of the coconut palm.

“Please” Astina said to his sons, “take this broom and try to break it.” The youngest tried first, but he could not break the strong broom, because the straws were tightly bound together. Then the third son tried, and also failed. Then the second, and finally the eldest, but none could break the broom.

“Now” their father said, “I want to show you something. “He untied the broom and the straws fell to the floor. He picked them up one by one and broke them. “the straws of this broom are easily broken when they are tied together in one bunch,” the kind father told to his sons.

“we are the same, my sons. One by one, we can be broken, but when we stay together we are strong. If we do live as one family, we will be un happy. Disorder will easily come among us. Let us live as one and be like this broom – close together, strong and happy.”

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Folktale from Bali

Belog story
Folktale from Bali

Folktale from Philippines

In village  in Bali there once lived a silly happy boy called Belog “Belog” means “Blockhead” in Balinese, and Belog was well known around his village because of the foolish things he was always doing. The people of the village never grew tired of telling each other stories about Belog’s simple-minded behavior. One favourite story goes as follows.
Folktale from Bali

One day Belog’s mother accidentally dropped her last box of matches into a puddle of water. The matches got wet and would not light. She needed now matches to light her stove, so she called out to her son and said. “Belog, please go to the shop and buy some matches. The matches that I have are wet, and I cannot 
Folktale from Bali
light the fire to cook our meal.” She gave Belog some money and then added, “Now do make sure that the matches you buy are dry and can light easily!”
Folktale from Bali

So Belog took the coins for the matches from his mother, and happily walked to the village shop. He walked inside and asked the owner for a box of matches. Then Belog carefully counted his coins and paid for the box and began to walk home.
Folktale from Bali

No sooner was he outside the shop than a thought struck Belog. He opened the box and looked inside. “They look like good matches to me.” The thought. “But how can I be certain? I’d better try one.” Belog toll out of the matches and struck it. It caught fire easily.
Folktale from Bali

“Ah, that match is all right,” he said. “But how about the others?” so Belog took out all the matches one by one and lighted them to see that they were good. Then he replaced the matches in the box. “This is a good fox of matches. “Belog said to himself. Then he returned home.
Folktale from Bali

“Here mother.” Said Belog, with an honest and foolish smile on his face. “I bought a good box of matches. They all work. I tested all of them!” then Belog handed his mother the box of used, burnt matches.
Folktale from Bali

His poor mother. What could she say? After all, Belog was her only child, and she loved him dearly.
Folktale from Bali

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The legend of shuteye island

The legend of shuteye island story
(Favourite Story From Borneo)

Once upon a time, and old blind man lived on Pulau Timbun Mata (Shut-Eye Island)

He often sat in the sun outside his house looking after padi which his son had placed there to dry.

Whenever chickens came to eat the padi, he used to bang on the ground with a long stick to chase them away.

One day, his grandson played a trick on him. He caught a couple of crabs on the beach and placed them on the padi. They made a noise just like chickens eating the padi. “Tick, tick, tick!”

“What’s that?” asked the old man.

“Don’t you know?” his grandson replied. “Some chickens are eating the padi.”

The old man banged on the ground with his stick. But the crabs were not frightened. They continued to eat the padi.

“Ha, ha, Ha!” laughed the boy.

Suddenly, there was a terrible roar like the firing of cannon. An old man with a long white beard appeared in a cloud of smoke. He pointed a wand at the boy. “You should never laugh at your grandfather,” he said, “especially as he is blind.”

Before the boy could answer, a strong wind started to blow and the sky became black. A cloud of red smoke shot out of the top of a hill in the centre of the island. Tons of rock and boiling mud were thrown high into the air. All the houses on the island were destroyed and everyone living on the island was turned into stone.

Even today, if you visit the island, all you can see are some strange-looking rocks which resemble people.

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Blowpipes

Blowpipes story

Blowpipes are used as weapon in many parts of Borneo. It is believed that the Muruts of Sabah first used them more than a thousand years ago. They would not have been able to live without these weapons. They did not know how to plant rice at the time  but they planted tapioca on the hillsides near their houses. They only way for them to obtain enough to eat was to hunt wild animals and birds with their blowpipes and poisonous darts.

It is said that the first blowpipe was made from bamboo. It was sharpened at one end. The point was then hardened over a fire. This weapon could be used both as blowpipe and spear. However, bamboo blowpipes were not very accurate. The hole in the centre of the bamboo was too big, which made it impossible to shoot the darts straight. So blowpipes were made of hard wood, sometimes nine feet long, with a small hole bored down the centre. These wooden blowpipe were more accurate than bamboo blowpipes, but it was difficult to make the hole. Then a clever man thought of the idea of using a hot iron to make it. Even then, it sometimes took several weeks to make a blowpipe. Sometimes a sharp knife was tied tightly with rattan to the end of the blow pipe, and a metal mouthpiece was fixed at the other end.

Blowpipe darts are similar to arrows. They are usually made from wood or bamboo. They are about ten inches long and very thin and light. One end is sharp and the other end is shaped like a cork. This cork-shaped end helps to make sure that the dart travels in a straight line. The darts are dried in the sun and later hardened by fire. The pointed end is often dipped in poison which is made from the sap of a tree and the fangs of a poisonous snake. It looks like a black sticky paste.

Poisonous darts are placed ready for use in a bamboo container, which is hung above a fire so that darts are kept dry.

When an animal is killed with blowpipe, a hair is pulled out from its fur and stuck on the blowpipe, and a drop of blood from the animal is rubbed on the weapon.

Muruts can shoot very accurately with blowpipe. They can even hit a small bird from thirty yards away.

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How the world was made

How the world was made story

The Dusun people called their God Kinoringan. At first, he and his wife Yumun lived alone in the sky. One day Kinoringan said, “I feel rather lonely. Why don’t we make the world?” so he took his shield and a round rice-tray. He put the shield upside down with the tray on top of it. He then lowered them down below the clouds. The shield became the earth the tray the sky. He and his wife then stood on the earth.

“it’s not very interesting, is it?” he asked. “Let’s make some mountains and sea and islands.”

So they took a large stone and placed it in the centre of the earth. This is the stone which people now call Mount Kinabalu. It is said that Kinoringan still lives on top of it to judge people when they die.

Kinoringan and his wife placed another large stone on the earth and this became the Mantanani Island. They dug a hole which they tilled with water to make the sea. As they walked on the earth. They were so heavy that their feet sank into the ground. These holes became valleys.

“What about making some people?” Kinoringan said. First of all, they made a man and a woman out of stone. But the couple was unable to talk or walk. They then made a man and a woman out of wood. These could talk but they could not walk. So Kinoringan and his wife burnt them and the ashes became deserts. Finally, they made a man and a woman out of an ant’s nest. These could both walk and talk. The human race began in tis way.

Some people believe that Kinoringan still watches over the world from the top of mount Kinabalu. When a baby is born, he takes a piece of string and ties some knots in it. Each knot stands for a number of years. Every year, Kinoringan unties one knot. When the last knot is untied, the time has come for the person to die. Sometimes, however, Kinoringan falls asleep while he is tying the knots. When he wakes up, he forgets what he has done and takes another piece of string and starts tying some more knots. That is why some people have a long life. If Kinoringan falls asleep before he was tied the first knot, the baby will die before it is one year old.

People say that when they die their souls go to Mount Kinabalu. On the way, they must cross the Tempasuk River near the house of Oduk Magatob, the daughter of Kinoringan. When a soul comes to her house, she looks to see if the last knot has been untied. If it has not, she sends the soul back home. That is why some people who appear to be dead, come back to life.

This is how Kinoringan made the world.

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How the dayak learned to plant rice (1)

How the dayak learned to plant rice (1) story

Long, long ago, the Dayaks lived on tapioca, yams, potatoes and fruits. They did not know how to grow rice. At this time, there was a great Dayak chief whose son was called Siu. His father died when he was small, and he was brought up by his mother. Later, he became the head of the longhouse where he lived. There were three hundred families living in it.

Siu was very handsome young man. His coat was made of brightly coloured cloth. He were hornbill feathers in a rattan band around his head. In his belt, he carried a sword and many magic charms. He believed that the charms would prevent any harm coming to him. He carried a long spear in his right hand and a shield in his left. “You look handsome and strong, my son,” his mother said. “I am proud of you.”

One day, Siu called together all the young men of the longhouse. “Let us go into the jungle to shoot birds,” he said. So they all started off, carrying their blowpipes. In few minutes, they had disappeared into the thick jungle. They each went their separate ways.

Siu went towards a mountain not far from his house. Although he hunted the whole morning, he did not see a single animal or bird. “How strange!” he thought. “Everything is so quiet and peaceful.” Suddenly he heard some birds chirping not so far away. He hurried towards them. He saw hundreds of birds flying around a tall tree. Some of them he had never seen before. There were wild pigeon, parrots, and hornbills. Siu crept towards them. He raised his blowpipe to his lips and shot a poisoned dart at one of them. But he was surprised to see not one but several birds fall to the ground. Soon, he had killed many more birds then he could carry. So e made a little bamboo basket to carry them. He tied the basket on his back and started home.

He wanted to return by the same way that he had come. However, he could not find the path.

“I must hurry.” He said to himself. “Otherwise I’ll have to spend the night in the jungle.”

Then he saw a winding path which led to Dayak longhouse.

“I didn’t know there was a house here,” he said to himself.

He stopped to hide his blowpipe and the basket of birds behind some bushes near the longhouse. He could hear some people talking inside. “Hallo!” he called out. “Is anyone at home?” no one answered. Siu called out again. This time someone said, “Yes, come up!”

The front part of the longhouse was empty so he sat down on a mat. Presently he heard a woman’s voice coming from one of the rooms, “make yourself at home, Siu. I’m cooking some food for you.”

“who is that?” he asked himself. “How does she know my name?”

Soon a young and pretty girl came out of a room carrying a tray of food. “Please eat first,” she said. “You must be very hungry after hunting all day. We can talk afterwards.”

After he had finished eating, she came and sat down beside him.

“Why are you living alone?” Siu asked her. “This is a Dayak longhouse. There must be many families living in it. Where are they?”

“I’ll tell you later,” the girl replied. “First tell me something about yourself. How did you find this longhouse?”

“Well, I was hunting for birds and lost my way. Then I followed a small path which led to this longhouse. Tomorrow morning I must return home otherwise my mother will wonder what has happened to me.”

He then told her all about himself and his life.

“Why do you want to leave so quickly? Stay here for a few days at least.”

She spoke so sweetly that Siu had to agree.

The next morning, Siu was awakened by the noise of some children playing outside. But he still did not see any grown-up people.

Although Siu did not know it, this was the house of Singalang Burong. The Dayak God of War. Singalang Burong was very clever and could change himself ia a bird. When he travelled, he always flew high above the jungle. But in his own house and among his own people, he appeared as a man. He had eight daughters. All of whom knew how to change themselves into birds. The girl who had met Siu was Singalang Burong’s youngest daughter.

After Siu had remained in the longhouse for about a week, he decided that he could not stay any longer and the time had come for him to return home.

“I must go home now,” he told the girl. “Though I don’t know your name, you have been very king to me. May I ask you something? Please don’t be angry at what I say.”

“What  is it?” the girl asked.

“Will you become my wife and come home with me?”

The girls thought for a long time. “I shall be happy to marry you” she said. “But you must promise never to tell your people about this house or anything you have seen. And you must promise never to kill a bird again or even catch one. If you should break this promise, I shall leave you.”

“All right,” said Siu.

“Now I shall tell you about myself and the people who live here,” the girl said. “My name is Bunsu Burong (the youngest of the bird family). Many of my people were killed in a fight with another tribe. All the remaining men have  gone out to fight with the other tribe. I hope they will win this time. perhaps I should tell you that our people are able to change themselves into birds. I’m sure you have heard of my father. He is Singalang Burong.”

Siu was surprised that he did not know what to say. He was very pleased that he had not brought his blowpipe and the basket of birds into the longhouse.

When Bunsu Burong left the longhouse with Siu,  he saw that she seemed to know the way. After walking for several days, they reached a stream not far from where Siu lived. They stopped to take a bath. Some children from Siu’s longhouse saw them. They ran home shouting, “Siu has returned! He has brought a beautiful girl with him as his wife.”

All of Siu’s people came out to welcome him and Bunsu Burong. His mother kissed both of them. “My son,” she cried, “I thought you were dead and I would never see you again. Now you have returned home with your lovely wife, we must have a big feast.”

So they had a big feast and drank a lot of wine and everyone was laughing and happy. Siu’s mother prepared a special room for her son and his wife. They were greatly liked and respected by all the families living in the longhouse.

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How the dayak learned to plant rice (2)

How the dayak learned to plant rice (2) story

 

Next year, Bunsu Burong had a son. His parents decided to call him Seragunting. He grew up into a fine, strong, young man.

One day, a man caught some birds in a trap. He showed them to Siu. “What beautiful birds!” exclaimed Siu. He held one of the birds in his hand and stroked it. He forgot the promise which he had given to his wife. When Bunsu Burong saw what he did, she left the longhouse.

“Where are you going?” her husband asked.

“You’ve broken your promise,” she said. “I cannot stay with you any longer. I’m going back to my father.”

After walking for three days, they reached the edge of a wide and deep river. It was impossible for them to cross. Suddenly, Siu heard the sound of boat approaching.

“Can you please help us cross the river?” he called out to the boatmen.

The boat came towards the shore. But one of the boatmen recognized Siu and his son. “It’s Siu and his son!” he cried. “Turn back! We don’t want anything to do with them.” The boat returned the way it had come.

Actually the men in the boat were Bunsu Burong’s relatives. They were not very pleased that she had married an ordinary man like Siu so they did not want to help Siu and his son.

The next morning, Siu and his son noticed a huge black cloud drifting towards them in the sky. As it came nearer, they saw
there was a huge spider sitting on top of it.

“Don’t be afraid,” the spider shouted. “I have come to help you. I have brought you some food and clothing. I can carry you over to the other side of the river.”

After they had eaten the food and changed their clothes, the spider told them to sit on his back. “Don’t look down,” he said, “otherwise you will feel giddy. They flew up into the sky. Soon they landed on the other side of the river. They could see a mountain in front of them with a splendid house on the top. It looked so magnificent that they thought it must be a palace.

“Bunsu Burong lives there.” The spider told them. “But you look very tired. You’d better rest here tonight and climb the mountain tomorrow.”

When Siu and Seragunting woke up the next morning, they were surprised to see some men planting sharpened bamboos, with the pointed ends sticking up, along the only path which led up the mountain.

“What shall we do?” Siu asked. Before Seragunting could answer, they saw a large bird hovering overhead.

“Can you heard me?” it called out.

“Yes,” they shouted.

“Listen to me. I can guide you up the path. Be careful where you tread and you will then be all right.”

So with the friendly bird guide them, Siu and his son climbed up the path. It took the, a long time to reach the top. There were some steps leading up into the palace.

They entered the front of the palace. There was a man sitting inside. They asked him which was Bunsu Burong’s room. He pointed it out to them. When they went in. they saw Bunsu Burong sleeping on a mat. She woke up and welcomed them with a smile.

“I sent the spider and bird to help you.” She said. “otherwise, you would never have been able to come here.”

Later, she took them to meet her relatives. “I’m afraid they may not be very pleased to see you. They never wanted me to marry an ordinary man.”

What Bungdsu Burong said was right. Her relatives did not say a word to either Siu or Seragunting.

However, they agreed to accept them if Seragunting could pass some tests to prove his bravery and skill.

“Here’s one,” his mother said . she took a chicken’s egg and waved a charm over it. It immediately changed into a top. All the men and boys in the palace were spinning their tops. However, whenever Seragunting aimed his top at one of theirs, his top smashed theirs into small pieces. They did not know what to do.

“Let us have a wrestling match,” said one of the men. Seragunting had never seen before such  a huge, fat man. However, he sized him in his arms and quickly threw him over his head. He fell to the ground with heavy thumps.

“All right,” Bunsu Burong’s relatives said. “Let’s go hunting”

“I don’t have a hunting dog.” Said Seragunting.”

“You can take with you any dog you like.”

Bunsu Burong selected for her son an old dog which looked very weak. She stroked its head. It immediately started to bark and change into a young dog. Seragunting took it with him to go out hunting.

All the other men returned in the afternoon. They had caught anything. When Seragunting came back a little later, his dog was chasing a wild pig.

“I’ve brought it back for you to kill,” he told the men.

One of them stepped forward, sword in hand. But he wild pig looked so fierce that he threw away his sword and ran back into the palace. No one else wanted to try and kill the pig.

Seragunting threw his spear at it. It hit pig between the eyes, and the pig fell to the ground dead.

After that, all of Bunsu Burong’s relatives agreed to recognize Siu and Seragunting. They were then taken to meet Bunsu Burong’s father. Singalang Burong, the Dayak God of war.

Singalang Burong welcomed them. He promised to teach them everything he knew before they returned home.

They were shown the best way to catch deer and other wild animal. They were taught to make the various kinds of fish-traps used by Dayaks. They learned how to plant rice.

At the end of the year, Bunsu Burong took her husband and son to see her father again. He was sitting on a magnificent throne. He asked them to sit beside him.

“I am the king of the Dayaks.” He said. “I know how to make men successful in anything they do. If you want help at any time, please remember that you only have to call out my name three times, and I shall come. The most important thing you have learned here is how to plant rice. Rice is a much better food that yams and potatoes. Go back and teach your people how to plant rice. I shall give you some rice seeds to take with you.”

So Siu and his son said good-bye to the King. Siu wanted his wife to return with him but she said she had to remain with her father. Siu and Seragunting were very sad to leave. But Siu promised to find a way to see his wife again before long.

When they reached home, a great feast was held to welcome them back. Siu’s mother was so happy that she cried! Siu and Seragunting told all their neighbor and friends what they had seen and learned. They taught everyone hoe to plant rice.

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The man with two pairs of arms and legs

The man with two pairs of arms and legs story

A farmer and his young son were returning to their village from Bandar Seri Begawan. It was dark and they had nowhere to pass the night. “I feel very tired, father,” said the boy. “Let’s stay here for the night.”

So they settled down to sleep under a large tree. They lit a small fire with some sticks to keep away the mosquitoes. They laid down side by side. The farmer covered his son and himself with a blanket.

“I’m not very comfortable,” said his son. “the ground is too hard.”

“Never mind, you’ll soon be asleep.”

Not long after, the boy rested his head on his father’s chest, as if it were a pillow. He soon fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, after the fire had gone out, a tiger passed by. He was looking for a good dinner. He could smell the scent of the man and his son. When he came closer, he was surprised to see that although there was only one head sticking out from the top of the blanket, there were two pairs of arms and legs protruding from the sides. He ran away as fast as he could.

Soon he met his friend Buaya (Mr. Crocodile), and told him what had happened. “You’re silly,” said Buaya. “There are two persons sleeping there. One of them must have covered his head with a blanket. Now please run back and take one for yourself and give the other to me.”

The tiger could not help laughing when he heard what Buaya said.

He ran back to where the farmer and his son were sleeping, he went closer this time to have a good look. His whiskers brushed the nose of the sleeping man. Suddenly, the man gave a loud sneeze  -  “Ah-choou!”

The tiger was startled that he turned around and fled. He ran straight back to Buaya shouting, “Here I come!”

Buaya thought it must be the present that Mr. Tiger had promised him. He opened his mouth wide, and the tiger ran straight inside. In a flash, Buaya swallowed him.

Even to this day, he has never realized that he had swallowed his friend. However, he has often been seen to shake his head and say that some men are very hairy and tough.

Apai Sali and his wife

Apai Sali and his wife story

Apai Sali was ugly and not very clever. One day he caught a wild pig. He was delighted but he did not want to let his wife know. He was greedy and wanted to eat it himself. So he did it in some bushes behind his house.

He returned home holding his stomach.

“What’s wrong?” his wife asked.

“I have a terrible stomach-ache,” he said. He went into the kitchen to warm himself in front of the fire. However, he sat so close to the fire that his loin-cloth caught alight.

“You stupid fellow!” his wife cried. “Why aren’t you more careful?”

“Don’t worry,” Apai Sali replied. “the smoke will help to drive away the mosquitoes.” He left the kitchen by the back door.

“Where are you going?” his wife asked.

“I am only going to the toilet,” he said.

He went straight to the bushes behind which he had hidden the wild pig. He quickly made a fire with the lighted end of his loin-cloth and started to roast the pig.

As he was away for so long, his wife wondered what had happened. She could smell a pig being roasted. It was such a delicious smell it made her mouth water. She went to see where the smell was coming from. She saw her husband roasting a pig however, her husband did not notice her. She hid behind a big tree.

Suddenly, Apai Sali heard a noise. “Zzh! Zzh! Zzh!” it sounded like a swarm of hungry mosquitoes. Then he heard a voice. “Apai Sali, give me some of your roast pig.”

Apai Sali was not only stupid but timid. He quickly threw a leg of the pig in the direction of the voice.

The voice kept on asking for more and more. Soon there was nothing left of the pig for Apai Sali to eat.

He returned home and went to bed.

The next morning. His wife gave him some cold rice and vegetables for breakfast. “Don’t you have anything better than this?” he asked.

“You greedy man!” she said. “You wanted to eat all the pig by yourself yesterday. Do you think I didn’t know? It was I who spoke to you!”

“Chech!” exclaimed Apai Sali. “If I had only known, I wouldn’t have given you any of the pig.”

He got up and went out, leaving the cold rice and vegetables uneaten. But he never tried to cheat his wife again.

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Reward for a greedy wife

The Sparrow with no tongue story

Once upon a time, there lived an old man and his wife. The old man was very kind but his wife was very fierce. The old man kept sparrow in a cage in the kitchen. One day the sparrow ate some rice which had been left in the kitchen. The old man’s wife was very angry. She immediately cut out the sparrow’s tongue. The sparrow flew away through an open window.

the sparrow with no tongue story

When her husband returned home, he found that the sparrow had gone. He asked his wife what had happened.

“Your sparrow stole some food. So I cut out its tongue to teach it a good lesson.”

The old man was very sad. He decided to try to find out where the sparrow had gone.

He travelled all over the country, calling out in a loud voice, “Mr. Sparrow! Mr. Sparrow! Where are you?”

Finally, he found out where the sparrow was living, and he went to see him. The sparrow asked him to come in to meet his wife and children.

“Please sit down and make yourself comfortable,” the sparrow said. “I hope you can stay to dinner.”

“What a polite sparrow!” the old man thought.

After dinner, the old man asked to be excused as he was living a long distance away.

Before he left, the sparrow brought out two boxes. He told him to choose one of them as a present. The old man chose the smaller of the two. When he arrived home, his wife scolded him. “Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

“Oh!” replied her husband. “I discovered where the sparrow is living. He gave me this present.”

His wife opened the box. It was full of gold and silver.

She smiled and said to her husband. “I think I’ll also go to see the sparrow.”

When she arrived at the sparrow’s house, she called out, “Mr. Sparrow! How are you! I’ve been worrying about you for a long time. I’m so pleased to see you again.”

The sparrow invited her inside for dinner. Mrs. Sparrow was very kind to the old lady. She cooked an excellent meal.

When the old woman was ready to leave, she said, “Mr. sparrow, perhaps you would like to give me a present to take away? I can then always remember you.”

The sparrow brought out two boxes. The greedy old woman chose the larger one.

When she reached home, she called out to her husband, “Come out! Hurry up! See what the sparrow has given me!

When she opened the box, she found that it only contained stones.

The country of the mice

 The country of the mice story

There was once a king who ruled a large country in which there lived a great number of mice. One year there was not enough rice. The mice were very hungry. The king of the mice put on his best clothes and went to see the king of the country.

“Good morning, Mr. Mouse.” Said the king. “What can I do for you?”

“O king, we do not have enough rice. We would like to borrow some from you. If you can lend us what we need, we shall repay you next year.”

“How much do you want?”

“About one hundred bags,” answered the mouse.

“How can you carrying it away?”

“Your majesty, we shall find a way.”

The king ordered one hundred bags of rice to be given to the mice. The mice bit through the bags. They carried away the rice in their mouths. When the king looked the next morning. He was surprised to find the rice had disappeared.

The next year. The king of the mice repaid the king. The king was very pleased that he had kept his promise.

Not long afterwards, the king went to war with a neighbouring country. His army was not very strong. It lost every battle. The army of the other country reached the opposite side of the river. They were ready to attack the capital.

“Who can help me?” asked the king. He sent for the king of the mice.

The mouse asked the king to place thousands of stick. Each one foot long, by the side of the river.

The next night, all the mice used these sticks as boats to carry them across the river. The soldiers of other country were fast asleep when the mice quietly entered their camp. Some of them threw the soldier’s swords and guns into the river. Other ate their food. Yet others bit their toes. The soldier woke up. They did not know what had happened. They could not find their swords and guns and they thought they had been attacked by the king’s soldier. They ran away as fast as they could.

The king quickly asked the king of the mice to come to see him.

“Mr. mouse, you have saved my country,” he said. “Please tell me what you would like in return.”

The mouse replied. “O King, we only want to live in peace. Please send away all the cats from your country.”

The king did as he was asked. He gave orders for all the cats to leave immediately.

The king of the mice thanked the king. “cats are our worst enemy,” he said. “We can now live very happily for the rest of our lives.”

The monkeys and the men

 The monkeys and the men story

Long, long ago. There were many monkeys living in the forest around Chiengmai. Hunters used to go there from Bangkok to catch them. Some were sold to zoos, some to people who wanted them as pets, and others to people who liked monkey soup.

One day, a hunter caught many monkeys in his traps. They were all screaming and making a loud noise except one who sat very quite. “He must be a very unusual monkey.” The hunter said to himself, “I’ll keep him for myself.”

He sold all the other monkeys and kept this one in a big wooden cage in his house. He was very proud of him. When his friends came to visit him, he showed them the monkey. The monkey always sat very quietly in a corner of the cage.

“He’s very polite and well-behaved,” said his friends. “He’s like a human being. Why don’t you let him out of the cage? We’re sure he won’t run away.”

The hunter did this. As soon as he opened the door of the cage. The monkey ran away to the jungle at the back of the hunter’s house. He soon met some other monkeys. They were interested in him, as a monkey who had been caught by hunter seldom returned.

“What happened?” they asked him. “What was it like living in the monkey hunter’s house?”

The monkey scratched his head and ate a banana before replying to them. “I lived in a cage,” he said. “I had a good chance to watch the hunter and his friends very closely. First of all, they talk a lot. They all talked at the same time. Some of them played silly games. They threw away food they didn’t eat and left it lying around.”

The monkey’s new friends did not want to hear any more. They expected the monkey would tell them something more interesting. They started chatting among themselves and eating bananas and throwing away the skin. Some chased their own tails and scratched their heads.

“Wait,” the monkey called to them. “I haven’t finished yet.”

“we don’t want to hear any more,” the other monkeys said.

“The hunter and his friends don’t seem to be any different from us.”

The greedy monkeys

The greedy monkeys story

A family of monkeys lived in a forest in south China. They often came out to play. They liked to drink wine and wear red shoes. A hunter knew they lived in the forest and wanted to catch them. The monkeys were very clever, they always ran away when they saw him coming.

One day, the monkeys were all playing together. Suddenly one of them thought he could smell some wine.

“Ai-yaah! What a lovely smell! Where is it coming from?” he cried.

The monkeys soon found that it was coming from a large jar at the side of the path. There were several pairs of red shoes also next to the jar. The leader of the monkeys said, “We must be careful. I’m sure the hunter is playing a trick on us.”

Another monkey asked, “Why should he place such beautiful shoes by the side of the jar?”

As he spoke, he scratched his foot which began to itch. Yet a third monkey advised them, “We have not so far been caught by the hunter because we have been careful.” The old monkey who was their leader said “You’re right.”

We must be very careful. We don’t want the hunter to catch us.

“stupid old hunter” he cried out loudly. “Do you really think you can catch us?”

All the other monkeys started to shout, “Silly old hunter! Stupid old hunter!” until their throats were quite dry. They all stood in a circle around the wine jar and red shoes. They did not know what to do. No one wanted to leave. Some of them licked their lips. Others scratched their feet.

“Can we taste just a little of the wine?” one of the monkeys asked.

Without saying any more, all the monkeys rushed towards the wine jar and opened it.

“Ai-yaah! What a marvelous smell! We’re really very lucky! What wonderful wine!”

At first the monkeys tasted the wine with their tongues only. Soon they started to swallow large quantities of it.

Some of them put on the red shoes and jumped and danced in them. Others who had drunk too much wine fell to the ground.

Suddenly there was a loud noise from the forest. It was the hunter.

Some of the monkeys tried to run away. But they could not do so because the shoes were tied together.

It was very easy for the hunter to catch them. He tied all of them up.

“we’re  really very unlucky.” One of the monkeys said.

Another monkey answered, “We can only blame ourselves. We were too greedy.”

The tortoise who liked to boast

There were three good friends, a tortoise and two birds, who lived by a lake in Tibet. One year, there was no rain. Day by day, the water in the lake became less and less. The three friends did not know what to do.

The two  birds told to tortoise. “Everyone is moving to the Lake in the Sky. I think we had better move too, other wise we shall die of hunger and thirst. What do you think?”

“How can I travel so far?” replied the tortoise. “You can easily fly there but I have no wings.”

The tortoise cried so hard that the birds felt sorry for him.

“All right,” they said. “We can take you with us.”

“How can you do that?” asked the tortoise.

“we can hold two end of a stick in our mouths. You can hold on to the middle. We can then all fly together to the lake in the sky.”

“Yes, yes.” The tortoise cried. “What a good idea!”

“But you must be careful not to open your mouth while we are flying.”

“Of course not.” Replied the tortoise. “If anyone speaks to me. I shall not answer to them.”

So they started on their journey the next morning. The birds held the two ends of the stick. The tortoise held the middle of the stick with his mouth.

Soon they were on their way, flying over high mountains covered with snow, over dark forests, and farms.

On the earth, some farmers planting rice pointed up at them. “What a clever tortoise! He lets the birds carry him.”

Neither the birds nor the tortoise  said anything. The tortoise felt very happy to hear the farmers praise him.

They flew on and on towards the Lake in the Sky.

Some children looking after some cattle, on a hill shouted at them.

“What clever birds! They are carrying the tortoise to the Lake in the Sky.”

The birds did not say anything but the tortoise felt angry.

He wanted answer the children, “Stupid fools! Don’t you know that it was I who thought of the idea? I’m much more clever than the birds,” so he opened his mouth to shout back at them, “Hi….

As soon as he did so, he felt straight to the ground.