(Amon = father; Amang =
child.)
During my stay of two weeks at Data Lahong fortunate circumstances enabled
me to gather a considerable number of Saputan tales. Several prominent men
from neighbouring kampongs visited me and were willing to tell them, while
of equal importance was the fact that a Mohammedan Murung Dayak in my
party spoke the language well and made a very satisfactory interpreter.
On the other hand, I remained among the Penihings for many weeks, but the
difficulty of finding either men who knew folklore or who could interpret
well, prevented me from securing tales in that tribe. However, there is
strong probability that much of the folklore told me by the Saputans
originated with the Penihings, which is unquestionably the case with No.
16, "Laki Mae." The reason is not far to seek since the Saputans appear to
have been governed formerly by the Penihings, though they also are said to
have had many fights with them. According to information given me at Long
Tjehan, Paron, the Raja Besar in the kampong, until recent years was also
raja of the Saputans.
9. THE ANTOH WHO MARRIED A SAPUTAN
(From the Saputans; kampong Data Laong)
Dirang and his wife, Inyah, went out hunting with dogs, and got one pig.
She then cut rattan to bind the pig for carrying it home, and the man in
tying, broke the rattan. He became very angry and told his wife to look
for another piece of rattan. She went away and met an antoh in the shape
of a woman who asked her: "Where are you going?" "To look for rattan," was
the answer, and "What is your name?" Inyah asked. "I am Inyah Otuntaga,"
the antoh answered. Inyah then said: "Take this rattan and give it to my
husband."
Inyah Otuntaga brought the rattan to the man, who tied the babi all
around, and she took it up and carried it home. The man, meanwhile,
followed her, thinking it was his wife. She went to this side and that
side in the jungle, frequently straying. "What is the matter," he said,
"don't you know the way?" "Never mind," she retorted, "I forgot." Arriving
at the house she went up the wrong ladder, and the man was angry and said:
"Don't you know the right ladder?" She answered: "I cannot get up the
ladder." "Come up and walk in," he exclaimed, and began to think she was
an antoh.
She entered the room and slept there, lived with him ever after, and had
two children. His former wife, much incensed, went to the house of her
father, and after a while she had a child. Her little boy chanced to come
to the house of his father, who asked his name. "I am the son of Inyah,"
he said. Then the father learned where his former wife was, and he went to
fetch her, and afterward both wives and their children lived together.
10. LAKI SORA AND LAKI IYU
(From the Saputans; kampong, Data Laong)
Two men, Sora and Iyu, went into the utan to hunt with sumpitans. While
Iyu made a hut for the two, Sora went to look for animals and came across
a pig, which he killed. He brought the liver and the heart to the hut and
gave them to Iyu to cook. When the cooking was finished Iyu advised him of
it, and the two sat down to eat. It was already late in the afternoon and
Iyu, whose duty it was to fetch the pig, waited until next day, when he
went away to bring it in, but instead he ate it all by himself, and then
returned to the hut and told Sora what he had done. It was now late in the
evening and they both went to sleep. The following morning Sora went out
again with his sumpitan, but chased all day without meeting an animal, so
he took one root of a water-plant called keladi, as well as one fruit
called pangin, and went home. The keladi was roasted, but the fruit it was
not necessary to prepare. They then sat down to eat, but could not satisfy
their hunger, and Iyu was angry and asked why he brought so little. "I did
not bring more," Sora answered, "because it is probable the owner would
have been angry if I had." Iyu said: "Tomorrow I shall bring plenty."
Next morning Iyu came to the place where Sora had found the root and the
fruit, and he ate all that remained there, but this belonged to an antoh,
called Amenaran, and one of his children saw Iyu eat the root which he did
not cook, and also saw him climb the tree and eat the fruit. He went and
told his father, the antoh, who became angry, spoke to Iyu about it, and
wanted to know who had given him permission.
Iyu, who was up in the tree still gorging himself with fruit, said he was
not afraid and he would fight it out that evening. Amenaran stood below
and lightning poured forth from his mouth and thunder was heard. Iyu said:
"I have no spear, nor parang, but I will kill that antoh." And the big pig
he had eaten and all the roots and all the fruits that he had been feeding
on, an immense quantity of faeces, he dropped on Amenaran's head, and it
killed him. Iyu returned home and told Sora that he had put Amenaran to
death. They then went out and killed many animals with the sumpitan and
returned to the kampong. "Now that antoh is dead we can no more eat raw
meat nor much fruit," said Iyu. Long ago it was the custom to eat the meat
raw and much of it, as well as much fruit, and one man alone would eat one
pig and a whole garden.
