8. THE FATHERLESS BOY
(From the Saputans; kampong Data Laong)
A woman was going to the ladang in the morning, and she said to her young
son, Amon Amang, whose father was dead: "When the sun comes over the tree
there you must begin to husk paddi." She then went away to the ladang
while the boy remained at home. He carried the paddi, as well as the
oblong wooden mortar, up into a tree. There he began to work, and the
mortar and the paddi and the boy all tumbled down because the branch
broke. A man helped the half-dead boy to come to his senses again,
throwing water on him, and when the mother returned she was very angry to
see the mortar broken and the paddi strewed all about. "I told you to husk
paddi in the house when the sun came over the tree," she said. "Better
that you now go and hunt birds."
The boy then decided to hunt. He climbed a tree and put up snares to catch
birds. He caught a great many big hornbills, which he fastened alive to
his loin cloth, and they began to fly, carrying the boy with them to a big
tree, where they loosened themselves from him, left him in a cleft, and
all flew away. The tree was very tall, but he climbed down a fig tree
which grew beside it, descended to the ground, and went home.
His mother was not pleased that he did not bring any birds, and he told
her what had happened. "Why all this?" she said. "You fell from the tree!
You should have killed the birds," she declared reproachfully.
NOTE. - Amon Amang means the husband's child. (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)
