Once upon a time, at the banks of Batanghari River (located in what became Mersam Sub-District, Batanghari Regency nowadays), there was a village called Paseban. It was one of the villages with strong Melayu Jambi culture. Paseban was a prosperous and peaceful village. It was rich with natural resources, particularly from fishing and farming. The people lived harmoniously, always respecting e…
Once upon a time, there was a village on the banks of Komering River’s confluent. It was called Perigi. Perigi was located in what is now Kayuagung City, Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) Regency, around sixty kilometers to the southeast of Palembang, South Sumatera. It was a peaceful, lush, and beautiful village. Huge trees with wide dense leaves grew all over the village. The people got clear wate…
Palakka was a prosperous kingdom, ruled by Arung (King) Palakka. He was a wise and just king. All people of Palakka always loved and praised their king. However, behind his greatness as Arung, there was something that worried him. He was getting old and he had no heir to his throne. The King had a daughter, We Tenri Lawi. She had married La Tompiwanua, a prince from Cinnotabi Kingdom, but she h…
Once upon a time, there was a village in Pangguruan area. Its name is Lobu Sotartaban. In order to keep the enemy away, around the village was planted bamboo densely as fence. Twigs and leaves intertwined and hooked each other. The king who ruled Lobu Sotartaban Village was King Parsahala Sotarihuthon. In his father’s regime, the village would often be conquered by the enemy. However, the ene…
Far away, in Kampung Gunggung of Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, there lived a group of people headed by a campong headman. The headman of Kampung Gunggung had a handsome son. After his son had grown up, he wanted to marry his son with his niece. Such marriage according to the custom of Bataknese, where the headman lived, was common. The wedding was also held very luxurious. Many friends and relati…
In a village lived two siblings named Cendana and Cendini. They lived as orphans for a long time. Cendana loved his younger sister very much, Cendini. Even though Cendana was a kid, he had been able to plant paddies, fruits, and vegetables for food. Bananas and papayas were planted on the sidelines of the paddy fields. All foods were available from their fields and gardens. His body was so st…
Once upon a time, on Java Island, there was a place named Silanegara. It was a very prosperous and fertile land. The people live in prosperity. The land was led by a king named Mangkunegara. Mangkunegara was a very fair and wise king. He was also very concerned about his people. Because of that, he is respected and loved by his people. King Mangkunegara had a Queen and one adolescent son. His…
The cool night air was bone-chilling. Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds poured down continuously since this afternoon. Inside the hut, Lemang sat stretch out his hands, hiding behind his armpit to withstand the cold. His eyes fixed on the wooden window swaying hit by the roaring wind. Beside him lay an old man dressed in black with a sarong tied around his fat body. Since afternoon he wa…
In a garden full of flowers and grasses, the twilight sky glowed gold. There sat a man and a woman. The man was handsome and his face showed wisdom. He was none other than Baginda2 Hasyim, the ruling king of north Bangka. Next to him sat a very beautiful woman.
Once upon a time in the hinterland of Muarojambi, in one of regencies of Jambi, a highly respectable village headman lived there. The villagers usually called him Datuk Sengalo. Under the leadership of Datuk Sengalo, the people in his village lived in harmony, safety and prosperity. The people were extremely happy to be led by Datuk Sengalo who was always friendly, humble, behave assertively,…