Folklore for Kids: The Origin of the Palm Tree: A Folktale from Tanah Karo

Chapter 1: A Simple Family

Long, long ago, in the green highlands of Tanah Karo, there lived a small and simple family. There was a father named Tare Iluh, the mother, and their two children. The eldest was a boy who carried his father's name, Tare Iluh. The youngest was a sweet little girl named Beru Sibou.

They were poor, but their home was full of love. Every day, the father worked from sunrise until the stars came out. He wanted his children to always have food on the table.

But one day, the father grew very tired. He worked too hard and became very sick. Soon after, he passed away.

Chapter 2: Two Little Orphans

After the father was gone, the mother took his place. She worked hard day and night to take care of her two children. But she had no money for medicine, and her sickness grew worse and worse. In the end, she also passed away.

Now Tare Iluh and Beru Sibou had no mother and father. Luckily, their kind aunt, their father's sister, took them into her home and cared for them like her own children.

Every day, Tare Iluh watched his aunt work until she was very tired. His heart felt heavy.

Tare Iluh: "I promise, when I grow up, I will work hard and earn money. I don't want to trouble my aunt anymore, and I want to make my dear sister happy."

The years went by like the flowing river. Tare Iluh grew into a tall, handsome young man with a bright and cheerful face. Beru Sibou grew into a lovely young lady, as pretty as a flower in the morning sun.

Chapter 3: Tare Iluh Goes Away

One evening, Tare Iluh sat down with his aunt and his sister.

Tare Iluh: "Dear Auntie, dear Sister, I have something to tell you. I want to go to the city to find work. Auntie has taken care of us for so long. One day, I want to repay your kindness."

His aunt looked at him with gentle eyes.

Aunt: "If that is your wish, my child, Auntie will not stop you. Be careful in a faraway land. I will always pray for you."

Beru Sibou's eyes filled with tears.

Beru Sibou: "I don't want you to go, Brother. But if you must, please promise me that you will come home as soon as you succeed."

Tare Iluh: "Of course, my dear sister. I promise. I will definitely come back."

The next morning, Tare Iluh set off with the supplies his aunt had packed for him. His heart was sad to leave the two people he loved most. But he was the eldest child, and he felt it was his duty to give them a better life.

Chapter 4: The Temptation of the Gambling Table

When he arrived in the big city, Tare Iluh worked hard at every job he could find. He saved a little of his wages each day. But little by little, he began to feel that his pay was too small for all his hard work.

Then one day, he passed a gambling table where people were laughing and shouting. He stopped to watch, and a sneaky thought crept into his head.

Tare Iluh: "Why should I work all day for so little money? If I bet just a few coins at that table, I might win a lot! Maybe I should try it."

He put down a few coins, and, oh my, he won! But this was not good luck. It was the beginning of his troubles. He wanted to win again and again. Before long, he could not stop.

Tare Iluh stopped going to work. Every day, he sat at the gambling table. Soon he lost all his money, and then he borrowed more and lost that too. His debts grew bigger and bigger.

At last, he could not pay what he owed. The people of that land punished him by locking his feet in a pasung, a heavy wooden stock, and he could not go anywhere.

Chapter 5: Beru Sibou Waits and Worries

Back in the village, Beru Sibou waited for her brother. She waited for weeks. She waited for months. She waited for years. But Tare Iluh never came home.

One day, a villager came to her with sad news.

Villager: "Beru Sibou, I heard news from a faraway land. Your brother has become a gambler. He owes so much money that he cannot pay, and now he is locked in a pasung."

Beru Sibou's heart nearly broke. She cried and cried every day.

Beru Sibou: "Oh, my dear brother! Is it true? Are you being punished in a foreign land?"

Chapter 6: The Wise Old Grandfather

One afternoon, as Beru Sibou sat alone with her sad face, a kind old grandfather walked by and stopped.

Old Grandfather: "Why is your face so sad, my child? What is troubling you? Perhaps Grandfather can help."

Beru Sibou: "I am sad because of my brother, Grandfather. His name is Tare Iluh. He is in a faraway land, being punished because of his debts. I want so much to find him and help him."

Old Grandfather: "Oh, so you are Tare Iluh's sister! I have never met him, but I have heard his name. They say he is a gambler with many debts."

Beru Sibou: "Yes, Grandfather. Do you know where my brother is?"

Old Grandfather: "I am sorry, my child. I do not know where that land is. But I can give you a little advice. Climb up a very tall tree, then sing out and call your brother's name. Who knows? Perhaps he will hear you."

Beru Sibou thanked the old man. She searched until she found the tallest tree in the forest, and she climbed all the way to the top. Then she sang out as loudly as she could.

Beru Sibou: "Tare Iluh, my brother, where are you? Please come home! Oh, people of that faraway land, you who locked up my brother, I beg you, please set him free!"

She called and called for hours. But no one answered. Her voice grew weak, and her body grew tired.

Chapter 7: Beru Sibou's Prayer

At last, Beru Sibou closed her eyes and prayed to the Almighty.

Beru Sibou: "Oh, my Lord, I want to meet my brother and help him. Let me pay his debts. I am willing to give my tears, my hair, and my whole body to the people of that land, if they will let my brother go free."

The Almighty heard her prayer. Suddenly, the wind began to blow, and the sky turned dark. Rain poured down, and lightning flashed across the sky.

And then, a wonderful and magical thing happened. Beru Sibou slowly changed into a tall and graceful tree, the sugar palm tree, which is called aren in Indonesia.

Her tears became sweet sap, which the people made into a special drink called tuak. Her hair became strong black fibers, which the people used to make roofs for their houses. Her body gave the people fruit and food.

Chapter 8: About the Sugar Palm Tree

That is why the sugar palm tree is such a helpful tree. It can grow as tall as 25 meters, and its trunk can be 65 centimeters wide.

People collect the sap from its flower stalks and make it into palm sugar, palm wine, and sometimes even vinegar. Its fruit seeds can be cooked into a sweet treat for desserts and cold drinks. Its leaves make roofs for village houses. Its fibers are spun into strong ropes, and its stalks are made into brooms.

For the Batak people, tuak is very special. People drink it, use it in traditional ceremonies, and sometimes offer it in remembrance of those who have passed away.

And so, in Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, people still tell the story of Beru Sibou, the loving sister who gave everything for her brother, and how the sugar palm tree came to be.

What can we learn from this story?

Being a hard worker is better than trying to get rich the easy way. And the love between a brother and sister can be as sweet as the sap of the sugar palm tree.

Give it a try! Trace Beru Sibou’s sacrifice for her brother and the legend behind the origin of the sugar palm tree.

More folklore from North Sumatra:

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Tuesday, 28 July 2020

The Origin of the Palm Tree: A Folktale from Tanah Karo