Folklore for Kids: Origin of Lake Singkarak: Indonesian Folktale for Kids

Chapter 1: The Little Hut by the Sea

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there lived a kind man named Pak Buyung. He lived with his wife and their only child, Indra, in a small hut by the sea.

Every day, Pak Buyung and his wife worked hard. They gathered fruits and herbs from the forest, and they caught fish in the sea. Then they sold them at the market to earn a living.

Indra was a diligent and cheerful boy who never complained. He helped his parents without even being asked.

Pak Buyung: "Indra, you are such a good boy. Our hut is happier because of you."

Indra: "Thank you, Father! I love helping you and Mother."

But Indra had one little problem. He had a very big appetite!

Chapter 2: Indra's Big Appetite

In just one meal, Indra could eat a whole basket of rice with many side dishes. His parents could only look at each other and sigh.

Indra's Mother: "Oh, dear. The rice is almost gone again."

Pak Buyung: "Be patient, my dear. The famine season is coming, and food will be hard to find."

When the famine season came, Pak Buyung and his wife ate sweet potatoes and taro instead of rice, to save what was left. But it did not help. Indra's tummy was always rumbling, and slowly the food ran out. Pak Buyung and his wife grew worried and tired.

Chapter 3: Indra Looks for Food

One day, Indra's tummy rumbled loudly.

Indra: "Mother, Father, I'm hungry. May I have something to eat?"

Indra's Mother: "I'm sorry, my dear. The kitchen is empty."

Pak Buyung: "Then go and find your own food, Indra."

Indra: "But Father, I don't want to go..."

Indra's Mother: "Please, my dear. Go to Junjung Sirih Hill and look for forest fruits. I'm sure you'll find something."

At last, Indra nodded. Before leaving, he went to feed his pet rooster, Taduang.

Indra: "Eat well, Taduang. I'll be back soon!"

Taduang was a very loyal rooster, because Indra fed him every day. Whenever Indra came home, Taduang would crow happily to welcome him.

Indra climbed Junjung Sirih Hill and searched high and low. He looked under the trees and behind the bushes. But after almost half a day, he had found nothing at all.

Indra: "Oh no... not a single fruit."

Late in the afternoon, he walked down to the sea and tried to catch some fish. But the fish swam away, and Indra went home with empty hands.

Chapter 4: The Shells in the Kitchen

While Indra was away on the hill, his mother had gone to the headland by the sea to look for fish. She searched for a very long time. In the afternoon she came home with a basket of clams.

Pak Buyung: "Wonderful! You found food, my dear!"

Indra's Mother: "Yes, but there are only a few clams. Let's cook them right away."

She cooked the clams, and the kitchen filled with a delicious smell.

Indra's Mother: "Dinner is ready, dear. Come and eat."

Pak Buyung: "But where is Indra?"

Indra's Mother: "He hasn't come home yet. And there are so few clams..."

Pak Buyung and his wife were very hungry, and they knew Indra would eat a lot. So they decided to finish the clams themselves. When the pot was empty, they felt so full and sleepy that they both fell asleep right there in the kitchen.

Chapter 5: A Very Sad Indra

When night was near, Taduang began to crow loudly.

Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Indra was coming home! He was tired and so very hungry. He hurried straight to the kitchen.

Indra: "Mother! Father! I'm home! I'm so hungry!"

But nobody answered. Indra's parents were fast asleep, and empty shells and dirty plates were scattered all around them. Indra's heart sank.

Indra: "They ate without me... They didn't save even one clam for me."

Big tears rolled down Indra's cheeks. He felt that his parents did not love him. He ran out of the house, crying. Taduang crowed again and again and flapped his wings, because he could not bear to see his master so sad.

Chapter 6: The Flying Rock

Indra sat down weakly on a big rock outside the house.

Indra: "Oh, Taduang, I wish I could fly far away from here."

Taduang flapped his wings again, harder this time. Indra reached out and held on tightly to Taduang's feet.

Indra: "Taduang! We're... we're flying!"

Up, up, up they went into the sky! And something magical happened. The rock where Indra had been sitting rose into the air too. The higher Indra flew, the bigger the rock grew. It grew bigger and bigger, until it was far too heavy to stay in the sky.

BOOM! The giant rock fell to the earth and crashed into one of the hills beside the sea.

Chapter 7: How the Lake and the River Were Born

The crash was so powerful that it made a long, deep hole in the ground. Because the hole was lower than the sea, the sea water rushed in. The water flowed and flowed through the hole and became a river. We now call it the Batang Ombilin River, and its water runs all the way to Riau.

As the water flowed away, the sea grew smaller and smaller, until it became a lake. We now call it Lake Singkarak.

According to the folklore of West Sumatra, that is how Lake Singkarak was born. It was once a sea, and its water flowed into a great hole and became the Batang Ombilin River.

And that is the story of Lake Singkarak.

Join Indra and his beloved rooster Taduang on an interactive adventure that tells how Lake Singkarak and the Batang Ombilin River came to be! Help Indra search for food, collect shells with his mother, and watch a magical rock turn the sea into a lake and a river. Tap, play, and listen along. Available in both Indonesian and English!

More Folklore on West Sumatra:

Pages

Saturday, 1 August 2020

Origin of Lake Singkarak: Indonesian Folktale for Kids