Folklore for Kids: The Origin of Rice: Beru Dayang, an Indonesian Folktale from North Sumatra

Chapter 1: The Peaceful Kingdom

Long, long ago, in the highlands of Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, there stood a peaceful little kingdom. It was ruled by a wise and kind king who loved his people dearly. Under his gentle leadership, the villagers lived happily, and the land was full of blessings.

In those days, the people did not yet know rice. Instead, they lived on fruits that grew from the trees in the forest — sweet, plentiful, and always within reach. Life was simple, and the kingdom knew nothing but joy.

But even the happiest of kingdoms cannot escape the turning of fate...

Chapter 2: The Great Drought

One year, the rains stopped coming. Day after day, the sun blazed down without mercy, and the sky remained cruelly clear. The trees that once bore juicy fruit began to wither. Their leaves curled and turned brown, and the branches, once heavy with food, stood bare and dry.

Soon, hunger crept into every home. Fields that had once been green turned to dust. The people of Tanah Karo, who had never known scarcity, now faced a famine unlike anything before.

Among the suffering families was a little orphan girl named Beru Dayang, who lived with her mother in a small hut at the edge of the village. With no father to provide for them, the two of them depended only on each other — and now, even that was not enough.

Chapter 3: Beru Dayang's Hunger

Each night, Beru Dayang grew thinner and weaker. Her once-rosy cheeks turned pale, and her small body trembled with every breath. One evening, unable to bear the ache in her stomach any longer, she climbed into her mother's lap and began to weep.

Beru Dayang: "Mother... I'm so hungry. Please, I'm so hungry..."

Her mother held her close, gently wiping the tears from her daughter's cheeks, though her own eyes were also filled with sorrow.

Beru Dayang's Mother: "Be patient, my dear child. This drought cannot last forever. Soon the rains will come again, and we will eat as we once did."

But deep in her heart, the mother feared that her words offered little comfort against the cruelty of their empty stomachs.

Chapter 4: A Mother's Grief

Days passed, and Beru Dayang's strength continued to fade. Her mother tried everything she could — searching for roots, leaves, anything that might ease her daughter's hunger — but nothing could be found in the parched land.

Then, one quiet morning, the worst happened. Beru Dayang, too weak to hold on any longer, closed her eyes and did not wake again. She had taken her last breath in her mother's arms.

Beru Dayang's Mother: "My daughter! Wake up, my darling! Please... don't leave your mother alone!"

Her cries echoed through the village, filled with a grief too heavy for words. The neighbors, though starving themselves, came together to help bury the little girl in the village cemetery, offering what comfort they could to the broken-hearted mother.

But comfort could not fill the emptiness left behind. Day after day, the mother wandered through her sorrow, unable to imagine a life without her beloved child.

Chapter 5: The River's Secret

At last, consumed by grief and weakened by hunger, the mother made a heartbreaking decision. She would go to the river at the edge of the village and end her suffering there.

With trembling legs, she walked toward the ravine that overlooked the flowing water, whispering a quiet prayer to the heavens above.

Beru Dayang's Mother: "Please... take me to be with my daughter."

She stepped forward and let herself fall into the river below.

But something miraculous happened. The moment her body touched the water, it transformed — she became a fish, gliding silently beneath the surface. No one in the grieving village ever knew what had become of her. Life in Tanah Karo continued to grow harder, as more and more people succumbed to hunger, and the withered land offered no hope of relief.

Chapter 6: The Strange Fruit

One day, two hungry children wandered the dry fields, digging through the cracked earth in search of anything edible. Just when they were about to give up, one of them noticed something odd poking out of the soil — a round, unfamiliar fruit, shaped much like a pumpkin.

First Child: "Look! Do you know what this fruit is?"

Second Child: "I have no idea... maybe our parents will know."

Filled with curiosity, the children carried the strange fruit home. But even their parents could not name it. Word of the mysterious discovery spread quickly through the village, until at last it reached the ears of the king himself.

Eager to see it, the king traveled to the children's home to examine the fruit with his own eyes.

Chapter 7: The Voice from the Sky

Just as the king reached out to touch the fruit, a magical voice echoed down from the heavens, gentle yet powerful, filling every corner of the room.

The Voice from the Sky: "This fruit is the reincarnation of a little girl named Beru Dayang, who once perished because of the great famine in this land."

The villagers gasped in wonder, and the king listened closely as the voice continued.

The Voice from the Sky: "Cut the fruit into small pieces, and plant them in the earth. Care for them well, and they shall grow into a plant that will feed your people and end this hunger forever. But remember — Beru Dayang longs for her mother. Bring them together once more, for her mother now lives as a fish within the river."

The king, moved by the voice's words, ordered his people to follow its instructions at once.

Chapter 8: A Miracle Grows

The villagers carefully sliced the strange fruit into many small pieces and planted them across the dry fields. That very night, dark clouds rolled in, and for the first time in months, rain poured down upon Tanah Karo.

The parched, cracked earth soaked up the water eagerly, turning soft and fertile once again. From the buried pieces of fruit, tiny green shoots began to sprout, rising from the soil like a promise of hope.

The people watched in amazement as the plant grew taller each day, its slender green stalks swaying gently in the wind.

Chapter 9: The Harvest of Beru Dayang

After two months, the plant began to flower, and small grains formed along each stalk. As a third month passed, the once-green stalks slowly turned a golden yellow — a sign that the harvest was finally ready.

The entire kingdom gathered in the fields, hardly believing that the strange fruit the two children had found could have transformed into something so wonderful. They harvested the golden grains, dried them beneath the sun, and pounded them carefully to separate the husks from the soft grains inside.

When at last they cooked the grains, a warm and delicious aroma filled the air. The people tasted it eagerly — and found it more delightful than anything they had ever eaten before.

The King: "This plant has saved our kingdom! From this day forward, let it be known as Beru Dayang, in memory of the brave little girl who gave us this gift."

Chapter 10: Together Once More

From that day on, the people of Tanah Karo no longer relied on forest fruits alone. Instead, they cultivated the Beru Dayang plant — the very rice that would one day become the staple food of millions across Indonesia.

And in honor of the little girl and her mother, who had transformed into a fish so that she might one day reunite with her daughter, the people of Tanah Karo began a beautiful tradition: eating rice together with fish, a symbol of a mother and daughter finally reunited.

The Moral of the Story

This beautiful folktale from Tanah Karo, North Sumatra, reminds us of the importance of working together in times of hardship. Just as the villagers helped one another through their darkest days of hunger, it was their unity and care that ultimately led them to salvation — the discovery of rice, a gift that would nourish generations to come.

Relive the legend of Si Beru Dayang in this interactive retelling! Follow the journey from a kingdom struck by drought to the discovery of rice, complete with voice narration and an Indonesian/English language toggle. Tap, hold, and drag your way through each chapter to help the story unfold.

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Friday, 23 April 2021

The Origin of Rice: Beru Dayang, an Indonesian Folktale from North Sumatra