Let's play the game! Follow the love story of Dara Itam and Riya Sinir, and the origin of the Landak Kingdom.
Yet, peace was fragile in those distant days, shadowed by the dark ritual wars of the Kayau Mengayau. In a fierce battle against the hostile Miaju Kingdom around 1400 AD, Patih Gumantar fought courageously but fell on the field of honor. The enemy warlord claimed the chieftain’s head as a trophy, carrying the sacred skull back to Miaju to be enshrined inside the Tajau Tarus—a guarded heirloom jar. For according to ancient tribal beliefs, the skull of a great leader held powerful magic capable of bestowing prosperity, fertility, and protection upon a tribe.
The Healer Maiden and the King’s Deceit
As the seasons turned, Dara Itam grew into a woman of breathtaking grace. Beyond her beauty, she was blessed with the spiritual powers of a Baliatn—a revered traditional healer. Guided by ancient wisdom, she gathered forest herbs, roots, and bark to craft remedies that cured the afflicted, making her name beloved across every village along the riverbanks.
One afternoon, after completing a healing ritual in Tembawang Selimpat, Dara Itam paused to bathe in the crystal-clear waters of the Tenganap River. Unbeknownst to her, a long strand of her gleaming black hair slipped into a floating brass bowl. The vessel drifted lazily downstream until it caught the eye of an attendant bathing King Pulang Palih, a monarch descended from the royal Javanese house of Banten.
The attendant delivered the vessel to his lord. Curiously, the king pulled at the single strand of hair, unraveling it endlessly in marvel.
“How extraordinary!” King Pulang Palih gasped, his eyes wide with wonder. “If a single strand of her hair possesses such boundless beauty and length, her true form must rival the dawn itself! I must have her as my queen.”
Driven by desire, the king embarked upstream with his guard. Upon reaching Tembawang Selimpat, he feigned a deadly illness aboard his royal barge, sending his men to plead for the maiden’s aid. Pure-hearted and unsuspecting, Dara Itam stepped aboard carrying her healing elixirs. The moment her feet touched the deck, the oarsmen untied the ropes and rowed with all their might downstream. Dara Itam realized with a heavy heart that she had fallen into a ruthless trap.
An Impossible Quest
At the royal seat of Ambator, King Pulang Palih showered Dara Itam with gold, silk, and sweet promises. Yet her heart remained steadfast, bound to a brave and honorable warrior named Ria Sinir. Unwilling to provoke a war with a harsh refusal, Dara Itam set a condition she believed impossible to fulfill.
“My Lord King,” Dara Itam spoke calmly, her voice echoing through the grand hall. “I shall not disrespect your royal wish. Yet, if you desire my hand, you must first retrieve the sacred skull of my father, Patih Gumantar, from the fortress of Miaju. Only a man who can restore my family's honor shall earn the right to wed me.”
The court fell silent. To steal back the skull from the Miaju meant challenging a fierce and formidable empire. Yet, desperate to win her love, King Pulang Palih summoned his elders and commanded the construction of a legendary war vessel—a great Jong.
The Enchanted Merbau Tree
To craft a vessel capable of surviving the journey, the king’s craftsmen ventured into the dense woods of the Sepatah River to fell a gigantic Merbau tree. Armed with stone axes, they labored all day, hacking deep into the timber. Yet, when morning dawned, the woodsmen gasped in disbelief: the deep wounds on the tree trunk had magically fused back together, completely whole as if untouched!
Day after day they tried, but the enchanted tree defied every blow. Seeing the king’s despair, Dara Itam softly suggested:
“My Lord, send for Ria Sinir. Perhaps his spirit aligns with the forest.”
Though reluctant, the king summoned the young warrior.
“Ria Sinir,” the king addressed him, “my finest men have failed to cut down the Merbau tree for my war barge. Can you fell it?”
“I am but a humble man, your Highness,” Ria Sinir replied meekly. “Yet if it serves the people and the realm, I shall try.”
Ria Sinir walked alone into the heart of the forest. Raising his axe, he delivered just two gentle strikes. A tremendous roar echoed through the woods as the ancient Merbau tree swayed and crashed gracefully to the earth.
The Mysterious Ritual of the Launch
When the artisans finished carving the mighty Jong, a new misfortune struck. No matter how many men pushed, the heavy wooden ship refused to budge an inch into the river water, as though rooted into the earth. Once more, Ria Sinir was called upon.
This time, the warrior demanded conditions so strange they shocked the court.
“I can launch your vessel, My Lord,” Ria Sinir declared, “but I require seven expectant mothers carrying their first child, near their time of birth. They shall serve as the cushions beneath the vessel. Furthermore, I require seven eggs from a hen’s first clutch, along with three sacks of coins made of silver, copper, and tin.”
“That is madness!” the king stammered, trembling at the thought. “I cannot harm innocent lives!”
“No harm shall come to them, My Lord. Trust my words,” Ria Sinir assured him.
Reluctantly, the king agreed. A frightened crowd gathered as the seven pregnant women lay in a row along the path toward the riverbank. Ria Sinir walked to the stern of the Jong. Chanting an ancient incantation, he tapped the stern once.
Miraculously, the massive vessel slid smoothly over the bellies of the seven women as if floating on air, splashing gracefully into the river! When the women stood up, they suffered not a single bruise; instead, they felt revitalized, filled with radiant health.
A Victory of Wit Over Bloodshed
King Pulang Palih appointed Ria Sinir as commander of the campaign, making a solemn oath: “Bring back the skull of Patih Gumantar, and I shall grant you any one of my royal wives.”
The Jong sped down the river as swift as the mythical Bengkala bird. Arriving at the Miaju kingdom under the cover of midnight, Ria Sinir chose cunning over violent battle.
Before dawn, he scattered thousands of silver, copper, and tin coins along the riverbank where villagers drew their water. He tied sacks of coins high up in the branches of the poisonous Tangkul tree and pulled his ship back into the shadows.
When morning came, the villagers gasped at the "rain of silver" on the shore. Greed swept through the settlement. Guards abandoned their posts at the Tajau Tarus shrine, joining the wild frenzy to collect the treasure. To reach the coins in the branches, the villagers chopped down the Tangkul tree, causing its toxic sap to spill into the river. Within moments, fish floated to the surface by the thousands, plunging the entire kingdom into a chaotic feast.
While the town was distracted, Ria Sinir quietly slipped into the abandoned shrine, secured the jar containing Patih Gumantar’s skull, and set sail before the enemy ever knew what happened.
The Enchanted Firefly and True Love
Upon returning victorious, Ria Sinir presented the sacred skull to King Pulang Palih. True to his oath, the king summoned all his wives, dressed in their finest gowns, into a grand hall for Ria Sinir to choose among them.
However, the deceitful king had hidden Dara Itam in the dark palace kitchen, smearing her radiant face with jet-black charcoal ash so she would appear unappealing.
Discerning the trickery, Ria Sinir took a single betel leaf, placed it upon his shoulder, and spoke an ancient spell. The leaf transformed into a brilliant, glowing firefly.
“Whomever this light touches shall be my lawful wife,” Ria Sinir proclaimed aloud.
The glowing firefly floated past the array of beautifully dressed court ladies, glided down the long palace corridors, and flew straight into the dark kitchen. It landed gently upon Dara Itam's ash-stained forehead. Ria Sinir stepped forward and took her hand. Though her face was covered in soot, he saw past the darkness to the pure soul he loved.
King Pulang Palih bowed his head in defeat. As a king, he could not break his sworn word. With tears in his eyes, he yielded:
“I keep my promise, Ria Sinir. But mark my words: the child Dara Itam carries in her womb from our time together belongs to my lineage. If she bears a boy, he shall be my heir. If a girl, she belongs to you.”
A Legacy of Kings
Ria Sinir bowed with deep respect. He and Dara Itam returned to their ancestral lands, where they were welcomed with joyous celebrations held by Uncle Ria Jambi.
In time, Dara Itam gave birth to twin boys from her time with King Pulang Palih, named Dol Kasim and Dol Kahar. When they grew into honorable men, they ascended to rule, becoming the founding forefathers of the historic Landak Kingdom.
Later, from the sacred union of Dara Itam and Ria Sinir, a son named Ria Kanu’ was born. He grew to become the legendary ancestor of the noble Dayak Kanayatn lineage in the Darit Manyuke region.
And so, the story of Dara Itam and Ria Sinir remains immortalized—a tale of wisdom, magical devotion, and a love that shaped the destiny of West Kalimantan forever.
- The Clever Squirrel and the Brave Cork Fish.
- The Legend of the Crying Stone.
- The Legend of the Golden Watermelon.
- The Origin of the Ruai Bird: A West Kalimantan Folklore.
- The Legend of Dara Itam: The Healing Maiden and the Birth of the Landak Kingdom.
No comments:
Post a Comment