Sangkuriang's Story Telling by Mayra Zahabiya

                     Tale of Sangkuriang

Once upon a time in West Java, there lived a wise king who had a
beautiful daughter named Dayang Sumbi. She loved weaving very
much.

One day when she grew up becoming a beautiful young lady,
while she was weaving a clot at a rooftop, suddenly, one of her tools
fell down to the ground. She was very tired at that time, so she was too
lazy to take it. Then, she shouted out loud.

“Hello, anybody there? Please, help me. Bring me my tool. I will
give you a special present. If you are a female, I’ll consider you as my
sister, but if you are a male, I will marry you.”

Suddenly, a male dog named Tumang came and brought her tool
back. Dayang Sumbi was very surprised. She regretted what she had
said, but she couldn’t deny it. But actually, Tumang was a God
incarnated into a dog. So, she had to marry Tumang and leave her
father soon.

They lived in a small village. Several months later, a son was born.
His name was Sangkuriang. He was a handsome and healthy boy.
Sangkuriang liked hunting very much. He often went to the woods using
his arrow. When he was hunting, Tumang the dog was always with him
and guard him everywhere.

One day, Dayang Sumbi wanted to eat a deer’s heart. Then she
asked her son to hunt for it.

“Sangkuriang, will you hunt for a deer today? I want to eat a
deer’s heart so much,”asked Dayang Sumbi.
“Of course, Mom. Whatever you want, I will give it for
you,”replied Sangkuriang. “Tumang, where are you? Come on, we have
to hunt for a deer.”

Then, Sangkuriang went to the woods with his arrow and his
faithful dog. But after a several days in the woods, Sangkuriang couldn’t
find any deer. They were all gone. He was exhausted and desperate.

“Oh God, where can I find a deer? I don’t want to disappoint my
Mother, but I couldn’t see any here. Oh, I have an idea!” exclaimed
Sangkuriang.

He called his dog, Tumang, to come closer. Suddenly, he killed
him. At that time, he didn’t know that Tumang was his father. After he
arrived home, he gave Tumang’s heart to his mother.
Dayang Sumbi didn’t see Tumang. She felt something strange with
Sangkuriang.

“Sangkuriang, are you sure it’s a deer’s heart? Tell me the
truth!”pleased Dayang Sumbi.
“No Mom, its not. It is Tumang’s heart. I’m really sorry mom. I
couldn’t find any deer before,”admitted Sangkuriang.
“Ohh noooo!! How could you?! He was your father!” confessed
Dayang Sumbi.

She hit Sangkuriang on his head with a big spoon that left a scar
on Sangkuriang’s head. She also casted her son out. Sangkuriang left
her mother in sadness.

Many years passed and Sangkuriang became a strong young man.
He wandered everywhere. One day, he arrived at his own village but he
didn’t realize it. There, he met Dayang Sumbi.

At the time, Dayang Sumbi was given an eternal beauty by God, so
she would stay young forever. Both of them didn’t know each other.
They fell in love and decide to marry soon.
But then, Dayang Sumbi recognized a scar on Sangkuriang’s head.

“Sangkuriang, why there is a big scar on your head?”asked Dayang
Sumbi.
He replied,”Oh, when I was a child, my mom hit me on my head.”

Dayang Sumbi was very shocked. She knew that Sangkuriang was
her son. It was impossible for her to marry Sangkuriang. She tried to tell
him, but he didn’t believe it. He wished they could marry soon. Dayang
Sumbi was confused, so she gave him a very difficult task.

“Sangkuriang, if you want to marry me, I have a task for you. I
want you to build a lake and a big boat in one night. Can you do that?”
“Wait, it’s impossible! But, it’s okay. I will do it for you. I can do
that!” agreed Sangkuriang.

With the help of genies and spirits, Sangkuriang tried to build
them.
Meanwhile, Dayang Sumbi kept on watching them. She was
worried if Sangkuriang could complete the task. So, she made some
lights in the East.

The genies and spirits looked at the light. They thought the sun
was about to rise. So, they left Sangkuriang alone. After that, Dayang
Sumbi came closer to Sangkuriang.

“Sangkuriang, you can’t finish the job as I requested. I’m sorry,
but you can’t marry me,” warned Dayang Sumbi.

Sangkuriang was very angry because he couldn’t finish the task.
He kicked the boat angrily and it turned upside down.

The story says that the upside down boat changed into a great
legendary mountain. We can see it on the Northern part of Bandung,
Indonesia. Nowadays, this mountain becomes a famous location for
tourism in Bandung.