How the Cockerels lost his horn

Englishstory12 - Long, long ago, cockerels had horns and could fly long dis­tances. They were very fierce and would fly to fight any man or animal anywhere in Borneo.

Because the cockerels usually won their fights, they be­came very proud. They were proud of their fighting, and they were proud of their fine horns. They thought they were the strongest and most handsome creatures in the world.

The cockerels were too proud to speak to the other ani­mals, and soon the other animals became angry. The animals went to see Singalong Burong, the Dayak god of war. They told him how the cockerels fought all the time. They told him that the cockerels thought they were better than anyone else.

The god of war listened to these complaints. Then he asked the cockerels to visit him..

The cockerels cleaned their feathers and polished their horns. They looked very handsome when they went to call on Singalong Burong.

“You fight all the time,” said the god of war. “You fight strong animals, and you fight the Dayaks.”

“We are brave fighters, sir,” said the cockerels.

“You also fight small, weak animals. You fight when no one has hurt you. Is that very brave? Is that the way brave warriors should behave

“We are the bravest warriors in the world,” said the cockerels. The duty of warriors is to fight, and we win every fight. How we win is our own business.”

Having said this, the cockerels flew away. Singalon Burong was very angry. He went to see his friend, the king of the dragons, who lived high on a mountain.

The king of the dragons was happy to see Singalong Burong. He gave the god of war food and drink and listened pa­tiently to the story of the cockerels. Singalong Burong told his friend everything.

The king of the dragons agreed that the cockerels were rude. He agreed that they would kill most of the other animals if they were not stopped. When the god of war finished talking, the king of the dragons said, “Good friend, I shall send my own young warriors to teach the cockerels a lesson.”

A day for the battle was set. It was to take place on a wide field near the Rajang River. The cockerels laughed when they saw the dragon warriors. The dragons couldn’t be very strong, thought the cockerels, because they had no horns and only very short wings. Although the dragons breathed smoke and flames, the cockerels were not at all afraid.

The battle went on all day. Many of the dragons were hurt by the cockerels” horns, but they burned the cockerels with their fiery breath, and in the end the dragons won the fight.

As a prize, the god of war gave the dragons the cockerels” horns, and took away the gift of long flight from the cockerels. And that is why dragons now have horns and cockerels can only fly short distances.

But the cockerels are still proud and they still walk grandly around the barnyard crying “cock-a-doodle-doo!”

Knives and spears

Knives and spears are popular weapons in Borneo. They are used both for fighting and for hunting.

The most common knife is the long knife called a “parang”. The parang was first introduced to Borneo by Chinese traders who called at the ports along the coast. The traders gave the tribesmen parangs in exchange for wild pigs and birds. These same traders may have taught the Dayaks to make parangs later on.

Parangs are made of iron. The iron is beaten into the cor­rect shape, and the finished parang blade is usually three to four feet long. The “tang” (or end) of this blade fits into a handle made of wood or horn. The handle is then carved into the shape of a snake or bird. A sheath is made to hold the parang so the hunter will not hurt himself accidentally. The sheath is also decorated with carvings and is bound with rattan strips.

Other knives used in Borneo include the small, curved “keris” of the Malays, the short, richly carved “dunggulok” of the Muruts in Sabah, and the “barongs” of the Bajau and Suluk tribes. Another long knife is the “gayang”, used by the Kadazans. The gayang is a sacred knife and is always used in religious ceremonies.

The Kadazan tribes were probably the first in Borneo to make spears. They used their spears for hunting animals and against their enemies. The first spears were made of hard wood. The spearheads were sharpened over slow-burning open fires.

When metal was introduced, the tribesmen began making their spearheads of metal. The metal spearheads were attached to long bamboo or wooden poles with strips of rattan. Spears with metal heads were double-edged and very sharp. Some­times the tribesmen would put poison on the tip of the spear to kill an animal or an enemy more quickly.

There were many ideas about the magic of spears, and hunters were careful not to walk over their spears. If a hunter stepped over his spear by mistake, he had to kill a chicken to satisfy the spirit of the spear. The Dayaks believed that if this was not done, the spear would lose its power. Before a hunting trip, the hunters would gather special leaves from the jungle and burn them. They would place their spears over the fire hoping that this would give the spears magical powers.

It is easy to see why knives and spears are important in Borneo. Many of the tribesmen must hunt food for themselves and their families, and they must be able to protect themselves from wild animals and other enemies.

Akmal Hakim

Once there was an Arab boy called Akmal Hakim. He lived with his parents in a village by the river.

Akmal Hakim was not like other boys in the village. In­stead of playing games after school he spent most of his time in the forest gathering herbs and roots. When he came home, he would boil these and make medicines. Whenever anyone in the village was sick, Akmal Hakim gave the person one of his medi­cines, and the person immediately felt better.

Of course, some of the villagers did not think Akmal Hakim could cure their sicknesses. These villagers whispered evil things about him.

But Akmal Hakim's parents told him not to mind. “Some people are jealous,” they said. “But if these people are ever sick, they too will come to see you.”

Years passed, and Akmal Hakim grew into a young man. He spent a good deal of time writing about his herbs and roots in notebooks, and he carried these notebooks with him every­where. As he grew older, his powers became even stronger, and people from all over the countryside came to see him. But many of the villagers still whispered about Akmal Hakim's evil power, and he behaved rudely towards them.

One day Akmal Hakim told his parents that he was leaving home. “These people in our village are ungrateful,” he said. “I will go across the sea to find people who want my medicine.”

He wrapped his notebooks in a parcel, climbed into a boat at the riverside, and waved goodbye to his parents.

As soon as the boat reached the sea, it sank, carrying Akmal Hakim and his precious herbs with it. Unfortunately, Akmal Hakim could not swim.

But that is not the end of the story. Akmal Hakim's note­books floated across the sea. They floated across the oceans of the world and landed here and there in distant countries. They were found by holy men who studied Akmal Hakim's books. These holy men made medicines by following Akmal Hakim's instructions, and they became the world's first doctors.

Terjemahan.....

Apai Gumok and the Witch

Once there was a man named Apai Gumok, which means “'fat man”. Apai Gumok and his wife (who was also fat) lived in a small village near a river.

Unfortunately, Apai Gumok's wife was a scold, but she had some reason to be. Her husband was not a very good hunter. He often came home after hunting all day with only a small bird. And he was not a very good fisherman either be­cause he usually caught only a few small fish. All the villagers laughed at Apai Gumok, and his wife always shouted at him because he never brought home enough to eat.

One day, when he was out hunting in the jungle, Apai Gumok met a witch. He tried to escape, running this way and that, but, alas, wherever he turned, he saw the witch again.

And a very frightening witch she was, too. She had long dirty hair, and long dirty fingernails, and broken teeth.

When at last Apai Gumok was tired of running, he spoke to the witch. “Why are you following me?” he asked.

The witch laughed. “I want to help you, Apai Gumok. I want to make you a rich and powerful man. I want you to have the respect of the villagers so they won't laugh at you anymore.”

Apai Gumok could scarcely believe his ears. “But surely you won't help me just out of the kindness of your heart,” he said. “What do you want?”

Again the witch laughed. It was not a nice laugh. “Simple,” she said. “When you are rich, powerful and respected, I want you to marry me.”

“But I'm already married,” said Apai Gumok.

“No problem,” said the witch, “I'll change your wife into a little pink pig with black spots on its head. Then you can be­come a famous hunter and marry me.”

Apai Gumok wanted to be rich and respected. He also wanted to be a famous hunter. And his wife wasn't very kind to him. Still, the witch frightened him, and he did not want to marry such a dirty woman. He ran back to the village.

“Where are you, Wife?” he cried when he reached the house.

“Oink.”

“Wife?” he called again.

“Oink.”

There, in the house was a little pink pig with black spots on its head!

From that day onwards, nobody saw Apai Gumok's wife. He said she had gone to another village to visit an aunt. They all noticed his new friend, though, because the little pig fol­lowed him everywhere.

Soon strange things began to happen to Apai Gumok. He became a fine hunter, and a very good fisherman. Before long, he was famous as the best hunter in the village. Then, one day he found gold beneath his house, and Apai Gumok was a rich man.

Once a month or so, Apai Gumok would come across the witch in the jungle. “We must be married soon,” she would say. But Apai Gumok always made some excuse.

Finally the witch insisted. “I've been waiting a long time, Apai Gumok,” she said. “You have what you want, and now you must give me what I want. I want a husband.”

Apai Gumok looked at the ugly old witch. He looked down at the pig. “One wife is enough,” he said. “I don't want another wife.”

At this the pig squealed and the witch shouted. They were both very angry. Apai Gumok did not know what to do. All he could think of was a nice cool swim in the river. “Look,” he said, “why don't we go swimming in the river? We can talk about the wedding later.”

This idea seemed to please the witch and the pig, so off they all went. When they had swum into the deepest part of the river, Apai Gumok took hold of the witch's ears and held her head under the water. In a few minutes she was drowned and he swam back to shore, thinking that his troubles were over.

“So, Husband, here you are at last,” said a familiar voice. Apai Gumok's wife was standing in the shallow water. The little pink pig was nowhere to be seen.

Apai Gumok sighed. He looked at his fat wife and thought how pretty and clean she was. Together they walked back to the village where they then lived happily ever after.