Mahakam Peses Legend

Narrated in the past in Rantau Mahakam, there was a family that lived well off. When their mother died of illness, the family's life changed. The father who used to work diligently became moody and was reluctant to work. The flourishing field slowly begins to dry up and the results are not as usual.

In order to see this, the children asked the father to rise again. However, father's heart remained sad and did not move. Therefore, the children ask the village elders to give fathers advice. The result remains the same, the father considers the advice only wind ago.

This situation lasted quite a long time. Until one day there was a traditional harvest party, which featured a variety of performances such as dances and stunt shows. Among the performers, there was a beautiful girl who invited so much attention from the people present. I was so interesting, I wanted to see it too.

On the seventh night, the last day of the traditional harvest party, father watched the girl snaking in an earnest dance. Father was captivated by the girl. Especially when the girl casts her gaze toward the audience. Tit for tat. Apparently girls also like dad.

In folklore, told after being attracted to one another, the two met with village elders to ask for blessing. Also do not forget the father's children. All those who were asked for approval agreed with Father's plan to remarry. After all, my father's eyes twinkled when he was with a girl. The wedding party was held in a big way. After the wedding, the family's gloom also ended. Slowly but surely, they rebuilt everything that was abandoned.

However, it turns out that the new wife of the father is very evil to the children. He always gives children leftovers from father. The peak of this crime occurred when children were told to look for firewood in the forest three times more than the previous day. Of course this is burdensome. Because they threatened to be complained to their father, they just obeyed the order.

When looking for firewood in the forest, children get lost not knowing the way home. They can only go home in the afternoon. When they got home, the children were even more surprised to find that the house was empty. Not only that, his father and stepmother did not exist. Similarly, the furniture. As a result, they cried uncontrollably.

The next day, they exchanged firewood with their neighbors for food. The children try to find where their fathers and stepmothers are. They had traveled for two days and two nights, but they had not yet found any sign of Father's whereabouts. This makes the children break up. Stock out and tired, making their spirits loose. Luckily they saw a board with smoke. That's where they hurried.

Apparently the one who occupies the hut is a grandfather. The children immediately asked grandfather. The grandfather memorized the items for a moment, then said that he saw a woman and a man going to the village across the river. The children went straight there by borrowing Grandpa's boat.

Sure enough, at the far end of the village across the river, the children found a new hut built. When he arrived at the lodge, there was nobody. There are only household furniture and appliances. They immediately recognized that all of them belonged to father. [
The children enter the house. There, they found porridge that was still hot and immediately ate it because of unbearable hunger. Initially the brother who ate it until it was left a little, then his sister who ate it until demolished. But, because the porridge they eat is still hot, the children's body temperature quickly rises.

Both of them immediately ran to and fro in search of water. Because not find in the house. They ran out, hoping to find a river. All banana trees passed by children die from heat. Arriving at the river's edge, without thinking again they immediately jumped into the river.

At the same time stepfather and stepmother came. They were surprised there was a package belonging to their two children. Stepmother was no less surprised to find that the pot was empty and she saw many banana trees dying of heat. The father and stepmother went along the dead banana trees until they finally found the river. And, two strange animals that spew water from their heads.

Father's mind immediately drifted to a series of events that had happened in his life. When he woke up, he did not find his wife by his side. Apparently his wife had disappeared mysteriously. Then the father realized that his wife was not from among humans. That's why his wife never wants to tell its origins.

People come to see the strange animal. Then, name it as tidal or dolphin fish. Mahakam people themselves call this fish Bawoi.

Thus, the Indonesian Legend of Pesut Mahakam is famous throughout the country for generations. Narrated as Indonesian folklore which became the wealth of treasures of Indonesian oral literature. Thank you