Writing skill (folktale)

Informant(s)

Name               : Lorens Yeremia Numberi

Sex                  : Male

Age                 : 33 years old

Occupation      : Candidate to be a pastor of GKI church in Papua

 Asal Mula Sagu (BIAK)

Email: lennyzilfa@gmail.com

Dahulu kala di Pulau Biak hiduplah seorang laki-laki tua. Laki-laki tua itu
dulu sering membuat suatu kuasa atau mujizat. Banyak orang yang tinggal
di satu daerah dengan laki-laki tua itu. Orang-orang itu menganggap dia adalah orang yang agung. Laki-laki tua itu disebut sebagai Manamarkeri.
Ketika Manamarkeri semakin tua, badannya mulai dipenuhi oleh penyakit kudis atau yang biasa disebut kaskado oleh orang Papua. Setiap dia ingin membantu orang terutama orang-orang sakit, banyak orang mulai tidak percaya lagi
akan laki-laki tua itu yang disebut sebagai orang yang agung atau pesuruh Allah. Orang-orang mulai tidak mempercayai dia karena penyakitnya itu.
Suatu saat Manamarkeri berdoa kepada Tuhan, meminta mohon supaya orang-orang setempat percaya lagi kepadanya. Tapi doanya tidak terkabulkan, bahkan orang-orang di daerahnya itu tidak bicara lagi dengannya. Kemudian Manamarkeri pun menemui orang-orang yang tidak percaya dengan dia. Saat menemui mereka, Manamarkeri mengatakan bahwa akan terjadi suatu hal buruk yang menimpa daerah itu. Tidak lama setelah dia mengatakan itu, daerah tempat tinggalnya pun dilanda kelaparan. Bahkan semua daerah di tanah Papua
tidak tersedia makanan. Karena peristiwa tersebut, orang banyak pun mulai mencari Manamarkeri. Manarmakeri hanya mengatakan bahwa ia akan meninggalkan tempat itu dan dia akan kembali sampai keturunan keempat. Sebelum Manamarkeri meninggalkan tempat tinggalnya, ia menembakkan jubi
ke langit. Jubi merupakan nama lain dari panah. Saat jubi ditembakkan, jubi terbang dan menyebar namun jatuh kembali ke tanah. Jubi-jubi tersebut tersebar di Pulau Biak, Kalimantan, Ambon, Seram, Dobo dan seluruh tanah Papua.
Mulai saat itulah Manamarkeri menghilang. Lalu jubi-jubi yang kembali ke tanah saat itu tertanam di dalam tanah. Setelah tumbuhlah sagu. Itu dapat terjadi karena Manamarkeri adalah seorang yang bisa membuat mujizat. Pohon sagu tumbuh dimana-mana yaitu di tempat jatuhnya jubi. Orang-orang mulai mencari Manamarkeri lagi. Namun Manamarkeri hanya memberi pesan lewat pesuruhnya bahwa orang-orang harus memakan isi sagu itu. Dan pada saat itulah, orang-orang mendengar perkataan Manamarkeri dan mengikuti pesannya. Banyak orang
mulai makan sagu, mulai menebang pohonnya untuk dibikin rumah dan daunnya untuk dijadikan atap rumah.

                                      

The Legend of Sago (BIAK)

Retold by Lenny Zilfa
Student number          : 0100140371
Email contact  : lennyzilfa@gmail.com

Long time ago in Biak Island there was an old man lived there. The old man
often made wonder or miracles. There were many people in the same area with that old man. The people considered him as a noble man. The old man was called by many people as Manamarkeri. When Manamarkeri was getting old, his body was full of skin disease or usually called as kaskado by Papuan. When he wanted to help people especially people who got sick, the people did not believe him
as the noble man or God’s messenger anymore. People did not believe him because of his disease. One day, Manamarkeri prayed to God and besought to God to make people believe him again. But his prayer was not granted, even those people did not talk to him anymore. Then Manamarkeri came to the people who did not believe him. When he met them all, Manamarkeri said that
there would be something bad happen in the place where Manamarkeri and
the people lived. Not too long after he said it, there was a famine in his place. Even all areas in Papua Island did not have supply of food. Because of that,
many people looked for Manamarkeri. Manamarkeri said that he would leave the place and he would come back until the fourth descendant appeared.
Before he left his living place, he shot jubi to the sky. Jubi is the name of arrow. When the jubi was shot to the sky, it flew and spread then went down back to the ground. Those jubi spread in Biak Island, Kalimantan, Ambon, Seram, Dobo, and in all areas in Papua. At the same time, Manamarkeri disappeared. Then those jubi which went down back to the ground was planted into the ground. After that, there was sago. It could happen because Manamarkeri was a man who could make miracle. The sago tree grew everywhere in the place where the jubi fell. People looked for Manamarkeri again but he did not appear. Manamarkeri just left a message through his messenger for the people. The message told that all people had to eat the meat of the sago. At that moment, people listened to what Manamarkeri said and followed his message. Many people started to eat sago, cut down the tree for making house, and used the leaves for making  the roof of  the house.