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Commander To Dilaling

Komandan To Dilaling | Folklor Indonesia

Folklore from South Sulawesi

THERE was a mean king in Polewali Mandar, South Sulawesi. His name was King Balanipa. He led his kingdom cruelly. The king also wanted to be a king forever. fie did not want anyone, including his own sons to replace him as a king. Therefore every time he had a baby boy, the king always asked the baby to be killed!

The queen was pregnant. She hoped the baby would be a girl. She don't want to lose her baby boy.

The king wanted to go hunting. Before he left| he gave his commander an order.

"If my baby is a.boy, you have to kill him!"

The commander's name was Puang Mosso. He was a good man. When the queen had a baby boy, Priang Mosso did not have the heart to kill the baby. The baby was so cute and healthy. The baby also had something unique. His tongue was black!

Puairg Mosso did not want to kill the baby. Instead, he killed a goat and buried it in the backyard. He pretended that he just buried a baby. Later, he brought the baby to his family in a village far from the palace.

When the king returned, he asked Puang Mosso about the baby. He told the king that the baby was a boy and he already killed him, He showed the grave to the king . The king believed him.

Puang Mosso often visited the king's son. The baby grew as a healthy and strong boy. Puang Mosso had already told him the truth that he was a son of the king. Puang Mosso really love the boy and taught him lots of skill.

One day, the boy was climbing a tree. On the top of the tree, a giant eagle grabbed him The eagle's claws held him tightly. They flew to another kingdom. It was Gowa Kingdom. The eagle dropped him in a tree. A soldier saw the incident. He brought the boy to the king.

The king asked who he was. The boy told the truth to the king. The king felt sorry, he then asked the boy to live in his palace

The king raised the boy well. When the boy was adult, he became a soldier. Not just a soldier, he became the best soldier. Therefore, the king chose him to be the commander. The king later titled him I Manyambungi.

In the meantime, King Balanipa was dead. He was killed by King Lego. The king came with his soldiers and occupied King Balanipa's kingdom.

King Lego was even worse than King Balanipa. He was very cruel! He would hurt anyone who refused his order. People were restless. They wanted to ask for help.

"I heard there is a great commander in Gowa Kingdom. His name is I Manyambungi. What if  we ask him to help us?" said one man.

They all agreed. Then some of the men went to Gowa Kingdom. When they arrived, they told I Manyambungi about King Lego. They asked him to kill King Lego.

I Manyambungi agreed to help. He then told King Gowa that he would go home. The king gave him the blessing.

It was not difficult for I Manyambungi to beat King Lego. With all his skills, he could easily kill the mean king.

People were happy when I Manyambungi finally killed King Lego. When they were celebrating it Puang Mosso came. He was still alive and also saved the queen.

Puang Mosso still recognized I Manyambungi as the son of king Balanipa. However he was not sure. He asked I Manyambungi politely to stick his tongue. When he saw I Manyambungi's tongue was black, Puang Mosso then was sure that I Manyambungi was the king's son!

I Manyambungi became the new king. His name was also changed into To Dilaling. It means a person who moves from one place to another place. Until now, the grave of To Dilaling still exists in Polewali Mandar, South Sulawesi. ***

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