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Nilo and the Ancient Elephant

Nilo and the Ancient Elephant: A Little Friend from the Past

Edisi Indonesia: Nilo dan Gajah Purba

A gentle breeze whispered through the dense forests of Flores. Nilo, a young child from the Ebu Gogo tribe, walked alone through the jungle, searching for fruit for his family. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound from behind the bushes. Cautiously, he approached and saw a tiny elephant with wide ears and small, newly grown tusks.

But this was no ordinary elephant. Nilo recognized the creature from the Elders' stories—a stegodon, an ancient being believed to have gone extinct long ago. The little stegodon’s eyes were filled with fear, its legs tangled in the roots of a tree.

Without hesitation, Nilo crouched down and began untangling the roots wrapped around the tiny creature’s legs. The little stegodon wiggled its trunk excitedly, as if expressing gratitude. Nilo smiled and gently patted its head.

"Are you alone?" Nilo asked.

The stegodon let out a soft whimper, its eyes glistening with sadness. It had been separated from its family. Nilo nodded in understanding and decided to help the small creature find its way home.

For days, the two of them wandered through the forest together. Nilo taught the stegodon how to find safe fruits to eat, while the little stegodon showed Nilo how to listen to the whispers of the jungle—how to recognize signs of danger, read tracks, and understand the language of nature.






But danger lurked nearby. The Orang Besar (Big People) ventured deeper into the forest, cutting down trees and hunting greedily. One night, Nilo and his little friend barely escaped when a group of hunters spotted the stegodon’s footprints in the soil. Nilo knew that if they found the creature, they would never let it live.

With great courage, Nilo led his tiny companion toward a hidden cave—one that, according to the Elders, was once a sacred refuge for the ancestors of the stegodon. As they arrived, a deep rumble shook the ground.

From within the cave, a herd of great stegodons emerged, their wise eyes gleaming in the moonlight. The leader of the herd stepped forward, gently touching the young stegodon’s head with its trunk.

He had returned to his family.

Nilo smiled, though his heart felt heavy at the thought of parting with his dear friend. But before he could leave, the little stegodon pressed its trunk gently against Nilo’s forehead, as if making a silent promise—they would always be a part of each other.

As Nilo walked back to his community, he realized something: this story must be told. The world needed to know that these forgotten inhabitants of the forest were not just legends. They were a living part of history, waiting to be rediscovered.

And deep in the forest, beneath the thick canopy of trees, the small footprints of a stegodon remained— a quiet reminder that true friendship could transcend time and legend.

Read Also: Ebu Gogo: The Last Traces in the Forests of Flores


Ebu Gogo

Ebu Gogo: The Last Traces in the Forests of Flores

Edisi Indonesia: Ebu Gogo

Have you heard of the famous hobbit story from Flores? The tale of small creatures said to have once lived alongside humans before vanishing into obscurity? The people of Flores call these beings Ebu Gogo. In the Nage language, ebu means grandparent, and gogo means one who eats everything. They are described as small, furry beings who once roamed the forests of Flores. Legends depict them as swift runners with tiny bodies, wide faces, and a habit of mimicking human speech. However, beyond the folklore that often portrays them in a negative light, there is another story—one that is rarely told.

The evening breeze whispered through the dense forests of Flores. Fallen leaves accompanied the small footsteps of Nilo, a young Ebu Gogo, as he ran after his mother, Luri. They moved nimbly among the massive roots, occasionally pausing to observe the movements of birds or inhale the sweet scent of ripe fruit that had fallen to the ground.

Within their community, the Ebu Gogo lived simple lives. They hunted small animals, gathered fruits, and shared their findings with the rest of the group. Though small and covered in fur, they possessed remarkable cleverness in survival. However, their world had recently begun to change.

Since the arrival of the tall humans—the ones the Elders called the 'Big People'—the forest had begun to feel smaller. The Big People came with sharper tools, louder voices, and a greedier way of hunting. At first, they merely observed each other from a distance, but over time, tensions began to rise.

The Big People saw the Ebu Gogo as thieves, accusing them of stealing leftover food from their fields. But for the Ebu Gogo, it was simply a way to survive. As food in the forest became scarcer, they took whatever they could find—abandoned fruits, animals caught in human traps.

Nilo overheard the whispers of the Elders, saying that the Big People were beginning to fear them. They saw the Ebu Gogo as greedy, untrustworthy creatures. Some even believed they kidnapped human children, though in reality, the Ebu Gogo were merely curious, wanting to learn from them. Their languages were different, but Nilo often mimicked the words spoken by the Big People, trying to understand them.

One night, the sky burned red. Smoke billowed from the cave where most of the Ebu Gogo families lived. The Big People had come with torches and fire, setting their shelter ablaze. Screams and cries filled the air. Luri gripped Nilo’s hand tightly, pulling him deeper into the forest. They ran without looking back.

Days later, only silence remained. Some of them had survived, but the world they once knew had changed forever. Nilo gazed at the forest ahead, knowing he had to endure.

Years passed, and the tale of the Ebu Gogo faded into legend. People spoke of them as greedy creatures that had to be eradicated, but no one truly knew their side of the story. Perhaps, deep within the forest, the last descendants of the Ebu Gogo still existed—adapting in silence, watching a world that had moved on without them.

And Nilo? He grew into a new Elder, carrying the old stories in his memory, hoping that one day, humans would see that they were more than just myth—they were a forgotten part of history.

Read Also: Nilo and the Ancient Elephant: A Little Friend from the Past







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