The Tale of Sangi: The Hunter Who Became a Dragon
Sangi Sang Pemburu >> Edisi Bahasa Indonesia
Folklore from Central Kalimantan
A long time ago in Central Kalimantan, a great hunter named Sangi lived. Every time he went to the jungle to go hunting, he brought a lot of animals home. Sangi lived with his family on a riverside.
As always, Sangi went to the jungle. He saw some footprints of a wild hog. He slowly followed the footprints. The footprints ended in a big tree. Sangi thought the hog was behind the tree. Slowly he walked around the tree then he was really amazed. He saw a big dragon was trying to swallow a wild hog. The hog was so big that the dragon could not swallow it easily.
After several times trying to swallow, finally the dragon gave up. Suddenly, the dragon looked at Sangi. He was really shocked! He wanted to run very fast. He thought the dragon would eat him alive.
Though Sangi had tried to run, his feet could not move at all. The dragon slowly came to him. Then they were face to face. When the dragon was exactly in front of him, it turned into smoke. When the smoke was gone, there was a handsome man.
He said, ''Eat that wild hog. This is your punishment for seeing me try to eat.''
''I can't. I am a human. I cannot eat a wild hog that big,'' said Sangi.
''Yes, you can. If you are a dragon, you can eat that hog,'' said the man.
Then Sangi changed into a dragon. After that, he ate the hog. Later, he changed back as a human.
''What happened to me? Why could I change as a dragon?'' said Sangi.
''It also happened to me years ago. I did what you did. I saw a dragon ate then the dragon made me a dragon. It is great to be like us. We are half dragon and half human. You can change to be a dragon or human anytime you like. Besides that, you can be forever young. I'm more than 100 years old but I still look young, right?'' said the man.
He continued, ''There is one condition that you have to do. Don't tell anyone that you are a half dragon and half human. If you did, you could be a dragon forever and unable to change back as human,'' said the man.
After that, he disappeared.
Since then, Sangi had two lives, one as a dragon and one as a human. He also looked young although he was really old. People always asked the secret, but he never told them why he could look young forever.
On his 150th birthday, people could not stand it anymore. More and more people asked him. Sangi gave up. He told them that he was actually a half dragon and half human. People were laughing at him. They did not believe that.
''I am a dragon!'' screamed Sangi. He was upset because they did not believe him.
Right after Sangi finished saying that, his body was shaking. Slowly he changed as a dragon. People were scared. They were running away.
Sangi was really sad. He regretted for telling them his secret. He knew he could not live in the village with his family anymore. He went to the river and lived there. Since then, people named the river Sangi River. ***
Moral of the Story
Honoring one's secrets and the trust placed upon them is crucial, for revealing them can lead to unforeseen consequences. This story teaches us about the importance of discretion and the balance between our dual identities.
