Ngalau of Bincik: A Tale of Strength, Forgiveness, and Devotion
Ngalau Si Bincik >> Edisi Bahasa Indonesia
Folklore from West Sumatra
ONCE upon a time, there was a gambler in Payakumbuh West Sumatra. His name was Bincik. He really liked gambling. Whenever people asked him to do gambling, he was always ready. Sometimes he won a lot of money, but sometimes he lost. And when he lost all his money, Bincik did a terrible thing. With his friends, he robbed people's houses. However he did not rob the houses in his village. Instead he went to other villages and robbed the houses.
Bincik was a short man. But he was very strong. He was never caught in his criminal action. Everybody knew that Bincik was a gambler and a robber. And people from other villages also knew about that. However they did not have the courage to fight against Bincik. So people from other villages started not to have contact with the people in Bincik's villages.
The people in Bincik's villages started to suffer. They could not do business as usual. Slowly they became poor. To solve the problem, all the villagers talk to Bincik's parents. They asked the parents to advise Bincik not to rob people's houses. Bincik really loved his parents. He obeyed his parents' advice. Bincik then told his friends not to rob people's houses.
However, they rejected his idea. Especially Brewok, who really enjoyed robbing people's houses, he told other robbers to kill Bincik. Brewok had been jealous with Bincik. He wanted to replace Bincik as the head of the robbers.
Other robbers agreed. They attacked Bincik and threw him to a canyon. The robbers thought he was dead. Well, they were wrong. Bincik was unconscious but he was still alive.
Later Bincik opened his eyes. He felt he could not move his body. Suddenly, he saw a shadow. Bincit asked for help, "Help! Please help me! I will do anything if you help me."
The shadow replied "Really? Hmm… Ok, I will help you. And I will give great strengths. But I want you to use your strength to help me. My daughter is trapped in a cave. The mouth of the cave is covered by big stones. I want you to open the cave and free my daughter."
Bincik agreed. And suddenly he felt he was very strong. He was able to stand up and walk. He ran to the cave and in just a minute he was in front of the cave. With his power; he lifted all the big stones covering the mouth of the cave. Slowly it was opened.
Bincik found a very beautiful girl in the cave. She was a human. Bincik was very grateful to find her. He fell in love and later he married her. Bincik and his wife lived in the cave.
Bincik and his wife lived happily. But soon he missed his parents. He wanted to visit his parents in the village. After asking his wife's permission, Bincik left to his village. Sadly, he could not find his parents. His village was in a terrible condition.
After Bincik left, Brewok and his friends continued to rob. They also started robbing the houses in their own village! And they all were very cruel. They would hurt anyone who was trying to stop them. Bincik heard that his parents were dead. Brewok and his friends killed them. Bincik was angry!
Bincik used his great power to fight against Brewok and his friends. One by one, all Brewok’s friends were killed. And finally, Bincik was fighting head to head against Brewok. Bincik was too powerful. In a very short time, Brewok lost the fight.
After all the robbers were dead, the village was peaceful. Sadly, their peaceful life was soon ended. Dutch people came and they wanted to occupy their place. Bincik led the villagers to join the war. Bincik's power was very useful in war. The Dutch lost many of their soldiers. The Dutch finally knew about Bincik. They planned to kill him.
It was a massive attack. So many Dutch soldiers looked for Bincik. First they all went to Bincik’s village. They could not find him there. Then they went to the jungle, again they could not find him there. Later they heard about Bincik’s wife who lived in the cave. They hoped they could find Bincik there. Still, Bincik was missing.
Until now people did not know if Bincik was still alive or already dead. And if he was dead, people did not know Where he was buried. To commemorate Bincik's great fight against the Dutch, they named his cave as Ngalau si Bincik, ngalau means cave. And the cave is in the outskirt of Payakumbuh.***
Folklore from West Sumatra
ONCE upon a time, there was a gambler in Payakumbuh West Sumatra. His name was Bincik. He really liked gambling. Whenever people asked him to do gambling, he was always ready. Sometimes he won a lot of money, but sometimes he lost. And when he lost all his money, Bincik did a terrible thing. With his friends, he robbed people's houses. However he did not rob the houses in his village. Instead he went to other villages and robbed the houses.
Bincik was a short man. But he was very strong. He was never caught in his criminal action. Everybody knew that Bincik was a gambler and a robber. And people from other villages also knew about that. However they did not have the courage to fight against Bincik. So people from other villages started not to have contact with the people in Bincik's villages.
The people in Bincik's villages started to suffer. They could not do business as usual. Slowly they became poor. To solve the problem, all the villagers talk to Bincik's parents. They asked the parents to advise Bincik not to rob people's houses. Bincik really loved his parents. He obeyed his parents' advice. Bincik then told his friends not to rob people's houses.
However, they rejected his idea. Especially Brewok, who really enjoyed robbing people's houses, he told other robbers to kill Bincik. Brewok had been jealous with Bincik. He wanted to replace Bincik as the head of the robbers.
Other robbers agreed. They attacked Bincik and threw him to a canyon. The robbers thought he was dead. Well, they were wrong. Bincik was unconscious but he was still alive.
Later Bincik opened his eyes. He felt he could not move his body. Suddenly, he saw a shadow. Bincit asked for help, "Help! Please help me! I will do anything if you help me."
The shadow replied "Really? Hmm… Ok, I will help you. And I will give great strengths. But I want you to use your strength to help me. My daughter is trapped in a cave. The mouth of the cave is covered by big stones. I want you to open the cave and free my daughter."
Bincik agreed. And suddenly he felt he was very strong. He was able to stand up and walk. He ran to the cave and in just a minute he was in front of the cave. With his power; he lifted all the big stones covering the mouth of the cave. Slowly it was opened.
Bincik found a very beautiful girl in the cave. She was a human. Bincik was very grateful to find her. He fell in love and later he married her. Bincik and his wife lived in the cave.
Bincik and his wife lived happily. But soon he missed his parents. He wanted to visit his parents in the village. After asking his wife's permission, Bincik left to his village. Sadly, he could not find his parents. His village was in a terrible condition.
After Bincik left, Brewok and his friends continued to rob. They also started robbing the houses in their own village! And they all were very cruel. They would hurt anyone who was trying to stop them. Bincik heard that his parents were dead. Brewok and his friends killed them. Bincik was angry!
Bincik used his great power to fight against Brewok and his friends. One by one, all Brewok’s friends were killed. And finally, Bincik was fighting head to head against Brewok. Bincik was too powerful. In a very short time, Brewok lost the fight.
After all the robbers were dead, the village was peaceful. Sadly, their peaceful life was soon ended. Dutch people came and they wanted to occupy their place. Bincik led the villagers to join the war. Bincik's power was very useful in war. The Dutch lost many of their soldiers. The Dutch finally knew about Bincik. They planned to kill him.
It was a massive attack. So many Dutch soldiers looked for Bincik. First they all went to Bincik’s village. They could not find him there. Then they went to the jungle, again they could not find him there. Later they heard about Bincik’s wife who lived in the cave. They hoped they could find Bincik there. Still, Bincik was missing.
Until now people did not know if Bincik was still alive or already dead. And if he was dead, people did not know Where he was buried. To commemorate Bincik's great fight against the Dutch, they named his cave as Ngalau si Bincik, ngalau means cave. And the cave is in the outskirt of Payakumbuh.***
Sincerity, Redemption, and Transformation: Lessons from Ngalau si Bincik
The moral of the story is about the consequences of one's actions and the power of redemption. It teaches us that wrongdoing, such as robbing and causing harm to others, eventually leads to suffering and destruction. However, through repentance and selflessness, one can find redemption and make amends for past mistakes. Bincik's transformation from a notorious robber to a hero who fights for justice illustrates the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions and using one's strength for the greater good.
