Datuk Darah Putih: Resilience Amidst Adversity
Datuk Darah Putih | Edisi Indonesia
Folklore from Jambi
ONCE upon a time in Jambi, there was a kingdom. The king was wise. The people loved him very much. The kingdom was peaceful. The king had a tough commander. His name was Datuk Darah Putih. Darah Putih means white blood. Indeed his blood was purely white. He did not have any red blood. People said that his blood was only white because he had great supernatural power.
The king held a meeting with Datuk Darah Putih.
"Datuk, I just heard from our spy that the troops of the Netherlands are coming to our kingdom. They are sailing with big ships. I'm sure they brought a lot of soldiers."
"You are right, Your Majesty. They are coming and ready to occupy our kingdom. I'm ready to defend our kingdom," said Datuk Darah Putih.
"Good! I never question your loyalty to the kingdom. Now, I want you to prepare our troops. Choose the best soldiers. I know the Netherlands are great, but we are not afraid!" ordered the king.
Soon, Datuk Darah Putih selected his best soldiers.He told them that the Netherlands were coming to occupy their kingdom. Datuk Darah Putih asked the soldiers to do their best. They had to fight bravely and made sure the Netherlands would never land in their kingdom.
Datuk Darah Putih asked the soldiers to prepare the best ships. He also asked them to prepare, their weapons well. He knew how great the Netherlands were. He also knew that the Dutch had better weapons. But with better strategy and great motivation, he knew they could beat them.
Datuk Darah Putih set a strategy. He asked his soldiers to put the ships in a strait. They were hiding. When the Netherlands' ships were coming, they would attack!
Their plan ran very well. The Netherlanders were trapped. Datuk Darah Putih and his soldiers attacked the Dutch bravely. Soon, the Dutch left the place.
All the soldiers were happy. They all hailed their commander, Datuk Darah Putih. However, Datuk Darah Putih did not seem to look happy. The soldiers were confused.
"What's wrong, Commander? We just won the battle. Why aren't you happy?" Asked one of his soldiers.
"You are right. We just won the battle, but we haven't won the war yet. This is just a start. They will come back with more ships, more soldiers, and more weapons," explained Datuk Darah Putih.
He continued, "But I don't want you to be scared. We can beat any enemies as long as we stick to each other and we have great motivation to always win."
Datuk Darah Putih was right. Several weeks later, the Netherlanders came back! They came with more soldiers. Fortunately, Datuk Darah Putih had set a new strategy. At first the strategy ran well. Datuk Darah Putih and his soldiers could balance the Netherlanders. But slowly, because they were outnumbered, Datuk Darah Putih and his soldiers were cornered.
A bad thing happened. A Dutch soldier snatched Datuk Darah Putih. He was bleeding very badly. The soldiers saw white blood coming from his body. Datuk Darah Putih asked his soldiers to give him a small stone. Later, he put the stone on the wound. Amazingly, the bleeding stopped. All the soldiers were happy. They were just like being given more motivation to fight. They finally won the battle again! ***
Folklore from Jambi
ONCE upon a time in Jambi, there was a kingdom. The king was wise. The people loved him very much. The kingdom was peaceful. The king had a tough commander. His name was Datuk Darah Putih. Darah Putih means white blood. Indeed his blood was purely white. He did not have any red blood. People said that his blood was only white because he had great supernatural power.
The king held a meeting with Datuk Darah Putih.
"Datuk, I just heard from our spy that the troops of the Netherlands are coming to our kingdom. They are sailing with big ships. I'm sure they brought a lot of soldiers."
"You are right, Your Majesty. They are coming and ready to occupy our kingdom. I'm ready to defend our kingdom," said Datuk Darah Putih.
"Good! I never question your loyalty to the kingdom. Now, I want you to prepare our troops. Choose the best soldiers. I know the Netherlands are great, but we are not afraid!" ordered the king.
Soon, Datuk Darah Putih selected his best soldiers.He told them that the Netherlands were coming to occupy their kingdom. Datuk Darah Putih asked the soldiers to do their best. They had to fight bravely and made sure the Netherlands would never land in their kingdom.
Datuk Darah Putih asked the soldiers to prepare the best ships. He also asked them to prepare, their weapons well. He knew how great the Netherlands were. He also knew that the Dutch had better weapons. But with better strategy and great motivation, he knew they could beat them.
Datuk Darah Putih set a strategy. He asked his soldiers to put the ships in a strait. They were hiding. When the Netherlands' ships were coming, they would attack!
Their plan ran very well. The Netherlanders were trapped. Datuk Darah Putih and his soldiers attacked the Dutch bravely. Soon, the Dutch left the place.
All the soldiers were happy. They all hailed their commander, Datuk Darah Putih. However, Datuk Darah Putih did not seem to look happy. The soldiers were confused.
"What's wrong, Commander? We just won the battle. Why aren't you happy?" Asked one of his soldiers.
"You are right. We just won the battle, but we haven't won the war yet. This is just a start. They will come back with more ships, more soldiers, and more weapons," explained Datuk Darah Putih.
He continued, "But I don't want you to be scared. We can beat any enemies as long as we stick to each other and we have great motivation to always win."
Datuk Darah Putih was right. Several weeks later, the Netherlanders came back! They came with more soldiers. Fortunately, Datuk Darah Putih had set a new strategy. At first the strategy ran well. Datuk Darah Putih and his soldiers could balance the Netherlanders. But slowly, because they were outnumbered, Datuk Darah Putih and his soldiers were cornered.
A bad thing happened. A Dutch soldier snatched Datuk Darah Putih. He was bleeding very badly. The soldiers saw white blood coming from his body. Datuk Darah Putih asked his soldiers to give him a small stone. Later, he put the stone on the wound. Amazingly, the bleeding stopped. All the soldiers were happy. They were just like being given more motivation to fight. They finally won the battle again! ***
Moral Message: resilience, unity, and the ongoing nature of challenges
The moral message from this folklore highlights resilience, unity, and the ongoing nature of challenges. It emphasizes the importance of remaining steadfast in the face of adversity, showcasing how determination and unity among individuals can lead to triumph. Additionally, it conveys the notion that victory might not always come easily and may require continuous effort and adaptability in the face of evolving obstacles.
