Respecting Parental Advice: The Tale of the Soppeng Children
Nenek Pakande (Peri yang Jahat) | Edisi Indonesia
Indonesian Folklore Webpage
Folklore from South Sulawesi
PARENTS in South Sulawesi often tell their children not to play outside the house when the sun is beginning to set. They ask their children to stay at home otherwise an evil fairy named Grandma Pakande will kidnap them! Do you want to know how the legend began? Read on!
The story happened long time ago in Soppeng South Sulawesi. The people lived peacefully and ' harmoniously. They were farmers. They had good lives. Their land was fertile. Life was so perfect there.
It was almost dark. A boy was playing outside his home. His mother told him to go inside the house. "C'mon! It's going to be dark soon. Stop playing outside!"
However he ignored his mother. He did not know that an evil fairy was watching him. The mother again asked him to go inside. But there was no response from him. She called out the boy's name loudly. She went to see other people's house. Sadly, the boy was missing. The mother began to get panicky. She screamed loudly and that attracted people's attention.
"What happened?!" asked them.
"My son was here a minute ago. But now he disappeared. I have looked for him anywhere, but I could not find him!"
People spread out to find the boy. But the boy was still nowhere to be found. On the following day, the tragedy happened again. A mother left her a baby for a while. When she returned, the baby was gone! The mother was extremely sad! People had a meeting how to solve the problem. They were curious how this happened.
"l know who did this!" said an old man.
"An evil fairy just came to our place. She looked like an old woman. Her name was Grandma Pakande!"
"What? Grandma Pakande came to our place?" People were so scared.
They knew who she was. Grandma Pakande was an evil fairy. She liked to kidnap children at night.
The old man continued, "I heard Grandma Pakande is scared of a giant, but we cannot find a giant easily."
"I know how to find a giant!" Suddenly a young man interrupted.
His name was La Beddu. He was known as a clever young man.
"How?" asked someone.
"Well, we don't have to find a giant. We can create a giant. I will trick Graridma Pakande. I will become a giant. Here is my plan. Prepare some foam and a big trumpet. I will use the trumpet to make my voice louder. I want to sound like a giant. And the foam? Well, I want to use it as my saliva," explained La Beddu.
The people then set a trap. They put a baby outside a big house. After a while, Grandma Pakande came. She approached the baby.
Before she grabbed the baby, La Beddu yelled, "Stop! What are you doing?"
"Who are you?" asked Grandma Pakande.
She did not see anyone.
"I am a giant," said La Beddu loudly through the big trumpet.
"A giant? I don't believe you," said Grandma Pakande.
La Beddu then spitted. People then threw the big foam toward Grandma Pakande. She was shocked to see big 'saliva'. She did not know that it was just foam. She ran away.
Since then people lived peacefully. However they still forbade their children to play outside of the house after the sun set. It happens until now. Parents always tell their children that at dusk, Grandma Pakande will kidnap children who are still outside the house. ***
Indonesian Folklore Webpage
Folklore from South Sulawesi
PARENTS in South Sulawesi often tell their children not to play outside the house when the sun is beginning to set. They ask their children to stay at home otherwise an evil fairy named Grandma Pakande will kidnap them! Do you want to know how the legend began? Read on!
The story happened long time ago in Soppeng South Sulawesi. The people lived peacefully and ' harmoniously. They were farmers. They had good lives. Their land was fertile. Life was so perfect there.
It was almost dark. A boy was playing outside his home. His mother told him to go inside the house. "C'mon! It's going to be dark soon. Stop playing outside!"
However he ignored his mother. He did not know that an evil fairy was watching him. The mother again asked him to go inside. But there was no response from him. She called out the boy's name loudly. She went to see other people's house. Sadly, the boy was missing. The mother began to get panicky. She screamed loudly and that attracted people's attention.
"What happened?!" asked them.
"My son was here a minute ago. But now he disappeared. I have looked for him anywhere, but I could not find him!"
People spread out to find the boy. But the boy was still nowhere to be found. On the following day, the tragedy happened again. A mother left her a baby for a while. When she returned, the baby was gone! The mother was extremely sad! People had a meeting how to solve the problem. They were curious how this happened.
"l know who did this!" said an old man.
"An evil fairy just came to our place. She looked like an old woman. Her name was Grandma Pakande!"
"What? Grandma Pakande came to our place?" People were so scared.
They knew who she was. Grandma Pakande was an evil fairy. She liked to kidnap children at night.
The old man continued, "I heard Grandma Pakande is scared of a giant, but we cannot find a giant easily."
"I know how to find a giant!" Suddenly a young man interrupted.
His name was La Beddu. He was known as a clever young man.
"How?" asked someone.
"Well, we don't have to find a giant. We can create a giant. I will trick Graridma Pakande. I will become a giant. Here is my plan. Prepare some foam and a big trumpet. I will use the trumpet to make my voice louder. I want to sound like a giant. And the foam? Well, I want to use it as my saliva," explained La Beddu.
The people then set a trap. They put a baby outside a big house. After a while, Grandma Pakande came. She approached the baby.
Before she grabbed the baby, La Beddu yelled, "Stop! What are you doing?"
"Who are you?" asked Grandma Pakande.
She did not see anyone.
"I am a giant," said La Beddu loudly through the big trumpet.
"A giant? I don't believe you," said Grandma Pakande.
La Beddu then spitted. People then threw the big foam toward Grandma Pakande. She was shocked to see big 'saliva'. She did not know that it was just foam. She ran away.
Since then people lived peacefully. However they still forbade their children to play outside of the house after the sun set. It happens until now. Parents always tell their children that at dusk, Grandma Pakande will kidnap children who are still outside the house. ***
Moral Messages:
The moral lessons of this story are:
1. Obey Your Parents: The story emphasizes the importance of listening to and obeying parents' instructions, particularly for the sake of safety. The boy ignored his mother's warnings and faced dire consequences.
2. Community Cooperation: The villagers worked together to solve the problem of the missing children, highlighting the value of unity and cooperation in a community.
3. Ingenuity and Courage: La Beddu's clever plan and bravery in confronting Grandma Pakande demonstrate that intelligence and courage can overcome evil and danger.
4. Protecting the Vulnerable: The story underlines the responsibility of adults to protect children and vulnerable individuals from harm.
5. Heed Warnings and Traditions: The continued tradition of warning children not to play outside at dusk serves as a reminder that cultural wisdom often has practical reasons and should be respected.
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