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The Legend of Dembe Village

Dembenga: The Fight Against Oppression


Legenda Desa Dembe | Edisi Indonesia

Folklore from Gorontalo


THERE are two villages in Gorontalo named Dembe I Village and Dembe II Village. There is an interesting story why those villages are named Dembe I and Dembe II. Do you want to know the story? Read on!

Limonu was a strong young man. He lived alone with his mother. Limonu always helped his mother. He'was really obedient.





In his spare time, Limonu always practiced martial arts. He already went to many teachers. He was so skillful. He was dreaming that he could become one of the king's soldiers.

One day Limonu heard that King Hemuto is going to recruit some young men to be his soldiers. However, only the invited young men could join the test. Unfortunately Limonu was not invited.

King Hemuto was known for his great skills in martial arts. He taught all the soldiers how to master the skills. Limonu did not give up. He had already made up his mind that he wanted to join the king's troop and became the king's student.

Limonu told his mother about his plan. His mother was speechless when she heard it.

"Please, Son. Don't join King Hemuto. Why do you want to be his student? You are already great," begged his mother.

"King Hemuto is the best, Mother. Please allow me."

His mother could not do anything. She knew how much her son wanted to be a soldier. There was something that she had to tell about the king. She planned to tell the secret about King Hemuto after Limonu was accepted to be a soldier.

Limonu was so happy when his mother finally let him become King Hemuto's soldier. However there was one thing that he had to solve. He was not invited to take the test.

"All right, I will let you join the test. But first, you have to beat my best soldier," said King Hemuto when Limonu told him that he wanted to be a soldier.

Limonu won the fight! He was accepted! Wow! He was happy. He learned all the king's skills and that made him an expert in martial arts. The king liked him very much, he appointed Limonu to be the commander of his troop. He led the soldiers!

 Limonu's mother thought it was time for him to tell the truth about King Hemuto.

"Your father was a king, Son. He was the king in Western Area while King Hemuto was the king in Northern Area. When you were a baby, Western Area and Northern Area had a war. King Hemuto killed your father, Son," explained the mother.

Limonu was shocked. His respect to king suddenly disappeared. He knew he had to take revenge against him. He talked to his soldiers. They agreed to fight against the king. After all they loved Limonu very much. 

When King Hemuto knew that Limonu was the son of king in Western Area, he asked his soldiers to attack Limonu

The battle was massive! Both sides attacked bravely. People supported Limonu. They also loved him and hated the king. King Hemuto was mean and collected high tax from people. 

The people said, "Dembenga! Dembenga!"

It means throw them away!

The place where the battle happened then called Dembe I Village. King Hemuto went to north to avoid Limonu's soldiers. Later the place is narned as Dembe II Village. ***











Moral Message in English:

The story of Limonu teaches us the importance of courage and loyalty, but also the need for caution when making decisions based on revenge. Limonu is a young man who is obedient to his mother, highlighting the importance of listening to parental advice. However, when he learns about his father’s past, his respect for the king turns into vengeance. This serves as a warning that actions driven by revenge can lead to greater destruction. Moreover, the people's support for Limonu shows the strength of unity in facing injustice. They stand together against the cruel king, seeking freedom. Thus, this story also teaches that justice and truth will always prevail in the end.





Traditional Clothes of Gorontalo







1 comment:

  1. Nice stories. Please visit this site https://nicefolklore.blogspot.co.id/ and http://indonesiaataglance.blogspot.co.id/ . There are some interesting Indonesian stories.

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