Kata-Kata Daing Dagan Suhut Buli'an

Sama Tale of Arung Jauliha’s craving for the backwards swimming fish

Aniya’ duwangan d’nda bay magbagay. Ya ōn saga d’nda itu si Arung Jauliha maka si Arung Meta. Magbeya’-beya’ sigām itu pi’ingga-pi’ingga: Ni kabudbūran, ni kampampang-pampangan, ni kasagbotan, ni katoho’an, ni kabase’an. Mbal magbutas in paglasa sigām.
Manjari aniya’ dakayu’ waktu, waktu pagdundang. Sali’ aniya’ hailaya ma lahat sigām, ati in duwangan itu bay magdundang. Na bay waktu kamatto’ahan i’, ataha’ bu’un sigām. Pagdundang pa’in itu makasagnat bu’un si Arung Jauliha ma gamut nunuk. Manjari maina’an angamu’ sigām tabang bang buwattingga kapuwas bu’unna inān sampay angajanji’ iya bang aniya’ takdil l’lla bo’ makasulut deyom pangatayanna ma halam limbitna, bang makapuwasan bu’unna min gamut nunuk inān, ya na nihinang h’lla e’na, yukna.
Manjari halam at’ggol, ilu na aniya’ l’lla angura’ min pitu’ bīd maka pitu’ sapa’. In ōn l’lla itu si Asamuddin. Si Asamuddin itu l’lla du isab pandikal, l’lla isab magbabaran ma ginhawana. Jari in pameya’anna waktu bay awal jaman-i’ kura’. Sabab ya ilu, bang ka babangsahun, daratu’un, susultanun atawa pagnanakura’an sin ai-ai grupo, kura’ ya pameya’annu.
Manjari pagt’kka si Asamuddin pina’an ni d’nda yukna, “Ni’angay ka ilu? Ai kasusahannu?”
Salta’ abinsana’ na d’nda inān sabab mbal iya makapuwasan bu’unna. Ubus bo’ pī’ ni-sacrifice e’ si Asamuddin ati kapuwasan e’na bu’un si Arung Jauliha inān. Jari minnī’, hatina ma paljanji’an nihinang h’lla e’na. Na sampay sigām makapagdakayu’ inān, kinawin na. Palabay pa’in waktu, in d’nda angiram na. Ya pangiraman e’na daing dagan suhut buli’an.

Manjari nihinang du isab ni l’lla e’. Angkan pī’ na iya ni dilaut, bahasa angalinggi’. Ya sadja maī paghūg l’lla sin linggi’na, nihūg e’na mareyom kapisakan. angkan paghella’ na sin linggi’na, ya ameya’ itu ba’anan sowa pisak.
Jari amole’ na iya. Pagt’kkana ni luma’, nilinganan e’na h’ndana, yukna, “Ō dayang, ō dayang! Abati’ na ka. In pangiramannu, daing kabaya’annu, ya daing dagan suhut buli’an, itiya’ na.”
Manjari pagbati’ sin d’nda e’, pagtandawna pabāk ni h’llana, bahasa anambut, pag’nda’na, “Ē!” yukna, “Asamuddin, pamagayku daing ilu ilū? Ngga’i ka ko’ ilu daing dagan suhut buli’an,” yukna, “sowa. ”
“Hatina, duma’in ka itu dayang,” yuk si Asamuddin, “kabaya’annu?”

Na, pabīng na isab ni dilaut si Asamuddin. Pagbīng na, angahūg iya linggi’na mareyom kabatuhan. Paghella’na sin linggi’na, ya tak’llo’ e’na ba’anan daing tamangka’.
Pagt’kkana ni luma’ yukna, “Dayang, abati’ na ka! Itiya’,” yukna “ya pangiramannu: Daing dagan suhut buli’an.”
Pag’nda’ sin d’nda ma ba’anan tamangka’, bo’ tamangka’ itu bang kinakan ma waktu bay awal-jaman e’, makakulap kono’, angkan, “Pamagayku?” yukna, “Makakulap ko’ ilu! Duma’in ka ilu daing dagan suhut buli’an.”
Jari ya tanda’ sin lasa l’lla ma h’ndana, lagī’ asaki iya buwattina’an, saki angiram, saki min iya, tinuyu’an e’na piniha ya daing dagan suhut buli’an. Bay iya ni dilaut pabalik angahūg linggi’na. Ma waktu itu bay nihūg e’na linggi’na ma gusung kapote’an. Paghella’na sin linggi’na, kanu’us ya tak’llo’na. Ampa bay binowa e’na ni si Arung Jauliha, ya h’ndana.

Yukna, “Ō, dayang abati’ na ka. Duma’in ka daing itu ya pangiramannu? Daing dagan suhut buli’an?” Ampa pamuwan e’ si Asamuddin in daing kanu’us ni h’ndana.
Na min t’llu bay angahūg linggi’na si Asamuddin. Ma kapisakan, ma kabatuhan, maka ma gusung kapote’an. Ma kat’lluna pa’in paghūgna, tak’llo’ e’na daing dagan suhut buli’an. Kanu’us itu ya na daing dagan suhut buli’an.
Storyteller Nurustan K. Biral
This kata-kata was a favorite of Bapa’ Nurustan’s children, often chanted to them at bedtime.

English Synopsis

In this Sama kata-kata, two friends, Arung Jauliha and Arung Meta are always together.  Its Hari Raya (a name for the various Muslim festivals) and they join in the fun by riding on a great tree swing.  They get into trouble when Arung Jauliha’s long hair gets tangled in the roots of a balete tree.  Arung Jauliha, helplessly vows to herself that whoever might save her will become her husband.  A royal man, Asamuddin comes by on his horse and takes pity on her.  After quite some work she is free and eventually the two are married.  When she becomes pregnant, she has the strangest craving.  All she can think of is eating the fish that swims backwards.  Her husband is dumbfounded for what that might be.  The first two times he comes back with a sea snake and then with a goby fish.  Neither of these are what Arung Jauliha craves.  Finally her husband comes back with squid.  Once again he has solved his wife’s problem, first by saving her from the balete tree and once again by fulfilling her pregnancy craving.

Sama Cultural Insights

One cultural expectation placed upon Sama husbands is their duty to take care of their pregnant wives, especially in regard to the cravings that they may suffer during early pregnancy.  These cravings can sometimes seem quite unreasonable, but in order to be a hero, such as in this kata-kata, the Sama husband must sacrifice in order to help his wife.  Indeed as accounted in this story, the blame for a woman’s hardship in pregnancy is derived from her husband.  The story describes the cravings as a disease derived from a man.

Another cultural observation can be made about Hari Raya and its importance in Sama culture.  The various Muslim holidays provide a break from the monotony of life, giving the Sama the chance to gather for all sorts of entertainment.  Many Sama have fond stories of swinging in the giant swings, where the young men from an area strive their hardest to entertain the areas maidens by swinging them as hard as possible.

Some foods found edible by other groups are disdained by the Sama.  For instance tamangka’, a type of goby, is known to be a cause for skin disease.  Also sowa’ pisak would never be eaten.  It is only conceivable in the context of pregnancy cravings, where woman are sometimes known to crave for chalk, toothpaste, or other inedible things.