category : Cerita Rakyat
| Uleleanna Serre' Datu (Bahasa Toraja) | Cerita Rakyat Serre'Datu (Bahasa Indonesia) |
There was a rich man who had a king's cat, among the Toraja people this type of cat was called Serre' Datu. One day this rich man said to his cat, "Just look after the house well, I'll go look for fish for our side dishes later." When evening approached, he returned home carrying a large basket of fish, then put the basket on the floor. Serre' Datu, who smelled the fishy smell of the fish, then approached the basket, took a fish from the basket and took it away. Seeing this the rich man chased him and managed to snatch the fish from the cat's mouth and took it back to the fish basket. Then he started cleaning the fish he had caught earlier to cook. However, not long after, without his knowledge, Serre' Datu came back to take a fish that had been cleaned. So he was angry. He chased the cat again, after catching it, he took firewood that was burning in the kitchen stove and burned Serre' Datu's whiskers with fire, so that Serre' Datu's mouth became blistered. Because he was feel in pain he went from there to the back of the kitchen.
When it was time to eat, the rich man called to his cat, who was sitting quietly behind the kitchen. But Serre' Datu wouldn't come. The rich man tried calling his cat several times, but it still sat there quietly, angry because it was still in pain and its whiskers had been burned by the fire.
When the rich man went to bed, Serre' Datu leaped onto the goods storage rack. There, he knocked over the Baka Bua, a kind of basket used for storing valuables. Inside the Baka Bua were amulets, precious cloth, kerises, gold necklaces and bracelets – all the expensive possessions in the house. Serre' Datu then spoke to the objects, saying, "You all stay in this house. I'm leaving because I was abused earlier. My mouth and whiskers were burned by the fire." The entire contents of the Baka Bua, all the valuables, answered back! "Who else will live in this house if you leave?" they said. "We don't want it to become a nesting place for mice. We'll come with you!"
Not long after, the cat climbed down to the floor and found La'bo' Penai, a type of machete used in war. Its handle was decorated with beautiful, eye-catching tassels. "You stay, La'bo'," the cat said. "I'll go." But La'bo' Penai answered, "I don't want to stay in this house without you. I'll come with you. I wouldn't want the decorations on my handle to be ruined by rats."
Serre' Datu then left the house. He walked towards the rice barns and leaped up. Inside, he found mountains of sheaves of rice rising towards the ceiling. "You all stay," he said, "I'm leaving this place." Surprisingly, the sheaves of rice rustled and spoke in unison. "We will all come with you," they said. "We don't want to become a nesting place for mice and be eaten by them!"
After that, Serre' Datu went to meet the buffalo in its pen. "You stay, buffalo," he said. "I'm leaving this place. I was abused earlier." The buffalo rumbled a reply, "We will also come with you. We don't want to be treated the same way and be skinned by rats later."
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| Buffalo and Serre' Datu the cat |
Close to the buffalo pen was a pig house. Serre' Datu walked there and met the pigs. "Stay, pigs," he said. "I'm leaving. I've been wronged." The pigs squealed in response, "Who wants to stay here? We'll come with you! We're afraid the rats will come and pull out our hair if you're gone."
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| Serre' Datu the cat in Pig House |
Finally, Serre' Datu spoke to the chickens in their coop. "I'm going to leave here," he said. "Stay well, chickens!" But the chickens clucked back, "We don't want to stay as playthings for mice! We're afraid of mice jumping on us. We will come with you!"
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| Serre' Datu the cat came to chickens coop |
So they gathered together, and not long afterward, they all left that place.
Led by Serre' Datu, a peculiar procession left the rich man's residence. A line of rice sheaves followed, along with all the valuable objects and the house pets.
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| Serre' Datu the cat leads his group |
After a long journey, they stumbled upon a house where the owner had angrily thrown out a basket overflowing with belongings. The scattered contents landed near Serre' Datu's group, and the displaced objects, seeking refuge, joined their company.
On their way, they encountered a man feeding his dog. However, the man was also hitting the dog, causing it to struggle free from its restraints in pain. The dog fled towards Serre' Datu's group and was welcomed into their growing band.
They witnessed another troubling scene: a man who was supposed to be feeding his chickens was instead throwing stones at them. The frightened chickens abandoned their cruel master and joined Serre' Datu's group as well.
Later, they came across someone who, while seemingly feeding his buffalo, was also hitting the animal in the mouth. The mistreated buffalo, sensing a chance for a better life, broke free and followed Serre' Datu's group.
As Serre' Datu and his growing entourage walked, they all underwent a remarkable transformation, changing their shapes and appearances to resemble humans. They continued their journey until they found two orphaned girls collecting "banni'" or groats, the remnants of rice trays, from the house of a wealthy man not far from their own home. This rich man, coincidentally, had two sons the same age as that the two girls.
The two young girls returned home with their meager collection, unaware that a group of people following them were Serre' Datu's entourage in disguise.
Arriving home, they saw a crowd of people gathered outside their house. Thinking them to be travelers, the girls invited them in. "Gentlemen," they said, "please come in, don't stand outside."
The leader of the group, Serre' Datu, replied, "Thank you for your hospitality. We'll just rest for a while before continuing our journey."
One of the girls offered, "Let us make rice porridge for you before you leave."
Serre' Datu inquired, "Would the 'banni' groats you collected be enough to make porridge for all of us?"
The girl asked, "How many are there in your group?"
Serre' Datu, trying to express their large number, replied, "Three-six, three-seven, ten-seven-nine."
The girl, cleverly interpreting his cryptic answer, said, "So, will there be more of us than grains of rice?"
Touched by the girl's words, Serre' Datu and his group decided to stay. "We will all live together with you two from now on," he declared. The girls were shocked by this unexpected offer.
Serre' Datu continued, outlining a plan. "In three nights, you must perform a thanksgiving ritual. Then, we will all return to our original forms and take our rightful places to live together with you."
He then explained their future roles: "I will be in the kitchen," he said. The valuable objects chimed in, "We will reside in the treasure basket." Likewise, the dogs, chickens, buffalo, pigs, rice, and others designated their future placements.
Soon after, the group transformed back to their original forms and settled into their designated places, living harmoniously with the two girls. The once-orphaned girls were now wealthy. Eventually, each girl married a son from the neighboring rich family. They lived side by side in their own homes, their wealth steadily increasing. Yet, they remained humble, cherishing their good fortune and taking good care of everything they had.
This story fostered a love and respect for cats, as they were seen as symbols of prosperity.
It became a tradition to chant a phrase in social gatherings: "Cat, the root of your possessions, fill your treasure basket full, call your possessions to come to you, he who calls abundant blessings from all over, from faraway people."
Translated from the original Toraja language story, "Uleleanna Serre' Datu," by Pentong - ACT Admin.
