category : Tale & Folklore
Long ago, in a village, there lived a very wealthy man whose life was prosperous and abundant. He was blessed with several children by the divine.
In this family, a daughter was born named Lebonna, whose beauty was extraordinarily captivating. Her face shone brightly and radiated charm. She was so beautiful that anyone who saw her would be enchanted. Moreover, no one could compare to her in kindness and character. Because of this, she became a role model and was known even beyond her village.
In the village where Lebonna lived, there were two handsome young men named Dodeng and Paerengan.
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| Paerengan - Lebonna - Dodeng |
Both intended to formally propose marriage to Lebonna.
One day, when Lebonna heard about their intentions, she said:
“These two young men are equally handsome, equally kind, and equally noble.”
However, the first to come with a formal marriage proposal was Dodeng. Unfortunately, his proposal was not accepted by Lebonna. Yet she did not want to reject him directly. Instead, she entrusted the decision to her parents, saying:
“This young man has expressed his intention, but I cannot decide on my own. I am afraid of being disobedient to my parents.”
Dodeng conveyed Lebonna’s words to his parents. Soon after, his parents went to Lebonna’s family, bringing a pangngan (betel chewing set) as part of a formal marriage proposal, to find out whether it would be accepted.
However, on the third night, when they returned to receive the answer, they found that the pangngan they had brought had not been opened. This was a sign that the proposal had not been accepted. Therefore, they took it back home. From that moment on, Dodeng felt ashamed and deeply disappointed.
When Paerengan heard that Dodeng’s proposal had been rejected, he decided to come forward as well. He asked his family to formally propose on his behalf, and they went to Lebonna’s house bringing their own pangngan.
When Lebonna’s parents asked her about Paerengan’s proposal, she smiled with joy and said happily:
“This is the one who perfectly complements my beloved sarong.”
Her parents were delighted and opened the pangngan. Once it was confirmed that the proposal had been accepted, the requirements for marriage were established. It was decided that Paerengan must provide a bridewealth equivalent to twelve buffaloes.
After their marriage, they lived happily together. Then Paerengan made a vow to his beloved, his soulmate:
“If one of us dies, the other will follow. We shall never be seperated, even in the grave."
In their married life, they never quarreled. Their home was blessed, and they were kind and welcoming to others—gentle and patient. Because of this, they became role models in their village.
However, there was someone who harbored resentment upon seeing their happiness—Dodeng. He had long been hurt by Lebonna’s rejection. When Paerengan’s proposal was accepted, his resentment grew into hatred, and an evil plan began to form in his heart.
One day, their village was attacked by outsiders. All the villagers agreed to go and defend their land.
When the warriors were ready to depart, Paerengan stepped forward to encourage and strengthen them.
Meanwhile, Dodeng deliberately joined the war, hoping that if Lebonna became a widow, she would eventually accept him.
The war did not last long. They succeeded in driving away the enemy, and Paerengan and his companions returned safely. Dodeng fell into despair, as his hopes were not fulfilled. A wicked intention then arose in his heart—one that would lead Lebonna and Paerengan toward death.
Before the warriors returned, Dodeng ran ahead to Lebonna’s house.
When Lebonna met him, she asked about the war.
Dodeng replied that they had been defeated and many had died. He claimed that Paerengan had been among the first to die, brutally killed in battle, and that only fragments of his body had been brought back.
After saying this, Dodeng immediately left.
After he departed, Lebonna remembered her vow with Paerengan:
“If one of us dies, the other will follow. We shall never be seperated, even in the grave."
Because of this vow, and deceived by Dodeng’s lie, Lebonna took her own life.
Not long after, Paerengan arrived home. Tears flowed endlessly when he found Lebonna already dead.
“Her breath had ceased; the thread of her life was broken.”
Paerengan was shocked and lost consciousness. The entire village was shaken. People cried out loudly, and silence fell upon the land. Lebonna had left them, returning to her ancestors and to her Creator.
Paerengan did not know the cause of her death.
Lebonna was given funeral rites according to the customary tradition (aluk rampe matampu’), and she was laid to rest in a place called Kayu Mati, suspended upon a cliff.
Below the rocky cliff stood a large palm tree, commonly tapped for its sap.
After the mourning period had passed, Dodeng went to the tree near Lebonna’s grave to collect sap. While tapping the tree, he heard a faint voice:
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| Dodeng is tapping palm sap |
“Dodeng who is tapping, put down your stick, set aside your tools, and listen carefully. Deliver my message to Paerengan. He said we would live and die together, yet I died first, and he has not followed. Where is the fulfillment of that promise? It has become nothing but forgotten words.”
After hearing the entire message, Dodeng went straight to Paerengan’s house to deliver it.
Paerengan was shocked and remembered his vow. He said:
“Call me when you go there again.”
When Dodeng returned to collect sap, he informed Paerengan, who followed him.
As Dodeng tapped the tree, the same voice was heard again.
Paerengan himself heard it—the voice of Lebonna, his soulmate.
He said:
“I am filled with longing hearing this sorrowful voice. A true word must be fulfilled. Let us fulfill our promise and bring this matter to an end.”
Paerengan returned home and prepared himself as if for a long journey. He ate the finest food, dressed himself completely, mounted his buffalo, and rode toward a high cliff, throwing himself into the abyss together with the buffalo. (Some versions say he leapt from the roof of his house or from a tall tree.)
When Paerengan died, the entire village was shaken. They said:
“Our pillar has fallen; our protector is gone.”
He was given funeral rites and buried in a different place from Lebonna.
After both were buried, something strange occurred. Worms emerged from their graves and moved toward each other—those from Paerengan’s grave went toward Lebonna’s, and those from Lebonna’s moved toward Paerengan’s.
The elders were frightened, as they had never witnessed such a thing. They did not understand the cause.
They discussed among themselves, and the village leaders gathered to deliberate the meaning of this sign.
Dodeng was also present. After many had spoken, he said:
“This is nothing other than the result of the vow made by Lebonna and Paerengan at the beginning of their marriage.”
The villagers asked whether such a vow truly existed.
Dodeng replied:
“That is why Paerengan took his own life—to fulfill that vow. Since Lebonna died first and Paerengan did not follow immediately, her spirit came to remind him.”
He continued:
“In my opinion, this sign will cease if their bodies are united in one grave.”
All agreed that this was the right solution. They moved Paerengan’s body to Lebonna’s grave.
After the two were united, the worms disappeared into the grave where both were laid—because the promise they had made had finally been fulfilled.
This story carries a profound meaning: that the Torajan people of the past held firmly to their commitments—steadfastness, humility, loyalty, sincerity, and honesty toward their partners.
Translated by Pentong from the original Toraja-language story, "PUAMANNA LEBONNA SOLA PAERENGAN NA DODENG"
👉 also read folklore of :
| Polopadang And Deatanna [English Version] - (Part 1) | Polopadang And Deatanna [English Version] - (Part 2) |
