Hello everybody! Today i want to write about an Indonesian folklore which I think is very Interesting. It is called "The Legend of Rawa Pening". The story goes like this:
The Legend of Rawa Pening
Once upon a time, there was a little boy, who was poor, dirty, and smelly, came into a little village. He was very hungry and weak. He knocked at every door and asked for some food, but nobody cared about him. Nobody wanted to help the little boy. Finally, a generous old woman helped him. She gave him shelter and a meal. When the boy wanted to leave, the old woman gave him a “lesung”, a big wooden mortar for pounding rice.
She reminded him, “Please remember, if there is a flood you must save yourself. Use this “lesung” as a boat”.
The little boy was happy and thanked the old woman. The little boy continued his journey. While he was passing through the village, where he had asked for food, he saw many people gathering on the field. The boy came closer and saw a stick stuck in the ground. People challenged each other to pull out that stick. Everybody tried, but nobody succeeded.
“Can I try?” asked the little boy.
The crowd laughed mockingly. The boy wanted to try his luck so he stepped forward and pulled out the stick. He could do it very easily. Everybody was dumbfounded. Suddenly, from the hole left by stick, water spouted out. It did not stop until it flooded the village. And no one was saved from the water except the little boy and the generous old woman who gave him shelter and meal. As she told him, he used the “lesung” as a boat and picked up the old woman. The whole village became a huge lake. This lake is now known as Rawa Pening Lake in Salatiga, Central Java, Indonesia.
Interesting isn't it? Now I will give you some questions which you can answer. Please enjoy!
1. Who gave the poor, little boy shelter and food?
a. The Villagers
b. A greedy old women
c. Nobody
d. A generous old women
e. A nice old women
2. What is a "Lesung"?
a. A mortar like kitchen device
b. A boat
c. A wooden stick to pound rice
d. A bowl to store rice
e. A safety device
3. “Please remember, if there is a flood you must save yourself. Use this “lesung” as a boat”. What does the word "flood" mean?
a. Masses of saltwater in one place
a. Masses of saltwater in one place
b. An overflow of water on land
c. A river
d. Still water
e. Shallow water
4. What is the purpose of the text?
a. to remind people of bringing a lesung when flooded
b. to retell a past event
c. to entertain the readers
d. to give detailed information to the readers about the origin of Rawa Pening Lake
e. to trick the readers with giving them wrong information
5. What happened to the boy after the village got flooded?
a. He used a boat and saved himself and the generous old women
b. He got picked up by the old women and swam away together
c. He used the lesung as a boat and saved himself and the selfish old women
d. He used the lesung as a boat and saved himself as lone survivor
e. He used the lesung as a boat and saved himself and the old women
And can you answer the questions?
Answers:
1. d
2. a
3. b
4. c
5. e
I hope you enjoyed it! Until next time.
