The Old Lady Turns to be A Frog

Illustration: Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense

Note: I wrote this articles when I was a journalist of Tribun Pontianak Newspaper.

PONTIANAK, KOMPAS.com — This legend is from about a century ago among the Dayak Punan people of East Kalimantan. They say that an old lady had turned into a frog, and her second generation descendants are still living among the people today.

Deputy chief of the Dayak Punan heritage association in East Kalimantan, Dollop Mamung, 54, believes the ledend is true. He claims to know one of the legendary old lady's grandchildren personally, and to have heard that person recount the tale.

"My unfulfilled dream is to visit the woods where the old lady turned into a frog," said Dollop to Tribun, Thursday, Pontianak city, West Kalimantan.

Dollop had just attended a forestry workshop in Pontianak as a delegate from his people. The Punan legend is linked with the wisdom of conserving the forest. Dollop recounted the following tale.

"At that time, a family lived around the Marut forest. They weren't farming, but they did 'mubut', which means that they were nomadic and they lived by hunting and foraging."

"There was an old lady among the Punans. She was so old that they had to carry her in a kalong."

Kalong is a rattan basket usually for carrying the foraged goods. Then one day, the old lady asked to be left in a hut.

"The old lady felt sorry for her grandchildren who had to carry her. The family refused, but she insisted." Dollop heard this tale from Jonidy Apan, 40, who is the second generation grandchild of the legendary old lady and who is now a local figurehead at the Sekatak district, Bulungan regency.

With a heavy heart, the family left the old lady. They visited her frequently, but after a month she vanished. They searched everywhere, but the old lady was no where to be found. But on the rocks by the Magong River in Marut woods, they found a big frog on a wicker mat. Big frogs weighing about one kilogram were common in the area, but this one could speak and was crying when found.

"Don't bother looking for me. I'm your grandmother, and I'm fine," said the frog to the agitated family members. The frog then told the family to preserve the forest. For that reason the Punan people don't clear woods for farming, even till today they still live by mubut.

A long time ago the rich forest spread over thousands of hectares, but now only 50 hectares remain because the surroundings have become plantations for wood or palm oil.

"The old lady's grandchild has asked me to meet the big frog, but I've never been able to go. If accompanied by the grandchild, we can meet her," Dollop continued. To reach Marut woods, it's a two day journey from Sekatak district, Bulungan regency, East Kalimantan. The journey would include hiking the wilderness and rowing along the Magong River.

Dollop is convinced of this tale because a number of workers have gone missing while surveying the woods, they just vanished without a trace and not even their bodies have been found.

"That's why only the Marut woods is still untouched. Several surveyors have gone missing without a trace. The old lady doesn't like her forest defiled."

Because of the legend, the descendants of the old lady are prohibited from eating frogs. Other locals there can eat frogs, but the bones and skin must be removed first because they're poisonous.  (Severianus Endi/C17-09)

Source: kompas(dot)com in this link.