079. The Legend of Batang Tuaka - Legenda Batang Tuaka - Riau


Once, in the days of yore, in the Indragiri, Riau, Indonesia, there lived an old widow with her son named Tuaka. They live together in a hut at the mouth of a river (right at the mouth of the river Indragiri Hilir). They had no relatives and treasure the slightest. Despite being poor, they still love each other. For everyday life Tuaka help his mother collect firewood from the forests around their homes. Tuaka father had long passed away, so his mother had to work hard to feed herself and her son, Tuaka.

One day, Tuaka with his mother went to the woods around the river. They are looking for firewood for sale and for everyday cooking. After obtaining enough wood fire, they both finally home. 

"Mom, if you tired, let me carrying fire wood," said Tuaka when he saw his mother exhausted.

"Never mind, Tuaka. Mother is still strong. Anyway, firewood that you have too many, "said Mother Tuaka her passed on.

On the way home, Tuaka and his mother were struck by a fairly loud hiss.

"Mom! What's that sound? "ask Tuaka the mother. "That snake hissing noise," replied his mother.

Sure enough, not far from them, from the banks of the river were two large snakes were fighting. Seems they were fighting over an object.

"Tuaka, hide. There is a large snake that was fighting," the Mother command. Tuaka and his mother quickly hid behind a tree big enough. From behind a tree, and his mother kept watch Tuaka two snakes wrestling each other and-twisted convolution.

"What are they fighting about, Mom?" Asked Tuaka."

"I also do not know! Tuaka Shut up, they'll know where we are, " said Mother Tuaka a whisper.

Shortly thereafter, the two fights snakes are finally over. Tuaka and his mother came out from behind a tree, then came to the scene. They found one dead snake, while the wounded snake. The wounded snake bite a shiny object, which turned out to be a gem (Kemala) very beautiful. The snake looked in pain by injuries.

"Mom, sorry for the wounded snake. Let us help," Tuaka said in a tone to invite.

"Yes, let's bring it home, so we can treat at home," said Mother Tuaka.

Tuaka put the snake in a basket that brought his mother, and then carry it home. When we got home, Mother Tuaka immediately seek a nutritious leaves, grind, and then apply them to injuries in the snake's body, while Tuaka busy giving cool drinking water. A few days later, the snake is starting to clear it suddenly disappeared from the basket. Gem he always protected his body was left in a circle in the basket. Tuaka and his mother was astonished, and they watched with awe Gem.

"Why did the snake leaving jewel, Mom?" Asked Tuaka to his mother.

"Maybe he wanted to thank us, because we had to help him. Should we just sell this gem to the merchant. The money we use to trade so we will not be poor anymore," said Mother Tuaka gratitude. Tuaka agreed to offer his mother.

The next day, go to the bookie Tuaka bustling with merchants. Arriving at the market, Tuaka around here and there looking for a pearl merchant who dare to buy at high prices. Almost every merchant in the market, he offered, but no one dared to buy it. Tuaka was getting desperate. Tuaka intend to bring it back home to his mother first. However, when he reached the end of the market, suddenly he saw a merchant who seems to have his offer. Tuaka approached the merchant, and then offers a pearl with a high price. Apparently, the merchant was so impressed after watching it berkilau gem.

"Ah very beautiful gemstone! I really want to have it. The price you are offering is indeed high, but I'm still going to buy it, "said the merchant.

"If so, what else waiting for? You just live pay," insisted Tuaka with a beating heart with joy.

"The money that I did not bring enough, boy! If you want, you should come with me to Temasik to take its shortcomings," the merchant said.

Tuaka looked pensive for a moment thinking about the merchant offers.

"Well, well, sir. May I joined the Temasik sir," replied Tuaka. After that, Tuaka went home to tell his mother this problem. Finally, Tuaka's mother let him go to the Temasik (Singapore). Tuaka and rich merchants were sailing toward Temasik. Along the way, Tuaka unrelenting imagine how much money will be obtained later.

Arriving at Temasik, the merchant pays money to purchase gems Tuaka. Because of the abundance of money, Tuaka forget to mothers and hometown. He settled in Temasik. A few years later he had become rich merchants. He married a beautiful lady. Tuaka house is magnificent, his ship too much. Her life wallowing in luxury. He no longer cares for the poor and his mother live alone, whether to eat or not.

One time, Tuaka took her sailing. Tuaka majestic ship anchored Tuaka hometown. Actually Tuaka still remember these hometown. However, he seems reluctant to tell his wife that they were flown in the village is his mother still lives in the old shack. He did not want his wife to know that he is the son of a woman who is old-aged and poor.

Meanwhile, the news of the arrival of Tuaka heard also by the mother. His mother rushed to welcome the arrival of her son who for years never heard from them. Because unstoppable yearning to meet his son, Mother Tuaka canoe approached the ship was magnificent Tuaka.

"Tuaka, my son. Mother missed you so much, dear!" His mother cried when she saw Tuaka and his wife aboard magnificent.

"Who was the old lady, my husband ? Why is she called you as her son" asked wives Tuaka with unhappy faces.

Tuaka absurdly shocked to see his mother on the boat shouting him. He knew the woman with tattered clothes was his mother, but he was not willing to admit it. He was so ashamed of her.

"Hey, keep poor women from the boat. Crazy woman do not know themselves! How dare he claim to be my mother," shouted Tuaka of the ship.

"Yes, turn him away from here," added her hips Tuaka wife. Heard the command of his master, immediately expel subordinates Tuaka nan that poor poor woman away from the ship.

Mother Tuaka very sad. While crying she canoe away from the ship Tuaka..

"Oh, God. Forgive me Tuaka having been insubordinate. Give him a warning to be aware of his mistake," laments Mother Tuaka.

Apparently God heard the prayers of His mother Tuaka. Shortly after Mother Tuaka unspoken prayer, Tuaka suddenly turned into a hawk. Similarly Tuaka wife, she turns into a bird pigeon. Mother's of was shocked and saddened to see her turn into a bird. Although Tuaka had hurt him, as a mother she loved her son.

Hawk and pigeon are birds circling above the mouth of the river, crying. Tears dripped two birds, small rivers forming an increasingly large. The river was later named River Tuaka. Then by the local community to replace the word "river" to the Malay word rod, so the name "River Tuaka" changed to "Trunk Tuaka". Since then, the area around the mouth of the river was named Rod Tuaka now known as the District of Batang Tuaka included in Indragiri Hilir regency, Riau, Indonesia.

Indragiri Malay community, both downstream and upstream, believes this legend actually happened in the days around the time duhulu Indragiri river estuary. If there is a voice screaming eagle scream at noon around the mouth of the River Tuaka, local people believe that the voice of the bird as the embodiment Tuaka screaming for mercy to his mother.


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Alkisah, pada zaman dahulu kala, di daerah Indragiri, Riau, Indonesia, hiduplah seorang janda tua bersama anak laki-lakinya bernama Tuaka. Mereka hidup berdua di sebuah gubuk yang terletak di muara sebuah sungai (tepatnya di muara sungai Indragiri Hilir). Mereka tak punya sanak-saudara dan harta sedikit pun. Meskipun hidup miskin, mereka tetap saling menyayangi. Untuk hidup sehari-hari Tuaka membantu emaknya mengumpulkan kayu api dari hutan-hutan di sekitar tempat tinggal mereka. Ayah Tuaka sudah lama meninggal dunia, dengan demikian emaknya harus bekerja keras menghidupi dirinya dan anak laki-lakinya, Tuaka. 

Suatu hari, Tuaka bersama emaknya pergi ke hutan di sekitar sungai. Mereka mencari kayu api untuk dijual dan untuk memasak sehari-hari. Setelah memperoleh kayu api cukup banyak, mereka berdua akhirnya pulang.

“Mak, kalau Emak lelah biarlah Tuaka saja yang menggendong kayu apinya," kata Tuaka saat melihat emaknya kelelahan.

“Tak apa, Tuaka. Emak masih kuat. Lagi pula, kayu bakar yang ada padamu juga banyak,” jawab Emak Tuaka sambil melanjutkan langkahnya. 

Di tengah perjalanan pulang, Tuaka dan emaknya dikejutkan oleh suara desisan yang cukup keras.

“Mak! suara apa itu?”, tanya Tuaka pada emaknya.

“Sepertinya itu suara ular berdesis”, jawab emaknya.

Ternyata benar, tak jauh dari mereka, dari arah tebing sungai tampak dua ekor ular besar sedang bertarung. Tampaknya mereka sedang memperebutkan sebuah benda.

“Tuaka, sembunyilah. Ada ular besar yang sedang berkelahi,” perintah Emak Tuaka.

Tuaka dan emaknya segera berlindung di balik sebuah pohon yang cukup besar. Dari balik pohon itu, Tuaka dan emaknya terus menyaksikan dua ekor ular itu saling bergumul dan belit-membelit.

“Apa yang mereka perebutkan, Mak?” tanya Tuaka.

“Mak juga tak tahu! Diamlah Tuaka, nanti mereka mengetahui keberadaan kita,” jawab Emak Tuaka dengan suara berbisik. 

Tak lama kemudian, perkelahian kedua ekor ular tersebut akhirnya usai. Tuaka dan emaknya keluar dari balik pohon, lalu mendekat ke tempat kejadian itu. Mereka mendapati salah satu ular sudah mati, sedangkan ular lainnya terluka. Ular yang terluka itu menggigit sebuah benda berkilau, yang ternyata adalah sebutir permata (kemala) yang sangat indah. Ular itu tampak kesakitan oleh luka-lukanya.

“Mak, kasihan ular yang terluka itu. Mari kita tolong,” kata Tuaka kepada emaknya dengan nada mengajak.

“Ya, mari kita bawa pulang, supaya kita bisa obati di rumah,” jawab Emak Tuaka.

Tuaka memasukkan ular itu ke dalam keranjang yang dibawa emaknya, lalu memanggulnya pulang. Sampai di rumah, Emak Tuaka segera mencari daun-daunan yang berkhasiat, menumbuknya, lalu membubuhkannya pada luka-luka di tubuh ular itu, sedangkan Tuaka sibuk memberinya minum air sejuk. Beberapa hari kemudian, ular yang sudah mulai sembuh itu tiba-tiba hilang dari keranjang. Permata yang selalu dia lindungi di dalam lingkaran badannya ditinggalkan di dalam keranjang. Tuaka dan emaknya terheran-heran, lalu mereka mengamati permata itu dengan kagum.

“Mengapa ular itu meninggalkan permatanya, Mak?” tanya Tuaka kepada emaknya.

“Berangkali dia ingin berterima kasih kepada kita, karena kita sudah menolongnya. Sebaiknya kita jual saja permata ini kepada saudagar. Uangnya kita gunakan untuk berdagang supaya kita tidak hidup miskin lagi,” jawab Emak Tuaka penuh rasa syukur. Tuaka pun setuju dengan tawaran emaknya. 

Keesokan harinya, Tuaka pergi ke bandar yang ramai dengan para saudagar. Sesampai di bandar, Tuaka berkeliling kesana-kemari mencari saudagar yang berani membeli permatanya dengan harga yang tinggi. Hampir semua saudagar di bandar itu ia tawarkan, namun tak ada yang berani membelinya. Tuaka pun mulai putus asa. Tuaka berniat membawa pulang pertama itu kepada emaknya. Namun, ketika sampai di ujung bandar, tiba-tiba ia melihat seorang saudagar yang sepertinya belum ia tawarkan. Tuaka menghampiri saudagar itu, kemudian menawarkan permatanya dengan harga yang tinggi. Tampaknya, saudagar itu sangat tertarik setelah mengamati permata berkilau itu.

“Aduhai elok sangat batu permata ini! Aku sangat ingin memilikinya. Harga yang kau tawarkan itu memang tinggi, tapi aku tetap akan membelinya,” kata sang Saudagar.

"Kalau begitu, apa lagi yang Tuan tunggu? Tuan hanya tinggal membayarnya,” desak Tuaka dengan hati berdebar karena bahagia.

“Uang yang aku bawa tak cukup, Nak! Jika kamu mau, kamu boleh ikut denganku ke Temasik untuk mengambil kekurangannya,” kata sang Saudagar.

Tuaka tampak termenung sejenak memikirkan tawaran sang Saudagar.

“Ehm, baiklah Tuan. Saya nak ikut Tuan ke Temasik,” jawab Tuaka.

Setelah itu, Tuaka pulang ke rumahnya untuk menceritakan masalah ini pada emaknya. Akhirnya, Emak Tuaka mengizinkannya berangkat ke Temasik (Singapura). Tuaka dan saudagar kaya itu berlayar menuju Temasik. Sepanjang perjalanan, Tuaka tak henti-hentinya membayangkan betapa banyak uang yang akan diperolehnya nanti.

Setibanya di Temasik, sang Saudagar membayar uang pembelian permata kepada Tuaka. Karena uang yang berlimpah tersebut, Tuaka lupa kepada ibu dan kampung halamannya. Dia menetap di Temasik. Beberapa tahun kemudian dia telah menjadi saudagar kaya. Dia menikah dengan seorang gadis elok rupawan. Rumah Tuaka sangatlah megah, kapalnya pun banyak. Hidupnya bergelimang dengan kemewahan. Dia tak lagi peduli emaknya yang miskin dan hidup sendirian, entah makan entah tidak. 

Suatu ketika, Tuaka mengajak istrinya berlayar. Kapal megah Tuaka berlabuh di kampung halaman Tuaka. Sebenarnya Tuaka masih ingat dengan kampung halamannya tersebut. Akan tetapi, rupanya dia enggan menceritakan kepada istrinya bahwa di kampung yang mereka singgahi tersebut emaknya masih hidup di sebuah gubuk tua. Dia tak mau istrinya mengetahui bahwa dirinya adalah anak seorang wanita yang sudah tua-renta dan miskin. 

Sementara itu, berita kedatangan Tuaka terdengar pula oleh emaknya. Emaknya bergegas menyongsong kedatangan anak lelakinya yang bertahun-tahun tak terdengar kabar beritanya tersebut. Karena rindu tak terbendung ingin bertemu anaknya, Emak Tuaka pun bersampan mendekati kapal megah Tuaka.

“Tuaka, Anakku. Emak sangat merindukanmu, Nak!” teriak Emak Tuaka saat melihat Tuaka dan istrinya di atas kapal megah itu.

“Siapa gerangan wanita tua itu, Kakanda? Mengapa dia menyebut Kakanda sebagai anaknya?” tanya istri Tuaka dengan wajah tidak senang.

Tuaka terkejut bukan kepalang melihat emaknya di atas sampan berteriak memanggilnya. Dia tahu wanita dengan pakaian compang-camping itu memang emaknya, tetapi dia tak sudi mengakuinya. Dia sangat malu pada istrinya.

“Hei, jauhkan wanita miskin itu dari kapalku. Dasar orang gila tak tahu diri! Beraninya dia mengaku sebagai emakku,” teriak Tuaka dari atas kapal.

“Ya, usir dia jauh-jauh dari sini,” tambah istri Tuaka sambil bertolak pinggang. Mendengar perintah dari tuannya, anak buah Tuaka segera mengusir wanita miskin nan malang itu menjauh dari kapal. 

Emak Tuaka sangat bersedih. Sambil menangis dia bersampan menjauhi kapal Tuaka.

“Oh, Tuhan. Ampunilah dosa Tuaka karena telah durhaka kepadaku. Berilah dia peringatan agar menyadari kesalahannya,” ratap Emak Tuaka.

Rupanya Tuhan mendengar doa Emak Tuaka. Sesaat setelah doa Emak Tuaka terucap, tiba-tiba Tuaka berubah menjadi seekor burung elang. Begitu pula istri Tuaka, dia berubah menjadi seekor burung punai. Emak Tuaka sangat terkejut dan sedih melihat anaknya berubah menjadi burung. Walaupun Tuaka telah menyakiti hatinya, sebagai seorang ibu ia sangat mencintai anaknya. 

Burung elang dan burung punai tersebut terbang berputar-putar di atas muara sungai sambil menangis. Air mata kedua burung itu menetes, membentuk sungai kecil yang semakin lama semakin besar. Sungai itu kemudian diberi nama Sungai Tuaka. Kemudian oleh masyarakat setempat mengganti kata “sungai” ke dalam bahasa Melayu menjadi “batang”, sehingga nama “Sungai Tuaka” berubah menjadi “Batang Tuaka”. Sejak itu pula, daerah di sekitar muara sungai tersebut diberi nama Batang Tuaka yang kini dikenal dengan Kecamatan Batang Tuaka yang masuk dalam wilayah Kabupaten Indragiri Hilir, Riau, Indonesia. 

Masyarakat Melayu Indragiri, baik di hilir maupun hulu sungai, meyakini legenda ini benar-benar pernah terjadi pada zaman duhulu kala di sekitar muara sungai Indragiri. Jika ada suara jerit elang berkulik pada siang hari di sekitar muara Sungai Tuaka, masyarakat setempat meyakini bahwa suara burung tersebut sebagai penjelmaan Tuaka yang menjerit memohon ampun kepada emaknya.

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