Saturday, June 25, 2022
THE STORY OF MINANGKABAU
(THE BUFFALO WON)
Do you know why the roofs of houses in West Sumatra are shaped like buffalo horns? Here is the story.
Once upon a time, there was a kingdom in West Sumatra. The inhabitants work as farmers. Their life is full of happiness. The land is fertile and the weather is always beautiful. The people also had a wise king. He always protects people. However, soon their happy life will be disrupted. Majapahit, a kingdom from Java will attack them. People were terrified. They are restless. They went to the king to talk about it. The king tried to calm them down.
Read : The Story of Malin Kundang
“Don't worry, my fellow countrymen. I know Majapahit has many soldiers. They are also great in war. If we fight them, we might lose. But I have an idea how to beat them,” said the king.
Then he continued. “We can challenge them to buffalo fights. If their buffalo dies, we win. But if our buffaloes die, they win."
"We have to make sure our buffalo wins, Your Majesty. But how?" asked one.
The king smiled. Then, continued, "We just need to find a strong baby buffalo."
Then after that, the king ordered his people to give him the most powerful baby buffalo.
After finding it, the strong baby buffalo was separated from its mother. They did not give any food to the baby buffalo for several days. The baby buffalo is very hungry! The baby buffalo always cries. He always asked for food. Then the king took two sharp knives and pressed them firmly against the baby buffalo's horns.
Read : A Fairy Tale of Pak Belalang
Now, it's time for the buffalo fight. Everyone gather in the field. The Majapahit Soldiers released a large buffalo and let it out of its cage. Everyone was surprised by the size of the buffalo. Then the buffalo from the kingdom of West Sumatra released the baby buffalo. The Majapahit warriors laughed.
"Ha ha ha. The buffalo is so small. How can you win it?"
They didn't know that the hungry baby buffalo had two knives in its horns. The baby buffalo immediately ran fast towards the big buffalo and went straight under the big buffalo's stomach to look for its nipples. The knife in the baby buffalo's horn cut open the big buffalo's stomach. The big buffalo fell to the ground and died.
"Yes! We won, we won, we won!"
The people of West Sumatra cheered.
Then, the king changed the name of the kingdom to Minangkabau. It means the buffalo wins. That is why the roofs of houses in West Sumatra are similar in shape to buffalo horns and the traditional headdresses of West Sumatran women are also like buffalo horns.