The Legend Of Toar And Limimuut

 

(a folktale from north Sulawesi)

There was once a big rock in the middle of the ocean. It was so big that it rose above the surface of the water. Furthermore, it was not an ordinary rock. When the sun shone on it, it perspired and out of this perspiration was born a pretty little girl called Limimuut. The story does not tell in what way she grew up, but certainly she was a wonder-child, living in wonderful circumstances and in a time rich in wonders.The story only tells us that, Then she was grown up, she felt very lonely.

One day, when she was standed on the top of the rock, she gazed with eyes full of amazement at the vast ocean and at the big, undulated waves. As she stood there, she suddenly caught sight of a crow, held in its beak a dry branch and continously circlied the spot where she stood. Limimuut became curious and wondered where the bird had come from and where it had found the branch. Suddenly the bird spoke to here:

“I have carried it from Taoere.”

Great was the girl’s surprise on finding that the bird could read her thoughts and could speak her language. Then she asked:

“I am anxious to go to that land. Will you take me there?”

The bird agreed to do so, and away they flew to reach Taoere, for Limimuut herself could fly too.

On arrived there, they found a small piece of land, not larger than a sieve, just emerged above the surface of the sea, one of the many islands in the watery vastness. The crow stopped flying and said: “We are at our destination. This is the land where I found the branch; it bears the name of Taoere.” Then he flew away, leaving Limimuut once again alone.

“Alone!” she sighed. “Again alone, and all around is water.”

Then an idea struck her. As if directed by an invisible hand, she took a small amount of soil, just as much as she could hold in her hand. She flew to the barren rock from which she had come and scattered the soil on the rock. A strange thing happened. This small amount of soil grew into a big piece of land. On the ninth day, it stopped growed,for the work was complete.

As Lilimuut looked around, she realised that the ground was barren. She floew again to Taoere and took another handful of soil. On returned home, she again scattered the soil on the barren groun. Something green began to emerge from the land, and this became the vegetation that we have on our earth today. But Limimuut was not yet satisfied. She made a mountain in the southern part of the land. When this had risen high enough, she climbed till she reached the top. There another strange thing occurred; she became pregnant while she was standed there looking towards the west. A few months later, a child was born to her, a healthy son to whom she gave the name Toar.

Years went by and Toar grew up into a handsome young man. The mother thought that the time had come for him to choose a wife. But where could he fond a woman to marry? Again the mother had in idea.

“Son,” she said to him, “roam the world until you find a wife.”

The son obeyed his mother’s instructions and set off for the other part of the ocean. He travelled a long distance but still could found no one fit to be his wife. Then he returned home, told his mother that he had not been successful in found a woman he could marry.

“Well,” replied his mother, “cut a piece of cane as long as I am tall and then go to the right. I myself shall go to the left. If on your way you encounter a woman carrying a piece of cane longer than yours, take her as your wife.”

Toar once again obeyed, and so they parted. The son went to the right and the mother to the left, roved the earth which in those days was not as big as nowadays. In the end, as Toar was on his way, he saw a woman approaching him. He put out his stick and measured the cane she was carrying. Seeing that hers was longer than his, he assumed that she was the woman he had been looking for all the time. He made her his wife and took her home. Little did he suspect that it was his mother he had married. He thought only about the message concerned the length of the stick. In actual fact, the cane had grown and had became longer and so had deceived him when he chose the Woman to be his wife.

They returned to mountain built by Limimuut. There they lived happily together, Limimuut beared children three times, but every time there were nine in number. These children lived peacefully with each other, sharing together all that their parents possessed, and this group of people became the ancestors of the people of Minahasa today.