Legenda Rakyat Sulawesi Tenggara Anawangguluri dan Oheo

INDONESIA
Dahulu, ada seorang pemuda bernama Oheo. Pekerjaannya sehari-hari adalah bertani. Pada
suatu hari Oheo membuka kebun di hutan. Kebun itu ditanami tebu yang tumbuh dengan
subur.
Pada saat tanaman tebunya tua, banyak burung nuri yang turun mandi di sungai dekat kebun
itu. Sebelum mandi, burung-burung itu lebih dahulu makan tebu. Sehingga ampas tebu
berhamburan di tepi sungai. Melihat kejadian itu Oheo sangat kesal dan jengkel pada burung-
burung itu.
Suatu ketika Oheo pergi mengintip burung-burung itu. Namun apa yang dilihatnya sungguh
membuatnya tercengang. Ia melihat tujuh orang bidadari cantik sedang mandi. Bidadari-
bidadari itu turun dari khayangan. Pakaian mereka diletakkan di pinggir sungai.
Dengan hati berdebar-debar, Oheo merayap menuju ke tempat pakaian-pakaian itu. Dengan
cepat Oheo mengambil sebuah pakaian bidadari itu. Kemudian ia segera pulang.
Disimpannya pakaian itu dalam ujung kasau bambu dekat jendela. Sesudah itu, Oheo kembali
mengintip perilaku para bidadari yang sedang mandi.
Usai mandi, para bidadari bergegas mengenakan pakaian mereka masing-masing. Yang sudah
selesai berpakaian langsung terbang tanpa menunggu yang lainnya.
Satu demi satu mereka terbang. Tinggallah seorang bidadari yang mondar–mandir mencari
pakaiannya. Tentu saja tidak tertemukan. Tidak berapa lama muncullah Oheo, si biang keladi
yang menyebabkan sang bidadari terus berendam di dalam air.
Sambil tetap berendam dalam air karena malu, Anawangguri nama bidadari itu bertanya
kepada Oheo. “Apakah engkau melihat pakaianku disini?”
“Tidak,” jawab Oheo.
Anawangguluri semakin sedih. “Tolonglah aku, Oheo. Kasihanilah daku. Kakak-kakakku
sudah terbang semua,” tutur Anawangguluri.
Lama-kelamaan Oheo merasa iba kepadanya. “Aku akan memberikan pakaianmu, asal kau
mau kawin denganku,” tuturnya.
Anawangguluri menerima permintaan itu. Namun, Anawangguluri minta kepada Oheo, “Bila
di kemudian hari kita mempunyai anak, maka kaulah yang membersihkan kotoran anak kita,”
tutur Anawangguluri.
Oheo pun menerima permintaannya. Maka kawinlah mereka. Sejak saat itu hidup mereka
aman dan bahagia.
Pada suatu ketika lahirlah anak mereka. Seperti dalam perjanjian semula bahwa, setiap
anaknya buang air besar maka Oheolah yang membersihkannya. Begitulah seterusnya.
Sekali waktu, Oheo sedang mengayam atap di halaman rumah. Sementara itu anak mereka
buang air besar lagi. Maka Anawangguluri memanggil suaminya. Namun, kali ini dia
menolak panggilan istrinya. Berkali-kali istrinya memanggil, tetapi tetap ditolaknya, bahkan
Oheo berkeras dan menyuruh istrinya untuk membersihkan kotoran itu. Anawangguluri
sempat berkata, “Apakah kamu telah melupakan janjimu dahulu sebelum kita kawin?”
Oheo menjawabnya dengan nada keras, “Tak usah mengingat lagi yang lama.”
Anawangguluri bertambah sedih.
Sambil berderai air matanya, ia membersihkan kotoran anaknya itu. Kemudian
Anawangguluri berdiri ke depan jendela sambil menyaksikan pemandangan alam. Pandangan
matanya dilemparkan kesana kemari, melihat ke angkasa. Tiba-tiba terlihat olehnya
pakaiannya diujung kasau bambu itu. Dengan tangan yang gemetar, perlahan-lahan ia
menarik pakaian itu.
Kiranya pakaian itu masih utuh. Alangkah senang hatinya ia duduk kembali menggendong
anaknya sambil mencumbuinya. Diciumi anaknya, sesudah itu diletakkannya kembali di
lantai seraya memanggil suaminya.
“Oheo, jagalah anakmu ini, aku akan kembali ke kayangan.”
Mula-mula dia tidak percaya akan hal itu. Setelah dua kali dipanggilnya, Oheo beranjak dari
duduknya halaman rumah. Sampai di dalam rumah, Anawangguluri telah terbang lagi dan
hinggap di pohon pinang. Oheo mengejarnya terus, tetapi sia-sia. Anawangguluri terbang
terus dan hinggap lagi di pohon kelapa. Akhirnya, ia terbang ke angkasa kembali ke
kayangan.
Oheo merasa sedih, menyesali perbuatannya. Ia merasa bingung karena ditinggali anak kecil.
Bagaimana cara merawat anak kecil, ia sendiri bingung. Itu sebabnya, ia berusaha berkeliling
minta bantuan kepada siapa saja yang mau mengantarkannya ke angkasa. Berhari-hari ia
keliling, tetapi belum ada yang mengaku bisa mengantarnya ke angkasa.
Pada suatu ketika ada sejenis tumbuhan bernama “Ue-Wai” mengaku mau mengantarkan
Oheo ke khayangan. Tetapi dengan syarat Oheo harus membuatkan Ue-Wai cincin untuk
dipasang pada setiap tangkai daun.
Permintaan Ue-Wai itu dipenuhinya. Ue-Wai menyuruh Oheo duduk di tangkainya kemudian
menggendong anaknya erat-erat. Sebelum tumbuhan itu menjulang ke angkasa, lebih dahulu,
Ue-Wai memberikan petunjuk kepada Oheo. “Setelah kita berada di angkasa, kita akan
mendengarkan bunyi keras. Bunyi pertama, tutup matamu erat-erat. Bunyi kedua bukalah
matamu!”
Petunjuk itu harus diikutinya. Benar juga, setelah berada diangkasa, bunyi keras meledak.
Mata Oheo ditutupnya erat-erat. Bunyi kedua, membuka mata. Alangkah kagetnya ketika itu
sudah berada di halaman istana raja khayangan. Sementara itu, putri-putri raja sedang
berjalan-jalan disekitar istana. Salah seorang dari putri itu, melihat Oheo sedang duduk di
halaman. Kejadian itu segera dilaporkan kepada ayahnya, Tuan Raja. “Coba perhatikan
manusia itu, jangan-jangan Oheo bersama anaknya,” titah Raja.
Setelah diperhatikan ternyata benar, bahwa yang datang itu adalah manusia dari bumi
bernama Oheo, yang sedang mencari istrinya. Oheo tidak diperkenankan bertemu dengan
istrinya, Anawangguluri, kecuali kalau lulus dalams ujian berat. Ujian itu adalah Oheo harus
mampu menumbangkan batu besar, sebesar istana, kemudian harus memungut bibit padi
yang dihambur di padang rumput tanpa sisa dan masih ada ujian berat lainnya. Ujian pertama
lulus dengan dibantu oleh tikus, burung dan hewan lain. Ujian yang terberat lagi, yaitu harus
dapat bertemu dengan istrinya dalam sebuah tempat tidur di waktu malam gelap gulita.
Sementara itu tempat tidur sama bentuknya.
Ia diperintahkan oleh raja. Ia harus menemukan istrinya. Kalau tidak dapat, jiwanya akan
terancam. Disaat itulah ia merasa tidak mampu memecahkan masalah. Sementara ia
termenung, datanglah kunang-kunang seraya bertanya kepada Oheo. “Apa gerangan yang
membuat engkau bingung?”
“Aku mempunyai masalah berat. Sulit rasanya mencari istriku di dalam gelap gulita ini,
sementara bentuk tempat tidur sama, muka istriku dengan saudara-saudaranya yang lain itu
sama pula.”
“Jangan khawatir, ikutilah aku. Aku terbang, dimana aku hinggap disitulah istrimu.”
Hati Oheo sungguh gembira sekali mendengar petunjuk itu. Ia memperhatikan kunang-
kunang terbang.
Tiba-tiba kunang-kunang itu hinggap pada sebuah tempat tidur. Dengan hati gemetar, Oheo
masuk ketempat tidur itu. Ternyata, memang benar disitulah istrinya. Anaknya pun merasa
bahagia dapat tidur bersama ibunya lagi.
Keesokan harinya sang raja memerintahkan mereka untuk segera turun ke bumi.
Anawangguluri merasa sedih hati ketika mendengar perintah ayahnya itu. Sebaliknya, Oheo
merasa gembira sekali. Mereka segera mempersiapkan peralatan secukupnya untuk segera
turun ke bumi. Setelah dipersiapkan segala sesuatunya, turunlah mereka ke bumi dengan tali.
Dalam sekejap saja mereka telah sampai di bumi dengan selamat.
Sampai dibumi, Oheo bersama keluarganya mulai membentuk kembali keluarga baru. Oheo
mulai membuka kebun baru. Kebun itu ditanami dengan padi dan tanaman lainnya. Dengan
hasil kebun itu, Oheo bersama keluarganya hidup sejahtera dan bahagia.
Cerita ini erat kaitannya dengan lingkungan hidup. Ketika Oheo dalam kesulitan ia ditolong
oleh tanaman, hewan dan serangga hingga sampai di khayangan. Ini disebabkan Oheo
memang akrab dengan lingkungan hidup dan selalu menjaga alam sekitar dan
melestarikannya.
ENGLISH

Folk Legend of Southeast Sulawesi Anawangguluri and Oheo

Once ago, there was a young man named Oheo. He worked as a farmer. One day, Oheo
established a plantation in the woods. It was planted with sugar cane that grew productively.
When the cane got ripe, lots of parrots alighted down to bathe in the river nearby his garden.
Before bathing, those birds ate the cane first. So that the bagasse scattered on the river bank.
Seeing what had happened, Oheo got pissed at the birds.
On one occasion, Oheo went peeping the birds. But what he saw made him stunned. He saw
seven beautiful angels were bathing. Those angels came down from heaven. Their clothes
were placed in the river bank.
With a pounding heart, Oheo crept toward where the clothes were placed. Oheo quickly take
an angel’s outfit. Then he promptly returned to home. He kept the clothes in the end of
bamboo rafters near the window. After that, Oheo returned to watch the angels bathing.
After bathing, the angels put their clothes back on swiftly. After finishing dressing, each of
the angels flight back to heaven without waiting for the others.
They flight to the sky one by one. One angel was left confusedly searching for her clothes. Of
course, she did not find it. Soon, Oheo showed himself, the trouble maker who caused the
angel could not fly back to heaven.
While still soaking in water because of her embarrassment, Anawangguri the name of the
angel asked Oheo. "Have you seen my clothes here?"
"No," replied Oheo.
Anawangguluri was getting sad. "Help me, Oheo. Have mercy on me. All my sisters had
flown back to heaven, "said Anawangguluri.
Eventually Oheo felt pity to her. "I'll give you your clothes, if you want to live with me," he
said.
Anawangguluri accepted the request. However, Anawangguluri asked Oheo, "If in the future
we have a child, then you are the one who must clean the dirt of our child," said
Anawangguluri.
Oheo accepted the request. So they got married. Since then, they lived in peace and
happiness.
One day their child was born. As in the promise that every time their child defecated, Oheo
should clean it. So it went on.
Once upon a time, Oheo was weaving the roof in the yard. Meanwhile, their children
defecated again. Anawangguluri then called her husband. However, this time he refused his
wife’s call. His wife called him many times, but he still refused it, even Oheo insisted and
told her to clean it. Anawangguluri had said, "Have you forgotten your promise before we got
married?"
Oheo answered it in loud tones, "Do not remind me of that old stuff." Anawangguluri grew
sad.
As the tears streamed down her face, she cleaned up her son. Then Anawangguluri stood up
facing the window and watched the scenery. Her eyes stared the sky. Suddenly she saw the
tip of her clothes in the bamboo rafters. With trembling hands, she slowly pulled the clothes.
The clothes was still perfect. What a happy soul, she sat back holding her son while cuddling
him. She kissed her son, then she put him back on the floor as she called her husband.
"Oheo, please keep your son, I will go back to heaven."
At first he did not believe it. After he was called twice, Oheo moved in from his yard. By the
time he arrived at the house, Anawangguluri had flown over and alighted in a nut tree. Oheo
kept on chasing her, but hopeless. Anawangguluri flew on and alighted again in a coconut
tree. Finally, she flew back to heaven.
Oheo felt sad, regretting what he had done. He felt confused because he was left a child. How
to take care of a child, he was mixed up. That's why he tried to find someone around for help
to fly him to the sky. For days he had searched, but no one said they could take him to
heaven.
At one time there was a kind of plant named "Ue-Wai" claimed could take Oheo to heaven.
But in one condition, Oheo should make Ue-Wai ring to be installed on each leaf stalk.
Ue-Wai's demand had been fulfilled. Ue-Wai told Oheo to sit on the stem and hold his son
tightly. Before the plant was soaring into the sky, first, Ue-Wai gave instructions to Oheo.
"Once we have been in the air, we will hear a resounding thud. The first sound, close your
eyes tightly. The next sound, open your eyes! "
The instructions must be followed. Sure enough, after soaring to sky, the loud noise heard.
Oheo closed his eyes tightly. The second sound, he opened his eyes. What a surprise when he
realized that he had already in the king heaven’s palace yard. Meanwhile, the princess were
walking around the palace. One of the princess saw Oheo was sitting in the yard. The incident
was immediately reported to his father, the King. "Look at that man, could it be Oheo with
his son?," the word of the King.
After investigation, that it was true a man who came from earth named Oheo, who was
looking for his wife. Oheo was not allowed to meet with his wife, Anawangguluri, unless he
could pass a severe test. In the exam, Oheo must is to be able to split a large stone as huge as
the palace into two, and must pick spread rice seeds in the meadow without leaving even one
seed and had another tough tests. He passed the first test with the assistance of mice, birds
and other animals. The tougher test that he should be able to meet his wife in a very dark
bedroom with a lot of same beds.
He was ordered by the king. He had to find his wife. If he failed, his soul would be
endangered. That's when he was not able to solve the problem. While he mused, a firefly
came to ask him. "What on earth makes you confused?"
"I have a severe problem. It was difficult to find my wife in the dark, while the beds have the
same shape, and my wife's face is almost the same as her sisters. "
"Do not worry, just follow me. I will fly, where I alight on, therein your wife. "
Oheo felt really glad to hear that direction. He watched the firefly’s flight.
Suddenly the firefly alighted on a bed. With a trembling heart, Oheo went to the bed.
Apparently, that was where his wife placed. His son was also happy to be able tosleep with
his mother again.
The next day the king ordered them to go down into the earth. Anawangguluri felt grieved
when she heard his father's command. Instead, Oheo felt overjoyed. They immediately
prepared enough equipment to go down to earth. Having prepared everything, they came
down to earth with a rope. In a moment they had reached Earth safely.
On earth, Oheo with his family began to reform a new family. Oheo began to open up a new
plantation. The garden was planted with rice and other crops. With the harvest of the garden,
Oheo with his family lived in prosperous and happiness.
This story is closely related to the environment. When Oheo was in trouble he was helped by
the plants, animals and insects to arrive in heaven. This caused Oheo was familiar with the
environment and always maintained and preserved the environment.