DU’A NALU PARE

Pada zaman dahulu, di sebuah desa di Kabupaten Sikka, terjadi musim kemarau yang panjang
atau musim panceklik. Masayarakat di desa tersebut ditimpa bencana kelaparan karena persediaan pangan
di desa tersebut telah menipis dan bahkan ada beberapa rumah yang telah habis pangannya.

Pada suatu hari, seorang bapak yang merupakan salah satu warga di desa tersebut bermimpi.
Dalam mimpinya, ia didatangi oleh seorang kakek tua. Kakek tua tersebut berpesan kepada sang bapak
bahwa jika ia ingin menolong warga di desa tersebut dari bencana kelaparan, ia harus mengorbankan
seorang gadis untuk dijadikan tumbal. Anak gadis itu harus dikurbankan dengan cara dipotong-potong
atau dicincang dan disebarkan dagingnya di tanah luas atau kebun mereka.

Keesokan harinya, ia mengajak anaknya, ke kebun dengan alasan untuk mencari kayu bakar.
Sesampainya di kebun, mereka bersama-sama mencari kayu bakar. Ternyata, lelaki tua membunuh dan
mencincang-cincang anaknya sendiri dan menyebarkan cincangan tersebut ke tanah gersang di kebunnya
tersebut. Ia sangat bersedih, tetapi dalam hatinya, ia juga ingin membantu dan menyelamatkan
masyarakat desa dari bencana kelaparan.

Setelah seminggu, kakek yang datang dalam mimpi bapak tersebut datang lagi. Dalam mimpi
tersebut, kakek itu berpesan kepada sang bapak agar pergi dan melihat kebunnya. Betapa terkejutnya
mereka bahwa kebun mereka telah ditumbuhi padi yang dalam bahasa Sikka disebut “pare” atau makanan
berbiji. Mereka pun memanggil seluruh warga desa untuk bersama-sama memanen hasil pangan tersebut.

Warga desa sangat berterima kasih kepada bapak tersebut dan mereka menyebut padi tersebut
dengan sebutan Du’a Nalu Pare yang artinya beras yang berasal dari seorang putri atau gadis. Oleh
karena itu, warga masyarakat Kabupaten Sikka pada zaman dahulu sangat menghargai sebiji nasi. Mereka
sangat menghargai perempuan karena perempuanlah yang memberi kehidupan awal bagi mereka

Long ago, in a village in Sikka Regency, there was a long dry season or a famine. The

community in the village was hit by the disaster because the food supply in the village was

running low and there were even some houses that had run out of food.

One day, a father who is one of the residents in that village has a dream. In his dream, an old

grandfather came into his dream. The old man says “if you want to help the people in the village

from the disaster, you have to sacrifice a girl to be sacrificed. The girl must be sacrificed by

cutting or chopping and spreading the meat on a large land or garden.”

The next day, he took his daughter to the garden with the excuse of looking for firewood. “My

dear, come and go with me to the garden for looking for the firewood.” Yes father,” the girl
replied. Arriving at the garden, they together look for firewood. As it turned out, the old man

killed and chopped up his own daughter and scattered it on the arid land in his garden. He is also

very sad, but deep down his heart he wants to help and save people from disaster.

After a week, the grandfather who came into the father's dream came again. In the

dream, grandfather advised the father to go and see his garden. How surprised they, their garden

had been overgrown with rice which in Sikka language called “pare” or seed food. They also

called all the villagers to harvest the food together.

The villagers are very grateful to the father and they call the rice Du'a Nalu Pare which

means that it comes from a daughter or girl. Therefore, the people of Sikka Regency in ancient

times really appreciated a grain of rice. They really value women because it is women who give

them a start in life.