ASAL MUASAL IKAN TUING TUING

Pada suatu masa, di Mandar, Sulawesi Barat, berdiri sebuah kerajaan yang dipimpin oleh seorang raja yang adil dan
bijaksana. Namanya Arung Paria. Raja Arung mempunyai anak laki-laki dan perempuan. Mereka hanya disapa Putra Raja
dan Putri Raja saja karena menyebut nama anak raja di masa itu sesuatu yang tabu. Kerajaan Arung Paria sangat kaya
dan terkenal dengan beragam pusakanya. Salah satunya adalah Pancing Emas.

Pada suatu pagi, awan masih agak gelap karena matahari belum bersinar sempurna. Raja Arung Paria sudah duduk di
singgasana. Para penggawa dan para hulubalang datang menghadap untuk melaporkan perkembangan di negeri
Mandar. Salah satu punggawa tampak cemas gemetaran. Ternyata yang akan dilaporkannya sebuah kabar buruk; pusaka
Pancing Emas lenyap! “Mohon ampun, Baginda. Hamba teledor dalam menjaga pusaka Kerajaan,” katanya ketakutan

Raja Arung Paria lantas meminta mereka mengumpulkan semua rakyat untuk mencari pelaku yang menghilangkan
Pancing Emas tersebut. Namun tidak ada satu pun yang mengaku. Namun, tiba-tiba Putra Raja datang dan bersimpuh di
hadapan ayahandanya. “Ampuni hamba, Ayahanda. Hamba ingin melaporkan siapa yang menghilangkan Pancing Emas,”
katanya. Suara Putra Raja itu memecahkan keheningan. “Siapa yang pelakunya, Nak?” kata Raja. “Ayahanda, maafkanlah
hamba. Hambalah pelakunya,” kata Putra Raja. Ia mengaku menghilangkan Pancing Emas saat menggunakannya
memancing di laut secara diam-diam beberapa hari sebelumnya.

Laporan putra Raja itu sangat mengejutkan Raja Arung Paria dan para punggawa kerajaan. Sang Raja kemudian menutup
kedua telapak tangan ke mukanya. Dia teringat pada janjinya untuk menghukum pelaku yang kini tak lain adalah putra
kesayangannya itu. “Tinggalkan istana ini, Nak! Pergilah! Susuri Pantai Mandar itu! Jangan berhenti sebelum
kautemukan Pancing Emas itu,” kata Raja Arung Paria.

Perjalanan pun dimulai seorang diri oleh sang Putra Raja. Sepanjang pantai Mandar sudah disusurinya sampai benar-
benar kehabisan tenaga. Namun Pancing Emas yang dicarinya tak kunjung ditemukan. Putra Raja lalu berhenti di bawah
pohon rindang yang tumbuh di pinggir pantai. Ketika melhat kelautan ia tiba-tiba melihat sebuah cahaya yang sangat
terang. Putra Raja kemudian memberanikan diri untuk berenang ke dasar laut mengikuti cahaya tersebut.

Betapa terkejutnya Putra Raja setelah tiba di dasar laut. Di sana berdiri sebuah Istana yang sangat megah. Pintu istana
berukirkan emas dan bertakhtakan berlian. Tampak beberapa pengawal berjaga di depannya. Putra Raja memberanikan
diri mendekati istana dan bertanya soal kerajaan tersebut. Ternyata, nama kerajaan itu adalah Kerajaan Naungsasi.

Ketika berada di dekat pintu gerbang istana terdengar suara perempuan yang merintih kesakitan. dia pun bertanya
kepada penjaga istana tentang suara itu. “Itu Putri Dasar Laut yang sedang sakit,” ujar pengawal

Menurut si pengawal, sudah banyak tabib yang mengobati, tetapi sang putri belum juga sembuh. “Apakah Tuan tahu
tabib hebat yang bisa menyembuhkan putri raja kami?” tanya penjaga yang lainnya. Lantaran penasaran, Putra Raja pun
menawarkan diri. “Saya bukan tabib, Tuan. Akan tetapi, saya ingin mencoba mengobati penyakit Putri Dasar Laut itu,”
ucapnya.

Penjaga istana itu tampak terkejut. Ia bergegas masuk ke dalam istana dan mengabarkannya kepada sang raja Kerajaan
Naungsasi. “Raja mengizinkan Tuan untuk masuk ke dalam istana,” kata penjaga setelah melapor ke raja.

Putra Raja akhirnya bertemu dengan Raja Kerajaan Naungsasi. Sang Raja rupanya sudah pasrah kepada siapapun yang
berniat baik menyembuhkan putrinya. Putra Raja lalu meneliti tubuh sang putri untuk mencari sumber penyakitnya.
Rupanya, di bagian leher tampak sesuatu yang bersinar. Maka Putra Raja lantas berusaha membuka mulut sang putri.
Tak disangka, benda yang bersinar itu adalah Pancing Emas yang selama ini dicarinya. Pancing emas itu bersarang di
tenggorokan sang putri.

Ia menduga itulah sumber penyakit dari sang putri. Maka Putra Raja dengan pelan mengeluarkan pancing emas
tersebut. Lalu menyimpannya untuk dikembalikan ke Kerajaan Arung Paria. Setelah itu, sang putri menjadi sembuh dan
bisa berbicara lagi.

Raja Kerajaan Naungsasi sangat gembira. Kegembiraan itu juga dirasakan oleh semua penggawa dan seluruh rakyat
Kerajaan Naungsasi. Rakyat berbondong-bondong datang ke istana untuk melihat sosok yang berhasil menyembuhkan
Putri Dasar Laut itu.

Sebagai tanda terima kasih, Raja Kerajaan Naungsasi meminta Putra Raja untuk memilih hadiah. Ia berjanji akan
memberi apapun yang dimintanya. Putra Raja hanya tersenyum. Ia lalu memandangi langit-langit kerajaan yang berisi
sejumlah sangkar burung. Di dalamnya tampak sejumlah burung yang selama ini menjadi kesayangan sang raja.

“Saya tidak ingin hadiah yang lain, kecuali burung-burung ini,” kata Putra Raja. Raja Naungsasi mengabulkan
permintaannya. Akan tetapi, burung-burung itu tidak diserahkan secara langsung. “Saya akan mengirimkan burung-
burung ini kepadamu setahun sekali dalam musim timur. Yakinlah, saya tidak akan ingkar janji,” kata Raja.

Putra Raja kemudian menceritakan pengalamannya di Kerajaan Naungsasi kepada Raja Arung Paria. Ia juga mengisahkan
bahwa Raja Naungsasi akan mengirim burung-burung miliknya setiap tahun sekali pada musim timur melalui Laut
Mandar.

Dan janji tersebut akhirnya ditepati oleh Raja Naungsasi. Setiap memasuki musim timur, langit Laut Mandar dipenuhi
burung-burung yang terbang berkelompok. Namun burung itu bentuknya unik lantaran bersisik seperti ikan. Putra Raja
kemudian memberi nama burung tersebut sebagai tuing-tuing atau dalam bahasa Indonesia dikenal bernama ikan
terbang.

Sejak itu, ikan tuing-tuing menjadi sajian dalam pesta-pesta kerajaan. Ikan itu sampai sekarang masih menjadi sajian
yang terkenal di daerah Mandar. Bahkan menjadi sumber mata pencaharian masyarakat Sulbar.

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 THE ORIGIN OF TUING TUING FISH

Once upon a time, in Mandar, West Sulawesi, stood a kingdom led by a just and wise king. His name is Arung Paria. Raja
Arung had a son and a daughter. They were only called Putra Raja and Putri Raja because it was taboo to mention the
name of a king's child at that time. The kingdom of Arung Paria is very rich and famous for its various heritages. One of
them is the Gold Fishing Pole.

One morning, the clouds were still a little dark because the sun had not yet fully shone. Raja Arung Paria was already
sitting on the throne. The penggawa and the hulubalang came to report on developments in the land of Mandar. One of
the courtiers looked anxiously shaking. It turned out that what he was about to report was bad news; The Golden Fishing
Relic is gone! “Beg your pardon, Your Majesty. Servant careless in guarding the Royal heritage, "he said fearfully

Raja Arung Paria then asked them to gather all the people to find the culprit who disappeared the Golden Fishing Rod.
But no one confessed. However, suddenly the King's son came and knelt before his father. "Forgive me, Father. I want to
report who lost the Gold Fishing Rod," he said. The King's son's voice broke the silence. "Who did it, son?" said the King.
"Father, forgive me. Servant of the culprit, "said the Son of the King. He admits to losing the Gold Fishing Line while
using it to fish in the sea secretly a few days before.

The report of the King's son greatly shocked King Arung Paria and the royal courtiers. The King then closed both palms to
his face. He remembered his promise to punish the perpetrator who was now none other than his beloved son. “Leave
this palace, boy! Go! Walk along the Mandar Beach! Don't stop before you find the Golden Fishing Rod," said Raja Arung
Paria.

The journey was started alone by the Son of the King. He had walked along the Mandar coast until he was completely
exhausted. But the Gold Fishing Rod he was looking for was never found. The King's son then stopped under a shady
tree that grew on the beach. When he saw the sea he suddenly saw a very bright light. The King's son then ventured to
swim to the bottom of the sea following the light.

How surprised was the son of the king after arriving at the bottom of the sea. There stood a very magnificent palace. The
palace doors are engraved with gold and studded with diamonds. There were several bodyguards standing in front of
him. The king's son ventured to approach the palace and asked about the kingdom. Apparently, the name of the
kingdom is the Kingdom of Naungsasi.

When he was near the palace gate, he heard a woman's voice moaning in pain. he also asked the palace guard about the
sound. "That's the Princess of the Seabed who is sick," said the bodyguard

According to the bodyguard, many healers had treated her, but the princess had not yet recovered. "Do you know of a
great healer who can heal our princess?" asked another guard. Out of curiosity, the King's son also offered himself. "I am
not a healer, sir. However, I want to try to treat Princess Under the Sea's disease, "he said.

The palace guard looked surprised. He rushed into the palace and reported it to the king of the Naungsasi Kingdom. "The
king allows you to enter the palace," said the guard after reporting to the king.

The King's son finally met the King of the Naungsasi Kingdom. The King seems to have resigned himself to anyone with
good intentions to heal his daughter. The King's son then examined the princess' body to find the source of the disease.
Apparently, in the neck looks something shining. So the King's son then tried to open the princess's mouth.
Unexpectedly, the thing that was shining was the Golden Fishing Rod that he had been looking for. The golden fishing
rod lodged in the princess's throat.
He suspected that was the source of the princess' illness. So the King's son slowly took out the golden fishing rod. Then
save it to be returned to the Kingdom of Arung Paria. After that, the princess recovered and could speak again.

The King of the Naungsasi Kingdom was overjoyed. The joy was also felt by all the staff and all the people of the
Naungsasi Kingdom. The people flocked to the palace to see the figure who had succeeded in healing the Princess of the
Seabed.

As a sign of gratitude, the King of the Naungsasi Kingdom asked the King's Son to choose a gift. He promised to give
whatever he asked for. The King's son only smiled. He then looked at the royal ceiling which contained a number of bird
cages. Inside are a number of birds that have been the king's favorite.

"I don't want any other gifts, except for these birds," said the son of the king. Raja Naungsasi granted his request.
However, the birds were not handed over directly. "I will send these birds to you once a year in the east season. Rest
assured, I will not break my promise," said the King.

The Raja's son then recounted his experience in the Naungsasi Kingdom to Raja Arung Paria. He also said that King
Naungsasi would send his birds once a year in the east season across the Mandar Sea.

And the promise was finally fulfilled by Raja Naungsasi. Every time it enters the east monsoon, the sky of the Mandar
Sea is filled with birds flying in flocks. But the bird has a unique shape because it has scales like a fish. The King's son then
gave the bird a name as tuing-tuing or in Indonesian it is known as a flying fish.

Since then, tuing-tuing fish has become a dish at royal parties. This fish is still a popular dish in the Mandar area. It has
even become a source of livelihood for the people of West Sulawesi.