Tah geuning carita si Kabayan teh geus asup kan ensiklopedia. Graham Seal (2001) Encyclopedia.of.Folk.Heroes.
Kabajan Graham Seal A legendary character featured in many Javanese tales, Kabajan is a combination of the trickster and the numskull. Most stories about Kabajan are located in the domestic and everyday realm and often involve his wife, his father-in-law, and a man called Silah. Kabajan usually manages to outsmart both of the latter. In one story, Kabajan and his father-in-law go hunting for deer. They argue, and the father-in-law decides to go off by himself and set a bird snare, a much easier task than digging the deep pit required to catch a deer. Annoyed, Kabajan tells his father-in-law that he will not be giving him any of the deer meat, as he has not helped prepare the trap. The father-in-law declares that he will not be giving Kabajan any of his catch, either, and both men then go home in a bad mood. The next morning the father-in-law wakes early and goes to see what he has caught. There is nothing in his bird snare, but in Kabajan’s pit is a magnificent deer. The father-in-law is both jealous and angry. He takes the deer and places it in the bird snare. He wakes Kabajan and triumphantly shows him the amazing sight of a deer trapped in a bird snare. When Kabajan finds his own trap empty, he is suspicious but says nothing. At breakfast, Kabajan’s wife misses him and asks her father to look for him. The father-in-law finds Kabajan sitting beside the river looking at the water. “What are you doing?” asks the father-in-law. Kabajan tells him to look closely at the river, noting that it is flowing backwards, from downstream to upstream. “Don’t be ridiculous,” snorts the father-in-law; “that’s impossible.” “Why is it impossible?” Kabajan replies. “If a deer can get caught in a bird snare, then a river can flow backwards.” The father-in-law is then ashamed of himself and confesses. He returns the deer to Kabajan, who, by way of punishment, shares only a few of the bones with him. In another story, Silah, who is always trying to trick Kabajan, asks him whether he would rather have money or brains. Kabajan chooses brains, much to Silah’s incomprehension. “Why?” he asks, scratching his head. “Because,” replies Kabajan, “money cannot make brains, but brains can make money.” In other Kabajan stories, the trickster appears as something of a numskull. Being too lazy to carry the corn from the garden to the house, Kabajan uses the horse. He gathers all the corn into his arms, mounts the horse, and rides it back to the house. Witnessing this odd behavior, Kabajan’s father-in-law asks him why he is sitting on the horse and carrying the corn in his arms. Kabajan replies that he is sparing the horse from getting too tired carrying the corn. In spite of such behavior, Kabajan usually outwits those around him. Even though Kabajan generally holds his own and better in human exchanges, his folklore shows him bested by the gods. In the story of how Kabajan never became rich, the prayers he and his wife offer on the holy mountain bring forth a god who offers them two wishes. Kabajan and his wife joyfully begin to discuss what they should ask for. He wants money; she wants rice. They are unable to agree, and the conversation develops into a heated argument. After an hour, Kabajan blurts out in frustration, “Oh god, may my wife become ugly like a monkey.” Instantly the poor woman is transformed. Kabajan is sorry and wishes for her to be turned back into the woman she was. That was the end of their two wishes, and so they remained poor for the rest of their lives. References and further reading Koutsoukis, A. (trans.), Indonesian Folk Tales, Adelaide: Rigby, 1970, pp. 118–124. Terada, A., The Magic Crocodile and Other Folktales from Indonesia, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1994.
