Malin Kundang

[Kiai Carita]

Peace to All,

Our brothers Sulaiman and Amirul Tekpi, both students of Malaysian silat, have the idea of 'derhaka' (in Indonesian spelt durhaka) in their oaths. In the Malay culture of Padang in West Sumatra, home of Silek Tuo, there is the very popular legend of Malin Kundang which warns children from being 'derhaka' to their parents. I'm writing this as a note to the popping up of the idea of derhaka in the thread of Spiritual Silat.

Young Malin was playing on a ship that had come close to his kampung by the sea. He was caught by the Captain and taken away. In a far away land he became successfull and married a Princess and the Sultan made him Admiral of his fleet. One day Malin Kundang's ship came close to the shore where his kampung was and the fishermen recognised him and rushed back to tell his mother who was still mourning his loss.

Malin's mother prepared Malin's favorite food and got on her boat and paddled out to Malin's ship with all the kampung fishermen, to greet him and welcome him home. From afar they were calling his name, a name that he had long forgotten and hidden as it was a kampung name, and now he was Admiral with honours and titles. His wife the Princess asked him who these people were and who were they calling. Ashamed of his background Malin Kundang pretends he doesn't know who his mother and his kampung family are.

His mother calls out to him and asks him, if he will not embrace her with love to at least take the food she has cooked for him. After all it is his favorite food. Malin Kundang gets angry that his mother is embarassing him by offering poor fisher-kampung food in front of his sailors and his wife. In his anger he flings the food in to the sea and slaps his mother with an oar. His mother and the villagers paddle back to the shore in their boats.

The Princess asks why Malin was so rude to the woman and that if she were not his mother, he should be polite to an elderly woman anyway. Malin swears by Allah that the woman was not his mother and that he hit her because she was trying to dishonour him, Admiral of a powerful Sultan.

As he says the oath the skies darken and a storm suddenly envelopes the sea. In the flashes of lightning the kampung people on the shore witness the Admiral's ship transform in to stone. They hear Malin Kundang screaming for forgiveness while bowing down, and he too is transformed into stone.

That is the story of the 'derhaka' Malin Kundang. Derhaka is what silat teachers and schools do not expect from their students. When an Indonesian ear hears the word 'derhaka' the story of Malin Kundang comes to mind. The feeling of the word 'derhaka' is more severe than general treachery and disloyalty as it is like slapping your own mother when you are rich and she is poor. What is the precise English word to translate derhaka?

Respect,
Kiai Carita.

[Sekaralas]

I'm not sure ... but if I was Malin Kundang's mother I would say that Malin Kundang was a very naughty little boy! (Apologies to Life of Brian).

Rahayu 'dik KC

[sulaiman]

salaams
yeah- seems all too familiar behaviour this day and age - English equivalent of derhaka would perhaps be " modern Teenager "

[amirul_tekpi79]

Assalamu'alaikum and peace to all,

Whew..i'm glad i'm not part of those 'modern teenagers' anymore!

There's a similar story of Malin Kundang in Malaysia. However, here we call that youth 'Si Tanggang'.

Peace