Tong Tana December 1999 - Bruno Manser Fonds

Penan folk-tale
The wish to fly
told by Along Segá, Ba Adang
Jengeto spoke to his wife, “Look at me, I am fast. There is only one
thing I have not yet tried out – flying.”
“Oh, if you did not grow wings from birth you will fall to your death!”
“Oh no, I am really fast! How many people have already lost against me –
I am unbeatable!”
Jengeto possessed the leopard tail amulet and could jump from tree trunk
to tree trunk up in the heights. As the two reached a field of ferns Jengeto
began to climb upwards onto a slanting trunk.
“I will fly from up there!”
“If you jump you will die!”
warned his wife.
“Oh no!”
he called to his dearest as he
reached the top,
“Look, great lady,
here I will fly for the first time!”,
spread his arms and jumped into the air.
“Weppp!” it sounded as he fell into the fern field
and “ooohhhh – ooohhhh” he moaned.
“This is the voice of the one who is dying and wanted to fly!”,
his wife fanned air in his face until he came back to life.
“Well, you wanted to fly – where are your wings now, my friend”
she mocked.
“Oh, I really thought I could fly because I was so fast.”
“Jengeto – Peloho – Petem O-o”,
rhymes the humorous
storyteller ad lib,
“Jengeto has fallen
down together with
the termite nest
which he wanted
to hold onto.”
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