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Folk Tales from The Land of the Haunted Mountain
[font=Tahoma,Geneva] A long time ago when the earth was young, over the hills and faraway, there was a village peopled by graceful folks. They were hunters and foragers as well as sustenance planters. They planted yams, tapioca and potatoes. They lived in peace and harmony with nature and their neighbours.
Every year they would celebrate the end of Harvest, where they would sing and dance, eat and drink for several days. At this time, parents of marriageable children would talk to each other and see whether their offspring suited the other.
It was at this time that a young lady called Usai met her intended Ondu and they fell in love straightaway, which was quite unique at a time when marriages were pre-arranged.
Ondu being a young man participated in the music and dance of that time, and got drunk.
The other young men with him got so drunk they started to catch hold of pets such as dogs and cats and made them dance together. The yowls and howls of the animals were overwhelming. It was taboo at that time to make animals do what humans do, as it was not the order of nature.
Usai who was sober, as most unmarried ladies were not allowed to imbibe then, was apprehensive of what was going on, but she could not do anything as all the revelers were drunk.
When the shadows were full arm length to the East (that’s how they told time in those days) she went out to fetch water from the well, which was a fair walk away. As she stooped down to scoop the water from the well, she heard a strange swishing sound from the tree tops.
She looked up and she heard a woman’s voice that said ‘don’t go home. The tribe is doomed’. She of course did the exact opposite and ran home.
To her horror, the longhouse was slowly sinking into the earth, and the people were still dancing and singing and beating the gongs and drums inside. She was rooted to the spot but she started screaming for everyone to run out. The children playing outside were of course frightened and ran into the house for their parents.
She screamed for the spirits of the Earth to help them but all was quiet. She then called upon the spirits of the otherworld to help her, chanting archaic shamanic words over and over again. (It must be stated here that tribal women and some men were coached in the ways of the spirits from a young age, although very few made it into the shamanic folds.)
Anyway, at night fall, the longhouse disappeared into the earth and a pond appeared over its roof. The water was shallow but the mud deep.
Usai sat near the pond and listened to the sounds of revelry and music from under the earth, crying for her lost tribe and her beloved for days and weeks until she died of starvation.
It is told that when hunters chance upon the crystal clear pond high up in the mountains, they would feel a sense of peace and fall asleep under the trees. They would disappear and never be seen again. It is also told that they would see this beautiful woman playing in the pond, and when they come near they would be so enamoured they would jump in and play with her, but they would sink into the mud and never be seen again.
An employee from a land survey company lost his way in the jungle in the 1960’s and chanced upon a pond on top of a hillock. He said he heard singing and laughter but he did not know where they were from. He said he was going to drink from the pond when he got spooked, with goose pimples all over him and he ran away.
Several hours later he stumbled back into the camp and was sick with fever for several days.
This was told to us by an elderly cousin who worked as a land surveyor in those days.
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Every year they would celebrate the end of Harvest, where they would sing and dance, eat and drink for several days. At this time, parents of marriageable children would talk to each other and see whether their offspring suited the other.
It was at this time that a young lady called Usai met her intended Ondu and they fell in love straightaway, which was quite unique at a time when marriages were pre-arranged.
Ondu being a young man participated in the music and dance of that time, and got drunk.
The other young men with him got so drunk they started to catch hold of pets such as dogs and cats and made them dance together. The yowls and howls of the animals were overwhelming. It was taboo at that time to make animals do what humans do, as it was not the order of nature.
Usai who was sober, as most unmarried ladies were not allowed to imbibe then, was apprehensive of what was going on, but she could not do anything as all the revelers were drunk.
When the shadows were full arm length to the East (that’s how they told time in those days) she went out to fetch water from the well, which was a fair walk away. As she stooped down to scoop the water from the well, she heard a strange swishing sound from the tree tops.
She looked up and she heard a woman’s voice that said ‘don’t go home. The tribe is doomed’. She of course did the exact opposite and ran home.
To her horror, the longhouse was slowly sinking into the earth, and the people were still dancing and singing and beating the gongs and drums inside. She was rooted to the spot but she started screaming for everyone to run out. The children playing outside were of course frightened and ran into the house for their parents.
She screamed for the spirits of the Earth to help them but all was quiet. She then called upon the spirits of the otherworld to help her, chanting archaic shamanic words over and over again. (It must be stated here that tribal women and some men were coached in the ways of the spirits from a young age, although very few made it into the shamanic folds.)
Anyway, at night fall, the longhouse disappeared into the earth and a pond appeared over its roof. The water was shallow but the mud deep.
Usai sat near the pond and listened to the sounds of revelry and music from under the earth, crying for her lost tribe and her beloved for days and weeks until she died of starvation.
It is told that when hunters chance upon the crystal clear pond high up in the mountains, they would feel a sense of peace and fall asleep under the trees. They would disappear and never be seen again. It is also told that they would see this beautiful woman playing in the pond, and when they come near they would be so enamoured they would jump in and play with her, but they would sink into the mud and never be seen again.
An employee from a land survey company lost his way in the jungle in the 1960’s and chanced upon a pond on top of a hillock. He said he heard singing and laughter but he did not know where they were from. He said he was going to drink from the pond when he got spooked, with goose pimples all over him and he ran away.
Several hours later he stumbled back into the camp and was sick with fever for several days.
This was told to us by an elderly cousin who worked as a land surveyor in those days.
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Published 19th Oct 2014
| Edited 21st Oct 2014
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Anonymous
19th Oct 2014 7:59pm
Much enjoyed this tale, always love to read and learn about other cultures, their wisdom and sagas retold. Thanks for sharing, it is an inspiring tale....
19th Oct 2014 11:50pm
21st Oct 2014 5:08pm
Thank you Grace for sharing your folklore version...you were right, there are some similarities in our tales because some of them actually translate to real life experiences just like in your story.
@EngrVV
@EngrVV
21st Oct 2014 5:46pm
I hope you will write your tales...who knows maybe in a book form.It can be some sort of legacy for our next generation. Thanks for reading, EngrVV.
