I've gathered some information on Indonesian folktales that I believe
you'll find useful.
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"Mouse Deer is the favorite trickster of Indonesia and Malaysia, two
countries of Southeast Asia. But what is a mouse deer? It is an animal
about the size of a cat, and it lives in the jungles of Africa, Asia,
and many Pacific islands. It has the legs and the tail of a deer, and
the face and the body of a mouse - but it is not really a mouse or a
deer.
The mouse deer eats only plants, but lots of animals eat the mouse
deer. To stay alive, it must be quick and smart. That is why the
Indonesians and Malaysians have made Mouse Deer their favorite
trickster. Any of their boys or girls can tell you tales about him."
The Adventures of Mouse Deer
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/R01.html
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"Once on the island of Java there was a little girl named Too-too-moo.
She lived with her Mama in a one-room house in a forest. They were
poor but they were happy.
Or they would have been happy, if not for a terrible giant who came every day..."
Too-too-moo and the Giant
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/022.html
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"THE GOLDEN SNAIL
Prince Raden Putra was married to a princess named Dewi Limaran. One
day when Dewi Limaran was walking in the palace garden, she saw a
snail among her lovely flowers and she had one of her servants pick it
up and throw it away. The Snail was actually an old witch who had
disguised herself as a snail. The witch was very angry, so she cursed
Dewi Limaran and changed her into a golden snail and threw it into the
river."
The Golden Snail
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/6666/golden.html
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"THE LEGEND OF BANDUNG BONDOWOSO
Once upon a time, there was a vicious King by the name King Baka, who
liked to sacrifice humans everyday. He had a preference for killing
young people. This behavior caused the people to be always in panic,
but they could not do anything because the King was so powerful. So
everyday he sent his soldiers to find people suitable to be killed.
These soldiers looked as vicious as their master. But the soldiers
were also afraid of King Baka, because if they failed to find the
victim, they became the victim instead."
THE LEGEND OF BANDUNG BONDOWOSO
http://www.bsu.edu/classes/magrath/bandung/bandbond.html
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"This story is well known in Indonesia, usually as the tale of the two
(step) sisters. In Halmahera, Cinderella is called Damura. Her
stepmother tells her to go and wash clothes in the river. She loses
one garment, so she has to go and find it. She meets a mother
crocodile whom she greets politely, so the crocodile vows not eat her,
but agrees to look for the lost garment on the river bed. Meanwhile,
Damura has to look after the baby crocodile."
Cinderella Crocodile
http://www.oneworldmagazine.org/tales/crocs/cinder.html
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These tales may also be of interest to you:
Folktales from Indonesia
http://www.geocities.com/kesumawijaya/folktales.html
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This book sounds as if it would be worthwhile:
"...readers encounter stories first from Sumatra, then Java, Bali,
Kalimantan (the Indonesian portion of Borneo), Sulawesi and Nusa
Tenggara, and finally Irian Jaya (the Indonesian half of New Guinea).
There are creation and pourquoi tales, stories of miraculous births, a
tale about a fool who triumphs over his tormentors, another that
recalls Paul Galdone's The Monkey and the Crocodile (Clarion, 1987),
and one with a magic-pot theme. All are accompanied by notes that
further explain Indonesian cultural-and even climatic-conditions. A
few selections are suitable for telling to younger audiences.
Occasional full-page, full-color, richly patterned illustrations
recall batik and shadow puppetry traditions."
The Magic Crocodile and Other Folktales from Indonesia
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0824816544
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My Google search strategy:
indonesia OR indonesian "children's books OR literature" OR folktales
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=indonesia+OR+indonesian+%22children%27s+books+OR+literature%22+OR+folktales
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I hope this helps. Please let me know if anything is in need of
clarification, or if a link doesn't work for you.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
