The Girl Sudan Painted like a Gold Ring

If you like your fables with a dash of bloodshed, then The Girl Sudan Painted Like a Gold Ring is the anthology you have been waiting for. Author Theresa Fuller has collected a fascinating group of tales based on the oral storytelling history of the Sea Dyaks of Borneo.

The twist? The Dyaks were headhunters!

A TINY MOUSEDEER BATTLES A SPIRIT GIANT

A GIRL MUST SAVE HER VILLAGE FROM AN ARMY OF HEAD-HUNTERS

HOW A HEDGEHOG HELPS A BULLIED BOY BECOME A GOD

In this book you will find stories designed to entertain and teach, all from the point of view of a culture based in honor, courtesy, and war.

Those who have read my first book on folktales will be aware of the title, the first two words which I have put in bold –

THE GIRL WHO BECAME A GODDESS.

So, when I came across Endu-Sudan-Galinggam-Tinchin-Mas which literally translated into THE GIRL Sudan painted like a Gold Ring, I felt I had even more of a reason to write about these stories. I could not pass up the opportunity, not with a name like that!
Once again, I have dramatized these stories while keeping close to the original tales. The titular story is THE STORY OF SIU, whose name really reminds me of a Chinese name. What surprised me as I researched folktales was the interconnectedness of the region.
Coming from peninsula Malaya, I knew that whenever a king is referred to by Sang Kancil or Akal Pelandok in the jungle, the king mentioned is always King Solomon. How Southeast Asians were aware of a Judeo-Christian character from such an early time in lands so far away was always a mystery to me.

I assumed it had to be because of travel. Marco Polo (1254 – 1324) was one such famous traveller. He was popular with the Khan because he did not just relate the information collected, but he punctuated his information with interesting insights. I know that he did visit Southeast Asia.

Sadly, there is little mention of this exchange in his book on his travels or at least the one that I read. Another famous traveller to Southeast Asia was the Chinese admiral Zheng He/Cheng Ho (1371 – 1433 or 1435) who visited the region. Thanks to him, Princess Hang Li Po was supposedly given in marriage to the Malaccan Sultan Mansur Shah (reigned 1456–1477). This was when the Chinese started coming down to Southeast Asia. Some say there is no trace of her but there is supposedly mention of a Chinese woman who was one of his wives. There is also mention of a Paduka Menyamut, in the Sejarah Melayu, the son of Sultan Mansur Shah and Princess Hang Li Po, the daughter of the Rajah of China. As well as Alexander the Great, referred to as Iskander Shah. There are records of Malaccan ambassadors to China. And there are many Chinese mentioned in Southeast Asian folktales along with Indians.

I was also surprised to learn that giants or grigasi are popular in Borneo, as giants are unheard of in peninsula Malaya. Or at least I never heard of them.

Three stories feature the mousedeer who is known as Akal Pelandok not Sang Kancil.
Sang = Revered
Kancil = Mousedeer
Akal = Ageless
Pelandok/Plandok = Mousedeer

The only story in this book which I was previously familiar with is the second story – AKAL PELANDOK, SAMBAR RUSA, AND BABI LAKI. However, the version I was told by my grandfather ended when Sang Kancil made his first escape.

I have dramatized the tales to increase their enjoyment and sought to provide explanations as to why a certain action was taken or decision made, but as always, I have tried my best to remain true to the original story.