TANAKI

A very good morning to the honorable judges, wise time keeper, teachers and friends. Today, I am going
to tell you a local story entitle “Tanaki”.

In a lonely village somewhere near Tambunan, there was an old woman who was believed to have
possesion of some very potent charms. For this, she was greatly feared by most of the villagers. She had
a son called Tanaki.

At that time, there was a terrible drought. It was so hot that even after the water in the ponds and wells
had completely dried up. All the crops had turned yellow. The soil cracked and was as hard as stone. The
old woman asked her son to go into the woods to look for a stream but he could not find any, so he came
home feeling hopeless.

Meanwhile, his mother tried calling the spirits several times for rain but to no avail. At night, while she
was praying for rain, she heard a voice telling her that if she wanted water, she must offer her son to the
spirit of the rain as a sacrifice but she refused to do that for she loved her son very much. However, as she
looked around her and saw the sufferings of her people as a result of the drought, she realized she must
do something immediately.

After much thought, she decided to surrender her only son Tanaki as an offering to the deity. With tears
flowing down her wrinkled cheeks, she looked at her son’s sleeping face lovingly. It would be the last time
she saw him.

The next morning when the sun rose, her dear son was gone.

“Tanaki!! Tanaki!! My dear son Tanaki!! Where are you Tanaki?” She called out his name several times
but he was nowhere to be seen. Then she remembered the spirit’s promise.

As she stepped out of her house, she wondered what had possibly become of her son. Suddenly, she heard
the sound of running water. To her surprise, there was a big stream in front of her house. She rushed to
the stream and fell to her knees. As she touch the water from the stream, a sense of sadness washed over
her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she called out, "Tanaki, my beloved son!".

Even though she felt sad and sorry, she realised that her sacrifice had not be in vain after all. The villagers
are no longer suffered from drougth. They have enough water to meet their daily needs.

In memory of her son, the villagers named the new stream Tanaki. This stream is still flowing in Tambunan.

This story serves as a reminder that sometimes sacrifices must be made for the benefit of others. It
emphasizes the importance of considering the well-being of the collective and making choices that
prioritize the greater good over personal desires or attachments. The old woman's sacrifice ultimately
resulted in the arrival of the much-needed water, ending the drought and alleviating the villagers'
hardships.

Overall, this story teaches us about the power of empathy, selflessness, and the willingness to make
sacrifices for the well-being of others. It encourages us to reflect on our own actions and consider how
we can contribute to the betterment of our communities and the world around us.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I hope we’ve all learn something new from it and enjoy it.

That’s all. Thank you very much for your attention.