Why Dead People are Buried || Kenapa Orang Meniggal Harus dikubur || African Folklore

The story is told in two language: English and Bahasa Indonesia. The story in Bahasa is provided first, and story in English follows.

Pada awal kehidupan di dunia, saat sang pencipta menciptakan lelaki dan perempuan, dan juga binatang, mereka semua hidup di dalam sebuah pulau. Sang pencipta dipercaya sebagai sang maha besar, yang mempunyai kekuatan melebihi semua ciptaannya dan juga memiliki hati yang sangat baik. Dia selalu bersedih ketika ada mahluk ciptaanya yang meninggal. Kemudia suatu hari seekor anjing di utus ke tempat dimana para mahluk ciptaan berkumpul untuk memberikan sebuah pesan. Pesan tersebut adalah: Untuk selanjutnya, apabila ada yang meninggal, maka baringkanlah mayat mereka yang meninggal tersebut di tanah dan taburilah tubuhnya denagn abu kayu-kayuan. Maka dalam 24 jam, mayat tersebut akan hidup kembali.

Maka, berangkatlah anjing tersebut. Setelah menempuh setengah perjalanan, anjing tersebut merasa kelelahan. Ketika ia berada di dekat sebuah rumah seorang nenek tua, ia pun langsung masuk kerumah tersebut dan ia melihat tulang-tulang dengan sisa daging di atasnya. Anjing tersebut langsung memaakan tulang tulang tersebut. Merasa kekenyangan, anjing itu pun tertidur pulas dan lupa akan tugas yang diberikan kepadanya.

Setelah menunggu beberapa waktu dan sang Anjing tidak kunjung kembali, sang pencipta pun memutuskan untuk mengutus seekor domba untuk menyampaikan pesan. Sayangnya, sang domba bukanlah mahluk yang pintar, ketika sampai di pulau tersebut, sang domba merasa lapar dan langsung memakan rumpu-rumput hijau yang tumbuh lebat di pulau tersebut. Untungnya, domba tersebut masih ingat dengan tugasnya. Ia pun langsung menghampiri mahluk-mahluk di pulau tersebut. Sayangnya, saat ia akan menyampaikan pesan yang ia bawa, ia lupa detail pesan tersebut. Ia pun mengatakan hal berbeda. Ia mengatakan jika ada mahluk di pulau ini yang meninggal, maka mahluk tersebut harus di kubur di dalam tanah.

Di tempat lain, sang anjing telah bangun dan ingat akan tugas yang ia emban. Ia pun berlari menghampiri mahluk-mahluk di pulau tersebut dan mengatakan pesan yang diberikan kepadanya. Ia mengatakan jika ada mahluk di pulau ini yang meninggal, maka letakan mahluk tersebut di atas tanah dan taburi tubuh tersebut dengan abu dari kayu-kayuan, dan dalam waktu 24 jam, mahluk tersebut akan hidup kembali. Mendengar pesan yang disampaikan anjing tersebut, para mahluk di pulau tersebut pun tidak percaya dan mengatakan jika sang domba telah menyampaikan pesan dari sang pencipta yang notabene berbeda dengan pesan sang anjing. Sang anjing pun pergi dan menyesali kecerobohannya. Dan sejak saat itu, ketika ada mahluk yang meninggal maka mahluk tersebut pun dikubur di dalam tanah.

The original English version of this story is taken from here! 

In the beginning of the world when the Creator had made men and women and the animals, they all lived together in the creation land. The Creator was a big chief, past all men, and being very kindhearted, was very sorry whenever anyone died. So one day he sent for the dog, who was his head messenger, and told him to go out into the world and give his word to all people that for the future whenever any one died the body was to be placed in the compound, and wood ashes were to be thrown over it; that the dead body was to be left on the ground, and in twenty-four hours it would become alive again.

When the dog had travelled for half a day he began to get tired; so as he was near an old woman's house he looked in, and seeing a bone with some meat on it he made a meal off it, and then went to sleep, entirely forgetting the message which had been given him to deliver.

After a time, when the dog did not return, the Creator called for a sheep, and sent him out with the same message. But the sheep was a very foolish one, and being hungry, began eating the sweet grasses by the wayside. After a time, however, he remembered that he had a message to deliver, but forgot what it was exactly; so as he went about among the people he told them that the message the Creator had given him to tell the people, was that whenever any one died they should be buried underneath the ground.

A little time afterwards the dog remembered his message, so he ran into the town and told the people that they were to place wood ashes on the dead bodies and leave them in the compound, and that they would come to life again after twenty-four hours. But the people would not believe him, and said, "We have already received the word from the Creator by the sheep, that all dead bodies should be buried." In consequence of this the dead bodies are now always buried, and the dog is much disliked and not trusted as a messenger, as if he had not found the bone in the old woman's house and forgotten his message, the dead people might still be alive.