The Jungle Guardian Snake

One day, a dirty dressed man with skinny appearance and grimy longhaired entering Tenganan village. He wishes food to remove his hunger. Later on, he is asked by the village chief in front of the village hall. “How are you and where are you going?”
“My name is I Tundung, and I don’t have any place to go,” said that dirty man.

For seeing I Tundung’s appearance, the village chief takes I Tundung to his house. Upon his arrival, I Tundung asked to bath and dressed more properly than before. “Stay with me. You can help me to watch over the forest at the east hills,” said the village chief after they had a dinner.
Receiving that kind of job, I Tundung feels so happy. Since then, he doesn’t need to travel nomadically without any purposes, not afraid of being hot, coldness, or feels hunger. I Tundung stay at the east hill forest that is the jungle of Tenganan village. By his competent treatment, he starts planting the forest hill with various fruits and flower plants. Sooner after, the east hill forest becomes fertile. The fruits get laden and the flowers start blooming beautifully. Tenganan villager feels glad, because their forest is resulting and well treated.
Suddenly one day, I Tundung is shocked for watching his banana’s fruits are gone. On the next day, the same things are happen again. His jackfruit, durian, and other fruits vanished. Thing is getting worst on the other day, when several wood trees also vanished. I Tundung feel shamed to Tenganan village chief that had entrust him to protect the forest.
Even though I Tundung already has tried with many efforts investigating these weird things, seemly the burglar are uncaught yet. Desperation rushes his mind. Then, he meditated in a temple to receive a bestowal. Within his serious prayer, a mysterious voice suddenly heard: “What is your purpose, Tundung?”
“I want to catch the burglar of this forest,” Tundung said with shaking voice.
“Alright then, I command your wish,” said that mystical voice. After that, I Tundung feels a mutation within himself. His head becomes smaller and his body stretching. I Tundung mutate become a snake!
Since then, a corpse is always found in the middle of the forest, some are taking a banana fruit and some are holding the wood trunk. The corpses are the forest’s thieves who makes I Tundung feels shamed to the Tenganan chief and villager. At present, Tenganan villager still convince and pay a deep respect to I Tundung who had transformed become a snake. That snake will protect Tenganan forest forever. Later on, the snake known as Selan Bukit snake. (retold by: Gung Man )

Balineselife
Rivers and the Balinese

In life, a river holds a significant means. Significantly defined because the river contains water, that is why it calls the river. Human could survive without food but will die without water. Besides water, river also supplies the human needs starting from kitchen needs up to construction materials for houses. It is also utilized as a bathing place, recreation or transportation importance. It can be imaging how enliven does the environmental existence by means of river, on the contrary, it will difficult for living in the area that away from the river.
In the beginning, Ubud tourism area was renowned because of its arts, but it was well known by the river named Tukad Campuhan (tukad refers to river). This is where Rsi Markandya (a great priest) from Java held a meditation to obtain an inspiration to build the temple in Bali. Latter on, Tukad Campuhan became an inspiration basis for foreign artists such as Walter Spies, Rudolf Bonnet, Collin Macphee and Noel Coward. Therefore, it was declared that the river was an inspiration resources.
As the supplier of kitchen needs, a river contains several vegetables such as paku, kangkung, daun canging, and etc. All kinds of fish are also available within the river such as udang (shrimp), yuyu (crab), lele (catfish), mujair (freshwater fish), be julit (kind of catfish), as well as other river’s animals. It can achieve easily by few of effort energy.
Those who live around the river channel, usually collect the building material for houses from the river. Just as they did by Nyuh Kuning Villager until now. They utilize the service of Tukad Wos as the building material supplier. Wayan Rijek for example, to finish his dwelling house, all material such as sand, gravel, batu bulitan (stone), and batu pilah (rock) was supplied from Tukad Wos. Three coconut trunks and tens of bamboo poles also easily get from Tukad Wos, which is 20 meters nearby his house. And, so does the other Rijek that surely helped by another rivers.
None of rivers in Bali are big, so none of people used it as transportation media. It exists only of small and steep-river that utilized as transportation media, just as it used by the tourism entrepreneur, for example rafting recreation at Tukad Ayung. This rafting recreation gives satisfaction for the followers and as a gift for them who live around the river. They can work as travel guides/water guides for the tourist who fond in rafting.
That is the sort of river’s contribution to human life. This means a lot for the people who live near the river especially and generally for Balinese. (Made Suambara)