The love story of King Bolaang Mongondow and Princess Minahasa in the land of Pontak

 "Land And Love"

This story is a folk tale from the Minahasan Tompakewa sub-tribe which was immortalized in the book "Land En Volkenkunde Van Nedherlandsch Indie" by J. Bodde, Sonder 07 September 1883.

The love story of Princess Oeweranden and King Damopolii.

Once upon a time in the past in the Ranoyapo river area there was a country called Pinontakan, this country was between two branches of the Ranoyapo river, one of the Tonaas who lived in that country one day went hunting in the forest with several friends, when they arrived in the middle of the wilderness they started build a hut (sabuwa) and they start collecting the results of their hunt in the form of anoa, forest cattle, deer, etc., the best meat is given to Tonaas, and Tonass stores the selected meat in fur (bamboo). In the sabua (hut) but Tonaas began to be surprised because every time he came home and checked the meat was always decreasing, Tonaas was suspicious because there was a thief, one time Tonaas was on guard and observing who was committing the theft, and it was true that when Tonass was hiding a very beautiful girl appeared. When he was about to take the meat that was stored in the sabua (hut), Tonaas immediately chased and caught him when Tonaas was about to cut off his head. The beautiful princess said, "Don't kill me, don't kill your own child, because I am your child." Tonaas denies it and says you are lying you are not my son..! The daughter said no..! I'm your son, don't you always visit that rattan bush...? While pointing at the rattan bush, Tonaas began to understand what the princess meant because the Tonaas regularly visited the rattan bush for a specific purpose, known by the Tompakewa ethnic group as Rattan Taiti.

The daughter said, "Do you dare deny it? You are my father and the rattan bush is my mother..!

So from then on Tonaas adopted the child and gave him the name Oeweranden, which means Rattan child.

Tonaas then took his adopted daughter back to Pinontakan, a country between two branches of the Ranoyapo river.

Princess Oeweranden became a topic of conversation among the public because her beauty and noble attitude were greatly admired.

And at that time, Prince Bolaang Mongondow Damopolii, who still lived at the mouth of Ranoyapo, lower Rumoong country, bathed every afternoon or evening at the mouth of the river, but one day when the prince was bathing, Prince Damopolii, when he was about to pour water with both hands over his body, suddenly grabbed him. Pakoba fruit, the fruit was thrown back into the river, but the second time the water was poured over his body the same thing happened until the third time the Pakoba fruit continued to be held in his hand, Prince Damopolii began to feel strange and when the prince checked the Pakoba fruit there was The prince believed that this was a beautiful bite mark from a woman who must have lived on the banks of the Ranoyapo river.

Prince Damopolii then ordered his servants to check and investigate if there were any women living along the Ranoyapo river in Pinontakan country. However, this was in vain, the king of Damopolii again ordered six people to investigate this matter, but after several days it still had no results, these six people were ordered because they were afraid of going home without results, someone older among them made a strategy, while walking in the country Pinotakan they brought a rooster but the feathers had been pulled out while shouting "I'm selling chickens, who can give me money," while holding up the chicken which was already without feathers, this made the people of Pinotakan country leave the house and start laughing at this incident. continued to observe the teeth of every citizen, according to the king's orders, the bite of the pakoba fruit he found in the Ranoyapo river was a sign of a beautiful bite. One of the king's orders, Damopolii, saw someone opening the roof of the house and he saw a very beautiful woman with beautiful teeth and a beautiful smile who was also laughing. The information was obtained and immediately reported to King Damopolii. Damopolii was very impressed by the story of the investigation, so King Damopolii immediately visited Tonaas' parents from Princess Oeweranden to propose to him. The gold and treasure prepared were accepted by Tonaas' father.

Prince Damopolii brought Princess Oeweranden to Bolaang Mongondow to hold a magnificent wedding party and Princess Oeweranden was appointed Queen in the kingdom of Bolaang Mongondow. After the wedding Prince Damopolii and Queen Oeweranden returned to lower Rumoong, at the Ranoyapo estuary, but strange events always happened when King Damopolii and Putri Oeweranden walked Rattan humbly, always bowing to them so that their journey would be slow, Putri Oeweranden told her husband, Raja Damopolii, that they were my uncles, give them something and they would straighten themselves up again. After settling in Rumoong under Prince Damopolii, he took Princess Oeweranden to Bolaang Mongondow forever.

This story is also related to the history of the boundaries of the Bolaang Mongondow and Minahasa kingdoms. Minahasa claims that the Pinontakan country across the Ranoyapo river is still its territory, then Minahasan migration to the Pontak country again occurs. This population movement to the Pontak country comes from the word Pinontakan.