The Taino myth of the cursed creator - Bill Keegan

Translator: Izmi Wardah Ammar Reviewer: Maria Nainggolan

Before the world of humans began,

Sebelum dunia manusia dimulai,

there was the world of the gods, made of fields, plains and gardens.

terdapat dunia para dewa, terbuat dari ladang, dataran dan taman-taman.

Four brothers wandered this celestial realm.

Empat orang saudara berkelana di alam dewata ini.

They had no family other than each other—

Mereka tidak punya keluarga selain mereka sendiri

they didn’t even know who their parents were.

Mereka bahkan tidak tahu siapa orang tua mereka.

One of the brothers, Deminan, looked different from the others.

Salah satu saudara, Deminan, terlihat berbeda dari saudaranya.

His skin was covered in painful scabs,

Kulitnya dipenuhi kudis yang menyakitkan

and he wondered why he alone had been marked with this affliction.

dan dia bertanya-tanya, kenapa hanya dia yang ditandai dengan penderitaan.

One day, while the supreme spirit Yaya was out in his gardens,

Suatu hari ketika roh tertinggi, Yaya sedang keluar ke tamannya,

Deminan and his brothers snuck into Yaya’s house.

Deminan dan saudara-saudaranya menyusup ke rumah Yaya.

After feasting and exploring, they spotted a giant gourd hanging in the corner.

Setelah berpesta dan menjelajah, mereka melihat labu raksasa tergantung di sudut.

But as they tried to look inside the gourd, they dropped it.

Ketika mereka melihat ke dalam labu, mereka menjatuhkannya

The gourd broke apart, releasing a deluge that swept the brothers away,

Labu itu pecah, mengeluarkan air bah yang menyapu 4 bersaudara itu.

separating them from the celestial lands forever.

Memisahkan mereka dari alam dewata selamanya.

The waters from the gourd formed a new world.

Air dari labu menciptakan dunia baru.

This realm was covered in seas, which didn’t exist in the gods’ world.

Sebuah dunia yang dipenuhi laut, yang tidak ada di dunia para dewa.

The waters were full of fish and other creatures,

Airnya dipenuhi ikan dan berbagai makhluk lainnya,

and dotted with islands and caves.

dan di beberapa titik terdapat pulau dan gua.

This world of seas was also cut off completely from the celestial realm,

Dunia laut ini terputus sepenuhnya dari alam dewata,

and the brothers wandered aimlessly,

dan keempat saudara itu berkelana tanpa tujuan,

even more lost than they had been before.

bahkan semakin tersesat dari sebelumnya.

One day, three of the brothers stumbled upon a house.

Suatu hari, tiga dari bersaudara itu menemukan sebuah rumah.

In the house lived an elder named Bayamanacao, and he invited them in.

Di dalamnya tinggal lelaki tua bernama Bayamanacao, dia mengundang mereka masuk.

When Deminan caught up slightly later, he followed them into the house.

Sementara Deminan menyusul kemudian, dia mengikuti mereka ke dalam rumah.

Bayamanacao told the brothers he was their grandfather

Bayamanacao mengatakan bahwa dia adalah kakek mereka

and gave them a gift of special cassava bread.

dan memberi mereka hadiah sebuah roti singkong spesial.

He revealed their family lineage to them:

Dia mengungkapkan garis keluarga mereka:

their mother had been the Earth Mother Goddess Itibi Cahubaba

Ibu mereka adalah Dewi Ibu Bumi, Itibi Cahubaba

and had died when they were born.

dan meninggal ketika melahirkan mereka.

The brothers were grateful for his hospitality and insight into their past.

Bersaudara itu berterima kasih dengan keramahan dan informasi masa lalu mereka.

But then Bayamanacao turned on Deminan,

Tetapi Bayamanacao beralih pada Deminan

blowing tobacco spittle from his nose onto Deminan’s back.

Meludahkan tembakau dari hidungnya ke punggung Deminan

The spot where the spittle landed immediately began to swell and sting.

Tempat yang dikenai ludah mulai bengkak dan terasa perih.

Soon Deminan was delirious

Seketika Deminan tidak sadar

and his back was so swollen his brothers feared he would die.

dan punggungnya bengkak sampai saudaranya takut dia akan mati.

Not knowing what else to do, they cut open the welt.

Tidak tahu apa yang harus dilakukan, mereka membuka bulirnya.

A turtle emerged from the wound and swam away,

Seekor kura-kura muncul dari luka dan berenang pergi,

alternating easily between sea and land as she went.

bergantian dengan mudah dari laut dan daratan.

When Deminan recovered from his delirium,

Ketika Deminan sadar,

he finally understood what the curse of his disease meant:

Dia menyadari apa maksud dari dari penyakit terkutuknya:

he was a caracaracol, able to communicate with the gods.

Dia adalah seorang caracaracol, mampu berkomunikasi dengan para dewa.

He was the link between the celestial realm and the earthly realm.

Dia adalah penghubung dari alam dewata dan bumi.

Deminan was the first in a long lineage of caracaracols.

Deminan adalah caracaracol pertama dalam garis keturunan yang panjang.

The world of seas he and his brothers had created when they dropped the gourd

Dunia laut yang dia dan saudaranya ciptakan ketika menjatuhkan labu

became the world of humans,

menjadi dunia para manusia,

where the caracaracols who followed Deminan maintained the delicate balance

dimana caracaracol yang mengikuti Deminan memelihara keseimbangan halus

between people and gods.

antara manusia dan dewa.

But their unique power came at a price:

Tapi kekuatan unik mereka memiliki harga:

Deminan and all the caracaracols who followed him

Deminan dan semua caracaracol yang mengikutinya

continued to suffer from the illness that had first marked Deminan as special.

terus-menerus menderita penyakit yang awalnya menandai Deminan sebagai istimewa.

Represented in Taino carvings and figurines

Ditunjukkan pada ukiran dan patung Taino

with a swollen back and emaciated arms,

dengan punggung bengkak dan tangan kurus,

the caracaracol is both cursed and blessed to be a conduit between worlds.

caracaracol adalah kutukan dan berkah untuk menyambung dua dunia.