Storytelling: Situ Bagendit

SITU BAGENDIT

Once upon a time in West Java, there lived a very wealthy woman in a small village. She lived alone in a very big house fill with a lot of jewelries. She also had many servants working for her. But, she was very greedy so people called her Bagenda Endit, the greedy wealthy woman.

She also was the most feared in the whole village. She could do what she wanted to do with her wealth. Many villagers borrowed money from her although the debt must be paid with extremely high interest. Bagenda Endit also had some bouncers to collect the villager’s debts. If they unable to pay, the bouncer would violence.


“I’m the richest woman in this village. Haaaahh… All these wealth are mine. No one can take even a little cent from me. I have all of these by my own. So why do I have to share the things with the other?” That was what she thought about. She didn’t care with the people around her, even they were very poor and were starving.

One day, a very old woman came to her and asked for help.

She said,” Bagenda Endit, please help me. My son has never had any food for days. We are starving”.

“Hey, the ugly old woman! Get away from me! I don’t care with you or your son. Whether you are starving or even dying, it is not my business.” Bagenda Endit shouted.

The old woman didn’t move from Bagenda Endit’s sight so Bagenda Endit sprayed the old woman with some water. The old woman and her son got wet.

Bagenda Endit was so cruel. She didn’t feel a little sorry for the old woman. Even she got angrier. She forced the old woman to get out of her yard. “Hey, you poor old woman! Don’t you understand what I mean?! GET OUT OF HERE!”

After the old woman walking away from the yard, Bagenda Endit laughed. “What such a foolish old woman! Who does she think she is, so that she comes to me for a help.”

A few days later, a very old man, with a stick to walk, came to Bagenda Endit and asked for some water. 

“Bagenda, please give me some water. I am so thirsty. If you don’t mind I’ll take the water from your well.” Asked the old man.

“Hey, the poor old man. I don’t want you to take my water. Any drop of my water is only for me. No one can take any of them. Now, go away!” said Bagenda Endit.

The man went by. He used his stick to walk. But then, he stopped by the Bagenda Endit’s house yard, put his stick on the ground and shouted, “Bagenda Endit, you don’t want to lose any drop of your water. Now I will give you more water.” 

He took his stick out of the ground and the water came out, bursted into the air. Then a heavy rain came down and also an earthquake. Because afraid of being flooded, the villagers ran away and searched for a safe place. Bagenda Endit didn’t want to leave her house. She loved her wealth so much.

In the end, Bagenda Endit sank with her wealth. The other villagers could save themselves. The water swept all over the village and it turned into a lake which was named Situ Bagendit by the villagers. Situ means a lake, while Bagendit was taken from the name of Bagenda Endit. It is said that in the lake lived a very large leech. It is believed to be an incarnation of Bagenda Endit who was a loan shark.