Snake Between Hills: Hidden Legend of Tenganan

I Tundung and I Blenek (Source : Personal Collection)

In the quiet and beautiful village of Tenganan, right at the foot of the hills surrounded by green rice fields, there lives a husband and wife named I Tundung and Ni Blenek. Their life seems simple, but full of hard work and sincerity. Tenganan Village itself is a place rich in tradition and customs, an area that is tightly guarded by ancestral norms that have been passed down from generation to generation. In the midst of this harmony of nature and local wisdom, I Tundung and Ni Blenek live their days diligently, working as land surveyors owned by Jero Pasek Bendésa, a highly respected and influential traditional leader in the village.

As surveyors, their job is not an easy job. They are responsible for supervising and ensuring that the land being managed is running well, checking land boundaries, and maintaining a balance between agricultural products and the needs of the village community. Although their work requires a lot of energy and precision, I Tundung and Ni Blenek never complain. They are known by the villagers as a couple who support each other, always working hand in hand in living a life full of challenges.

In addition, they are also known as humble and modest individuals, rarely seen involved in major village affairs. Although they live in simplicity, they enjoy what they have and always feel grateful. Their relationship with Jero Pasek Bendésa is also full of respect. The traditional leader trusts them with his important lands, because he knows that I Tundung and Ni Blenek are reliable, honest people who work with high dedication.

However, behind their seemingly peaceful life, there are great challenges ready to approach them. The land that they have been overseeing and cultivating under the orders of Jero Pasek Bendésa begins to present unexpected problems, as if there is an invisible force that threatens the peace of their lives. This husband and wife will soon be faced with a trial that is more than just a matter of land, but something much deeper—a mystery that may shake their lives and their relationship with the village leader.

Jero Pasek Bendesa (Source : Personal Collection)

Jero Pasek Bendésa is not actually a native of Tenganan, but rather someone who was specially invited to lead the village. He came from outside the village, just like the Pasek group which came from Ngis village and the Pandé group which was borrowed from Tunggak village, Bebandem. His presence in Tenganan was driven by the need to bring in a leader figure who had the qualifications and an important role in managing traditional life and maintaining social balance in the village. This tradition of borrowing or inviting leaders from other villages reflects the close relationship and interdependence between communities in the Bali region.

Jero Pasek give a piece of land (Source : Personal Collection)

As an expression of gratitude for the dedication and hard work that I Tundung had shown, Jero Pasek Bendésa generously gave a plot of fertile land to be cultivated and utilized. The land was a very valuable gift, an opportunity for I Tundung to improve his welfare through agriculture. Initially, happiness enveloped I Tundung and his family, they imagined a better future thanks to Jero Pasek Bendésa's kindness. However, this happiness did not last long.

Although I Tundung worked hard to cultivate the land, planting various types of plants, and caring for them with all his heart, he began to face unexpected problems. Every time the harvest season arrived, his crops often disappeared mysteriously. It was as if the fruits of his labor had disappeared without a trace, taken by invisible hands. I Tundung began to suspect that there was a supernatural force at work behind these strange events, making him feel trapped in an increasingly unclear situation. Restlessness gripped his heart, he continued to wonder, who or what caused the loss of the harvest that he should have been able to enjoy? The land that was originally a gift bringing the promise of prosperity, had now become a source of disappointment and mystery.

I Tundung was accused of the loss of the land (Source : Personal Collection)

Feeling disappointed and frustrated by the continued loss of harvest, Jero Pasek Bendésa began to be filled with suspicion. He felt that there was something wrong with the management of the land that had been given to him. In his heart, he began to doubt I Tundung's ability to maintain the trust. This suspicion grew stronger until finally Jero Pasek openly accused I Tundung of being the cause of the loss of the harvest. He thought that I Tundung might not be serious about managing the land, or even made negligence that caused the harvest to fail or be lost. This accusation, although not necessarily true, was made with a tone of disappointment and anger, creating tension that burdened I Tundung.

For I Tundung, the accusation was a heavy blow. He felt pressured, as if all his hard work had been in vain. In fact, he had worked hard, sweating day and night to guard and care for the land. The disappointment felt by Jero Pasek now seemed to have turned into a burden for I Tundung who not only had to bear the failure of the harvest, but also had to fend off painful accusations.

Not wanting to continue to be shackled by the accusation, I Tundung decided to act. He realized that he had to find an answer to the mystery of the lost harvest, while also proving his innocence. With a strong determination, I Tundung decided to seek strength and knowledge, both from the real world and the supernatural world. He began to seek guidance from wise men, and visited sacred places, hoping to find an answer that would free him from the accusation and restore his honor. His journey of search was not only to seek the truth, but also to find the strength within himself that had been hidden all this time.