Hutinta (Riddles) in Simalungun Ethnic Oral Tradition

Asriaty R. Purba

, Adelina Ginting

Faculty of Humanities, University of North Sumatra, Medan

Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Catholic University of Santo Thomas, Medan

Keywords: Hutinta, Simalungun Ethnic. Oral Tradition.

Abstract: Hutinta (riddles) is a part of oral tradition which is a cultural heritage of the local community which the

process of the inheritance was done orally and passed on from one generation to another generation. Hutinta

is interpreted as a form of question that is difficult to answer and can only be answered after the answer is

known. The purpose of this journal is to describe hutinta in Simalungun ethnic oral tradition. The result of

this journal show the form of hutinta in Simalungun ethnic group consisting of three parts. Those are

ordinary hutinta, hutinta umpasa, and hutinta turi-turian, and the object of hutinta obtained from daily

experience through human nature and behavior.

1 INTRODUCTION

Indonesia consists of various cultures and

ethnicities. Each ethnicity has a different culture.

Culture is a form of interaction in the life process,

thus forming a close relationship between humans

and humans, humans with other creatures, humans

with natures that can be used according to their

needs. The consequences of that life process cause

humans to gradually and unwittingly form habits

that apply to society. One of that cultural form is the

oral tradition.

Oral tradition is a cultural heritage of the local

community which the process of the inheritance was

done orally and passed on from generation to

another generation. In daily life the oral tradition

usually spoken by a mother to her child, a storyteller

to the audience, teacher to the students, or among

fellow members of the community.

Oral tradition consists of folklore, traditional

riddles (traditional question) traditional proverbs,

and traditional song. Each region has an oral

tradition and has its own characteristics, although in

certain forms it has similarities.

As explained above, one of the items that

contained in oral tradition is riddles (traditional

question). Some ethnic that exists in Indonesia in

term of riddles has its own name. Like the Toba

ethnic group with the term Huling huling ansa, Karo

ethnic group with the term Kuning-kuningen,

Simalungun ethnic group with the term Hutinta, and

Sunda ethinc group with the term tata rucingan.

Hutinta (riddles) in Simalungun ethnic group at

the ancient times was still maintained properly

which serves as an entertainment tool in spare time

that is used as a traditional game because it is played

by at least two people. There are a person who ask

the question and a person who answer the question.

If the answerer cannot answer the question then the

questioner will answer the question, and very often

end up laughing together. However, at this time we

rarely find the oral tradition of riddles especially in

the younger generation of Simalungun ethnicity.

This is due to the influence of rapid technological

development and also the influence the environment

that is not supporting, especially in urban

communities. Therefore the role of the community

in learning, preserving the oral tradition of

marhutinta (teka teki), needs to be developed for the

sake of national cultural resilience.

2 DISCUSSION

Hutinta is the same as traditional questions. In

Indonesia better known as riddles, the question is

made in such a way that the answer is difficult, and

often even must be answered after knowing the

answer first. According to Georges and Dundes

(Danandjaja, 1984) riddles is a traditional verbal

expression that contain one or more of descriptive

R. Purba, A. and Ginting, A.

Hutinta (Riddles) in Simalungun Ethnic Oral Tradition.

DOI: 10.5220/0009897700002480

In Proceedings of the International Conference on Natural Resources and Sustainable Development (ICNRSD 2018), pages 71-74

ISBN: 978-989-758-543-2

elements, a pair of them contradict each other and

the answer must be guessed.

According to the two scholars that riddles can be

classified into two general categories, those are: (1)

non-oppositional riddles and (2) oppositional

riddles. The two categories are differentiated by the

presence or absence of descriptive elements in

opposition. Non-oppositional riddles with the

descriptive elements may be termed literal, that is,

what is written (literal) and figurative

(metaphorical). Oppositional riddles are

characterized by the occurrence of an opposition

between at least one pair of descriptive elements.

While according to Tarigan (1980), Hutinta

(riddles) is an oral literature that passed down from

grandmother to father, and from father to son. This

hutinta (riddles) was submitted quickly and

automatically never written. Anything they see

around the house, in the yard, in the fields, in the

garden, in everyday life, they can make it become

hutinta (riddles).

2.1 Simalungun Ethnic Hutinta

(riddles) Form

Simalungun Ethnic Hutinta (riddles) form can be

classified into three parts those are:

2.1.1 Ordinary Hutinta

Ordinary hutinta consists of one or two lines of

sentences, however, that does not mean that ordinary

hutinta (riddles) are easy to answer, because usually

the questions are difficult to understand while the

answers are very identical to the questionable nature.

Example:

(1) Songon goranni daini

Aha ma ai?

Bolosni: tobu

“It feels the same as the name

What is that?

The answer is: cane (tebu)”

(2) Anggo itutup labahni roh ia, anggo ibuka mulak

Aha ma ai?

Bolosni: gurgur ni indahan

“If the door is closed he comes, if the door is

opened he comes

What is that?

The answer is: a boiling rice water”

(3) Ja daoh jenges, ia dohor bajan

Aha ma ai?

Bolosni: dolog

“If far, it looks beautiful, if it is approached it

seems ugly

What is that?

The answer is: mountain”

(4) Iponophon tois ni

Aha ma ai?

Bolosni: huting

“It hid the dirt

What is that?

The answer is: cat”

If we look at that hutinta above, the questions

and the answers are very identical, such as in the

example.

(1) The word tobu/ tebu (cane) in Simalungun it

means sweet. That means the question is very

identical with the answer.

(2) Gurgur ni indahan “a boiling rice water”, if we

pay attention when the rice is boiling, if we close

the steam will rise, while if we open the steam

will go down.

(3) Dolog / mountain if viewed from afar it is

beautiful but if we look closely, the mountain is

so creepy that consists of wilderness.

(4) Huting / cat if we pay attention to the cat

behavior, if its throw away the dirt, the cat

always covers or hid the dirt.

2.1.2 Hutinta Umpasa (Poem Riddles)

Hutinta umpasa usually consists of four lines

containing sampiran (a first two lines of poem) and

contents. However, the answer is not in the poem

(pantun) because the content of the question always

shows the nature or is identical to the question.

Hutinta umpasa it sounds is more beautiful because

it is pronounced like a bouncy.

Example:

(1) I suan ma naming utek

I huta Dalig Raya

Marsisik sedo dengke

Marpayung sedo raja

Aha ma ai?

Bolosni: honas

“Orange planted

In Dalig Raya village

Scaly instead of fish

Umbrella instead of king

What is that?

The answer is: pineapple”

(2) Buha hulit dapot hapas

Buha hapas dapot tulan

ICNRSD 2018 - International Conference on Natural Resources and Sustainable Development

Buha tulan dapot daging

Buha daging dapot bah

Aha ma ai?

Bolosni: halambir

“Open the skin can be cotton

Open the cotton can be bone

Open the bone can be meat

Open the meat can be water

What is that?

The answer is: coconut”

(3) Sampuran na dob gombur

Parhotangan lang tarbolus

Paima mangan maningon bosur

Dob mangan malohei holpus

Aha ma ai?

Bolosni: bahul-bahul

“The waterfall that was cloudy

The place to find rattan that has been crossed

Before eating must be full

After eating, hungry, flat stomach

What is that?

The answer is: baskets of pandanus

To guess the answer in hutinta in the form of

poem (pantun) is more difficult than ordinary

hutinta. This happens because the listener can be

lulled to hear the rhymes, so that they are not paying

attention to the object of the question. The question

in Hutinta Umpasa found in the third and the fourth

lines. Such as in:

(1) Marsisik deo dengke

Marpayung sido raja

(2) Buha tulan dapot daging

Buha daging dapot bah

(3) Paima mangan maningon bosur

Dob mangan malohei holpus

2.1.3 Hutinta turi-turian (Story Riddles)

Hutinta turi-turian usually delivered in the form of

stories. A person before present the hutinta (riddles)

tell a story first then when the story is end, the

storyteller ask the hutinta (riddles). Therefore the

listener must be keen to listen the contents of the

story because it is not uncommon for the listener to

be lulled by the trap of the story.

Example:

Adong ma sada parinangon. Halani porluni

horjani itadingkon ma nimobahni I huta. Misir ma ia

hu juma, tap lang piga dokah nari dob misir inang

on, mulakna niombahni sikahanan hun sikolah. I

sukum anakni sikahanon on ma anggini ninima: o

ambia ija do idadah ho inangta? Rohma balosni

anggini on, anggo inang domma laho hujuma

marsarosok janah membuat bobabi hata. Aha ma

ai? Balosni: laaho membuat demban.

There is a mother because of the importance of

her work then she left her children in the village

(house) and this mother went to the field, shortly

after his mother went to the field, her son came

home from school. Seeing his mother not at home,

then her son who had just returned from school

asked his brother. Where is our mother, brother?

Then his brother answered that their mother had

gone to the fields to take a speech opening, what is

that? The answer is: betel.

In Simalungun ethnic group demban (betel) can

be used to speech opening especially in traditional

ceremonies. The story riddles always use reasoning

and earnest concentration in order to answer the

hutinta (riddles).

Another example Hutinta turi-turian (story

riddles):

Adong ma namamurou I juma. Sanggah

namamurou on ia, adong ma dingis na habang I

atas ni ome ni ai, jadi roh nini pamurou on,

hei………hei……..hei…. dingis si siah-siah! Roh ma

balosni dingis on, seng siah hanami, anggo seng

tambah satongah name, pigama dingis na habang

ai? Balosni: onom

There is a person who scare the birds in the field.

When he looks after the birds, the birds flew over

the yellowing rice. Then the birds keeper shouted, he

said, hey….hey….hey….. nine sparrows. Then the

sparrows answered, we are not nine, if not added

half of our amount, how many sparrows are flying?

The answered is: six.

2.2 the Objectivity of Simalungun

Ethnic Hutinta (riddles)

Hutinta (riddles) source is obtained from daily

experience through the nature and behavior of

humans, animals, plants, and other objects, the

nature or behavior of the object become a hutinta

(riddles), while the answer is the object. Thus, the

object of the Simalungun ethnic riddles includes:

(1) Humans

Example:

Sintakkon ma galomhon

Golomhon gompang batu

Hutinta (Riddles) in Simalungun Ethnic Oral Tradition

Huoaima ronsi itolon

Asal dapotan ma au

Aha ma ai?

Balosni: pangkail

“Pull and hold

Hold, the rock crashing

I wait until it’s swallowed

After swallowing, get me

What is that?

The answer is: a person who is fishing”

This example depicts the behavior of a human

who is fishing.

(2) Animals

Si hala erdeng erdeng

Erdeng bulung hosaya

Sonaha pe pangeleng

Na dong halak porsaya

Ahama ai?

Balosni: haluhui

“Red ginger lily is swinging

Leaves sway

No matter how swerving

No one believes"

The answer is: eagle

This Hutinta (riddles) depicts the behavior of an

animal, in this case that animal is eagle,

(3) Plants

Songon goranni daini

Ahama ai?

Balosni: siak

“Tt feels same as the name

What is that?

The answer is: chili”

The Hutinta (riddles) above depicts the behavior

of siak plant in Simalungun it means chili and

also spicy,

(4) Other objects

Marpinggol tapi lang marpambege

Aha ma ai?

Balosni: balanga

“Have ears but can’t hear

What is that?

The answer is: cauldron".

2.3 Simalungun Ethnic Hutinta

(riddles) Function

(1) To test someone’s intelligence

In fact may riddles cannot be answered by

thinking, but the answer must be known first.

This happens because most of the questions

described are metaphorical, consequently it is

almost impossible for someone to be able to

answer a riddle without knowing the exact

answer.

(2) As entertainment to fill leisure time

Usually the children before going to bed or

after finishing cooking, they often fill the time

by guessing the hutinta (riddles) with fellow

children and they regard it as a game.

(3) To be able to surpass the other

With the intention of defeating others.

3 CONCLUSIONS

(1) Hutinta

Hutinta (riddles) is a part of Simalungun ethnic

oral tradition which is passed on orally from

one generation to another generation.

(2) Simalungun ethnic hutinta (riddles) form

consists of:

a. Ordinary Hutinta (ordinary riddles)

b. Hutinta umpasa (poem riddles)

c. Hutinta turi-turian (story riddles)

(3) The objectivity of Simalungun ethnic hutinta

(riddles) are humans, animals, plants, and other

objects.

(4) Hutinta (riddles) function:

a. To test someone’s intelligence.

b. As entertainment to fill leisure time.

c. To be able to surpass the other.

REFERENCES

Danandjaja, J., 1984. Folklor Indonesia, Grafiti Press.

Jakarta.

Damanik, U.H., Simbolon, A., Siregar, A.K., 1986. Sastra

Lisan Simalungun., Pusat Pembinaan dan

Pengembangan Bahasa. Jakarta.

Purba, Radjamin, et al., 1964. Seniman Kebudayaan,

Simalungun. Simalungun. Siantar.

Sibarani, R., 2012. Kearifan Lokal Hakikat, Peran dan

Metode Warisan Lisan, Asosiasi Tradisi Lisan (ALT).

Jakarta.

Tarigan, H.G., 1980. Hutinta ni Simalungun (teka teki

Simalungun), Proyek Penerbitan Buku Sastra Daerah.

Jakarta.

Zubersyah, et al., 1985. Kamus Simalungun Indonesia.

Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa. Jakarta.

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