Kaboter

"Kaboter, Kaboter, mari datang Kaboter.." was pronounced again and again. Edie was rubbing his hands slowly. Three kacang ijo kernels were rolled in between his hands. He was mumbling "Kaboter, Kaboter, mari datang Kaboter.."

All of a sudden the air became lighter, everyone next Edi felt like flying. Three small creatures started to appear. They were the size of a one-year old baby but dancing like an excited teenager.

"Welcome to a new house, KABOTERs."

Kabanasa

Eleven o'clock, near midnight, the buayaki tree near Tikala river in Manado was lightly swaying by the flying foxes.

A cross the river there were bamboo trees covered with softly shaking leaves. It was a windless night but the leaves were now moving. And, the tree started to make a shape. The eyes... The ears... Hands... long... and... wings?

"Run for your life...! It is a KABANASA!"

Setang Gomutu

Covered with thick gomutu (natural, black, messy, thick nets of hairs), a saguer tree stands strong in a hillside of Limondok Hill in Tomohon. People collect the sap from the base of flower or fruit fronds and have it as a social drink called saguer. It is a wine.

It was getting dark that night, too late to collect the saguer. But, the party had run out of wine. We did not wait for a miracle, we walked to get some saguer right from the tree. The awey (bamboo tube to collect the sap) was hung on the tree to collect the sap. It was high on the air.

We were watching the tree and thinking how to climb it, all of a sudden, the gomutu was seemingly, slowly detaching from the tree. It started making a shape of a black angel... and flying.

"Run for your life...! It is SETANG GOMUTU..."