Alamat ng Duhat "The Legend of the Java Plum"
Author: Segundo D. Matias Jr.
Illustrator: Rovi Jesher R. Salegumba
Year of publication: 2010
Publisher: Lampara Publising House Inc.
Review Title:
An objective journey through a storybook.
By: * Marie Angeline F. Mallonga
Segundo D. Matias Jr
wrote the Legend of the Java Plum while Rovi Jesher R. Salegumba did the
illustrations in this book. The book is about Duhat came about. A couple, after
so many years of ardent praying, had a child. Before that child was born, the
mother went to the highest point of the highest mountain and prayed to their
God, the sun, whom they believe created everything, that her child would have
fair skin because she was tired of being teased about their color. The sun
answered her prayers. When she was born, their tribe, the Atas, were surprised
because of the astonishing complexion of this child, who was named Duha.
Whenever there were tribe gatherings, Apo Tatong, the father of Duha, always
said that Duha would be the hope of the tribe because he would be sending her
to school in the city. When Duha was at the right age, she did. She went to the
city to take a course on teaching to fulfill his father’s plans. There, she met
her prince charming, Armando. They’ve loved each other for a while since then.
Because of his, Armando thought it was the right time to meet her family.
Armando accompanied Duha to her province but when they got there, Armando
seemed ashamed of their tribe’s color and simply left. Because of this, Duha
prayed to the Gods and asked for the same complexion as her tribe because this
is where she truly belongs. The God answered her prayers. Since then, she’s
been consuming her time by teaching her tribe how to read and write. Aside from
reading and writing, she taught them modern ways to harvest and do crafts.
Since then, there area has been progressing. One day, Armando came back to ask
for Duha’s forgiveness. Unfortunately, Duha did not accept his apology. She
continued teaching in the shade to children and even adults. Duhat asked if she
could be buried under that shade where she usually taught when she died. When
this happened, she was buried there to satisfy her request. Armando came back
from time to time to show the Atas tribe how sorry he was. One day, when he
visited Duha’s grave, he noticed weird fruit bearings. It was black on the
outside but white in the inside. Since Armando was reminded of Duha with this
fruit, this was from then on called Duhat.
As I was reading this storybook, I had so much
reactions and questions to it. I started asking myself why, where or how these
stories came about or how come children really loved stories like these or even
why do children believe in these at first. Children, as we all know, are
curious. According to Dr. Bruce Perry, “Children are such curious creatures.
They explore, question, and wonder, and by doing so, they learn”. In one of our Psych classes, we
discussed that this is where learning starts; curiosity. I think children like
these storybooks because It explains to them in a creative manner where or how
things came about. I think this book is a good read because it feeds the
curiosity level of children. It makes them eager to learn more about their
surroundings.
A
legend, according to Miriam Webster Online dictionary, is a story coming down
from the past especially one popularly regarded as historical although not
verifiable. It is a story passed down from one generation to another. Legends
are basically a story on how and where things came about. One problem on
legends is that there are too many different versions for each object, place,
person or plenty others that a legend can be about.
In
the story of Alamat ng Duhat or the Legend of the Java Plum, there are a lot of
problems that can be derived from from it. Problems or social issues like
racial discrimination are examples of those problems. For me, children aging
from 5-8 are not yet supposed to be exposed to such problems. Despite that,
this book is a good read if it is properly told and explained after. From what
I’ve noticed, the good points in this book arise rather than the bad points.
The moral of this story is good for children to know. Therefor, I recommend this book to children provided that they will be assisted or guided throughout reading the story.
* Marie Angeline F. Mallonga, a 16-year-old BS Child Development and Education
student at Miriam College. She graduated high school in St. Scholastica’s
Academy, an all girls Catholic institution in the area of Marikina. She was a member of the Swimming team from 1st to 3rd year and the Sodality of our Lady club for her 4th year in high school. She is currently a member of the Child Development and Education circle (CDEC), a co-curricular organization for all CDE students in Miriam College.
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