A Story of Four Animals: A Bolok Helong Narrative

This paper presents a traditional folktale in the Bolok dialect of Helong (ISO-639-3 code: heg), an Austronesian language spoken on the southwestern tip of Timor Island and on Semau Island in East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia. The tale features four anthropomorphized animals, a dog, a chicken, a sandpiper, and a monkey, who cooperate in farming tasks and take turns working in each other’s fields. On his turn, the monkey attempts to catch a deer, leading to an episode that explains why deer are found on Semau Island. The story reflects the daily life of village farmers through themes of cooperation and shared meals. By documenting this tale, the paper contributes to a broader understanding of local social values in Bolok Helong-speaking communities.