The Legend of Poco Kuwus and Watu Umpu in West Manggarai, Flores Island

Writen by Melky Pantur. Coal, on Friday, 10 October 2025.

       

                   The Legend of Poco Kuwus 

                             and Watu Umpu

Once upon a time, there was a small family who lived in a village. They were consist of three persons, among other things: Older brother, younger brother and a woman. That woman was a wife of the older brother.

According to old story which I got from some of literatures of refrences that they were farmer. One of them, the older brother often to clean theirs garden that was his routine everyday awhile the younger brother was just stayed at home. He was very lazy. 

The younger brother sometimes asked to his older brother wife let they made love in bedroom in theirs home especially when his husband was farming. 

Maybe the woman felt hate to him, she then told to her husband. Finally, her husband angry and asked to his brother let he went out from theirs home.

The younger brother felt afraid maybe his older brother would killed him that was why, he followed to his brother demands.

After they arrived in Lasang maybe, the younger brother looked at back to his brother and he then questioned to his brother: Whether this place so far from our home? Not yet, still near from there, his brother answered to him. We walked again, his brother said.

At that moment, the younger brother asked to his older brother let he thrown an urine in that place. He approved to him.

And then, they arrived in Ranggu possible, he questioned to his brother again: Whether our journey would stop here? His brother answered no. We had to walked again, the older brother said. 

Possible, in a village, the older brother was not be looked again by the younger brother then he decided that he must took a rest there. He dropted in there. 

There, he found a garden which was kept by two bodies who maybe were keeping theirs field from some of wild boars. In Manggarai mentioned or named is a Tokong Motang. That activity is how to keep a land in order to be not destroyed by some of wilds. 

According to the old story, that field would be harvested by them. In that garden, they had had paddy, corn, and other plants.

The legend also said that, the man want to slept there because he tired and decided put his head to in that cottage. Those man refused him but he tried to asked to them let he slept there that night only, event though one night only. They then permitted him because they loved him again.

He also to asked them let they went to theirs home, abondoned theirs field just a night let he kept the field the night. They refused again. He persuated them and they then received his offered. 

Those man then went to home and permitted him let the garden be hold by him that night only.   

In the morning, those twice man back to theirs garden, of course they felt shocked because there was a big stone in middle of theirs garden and the man was lost from there. They did not knew that what was happened?

Conclusion

Watu Umpu was believed as a younger brother and Poco Kuwus was as a older brother. 

Thanks, this is story, a legend about of Poco Kuwus and Watu Umpu in West Manggarai, Flores island. 

Note:

Let we know that, Poco Kuwus is one of the mountain in West Manggarai, Flores. Based on the existence of the mount, this is not volcano but a mountain which is just give water and trees to people around there.