CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region)

The Creation

(Igorot)

In the beginning there were no people on the earth. Lumawig, the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many reeds. He divided these into pairs which he placed in different parts of the world, and then he said to them, “You must speak.”

Immediately the reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman who could talk, but the language of each couple differed from that of the others.

Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By and by there were many children, all speaking the same language as their parents. These, in turn, married and had many children. In this way there came to be many people on the earth.

Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the earth needed to use, so he set to work to supply them. He created salt, and told the inhabitants of one place to boil it down and sell it to their neighbors. But these people could not understand the directions of the Great Spirit, and the next time he visited them, they had not touched the salt.

Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit. These did as he directed, and because of this he told them that they should always be owners of the salt, and that the other peoples must buy of them.

Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots. They got the clay, but they did not understand the moulding, and the jars were not well shaped. Because of their failure, Lumawig told them that they would always have to buy their jars, and he removed the to Samoki.

When he told the people there what to do, they did just as he said, and their jars were well shaped and beautiful. Then the Great Spirit saw that they were fit owners of the pottery, and he told them that they should always make many jars to sell.

In this way Lumawig taught the people and brought to them all the things which they now have.

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ULLALIM

(Epiko ng Kalinga)

Ang kwento ay nagsimula sa nakatakdang kasal nina Ya-u at Dulaw nang makapulot ng nganga o ua (na tawag ng taga-Kalinga). Ang magkasintahan ay naanyayahan sa isang pistahan sa Madogyaya. Nang sila ay nasa Madogyaya, naakit ang pansin ni Dulliyaw si Dulaw hanggang si Dulaw ay magkagusto sa kanya. Sa pagplano na ligawan ni Dulaw si Dulliyaw ay naisip nitong painumin ng alak si Ya-u hanggang sa malasing. Habang si Ya-u ay natutulog sa ibang bahay ay saka niligawan ni Dulaw si Dulliyaw. Pinakain nito ang babae ng nganga at sinabi niya sa babae na sa pamamagitan ng pagtanggap niya ng nganga ang ibig sabihin ay tinanggap na niya ang pag-ibig na kanyang iniaalay. Bago siya umalis ay sinabi niya sa babae na siya ay babalik kinabukasan. Naiwan na nag-iisip ang dalaga.

Kinabukasan sa kalagitnaan ng gabi ay dumating si Dulaw sa bahay nina Dulliyaw.

Habang sila’y kumakain ng nganga, sinabi nito sa babae na siya ay nagpunta roon upang isama nang umuwi ang dalaga sa kanilang bahay. Nagulat si Dulliyaw sa winika ng lalaki. Iyon lamang at nagkagulo na ang mga tao sa nayon. Sa pagtakas nila ay nakasalubong sila ng isang lalaki na may dala-dalang palakol at balak silang patayin. Bago sila maabutan ng lalaki ay nakaakyat na si Dulaw sa isang puno upang tumakas. Samantala wala namang mangahas na siya ay lusubin kaya naipasiya ni Ya-u na tawagin ang mga sundalong Español ng Sakbawan.

At noon nga si Guwela na kumander ng Garison ay umakyat sa kaitaasan ngKalinga na kasama ang mga sundalo. Iniutos niya na dakpin si Dulaw na nakaupo pa rin sapuno. Napag-alaman niya na marami ang tutol sa ginawa niya kaya wala na siyang lakas na lumaban nang siya ay lagyan ng posas. Sa utos pa rin ni Guwela siya ay dinakip at nakulong sa Sakbawan.

Makalipas ang tatlong taon na pagkakabilanggo, naging payat na siya. Humingi si Dulliyaw ng nganga kay Dulaw. Kinuha ni Dulaw ang huling nganga sa bahay at ito’y pinagpirapiraso.Bago niya ito maibigay kay Dulliyaw bigla na lamang itong nawala.

Samantala, sa pook na Magobya naliligo si Duranaw. Sa paliligo niya sa ilog ay nakapulot siya ng nganga. Kinain niya ito nang walang alinlangan.

Matapos nguyain ang nganga ay bigla na lamang itong nagbuntis hanggang sa siya ay magsilang ng isang malusog na lalaki at pinangalanan niya itong Banna. Tatlong taon ang lumipas. Si Banna ay mahilig makipaglaro sa mga Agta, subalit siya’y madalas na tinutukso ng kanyang mga kalaro. Sinasabi na kung siya raw ang tunay na Banna ang ibig sabihin ay siya ang anak ni Dulaw na nakulong sa Sakbawan. Sinumbong niya ito sa kanyang ina ngunit pinabulaanan ito ng kanyang ina.

Sa isang iglap, si Banna ay naging malakas at naghangad ng paghihiganti. Isang mahiwagang pangyayari ang nagdala kay Banna pati ng kanyang mga kasama sa Sakbawan. At doon ay kanyang piñatay si Dulliyaw. Sinabi ng isang kasama ni Banna kay Dulaw na si Banna ay kanyang anak, iyon lang at sila ay dali-daling sumakay sa isang bangka at sa isang iglap ay nakarating sila sa pook ng Magobya. Mula noon ay nauso na ang kasalan sa kanilang pook.

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The Man with Coconut

(Tinguian Folktale)

One day a man who had been to gather his coconuts loaded his horse heavily with the fruit. On the way home he met a boy whom he asked how long it would take to reach the house.

“If you go slowly,” said the boy, looking at the load on the horse, “you will arrive very soon; but if you go fast, it will take you all day.”

The man could not believe this strange speech, so he hurried his horse. But the coconuts fell off and he had to stop to pick them up. Then he hurried his horse all the more to make up for lost time, but the again. Many time he did this, and it was night when he reached home.

*The Tinguian is a tribe from the mountain province of Abra. They call themselves “Itneg”.