BIAG NI LAM-ANG
Pedro Bukaneg
1 God, the Holy Ghost, illumine, Lord, my thought so I can relate faithfully the accont of the life of a man.
2 In the old, old days there were a couple who had just been united in holy wedlock.
3 As the days rolled by, the wife conceived the child which was the fruit of the sacrament they had received.
4 She ate a variety of fruits like green tamarind, pias,[1] and daligan;[2]
5 Young coconut fruits, guavas about to ripen, oranges, and lolo-kisen.[3] And for meals she ate these:
6 “You go and see the bamboos we planted on Mount Kapariaan
7 Panapana[4] and maratangtang,[5] ar-arosip[6] and aragan,[7] tirem[8] and shrimps;
8 Pingpinggan[9] and im-immoko,[10] loslosi[11] and pokpoklo,[12] leddangan[13] and soso[14]—these she liked much to eat.
9 When she reached the seventh month of her pregnancy, she and her husband were filled with joy at the proximity of her confinement.
10 Namongan then thought of preparing a balitang[15] for her confinement.
11 She told her husband, “Ay,[16] my husband Don Juan, kindly go and cut bamboos for my balitang.
12 “It is necessary that we now prepare all things needed for the coming of our child.
13 “So that we shall not be found unprepared when the day comes. The balitang then will be ready for me to lie on.”
14 Her husband Don Juan therefore started out; and when he reached the clump of bamboos he went around it once.[17]
15 He then commanded the wind to blow. The rain fell in torrents. The
clouds were like unto a deep abyss—so black were they.
16 Lightning and thunder in quick succession attacked the clump of bamboos and trimmed it like hair.
17 “Ay”, Don Juan said, “it would be shameful on my part should I carry you, bamboos.” The bamboos therefore went before and Don Juan followed after.
18 When he reached home, the bamboos arranged themselves in the houseyard.
19 And Namongan said, “My husband Don Juan, I need firewood such as molave and gasatan[18] for my lying-in,
20 And also dangl[19]a and guava[20] stripped of its bark. Also you go and buy a jar and a stove on which to warm myself.
21 “Also prepare water for my bath and a one-man pot so hat we shall have something to keep the kadkad-dua[21] of our child in.”
22 When he had all these thins prepared, Don Juan set out for the blackest[22] mountain by way of the river,
23 To engage the checkered Igorots in a fight. In the meantime, Namongan lay in confinement.
24 All available midwives were called for to assist in the delivery, including Old Marcos, the diver, Alisot, and Pasho, the rich man;
25 But all their efforts to a successful delivery availed not. And they thought of an old woman, shorn of almost all her strength.
26 And she succeded in helping Namongan to a successful issue. The newborn was a boy who had already the gift of speech:
27 “Ay, mother Namongan, when you have me baptized, baptize me with the name Lamang, and my god-father shall be the old man Gibuan.”
28 And when he was baptized, he asked his mother Namongan about his father:
29 “Ay, mother, this I should like to know: whether I have a father or none, whether I am of honorable or dishonorable birth.”
30 And Namongan said in answer. “Ay, my son Lam-ang, as regards thy father when you were still in my womb, he went away.
31 “He went to war with the checkered Igorots in the Igorot country, and since then he has not returned.”
32 And Lam-ang said, “Ay, mother Namongan, kindly give me leave to search for him.”
33 And Namongan answered, “Ay, my son, my brave Lam-ang, dare not
go because you are still too young and your limbs are brittle.
34 “You are a baby scarcely nine months old.” Brave Lam-ang, nevertheless, went inspite of his mother’s opposition.
35 To war he went in the Igorot country, hoping there to find his father.
36 He pocketed several kinds of magic stones, such as those of the sagang,[23] the tangraban,[24] the law-lawigan,[25] and the musang.[26]
37 He wended his way through thickets of brush and light bamboo, his tremendous speed made possible by the magic stone of the centipede he had with him.
38 When he reached the valley of the river, he saw a tere which was the biggest in the countryside.
39 Under this tree was the resting place of the tattoed Igorots, and here Lam-ang decided to wait for his enemies.
40 He looked about him and saw a big root which could serve for a temporary stove.
41 Immediately he washed and poured rice into his pot, a one-man pot, but which could contain food even for the absent—those who are traveling.[27]
42 When he had eaten his fill, he said, “It is but meet that I take a rest.”
43 He reached for his shield and lay it by his side and his spear he planted on the ground near his feet.
44 He then drew his sword, his trusty weapon, and presently fell asleep.
45 And there came to him a vision, and in that vision he saw someone who spoke to him thus:
46 “Arise, my friend Lam-ang, tarry not and resume your journey immediately for the Igorots are already feasting around the head of your father.”
47 Lam-ang rose from his fitful sleep, gathered his weapons, started out, and walked on and on.
48 And when he reached the blackest mountain, near Mamdili and Dagman,[28] he came unto an Igorot gathering.
49 And saw conspicuous in the dining place the head of his father in a sarukang.[29]
50 And Lam-ang said unto the feast makers, “Ay, checkered Igorots, I should like to know what crime my father had committed that you
should have beheaded him. It is only just that you answer for your crime.”
51 The tattooed Igorots answered, “Ay, our friend Lam-ang, you had better return home; if not you will surely suffer the fate of your father.”
52 Lam-ang retorted, “Ay, tattooed Igorots, I would not be satisfied if I should fight only such men as you, Igorot, chiefs.
53 “You, Bumakas, summon here as one man all your people:
54 “Those of Dardarat[30] and Padang
55 “Of Amangabon and Gambang, Lipay and Kapariaan, Sumadag and Lukutan, Tupinaw and Bandan,
56 “Of Sambangki and Loy-a, Bakong and Sasaba, and Tebteb and Bakayawan.” When the summons had been sent out.
57 To all these towns, the inhabitants were like unto roosters, hens and chickens at their master’s call—so many were they.
58 O, so many were they it was impossible to determine their number. Lam-ang rubbed the magic stone of the lawlawigan[31]with his hand;
59 And immediately jumped forth and ran at a bound toward the plain.
60 Making a big sound with his arms and arm-pits, and groins and legs as he ran. His enemies surrounded him on all sides, and now the fight began.
61 The spears rained thick on Lam-ang, like heavy rain of an evening, but he caught these spears
62 As he would receive buyo.[32] He remained unhurt. Shortly the Igorots ran short of spears.
63 And such-like weapons, as doros and pika.[33] These weapons could not touch the body of Lam-ang at all. Brave Lam-ang now announced to them:
64 “It is now my turn to take revenge; I draw you, my sword, my trusty weapon—and he drew it and struck it on the ground;
65 And he ate such things as had stuck to the weapon because they were a good antidote against harm.
66 And now he declared, “Ay, checkered Igorots now be ready,” and with his hands he summoned the low strong wind.
67 And on it he was borne. Then he charged his enemies, felling them with his double-edged sword right and left, as easily as felling banana plants.
68 His weapon went on with its work of destruction until all his enemies lay dead, save one.
69 Whom he wanted to make fun of. He seized the tattooed Igorot and said to him, “This is now your end.”
70And he untoothed him, dug out his eyes, and cut off his ears and fingers.
71 And then he let him go and, taking no pity on him, said in derision:
72 “This I did to you so your relatives will have something to remember me by, and as a memento of this event, I shall also tie up these spears in a bundle.
73 “Now, you, field of combat, I bid you good-bye”—and brave Lam-ang left for home.
74 He went home to his mother Namongan. Like unto the river Vigan[34] was the blood that flowed from out the bodies of the dead Igorots.
75 And when he arrived at his town Nalbuan, he said to his mother Namongan,
76 “I should like to know what fault my father committed against you that he should have left you.”
77 And Namongan replied, “Ay, my son Lam-ang, as for your father, sir, I know of nothing he should have hated me for, because we have never quarreled.”
78 And Lam-ang said unto his mother, “Punishment should be your due, had you not reasoned well.
79 “Ay mother Namongan, kindly sound the longgangan,[35] for I want my girl friends who number ‘twice nine, nine times nine’[36] to come here.
80 “I want them to accompany me to the river Amburayan and wash my hair, which has become dirty and sticky because of the war which lasted all day yesterday.
81 “Ay, mother, come let us go and clean the palay in the old barn, the barn whose posts are of gasatan[37] and whose floor and rafters are of der-an[38] and bellang.[39]
82 “Ay, mother Namongan, take also some rice straw”—Namongan, took some and they went to sweep.
83 “The entrance to the barn was daubed over with the saliva and excreta of spiders and cockroaches, for it had been long since it was last opened.
84 “It is now nine years[40] that we have not taken from our palay samosam, ibuan, and lagingan,
85 “Lumanog and lampadan, rattektek and makan, gagaynet and balasang, also kimmattuday.[41]
86 When they were about to finish cleaning the palay, Lam-ang said to his girl companions, “Ay, my sisters, take from each kind of
palay and what you are able to clean will be yours.”
87 When they had finished cleaning more than one baar,[42] Lam-ang again told his comanions, “Each of you will bundle up what you will carry.
88 “Also don’t forget to take the coconut shell and some embers to ignite the straw with.
89 “Ay, my sisters, you will also return the embers because they are precious they being those of the patikalang.[43] We shall take a bath in the Amburayan River.[44]
90 “I want to try my strength and skill with the crocodile, reputed to be the biggest ever known in these regions, which is said to inhabit the river.” And so they went.
91 He took a walk on the bank of the river and saw whirlpools in the water caused by the crocodile.
92 And Lam-ang said, “Ay, my sisters burn the rice straw now.” And when the straw would not burn,
93 Lam-ang summoned the strong wind and the fire rose in flames; the smoke was so thick it drew the wonder of the people of San Juan;[45]
94 And the natives of Baknotan[46] ran to the scene because they thought it was a burning house. Seeing that they could not suppress the fire, Lam-ang summoned the rain,
95 Which fell in torrents, the clouds, which looked like an abyss, and the lightning and thunder; but it was long before the fire was put out.
96 And Lam-ang said, “Ay, my sisters, kindly take the coconut shell, come with me to the middle of the river, and there wash my hair.”
97 When they had washed his hair, the bagsang[47] and lobsters swam ashore, the kampa[48] floated, and eels came out aplenty[49]
98 And brave Lam-ang said, “Ay, my sisters, don’t wait in anxiety, for now I will dive deep and try my mettle with the huge crocodile.”
99 Lam-ang dived upstream but could not find the crocodile because it had gone downstream; when the animal went upstream and Lam-ana downstream, the two came face-to-face.
100 Then began the battle royal. In his utter fury, Lam-ang charged the crocodile and without much struggle overcame it and carried it on his back ashore.
101 And Lam-ang said to the girls, “Ay, my sisters, you pull out its teeth because they are a good talisman on journeys.
102 “And now, my sisters, it is time that we return to the house we left.”
103 As soon as they were home, he told his mother Namongan, “Ay, mother Namongan, please reward these my sisters; give them each a peso for a step to and from the river.”[50]
104 And when they had been given their reward: “Ay, mother Namongan please open the second store room and give me my most precious clothes,
105 “For now I shall don them: the trousers with the galon,[51] the shirt with the sombra, and the kerchief with the solsol,[52] which my sisters embroidered.”
106 And after a while, “Mother, please open also the third store room and bring out the nine chains of gold wire,
107 “Which melts when put in the sun, wire which was my heirloom from my great grandparents;
108 “I shall use it as a string for my beloved pets-my white rooster, my hen with the yellowish-orange legs, and my hairy dog with the olay.[53]
109 “For I should like to pay court to Doña Ines Kannoyan who, I have learned, lives in the town of Kalanutian;[54]
110 “She is a beautiful maiden and industrious because it is said she can spin nine lalabayan[55] in one evening.”
111 To this Namongan said, “Ay my son, my brave Lam-ang, dare not go, sir, because I am sure Doña Ines Kannoyan won’t care to love such a man as you.
112 “Many rich natives, and Spaniards too, it is said, have offered her their suit, but she did not care for any of them. Would she then care to love such a man as you?”
113 And Lam-ang replied, “Ay my mother Namongan, despite your advice I will just go to Kalanutian. Who can ever tell if she will learn to love me?”
114 Namongan again replied, “Ay my son Lam-ang, if it is a wife you are after, sir, there are many girls in this town. All you need to do is to pick out the one you like and love.”
115 And brave Lam-ang replied, “Ay mother Namongan, as for that,
116 “None of the girls you mention can arouse my love. Now please don’t detain me for I am going without fail.”
117 Namongan again said, “My son Lam-ang, hear me, sir, and dare not go,
118 “For she might pour upon you a basinful of urine, and it will be a pity if you will be thus humiliated.”
119 To this Lam-ang’s rooster, pet hen, and white dog said in chorus:
120 “Ay, mother Namongan, according to our dream yesterday, Doña Ines Kannoyan will doubtless become your daughter-in-law.”
121 And so Lam-ang said, “Mother, kindly give me the coconut oil you extracted only yesterday, for I want to pour some on my hen; and we shall wear our best for our journey to Kalanutian.
122 “Ay, Mother Namongan, also give me the nine chains of gold wire.”
123 When he received the chains of gold wire, he cut strings for his white rooster,
124 And also for his hairy dog. When he had stringed them, he prepared for his journey.
125 He took his feathered rooster in his arms, and when he was about to leave, his mother said, “Ay, my son Lam-ang, may God accompany you.
126 “Be careful about yourself for you know too well the dangers that lurk by the wayside.”
127 And Lam-ang said, “Ay, mother Namongan, may God remain with you.”[56]
128 And now he departed and walked in the direction of Kalanutian, home town of Doña Ines Kannoyan.
129 He walked on and on, and when he was about halfway his trip, he met a man, Sumarang whose eyes were as big as a plate and whose nose was of the size of two feet put together.
130 Sumarang inquired, “Ay, my brave friend Lam-ang, what forest and mountain are you bound for to do your trapping and hunting?”
131 And Lam-ang also asked, “Ay, my friend Sumarang, may I know too the land whence you came and the town where you went for diversion?”
132 And Sumarang answered, “If you wish to know, my friend, I came from Kalanutian where I went to pay court to Doña Ines Kannoyan.”
133 and Lam-ang said, “That same place, my friend Sumarang, is my destination, and your aim, too, is my aim in going there.”
134 To this Sumarang replied, “Ay, my friend Lam-ang, you had better not continue your journey, for surely Doña Ines Kannoyan will not accept the love of such a man as you.
135 “There came many rich men and handsome Spaniards, but Doña Ines Kannoyan did not even deign to show them her face. Ay, my friend, better not proceed any further.”
136 And Lam-ang said, “Ay, my friend Sumarang, now let us each go our different ways, for I am determined to try my luck with Doña Innes Kannoyan.”
137 Now said Sumarang, “Be ready, for if you cannot parry my poisoned weapon, this surely will be the end of your life.”
138 Lam-ang answered, “Be it as you will, my friend Sumarang. I am all ready.”
139 Sumarang drew his spear and struck at his friend Lam-ang.
140 Lam-ang received the spear as he would receive buyo from the hands of a maiden.
141 He caught it between his little and ring fingers and swung it nine times around his neck and back, and then addressed hi foe:
142 “Ay, my friend Sumarang, I give you back your weapon because I don’t want to be indebted to you of it. Besides, its handle is warm from use, and mine own spear is now cool from disuse.
143 “Ay, my friend Sumarang, be ready for here comes my spear, and if you cannot evade my thrust, you will fall dead and be left miserably to rot here. ay, I forewarn you.”
144 He summoned the strong wind with his hands and at the same time dealt Sumarang a blow.
145 Sumarang was thrust through, and over nine hills he was carried away by the spear.
146 And now Lam-ang said, “A man with a bad character ends that way. Ay, my friend Sumarang, it is time to go and now I leave you here in this place of combat.”
147 Brave Lam-ang took his white rooster in his arms and resumed his journey.
148 He walked on and on and presently came to the house of a woman, Saridandan[57] by name, who addressed him thus, “Ay, brother Lam-ang, quicken your steps,
149 “And let us embrace, for the woman Saridandan is already very eager to see you, her eyes having grown tired searching you out in the distance from the outer window.
150 “The buyo here on this tray has become dry waiting for you, my brother Lam-ang. Brother, will you let me know whence you came?”
151 And Lam-ang answered, “Ay, sister Saridandan, if you wish to know, I came from my father and from my mother Namongan.[58]
152 “Ay, sister Saridandan, please don’t detain me any longer, for I am bound for Kalanutian so I may be able to see Doña Ines Kannoyan.”
153 To which Saridandan replied, “Ay, how cruel you are, brother, you don’t even give me the satisfaction of acceding to my request.”
154 Brave Lam-ang walked on determined to reach his destination and eek out his luck.
155 Upon reaching the town of Kalanutian, he was surprised at the number of suitors entertaining themselves in the yard of Kannoyan’s house; so great was it, it would be hard to look for one’s companions.
156 One could walk on the heads of the suitors without touching the ground, on could plant rice seeds in the holes made by the spears, and one could plant rice seedlings on their sputum.
157 Lam-ang asked himself, How shall I be able to get near the outhouse where Doña Ines Kannoyan is, with such a big crowd as this?
158 Undaunted, he edged his way through the crowd, and when he had reached the middle of the houseyard.
159 And let his rooster down on the ground, it flapped its wings and the outhouse toppled down. The noise attracted the attention of Doña Ines Kannoyan and she looked out of the window.
160 Then the hairy dog growled and the outhouse arose reconstructed. The dog had renovated the old and had made something from nothing[59]
161 And the woman told her daughter, “Ay, my daughter Kannoyan, put on your best dress, for here comes your brother, the brave Lam-ang.”
162 Wearing her best she went downstairs, and when she reached the middle of the yard,
163 Walking in the direction of Lam-ang, the wealthy natives and the Spaniards looked on shame-faced and crestfallen.
164 And Kannoyan said, “Brother Lam-ang, quicken your pace and give me your hands and let us embrace because the maiden Kannoyan is now very eager to see you.[60]
165 “Ay, brother Lam-ang, come let us hence to the house under the huge tree walled with light bamboo which breaks when dried in the sun.”
166 Once in the house Kannoyan said, “Ay, father, to whom I owe much favor kindly bring out the chair gilded with the gold wrought by the northerners.”
167 And when they were seated, Kannoyan said, “Ay, Mother Unnayan, to whom I owe much favor, please cook rice in our one-man pot.
168 “Which, though small, can contain food even for the absent—those who are traveling.[61] It is high time we prepare the dinner of my brother, Don Lam-ang.
169 “And father, kindly catch and cook the castrated cock which I have especially intended for him when he comes this way.”
170 When food was served, they sat down to eat, Lam-ang taking his rice from the place where Doña Ines Kannoyan took hers,
171 And picking from the fish dish where Doña Ines Kannoyan picked from;
172 And from the bowl from which Lam-ang sipped his soup also sipped the modest and virtuous maiden Kannoyan.[62]
173 After the meal, Kannoyan told her mother, “Mother Unnayan, kindly go to that inclosure yonder,
174 “And take some green leaves from the betel plant which smiles at one’s approach and winks when one picks its leaves.
175 “Ay, mother Unnayan, you also kindly pick some fruits from the areca nut which laughs when one picks its fruits, and let us prepare buyo for my brother, the brave Lam-ang.
176 “Mother, Unnayan, please roll some cigars from our tobacco batekan which was grown in the east of Cagayan.”
177 When all these were prepared, Kannoyan’s parents inquired of Lam-ang, “Ay, our son Lam-ang, will you kindly let us know the purpose which brought you here?”
178 And Lam-ang’s white, yellow-legged rooster answered, “We came here, sir and madam, so that we may pay our respects to your daughter Kannoyan;
179 “And should you be willing, our master should like to offer his suit to your daughter.”
180 And Kannoyan’s parents answered, “Ay, our son Lam-ang, if you can give us a dowry.
181 “All that we ask of you, you may take her to wife, but should you not be able to give it, then please don’t take our refusal hard to heart.”[63]
182 And the rooster said, “Lam-ang, sir and madam, is ready to comply with all your demands.”
183 Now, said the old man, “Ay, my son Lam-ang, you direct your eyes to the middle of this inclosure and you will see that the stones on the path are of gold.
184 “All our landagan[64] are of the purest gold. Ay, my son Lam-ang, you spread your eyes,
185 “And look toward our front yard. There are two figures of a rooster, four of a hen, two of a lobster—and all these are of pure gold[65]
186 “Ay, my son Lam-ang, look about you and all you see are the riches of Kannoyan.
187 “In our house, which we have inherited from our ancestors, are two gold balls—playthings of Kannoyan.
188 “Our tektek and gaganayan[66] also are of pure gold; the same is true
of our longgangan[67] and our salapayan.[68]
189 The mother of Kannoyan said, “Ay, my son Lam-ang, if you can duplicate
190 “All the things we have enumerated to you, you will be free to take in matrimony our daughter Kannoyan.”
191 And Lam-ang said, “As for that, mother Unnayan, I can assure you that even after I have given all you ask for, my patrimony will not yet suffer any great loss.
192 “The contents of my fish ponds will not all be exhausted to meet your demands; also I have extensive fishing grounds in the land of the Igorots.
193 “Then there is my heritage multiplied nine times from my great grandparents, grandparents, father, and mother. If the brave Lam-ang will still run short,
194 “I also have two gold tradeships plying between here and the Chinese country trading in porcelain. I have commercial connections with the king of Puanpuan,
195 “My relative in that Chinese land. My sampan has gone there on a voyage, and probably now it has returned with its cargo of porcelain.”[69]
196 Said the parents of Kannoyan, “Our son Lam-ang, return home now to your town Nalbuan and tell your mother what has come to pass.”
197 Lam-ang answered, “Ay, father, and you too mother Unnayan, when I come back I shall fire a salvo when I sail into the port of Sabangan—and that shall be a sign that I am back.”
198 Lam-ang took leave of his hosts and journeyed home.
199 When he was gone, Kannoyan said to her parents, “Father, to whom I owe much favor, and you too mother Unnayan,
200 “Worry not. Let us decorate all the way from here to Sabangan, making it as lively and beautiful as during the feast of Corpus Christi.”
201 And her parents said, “All your wishes, daughter Kannoyan, shall be fulfilled so you may not have cause to say aught against us.”
202 Now Lam-ang arrived at his home town Nalbuan and greeted his mother, “Ay mother Namongan,
203 “How do I find you. I have now arrived from Kalanutian, home town of Doña Ines Kannoyan.”
204 And to this Namongan said, “My son by the grace of God which we can never repay, your mother is well.
205 “My son, may I know how you fared in your quest?” And the white rooster answered, “The maiden Kannoyan will surely be your daughter-in-law.”
206 Lam-ang said, “You please sound the longgangan[70] so our towns people will come here, and we shall all sail on my two ships for my wedding.
207 “We shall now load all the things needed for the festivities such as plates and bowls,
208 “Pigs and goats, vegetables and fish, gargaret[71] and such-like things.
209 “Pots and basins too, pans big and small, and drinking and looking glass.”
210 When they had assembled together all their towns people, Lam-ang addressed the assemblage:
211 “My townspeople, let us now board m two ships and set sail for Kalanutian, town of my would-be bride, Doña Ines Kannoyan. I should like you to attend our wedding festivities.”
212 And when all the people had boarded, Lam-ang addressed himself to his mother, “Ay, mother Namongan, please make ready
213 “Kannoyan’s trousseau, her slippers embroidered with gold, her wedding ring capped on with pearl stone,
214 “Also her two combs and her two bracelets.” Namongan gathered all these things and wrapped them up, ready to be presented to her daughter-in-law.
215 And now Lam-ang said, “Come, mother, let us now board one of the ships.” Once on board, they unfurled the sails.
216 But the two ships would not move until Lam-ang slapped their sterns.
217 When they sailed into the port of Sabangan, Lam-ang fired a salvo, and by this signal Doña Ines Kannoyan knew that Lam-ang was already back.
218 And she said, “Ay, my father, and you too mother Unnayan, brother Lam-ang has already arrived, for he has fired a salvo at Sabangan.
219 “Ay, father and mother, let us dress up and go and welcome my brother Lam-ang at the sea-shore.”
220 They went and when they reached Sabangan, they found Lam-ang there waiting together with his mother.
221 And Kannoyan said, “Quicken your pace, brother Lam-ang, and give me your hand and let us embrace, for the maiden Kannoyan is now eager to see you.
222 “Ay, brother Lam-ang, you let all your townspeople come ashore so they may change their clothes with these I have brought.”
223 And to Lam-ang’s townsfolk: “These clothes you put on in place of the old will each of them be yours.”
224 And the woman Namongan said, “Ay, my sister, the beautiful Unnayan,
225 “It is now time we went to the house we left at Kalanutian.” And they went.
226 And when they arrived at the house of Doña Ines Kannoyan, they immediately rested from the fatigues of the voyage.
227 On the morrow, which was Monday, Doña Ines Kannoyan dressed up for the wedding.
228 She put on her embroidered slippers, her wedding ring capped on with pearl stone, her five combs, and her two bracelets.
229 Brave Lam-ang dressed up too. He put on his laced trousers,
230 His embroidered camisa, his kerchief with the sambiri,[72] his embroidered slippers, and his hat kagrang.[73]
231 Now the bride and the bridegroom went to the church amid music and the loud ringing of the church bell.
232 And when they had reached the church, the curate priest entered to perform the wedding ceremonies.[74]
233 Bride and bridegroom marched to the altar amid the strains of wedding music, and presently mass was said.
234 And mass over, bride and bride groom, the womanly Kannoyan and the brave Lam-ang, rose up and left the church.
235 And Unnayan said, “Ay, my sister, my abalayan[75] let us now accompany them home,” and each step Doña Ines Kannoyan took,
236 Was followed by a gun-fire, and the smoke from the gun served as a shelter from the sun. The church bell seemed on the point of breaking.
237 When the wedding party arrived home, a huge crowd assembled at the house for the festivities.
238 And now the townspeople of brave Lam-ang and those of Kannoyan began the ceremonial dances: the fandango and the sagamantika.[76]
239 About dinner time the cooks prepared the table.
240 And now all the people sat down to meal, the bride and the bride groom sitting on both sides of an old man.
241 And Unnayan added, saying, “Hear what I have to say. The plates you use will each be yours, and you wrap them up and take them home.”
242 And when dinner was over, the people resumed dancing, and they danced without rest till evening.
243 And Kannoyan said, “Ay, brother Lam-ang, I should like to see the way you carry yourself, and if I shall find any faults in your walking, I shall return you to your mother.”
244 The heat was so great the bride and bridegroom excused themselves from the crowd so they could refresh themselves outside.
245 Kannoyan said to the brave Lam-ang, “Let us repair to the newly-built recreation cottage.”
246 Once there, Kannoyan told her husband Lam-ang:
247 “Brother Lam-ang, now please walk before me so I may see your carriage and your style of walking.
248 “And if I shall notice any faults, I shall send you back to you mother Namongan.”
249 Ay, Lam-ang took five steps and Kannoyan said, “Ay brother Lam-ang,
250 “I don’t like your carriage because you don’t know how to wear your shirt and trousers, you have bow legs you walk with no elegance, keeping to yourself the whole path, and you need a haircut very much.”[77]
251 And Lam-ang replied, “Ay, Doña Ines Kannoyan, that is my natural style, and it is the style of dressing and walking of the wealthy class in my home town Nalbuan, which is located east of the town Naguilian.
252 “Ay, Doña Ines Kannoyan, may I see also your carriage and the way you walk? I am afraid you will fare worse.”
253 Kannoyan took five steps, and now the brave Lam-ang observed,
254 “Ay, Doña Ines Kannoyan, I also don’t like your deportment. You carry your legs in a funny way, and your steps suggest an indecent movement.”
255 And now said Namongan to Unnayan, her joint mother-in-law, “Ay, sister Unnayan, my abalayan, may I learn some of the manners and eccentricities of our daughter?”
256 And Unnayan answered, “Ay, as regards Ines Kannoyan, it is full moon when she leaves on an errand and last quarter when she returns
257 “When she goes to the river to fetch water, she examines al the stones on the shores of the river, for she mistakes them for shrimps the anggapan[78] which floats down the river when its waters rise.”
258 And this said the woman Unnayan, “I too should like to know something about our son Lam-ang.”
259 And Namongan answered, “Ay, my sister, as for Lam-ang, it is first quarter when you send him on an errand and last quarter when he returns.[79]
260 “When he goes to the forest, he sleeps in the shade of almost every tree there.”
261 Then said the woman Namongan, “Ay, abalayan let us now bring them to Nalbuan.”
262 Now all the townspeople of Doña Kannoyan as well as those of Don Lam-ang went to Sabangan.
263 They boarded the two ships, and when they were all on board they hoisted their sails.
264 But the ships would not move. Wherefore Lam-ang slapped the sterns, and they started to sail
away, And they were favored by a strong wind.
265 When they came into port near Nalbuan, they disembarked and proceeded to the house of Lam-ang.
266 The townsfolk of both Kannoyan and Lam-ang resumed the dancing and merrymaking. And now the crowd suggested
267 That the bride and bridegroom dance. And forthwith Lam-ang asked Kannoyan to dance with him.
268 And they danced the fandango, the waltz, the curracha,[80] the Pangasinan sagamantika, and the Ilocano pios.[81]
269 And now the merrymakers dispersed. Unnayan left Kannoyan in the care of Lam-ang.
270 When the townsfolk of Kannoyan were gone the incumbent town had visited Lam-ang at his home,
271 And told him, “Ay, my friend Lam-ang, I wish to inform you that it is now your turn to fish for rarang.”
272 “And I have a premonition that a monster fish, berkakan, will catch and eat me up.
273 “And for a sign that I have been eaten up, our staircase will dance, our kasuuran[82] will topple down, our stove will break to pieces.”
274 On the morrow of the next day, Lam-ang prepared himself for the task, went out to sea, and once there, took off his clothes.
275 He sought the place where rarang were abundant, and when he saw a rarang creeping on the bottom of the sea, he dived for it but could not find it.
276 He dived for the second time and fell exactly into the mouth of a big berkakan.
277 And now to Kannoyan came the omen: the staircase danced, the kasuuran toppled down, and the stove broke to pieces.
278 And Kannoyan wept, “Ay, my husband Lam-ang, where are you now? There is not even diver I know to pay to look for and arrange your bones.”
279 She went in search of one to do the job. And after she had found the old man Marcos, the skilled diver.
280 She had a string to the white rooster and to the hen;
281 Also she put a collar around the neck of the hairy dog. And now she took both the rooster and the hen in her arms and went seaward.
282 And when they reached the place of Lam-ang, and Kannoyan found his clothes, she wept in sorrowful anguish.
283 The rooster declared, “Madam, don’t you worry about my master. He will be brought back to life so long as all his bones are found.”
284 The old man Marcos, the skilled diver, plunged into the water but could not find the bones the fish
had discharged; he dived a second time and now found them.
285 The rooster was gifted with the power of divination it could divine correctly into the fates of the brave Lam-ang and the beautiful Kannoyan.
286 And the rooster said, “You bring here the bones, every one of them, so he can be brought back to life soon.”
287 And when all the bones had been brought, the rooster with its bill felt whether there was any bone missing, and finding there was none, it declared thus:
288 “Ay, my mistress Kannoyan, you cover the bones with your apron and immediately after you have done so, you turn your back.”
289 Now the rooster crowed, the hen flapped its wings, and the bones began to move with life. And then the hairy dog
290 Growled twice and ran its foot among the bones.
291 And as the rooster had fore old, the bones became endowed with life, and Lam-ang rose up.
292 And he declared, “How sound my sleep was, my wife. It is now seven days that we have not been together, and I am now very eager to be with you.”
293 And Kannoyan answered, “You say it was sleep but no, for you were swallowed up and discharged by a huge berkakan. When what you told me came to pass, I wept with sorrow.
294 “I can’t help it, my husband Don Lam-ang, come give me your hand, for the wife you left alone is now very eager to have you back again.”
295 They embraced and in their extreme happiness, they fell weak to the ground.
296 And, filled with joy, Lam-ang embraced and kissed his pet rooster and his hairy dog.
297 After that, they all returned home.
298 And when they were home, Lam-ang said, “It is but proper that we reward the diver. You load him with money, my beloved.
299 “And we should bestow our tender care on our hen and rooster and also our hairy dog, for were it not for their solicitousness for my welfare, I would have been lost forever.
300 “And also it is necessary that we love and care for each other, my beloved, that we may lead a happy life, which we all aspire to, in this world of tears.”
301 Here ends the story of the life of the brave Lam-ang, husband of Doña Ines Kannoyan. And they lived happily ever after.
(ca. 1640)
Translated by Leopoldo Yabes
Meet the Writer
PEDRO BUKANEG (ca. 1592– ca.1622 to 1626) was the legendary “first Ilokano man-of-letters,” who, according to stories, translated to Iloko many church doctrines, including the Doctrina Cristiana from Latin and Spanish. Bukaneg’s translation works of religious teachings were said to have facilitated the Ilokanos’ conversion to Christianity.
Biographers assumed that a woman old woman found him inside a tampipi (a woven basket or box) floating along the banks of the Banaoang River and turned him over to the Augustinian parish priest of Bantay who baptized him Pedro Bukaneg. He was born blind and ugly but he turned out to be brilliant and musically talented; such qualities that were honed in the convent of Bantay where the kind Augustinian priests nurtured and educated him. He learned from them Latin and the Spanish language in addition to his native vernaculars – Iloko and Itneg. Because of this, he was a great help to the priests in converting the natives to Christianity. Many priests turned to him for translation of their sermons and prayers into Iloko. He was even asked to preach Christianity in Iloko in the different towns of the province.
His being blind did not hinder him from writing down his thoughts. The popular Ilokano epic Biag ni Lam-ang attributed to him was written down by an amanuensis as he dictated the lines of the story. It was presumed that Bukaneg wrote his poems, songs, and translation in the same manner.
The numerous stories about Bukaneg’s capabilities and the dismal documents about him make one wanders what was historical and myth about him. Some records though, aside from his epic Biag ni Lam-ang, like the prologue in Father Lopez’ book Arte de la Lengua Iloca (UST, 1927) recognized his invaluable contribution. Father Lopez wrote: “…neither forgetting Mr. Pedro Bukaneg who may now be in Glory; since (I honestly confess) the greater and the best in this work as well as that of the Doctrina of Bellarmine is due him.” It was Bukaneg who translated the Doctrina Cristiana of Cardinal Bellarmine into Iloko. His translation was printed in the Augustinian Convent in Manila in 1621 by Antonio Damba and Miguel Seixo under the title: Libro a naisuratan amin ti batas ti Doctrina Cristiana nga naisurat iti libro ti Cardenal a agnagan Belarmino (Book Containing the Substance of the Christian Doctrine written by Cardinal Bellarmine).
Bukaneg, whose intellectual qualities and eloquence in speech that often mesmerized his audience superseded his being blind and ugly, died sometime between 1622 and 1626. Aside from his works that perpetuate his memory was the Bukanegan, a literary joust similar to the Tagalog balagtasan.
(http://www.nhi.gov.ph/downloads/lt0009.pdf)
[1] Averrhoa bilimbi. Tagalog: kamias.
[3] Limnanthemu cristatum.
[4] Echinotrix calamaris.
[5] Tripneustes gratilla.
[6] Antidesma ghaesembilla. A green sea-weed which looks like a cluster of tiny grapes.
[7] Najas graminea. An aquatic fern.
[8] Oysters.
[9] A sea product similar to the Placuna placenta or windowpane oyster.
[10] A bolo-like shell.
[11] A kind of shell fish.
[12] A green sea-weed with finger-like leaves.
[13] A species of snail.
[14] A species of snail with a sharp-pointed shell.
[15] A sort of bed, made of bamboo, one end more raised than the other, where women about to deliver are to lie in confinement.
[16] Note the frequent use of this word throughout the poem. This word is characteristic of the mountain tribes. See T. Inglis Moore, “Kaatong: A Novel of Bontok and Ifugao”, Philippine Magazine, June, 1932 – December, 1932.
[17] There is a superstition that when a man goes to the forest to cut trees, he should first implore the consent of the spirit of the forest before he fells a tree, otherwise misfortune would befall him. don Juan’s going around the clump of bamboos, a strange procedure, can perhaps be explained by this superstition.
[18] Palaquium luzoniense. Tagalog: dolitan, bagalangit.
[19] Vitex negundo. An aromatic shrub with digitately 5-foliate leaves and blue flowers.
[20] This and 19 and 18 are considered good for firewood, especially if used in a delivery room, because their coals do not easily turn to ashes.
[21] The placenta. There are a few customs among the Ilocanos attending its disposal. In some communities the custom is to keep the placenta in a pot and hang it up from a tree. In other places, it is floated in a pot or basket down a river or brook out to sea.
[22] This adjective perhaps indicates the distance or height of the mountain. Far mountains are usually blacker than near mountains.
[23] A wild animal resembling the cat, with sharp, fiery eyes.
[24] A bird larger than the quail and resembling it.
[25] A kind of song bird whose main characteristic is its activity. It loves to fly and sing and is rarely at rest.
[26] A civet-cat. This and the foregoing animals and birds are believed to mess magic stones. Persons who could secure these stones, it is believed, would be endowed with magic powers.
[27] This must be a magic pot, for although it is only big enough to contain food for one man, it can leave enough extra food for the absent.
[28] Igorot towns or villages, Mamdili is Makulili in the de los Reyes version.
[29] A kind of container supported on a pole. It is usually made by splitting the end of a round bamboo two or more meters long and weaving the split end into a conical form. The lower part of the bamboo serves for a post. A funnel-shaped artifact made of bamboo used for picking fruits from a tree is also called a sarukang.
[30] This and the proper names immediately following are names of Igorot towns and villages.
[31] See Footnote No. 25.
[32] This indicates how totally immune from harm Lam-ang was because of the talismans he possessed.
[33] Weapons of native make similar to the spear of lance.
[34] A branch of the present Abra River which floats north of Vigan, Ilocos Sur. The Abra River is one of the swiftest rivers in the Philippines and has, because of its swift current, exacted a heavy toll in human life.
[35] Perhaps a kind of gong of native make.
[36] This number either is mysterious or denotes a multitude.
[37] See Footnote No. 18.
[38] A species of durable timber.
[39] Hardwood obtained from the trunk of old trees.
[40] For palay to be kept in a barn untouched for nine years is an eloquent proof that its owner is very rich. This long storage is possible because in the Ilocos, unlike in the Central Luzon provinces, the rice grain is cut together with about a foot long of straw, so that it can be tide into large and small bundles.
[41] Samosam to kimmattuday. Varieties of rice.
[42] Ten large bundles of rice grain.
[43] Perhaps a species of hardwood.
[44] The Amburayan River, which flows westward south of Tagudin, Ilocos Sur, is about 50 kilometers north of Nalbuan, Lam-ang’s home town.
[45] From San Juan to Amburayan is a distance of around 40 kilometers, that the fire the girls built must have been big like that of a burning house to attract the attention of people many kilometers away.
[46] A town in northern La Union.
[47] A kind of small fish with a silvery appearance belonging to the family bassidae.
[48] Rhyacicthys aspro. A species of goby which are small fishes, carnivorous bottom dwellers living along the shores of lakes, rivers, and fresh water swamps.
[49] This general pestilence of the river inhabitants is attributed to the dirt from Lam-ang’s hair.
[50] According to legend Lam-ang was so rich he could buy the whole south Ilocos—the present La Union, a part of Benguet, and the southern half of Ilocos Sur—with his money.
[51] A cotton, silk, or worsted fabric used for dress trimmings.
[52] Sombra and solsol are kinds of embroidery work.
[53] A growth of hair around the neck distinguished from the rest of the hair by its color.
[54] Kalanutian is now a small barrio of Sinait, Ilocos Sur.
[55] A skein of thread. Named after a spinning instrument of the same name.
[56] Up to the present day the Ilocanos express their words of greeting in something of a minute ceremony. Instead of saying simply “Good morning,” they say “God give you good morning,” instead of “Thank you,” they say “God will thank you.” Religion has had a tremendous influence in their life.
[57] Her name itself indicates that Saridandan was a woman of easy virtue. Saridandan or Saridangdang—an Ilocano word—means a woman who never takes life seriously.
[58] This passage connotes a more humorous, if rather vulgar, meaning in the original than it connotes in the translation.
[59] This evidently refers to the destruction and reconstruction of the outhouse, but there is no relation between this incident and “making something from nothing”—a feat attributed to the dog.
[60] Whether this was really a custom among the ancient Ilocano women is to be seriously doubted. To the Ilocanos, Kannoyan is the ideal type of woman—the paragon of all the virtues. She had spurned all her suitors and surely it could not be possible that she could fall in love with Lam-ang, whom she had never met before, in so short a time and embrace him in the presence of the other suitors. It must be remembered that this poem is mainly for entertainment and so abounds in overstatements and implausible incidents. This surely is one of such incidents.
[61] See Footnote No. 27.
[62] It will be understood by this passage that Kannoyan and Lam-ang ate from the same plates. This was partly from custom and partly from care for each other. Even at present many peasant families in the Philippines still eat from one big family bowl of rice. What was probably not the custom then was Lam-ang’s and Kannoyan’s sipping soup from the same bowl. But that can be explained by their care for each other.
[63] This ancient custom of requiring a dowry of a suitor before giving a daughter in marriage still survives in the region and undoubtedly will remain an institution among the people for many generations more to come.
[64] A hard thing, usually a stone, on which to wash clothes.
[65] According to Dr. Jose P. Bantug, the gold objects mentioned in this poem many have existed among the early people of the north, he himself having some of such objects.
[66] The gagan-ayan is a frame, usually of wood and bamboo, on which the unwoven thread is first sorted before it goes to the loom. The tektek are a part of the gagan-ayan.
[67] Parts of the lalabayan. This must not be confused with the longgangan explained in Footnote No. 35.
[68] Clothesline.
[69] Lam-ang, by most of his speeches but mainly by this speech, shows that he is like the heroes of most primitive epics—a braggart. As regards the trade in porcelain Lam-ang mentions, there is historical truth in it. See H. Otley Beyer, “The Philippines Before Magellan,” Asia, November 1921.
[70] See Footnote No. 35.
[71] Household effects and kitchen utensils in general.
[72] Edge like teeth of a saw or the like.
[73] A home-made helmet.
[74] Those who believe that this is a pre-Spanish poem say that the Christian atmosphere of the story was infused into it to help facilitate the evangelization work of the missionaries among the people.
[75] Joint mother-in-law.
[76] An ancient dance, peculiar to Pangasinan, danced in wedding feasts.
[77] The humor of this passage is better expressed in the original. As for cutting the hair short, there must be some misinformation. The early Ilocanos did not cut their hair short as we do now. It must be remembered that the times this poem deals with were during the early Spanish occupation when the natives had not learned to cut their hair short.
[78] Lobsters.
[79] These observations aim to show that Kannoyan and Lam-ang are slow of foot and lazy, which is contrary to what has been said of them so far. These remarks should be taken only for their humor, and not for their truth.
[80] (Ilocano-kuratsa, from the Spanish curracha.) A Spanish native dance.
[81] Sagamantika and pios are native ceremonial dances.
[82] A slight and crude bamboo frame of whatever shape hung over the stove on which things are put to dry especially during the rainy days. Also a slight shed used for temporary shelter.
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