ILOCANO FOLK SONG -TI AYAT TI MAYSA NGA UBING

Region I 

ILOCOS REGION ( FOLKSONG, LEGEND AND EPIC)

Lam-Ang: Hero of the epic Biag ni Lam-Ang of the Ilocano

YNOPSIS OF BIAG NI LAM-ANG

Namongan gives birth to a baby with incredible strength and courage, named Lam-ang. The boy asks his mother about his father’s whereabouts and learns that he has gone to fight the Igorot. Lam-ang arms himself with charms and decides to look for his father. From a dream, he learns that his father, Don Juan Panganiban, had been killed by the Igorot.

Later, Lam-ang finds the Igorot in a sagang, a feast celebrating a successful head­hunting expedition. His father’s head is dis­played in the feast. Lam-ang slays them all with his spear and mutilates the last among them.

When Lam-ang returns home, 99 maidens wash his hair in the river. For his shampoo, he burns so many rice straw that the communities near the river are alarmed by the smoke. The dirt from his hair kills all the fishes in the river. He then kills a croco­dile and carries it on his shoulder ashore amidst the applause of his companions.

Lam-ang hears about a beautiful maid­en named Ines Cannoyan, the daughter of the richest man in the town of Kalanutian. He tells his mother of his desire to court the maiden. Although his mother discourages him, he goes anyway, dressed in gold and accompanied by his pet rooster and white dog. The giant Sumarang blocks his way and belittles him. Lam-ang defeats him in a duel and hurls him nine hills away. Later, Sarindadan tries to seduce him but Lam-ang rejects her advances.

Reaching Kalanutian, he im­presses Ines with his magic. His rooster crows and topples a small outhouse. His dog barks and the outhouse is rebuilt. Ines invites him to the house where the rooster acts as Lam-ang’s spokesperson. Ines’ parents ask for a bride price, which Lam-ang agrees to give.

Lam-ang returns home to prepare for the wedding and the presents. He and his townsfolk sail on two golden ships to Kalanutian where Lam-ang and Ines have a Catholic wedding. The townspeople board the two ships to Nalbuan, Lam-ang’s birthplace, to continue the celebration.

After the celebration, Lam-ang agrees to hunt rarang, a shellfish. He is swallowed by a giant fish, called berkakang, as he has dreamt so. However, a diver recovers his bones. The pet rooster flaps its wings and resurrects Lam-ang. He then rewards the diver and lives happily with his wife and pets.

https://philippineculturaleducation.com.ph/lam-ang-hero-of-the-epic-biag-ni-lam-ang-of-the-ilocano/

Footprints of Angalo: The Legend of Abra

Myth of the Footprints: A search for his woman!

He was a hunter and a hero to the townsfolk – and his name was Angalo! When the world was still young and innocence flowed through waters of North, a giant traveled the hilly and mountainous landscape of what is now known as the Ilocos region. He was a mountain of a man in search for his woman, Aran.

Angalo and Aran are believed to be the first man and woman on Earth, alike to Adam and Eve, in Abra mythology. They were giants who roamed the Ilocos region looking for each other. Angalo continued on longing for his love and his endless search battered the Ilocos region. His heavy footfalls were made even heavier by his lonely heart. He would sometimes kneel down to drink water from the springs where he left his footprints, indelible marks of his search for Aran.

As time went by, the townsfolk claimed the these marks as the footprints of Angalo, or “tugot ni Angalo” in Ilocano. One particular mark is three meters deep, with a width of five meter and a length of 15 meters. Since then, the “gigantic footprints” have become natural pools leading to another tourist spot — the Pinsal Falls, which is six kilometers from Labaan proper. Of the 11 barangays in San Quintin, Labaan has become the most popular because of this myth.

The mystical story of Angalo and Aran has been told for generations upon generations in Abra and across the Ilocos region. The myth on top of Pinsal Falls have made this area of Abra popular, yet the waterfalls themselves have their own natural beauty aside from an inspiring backstory.

https://www.vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/Footprints-of-Angalo-The-Legend-of-Abra

ILOCANO FOLK SONG -TI AYAT TI MAYSA NGA UBING

Ti ayat ti maysa nga ubing,
Nasamsam-it ngem hasmin
Kasla sabong nga apag-ukrad
Iti bulan ti Abril

Ti ayat ti maysa a lakay,
Aglalo no agkabaw,
Napait, napait, napait a makasubkar.

Anansa a tao lelong,
Agsapulka tay balo
A kapadpad ta ubanmo
Ken dayta tuppolmo
Ta bay-am a panunuten
Ti ayat ti maysa nga ubing
Aglalo, aglalo no addan makin-aywanen

Ti ayat ti maysa nga ubing,
Nasamsam-it ngem hasmin
Kasla sabong nga apag-ukrad
Iti bulan ti Abril.

Ti ayat ti maysa a lakay,
Aglalo no agkabaw,
Napait, napait, napait a makasubkar.

Anansa a tao lelong,
Agsapulka tay balo
A kapadpad ta ubanmo
Ken dayta tuppolmo
Ta bay-am a panunuten
Ti ayat ti maysa nga ubing
Aglalo, aglalo no addan makin-aywanen
Aglalo, aglalo no addan makin-aywanen

 

http://filipinosongsatbp.blogspot.com/2004/02/ilocano-folk-song-ti-ayat-ti-maysa-nga.html

Region II

CAGAYAN VALLEY ( FOLKSONG, LEGEND AND EPIC)

The Legend of Apo Lakay-Lakay

One day, the father coming home from an abundant catch came across an old man. The old man asked if he could spare a bite from one of the fishes he would cook as he was starving. The father laughed off his request. The old man said “You’ll regret it if you will not!” but he continued on.

That evening while the couple were cooking, an old lady came knocking at their door and pleaded for a bite of fish they were cooking. The wife yelled at her exclaiming they have nothing tho give her. She gave a warning that they would regret it if they won’t give here even a bit. She went away empty handed.

By dinner time, they found out their son was missing. They searched out of the house and asked their neighbors for help. It was during sunrise when they found their son across the waves in the east. They ran despite the tiring night long search but was heart broken to find their beloved son turned to stone.

The couple went back to their home weeping. The wife blamed her husband for being greedy and useless. Suddenly her husband turned into a stone in front of her. Slowly she noticed the waves caught her feet and slowly she turned to stone as well.

On this day the the Two towering rock formations at Taggat Lagoon are known as Apo Lakay-lakay (Old Man) andApo Baket-baket (Old Woman). Their son Ubing-ubing (Child) is found of Sentinela Beach across Claveria Bay.

To make up for their mistakes, the mountain and the rocks there has been protecting their village from storms and always have abundant catch. But whenever boats pass by these rock formations, they would give offerings to the sea or else their boats would be wrecked by the rocks and the waves.

http://www.ironwulf.net/2011/08/08/cagayan-the-legend-of-apo-lakay-lakay-in-claveria/

An Ivatan Folktale: “Duch’narbaan” / “Where Someone Fell”

From Itbayat Folktales, collected by Professor Yukihiro Yamada and introduced by Celerina Mirabueno Navarro

A long time ago, during the time when my grandfather Aplakati was still a little boy, there was an old man who lived in the fields of Kagawran. This old man was so kind that when he saw dead snakes under the heat of the sun, he would take them to a shady place.

Although he was already very old and weak, he still would go to his farm. One day he went to look for food. There was a slope at the end of his farmhouse and there the old man slipped and fell due to his age. The old man was very big and tall.

While he was lying down helpless, a man came who tried to lift him up, but he could not carry him. So he sat down and thought about what he could do. Suddenly, a snake appeared with leaves in his mouth. The man thought that the snake would wind itself around the old man and squeeze him to death. He observed what the snake would do.

When the snake was near the head of the old man, it rubbed the leaves on his forehead and he immediately sat up, revived. Then the snake left quietly.

The place is now called “Duch’narbaan” (where someone fell) because it was the place where the old man fell.

Note: Itbayat is a northern island of the Batanes, and people there speak a different dialect of Ivatan (called Itbayaten) from the Ivatans of Basco and Sabtang islands. It is this language that “Duch’narbaan” was told in.

http://sarisaristorybooks.com/2014/03/07/201437an-ivatan-folktale-duchnarbaan-where-someone-fell/

What Causes Earthquakes

(Y Paggafuanan na Lunig)

Once upon a time, there was a very poor couple who had only one son. He’s name was Bernardo Carpio. Since this family led only a hand to mouth existence, both husband and wife had to work for a living. Whenever the mother went out to work, she would lock up the baby in the house. She would just give him some things to play with. Upon coming home, she would find all the toys of the baby broken into small pieces. This happened everyday until the mother could no longer give the baby anything to play with. So the baby was left in the house without any toy. When she came home to feed him, the mother was surprised that the walls and studs of their house were either broken or destroyed. She remained silent but observant. As soon as these parts of the house had been repaired, she again left Bernardo Carpio alone. When she came home, she found the same in shambles. Next time, the mother deliberately gave her son an iron rod to play with. Again he broke this rod into pieces. Now the parents were growing alarmed over the extraordinary strength of Bernardo. News of it also spread in the neighborhood.

As the child grew up, he was recognized as the strongest boy in the village. He challenged to fight those who dared him and defeated them all. As a man, his prowess was also acclaimed in the whole country. This popularity made him very proud. He was so proud that he even dared challenged God. At first, God gave him the upper hand. But on the third trial, when God asked him to stop the quarrel between the two big mountains, Bernardo failed. In a conceited gesture, he impulsively went between the warring mountains. He extended his arms to stop them but instead, he got caught between the two mountains and was buried alive with only his head out.

Today, it was believed that whenever Bernardo Carpio struggles to free himself from the grip of the mountains, the earth quakes. The old folks also say that when he finally frees himself, that will be the end of the world.

Source: Edna Bangan, Ibanag Folk Literature, pp. 262- 263 Narrated by Mauricio Baggay, 43 years old, Macubacubac, Penablanca, Cagayan, who heard it from his mother.

http://literarycompilationbyrejean.weebly.com/region-ii.html