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Very long ago there was no rice in the world. The people gathered fruits and
caught fish for their food. There was an old man, Labangan, who had fished and
hunted fruit one day, but had not found anything. He sat down and cried saying,
“O, Kabunian, why did you make us to starve? I am weak and old and cannot find
my food. Better had I died when a child, because now I will die of hunger.”
Kabunian dropped a rope from the sky, and Labangan made a seat of wood.
Kabunian pulled him up to the sky and gave him rice for food. He did not know that
rice was good to eat, and did not eat it until Kabunian said that it was his food.
Kabunian gave the bad grains to Labangan to take with him, but he did not accept
them. When Kabunian was not looking, Labangan stole a good grain of rice and hid
it in his breechcloth. When he was about ready to go, Kabunian searched his body
all over, and found the grain of rice. He waited until Kabunian had turned around,
and put rice in his hair; but when he was almost ready to go again, Kabunian
searched him and found the rice. Then he put a grain of rice in his mouth, and
when Kabunian searched, he made him open his mouth, but Labangan had the rice
under his tongue. Then they planted the rice, and all the people soon had enough.
(The Ibaloy version shows the recurring schwa sound represented by Ëë. Kh
also represents the meaningful soft K sound which is different from the
gutterak K.) Nunta ëbayag da pasya, ënchi pagi-pagëy chi dubong. Jët say tuo,
inan-anop ni sabosabong tan paidëng ni kënën cha. Guwaray asësikën ja tuo
na si Labangan ja nannigay tan ënganop ni sabosabong ni san-akhëw, nëm
ënchi to simsimpol. Timungaw jët nimangis ja to kapan-ikuwan, “O, Kabunian,
ngantoy dingkhaan mo son si-khami ni bitil? Ëkhak ëmpusi tëp ëdakayak ma,
tan ëkhak mabëdin mënëpol ni kënën ko. Sigëd nëm ëtëyak nunta kanga-
ngak ta niman mëtëyak ni aging.” Si Kabunian inkhas tiy guwanët chi
inaykayang, jet si Labangan nandaga ni kiyëw jët timungaw. Si Kabunian innat
tod inaykayang, jët in-aknan to ni bëkhas ja kënën to. Ëg to amta ja sigëd suta
bëkhas ja mëkan, jët ëg to kinan ingkhëd inkuwan nën Kabunian ja kënën to.
Si Kabunian ngaaw ja tanëm i in-ahan to nën Labangan ja al-ën, nëm ëg to
inëbat. Idi aligwën inanchidmang si Kabunian, si Labangan kinibot to i maata
ja bëkhas ja maptëng jët inbutong to chi kubal to. Nunta chanchanin ondaw,
si Kabunian inënap ton ëmin chi angel to, jët simpol toy maatën bëkhas.
Inuchay nën Labangan i impanbuli-di nën Kabunian, jët inku-jën to i bëkhas
chi buwëk to; nëm nunta chnchanin ondaw mowan, si Kabunian inënapto jët
simpol toy bëkhas. Jët si Labangan inku-jën toy maatën bëkhas chi bungot to,
jët idi inënap nën Kabunian impa-ngat to i bungot to, jët si Labanagn,
guwaray bëkhas chi inayduong ni chila to. Idi intanëm chay bëkhas, ëmin na
tuo ina-pëng ira ni bëkhas ni magëno.
The Legend of Rice
A long, long time ago, our ancestors did not know about rice. They lived on fruits
and vegetables, which they gathered in the forest, and on birds and wild animals,
which they caught while hunting in the mountain. Tilling the soil was still unheard
of. In addition, domestication of animals was not yet practiced.
Since our people depended on the food which nature provided and not on what
they themselves grew raised, their stay in one particular place was only temporary.
When there was nothing more to be hunted, or gathered in a certain area, they
would go to another region where there was plenty of food provided by nature.
Moreover, the cycle would continue.
Despite the conditions under which they lived, our ancestors were proud, thankful,
and happy just the same. They took pride in the things they had: their brown skin,
the race to which they belonged, the customs and traditions, which they practiced.
They were thankful to Bathala, their god, for all the blessings he had given them.
They were happy in the simple and uncomplicated manner of living, which they led.
On a typical day, the men could be seen going to the mountain or forest to hunt,
while the women and children could be seen busily engaged in fishing, gathering
fruits and vegetables, and other useful tasks. After a day’s work, all wild animals
that had been killed in the hunt, and all fruits and vegetables that had been
gathered, would be divided equally among all the groups of families which made
up the barangay. Such was the mode living of our ancestors in those days.
One day a group of hunters went out to hunt deer. In their desire to have a good
catch, they traveled everywhere until they reached the Cordillera Mountains.
Having traveled so far, and feeling dead tired, they decided to take a rest under a
big tree. It was nearing noontime, and all of them were hungry. While resting in
the shade of the tree, they saw, not..