Cañao

I and an immediate family went to a village somewhere in Baguio City to visit and see a friend. It was a 30 minute ride from the city going up to Aurora Hill and still further up. The jeepney stopped at a junction where all passengers got down and proceeded on their own way. 

We walked for almost 10 minutes before we reached the house of our subject. At the entrance of the house, I saw some busy men cooking and washing something. I had a closer look of what they were doing when we were invited to go inside the house. They were actually beating a B-cull. So I knew they were having a pinikpikan. 

We entered the house and I saw these skulls welcoming us. 

My curiosity kicked in so I asked the man who was one of the men cooking outside about those skulls. He said these are from the previous Cañaos happened in the family. It was during the owner's parents marriage, their death and the son's own marriage. 

Hudhud: Summary of the tale of Aliguyon

This is a summary of a long tale chanted during the harvest in Ifugao.

Once upon a time, in a village called Hannanga, a boy was born to the couple named Amtalao and Dumulao. He was named Aliguyon. He was an intelligent, eager young man who wanted to learn many things, and indeed, he learned many useful things, from the stories and teachings of his father. He learned how to fight well and chant a few magic spells. Even as a child, he was a leader, for the other children of his village looked up to him with awe.

         

Upon leaving childhood, Aliguyon betook himself to gather forces to fight against his father’s enemy, who was Pangaiwan of the village of Daligdigan. But his challenge was not answered personally by Pangaiwan. Instead, he faced Pangaiwan’s fierce son, Pumbakhayon. Pumbakhayon was just as skilled in the arts of war and magic as Aliguyon. The two of them battled each other for three years, and neither of them showed signs of defeat.

         

Their battle was a tedious one, and it has been said that they both used only one spear! Aliguyon had thrown a spear to his opponent at the start of their match, but the fair Pumbakhayon had caught it deftly with one hand. And then Pumbakhayon threw the spear back to Aliguyon, who picked it just as neatly from the air.

         

At length Aliguyon and Pumbakhayon came to respect each other, and then eventually they came to admire each other’s talents. Their fighting stopped suddenly. Between the two of them they drafted a peace treaty between Hannanga and Daligdigan, which their peoples readily agreed to. It was fine to behold two majestic warriors finally side by side.    

Aliguyon and Pumbakhayon became good friends, as peace between their villages flourished. When the time came for Aliguyon to choose a mate, he chose Pumbakhayon’s youngest sister, Bugan, who was little more than a baby. He took Bugan into his household and cared for her until she grew to be most beautiful. Pumbakhayon, in his turn, took for his wife Aliguyon’s younger sister, Aginaya. The two couples became wealthy and respected in all of Ifugao.

Tagalog

Isang araw, noong unanang panahon, sa nayon ng Hannanga, ang mag-asawang Amtalao at Dumulao ay nabiyayaan ng isang anak na lalaki. Ang pangalan niya ay Aliguyon. Siya ay matalino at masipag matuto ng iba’t ibang bagay. Katunayan, ang napag-aralan niyang mahahalaga mula sa mga kasaysayan at pangaral ng kanyang ama ay marami. Natuto siya kung paano makipag-bakbakan nang mahusay, at paano umawit ng mga mahiwagang gayuma. Kaya kahit nuong bata pa, tiningala na siya bilang pinuno, at hanga ang mga tao sa kanya.

Nang mag-binata si Aliguyon, ipinasiya niyang sagupain si Panga'iwan, ang kaaway ng kanyang ama, sa nayon ng Daligdigan. Subalit ang sumagot sa kanyang hamon ay hindi si Panga'iwan. Ang humarap sa kanya ay ang mabangis na anak nito, siPumbakhayon, marunong ng hiwaga at bihasa rin sa labanan tulad niAliguyon.

Hindi naaling, pinukol ni Aliguyon ng sibat si Pumbakhayon. Kasing bilis ng kidlat, umiktad si Pumbakhayon upang iwasan ang sibat at, kagila-gilalas, sinalo sa hangin ang sibat ng isa niyang kamay! Wala pang isang kurap ng mata, binaligtad ni Pumbakhayon ang sibat at hinagis pabalik kay Aliguyon. Umiwas din si Aliguyon at sinalo rin ng isang kamay sa hangin ang humahagibis na sibat. Binaliktad din niya at ipinukol uli kay Pumbakhayon.

Pabalik-balik at walang tigil, naghagisan at nagsaluhan ng sibat siAliguyon at Pumbakhayon hanggang umabot ng 3 taon, hindi pa rin tumigil ang bakbakan, at walang nagpakita ng pagod o pagsuko. Subalit sa bangis at dahas ng kanilang paghahamok, kapwa sila humanga sa giting at husay ng kalaban, at pagkaraan ng 3 taong bakbakan, natuto silang igalang ang isa’t isa.

Biglang bigla, tumigil sina Aliguyon at Pumbakhayon at nahinto, sa wakas, ang bakbakan. Nag-usap at nagkasundo sila ng payapa (paz, peace) ng kanilang nayon ng Hannanga at Daligdigan. Buong lugod na sumang-ayon lahat ng tao sa 2 nayon, at ipinagdiwang nila ang kampihan ng 2 bayani.

Sa paglawak ng katahimikan, umunlad ang dalawang nayon. Naging matalik na magkaibigan sina Aliguyon at Pumbakhayon. Nang sapat na ang gulang ni Aliguyon, pinili niyang asawa si Bugan, ang batang-batang kapatid na babae ni Pumbakhayon. Inalagaan niya sa bahay si Buganhanggang lumaki itong napaka-gandang dalaga.

Ang pilining asawa naman ni Pumbakhayon ay ang kapatid na babae ni Aliguyon, si Aginaya. Ang dalawang pamilya ay yumaman at iginalang ng lahat sa Ifugao.

Hudhud

Talking about culture with some colleagues, I was so proud to tell them mine as they all did since we belong to different ethnicity. We relayed and had some comparisons about the things to be done during wedding rites, death and other occasions. One of them, a mademoiselle, told us about her experience (which made me suppressed a smile), when she passed by a native house with a lot of people and heard chants like they were singing in chorus during her tour in the Ifugao rice terraces. Curious to know about what they were doing, she asked one of the native women, whom she referred as “a woman who spit something like blood on the ground,” (She was chewing beetle nut!!!) Unfortunately, she did not understand what the old woman said and wondered if she was also being understood. 

I remembered one of my elders and thought that perhaps it was their “world” which held back their communication process.


Anyway, I told her the people might be offering something through a native ritual. She said most of them were old women singing native songs. So, I considered they might be chanting the Hudhud but they were just staring at me waiting for more explanation. I just said it is a long old songs usually sung by old native women in the province. Oh heck, they asked me to sample them one.