*Note this story is in Ilocano
Nangrugi ti daga nga awan ti aniaman.
Ti pannakalangalang ti nangituray iti daga nga awan sabali no di dagiti danum a nagtakder a pammaneknek iti panaglabas ti panawen.
Iti tengnga ti lubong adda maysa nga abut a nagnaedan ti higante nga alimbubuyog a ni Gaki, a manangaywan iti naindaklan a dios a ni Lumawig.
Adda dagiti tattao idi a nangtuldok iti rabaw ti daga. Dagiti agakar-akar gapu iti nakaparsuaanda, nagdaliasatda iti aglawlaw ti nalukneng a rabaw ti daga, nga aganup kadagiti animal. Gapu ta awan ti tampok ti aglawlawda, mapukawda ti pannakasurotda iti aglawlawda, nga agbalinda a mayaw-awan gapu ta awan dagiti pagilasinan a mangiwanwan kadakuada.
Nagpannurayda iti panagpukkaw, ket dayta ti nangriribuk iti pannaturog ni Lumawig.
Saan koma a makatulong dayta.
Nagpungtot ni Lumawig kadagiti naariwawa a tattao, iti imatangna saanda a maikari iti lubong. Inar-arapaapna dagiti baro a tattao, maysa a kaputotan a mangtawid iti napimpintas a lubong.
Iti dayta a panggep inayabanna ni Gaki. Binilinna ti higante nga alimbubuyog a saksaknapan ti abut babaen ti bagina. Kayat ni Lumawig a dalusan ti daga babaen ti simmaruno a layus.
Ket manipud iti layus, timmaud ti dua a bantay: Polis ken Calawitan.
Napartak ti layus, awan ti tao a nakalasat iti layus. Manipud iti danum ti layus inngato ni Lumawig ti dua a bangkay, maysa a kalakian nga agnagan iti Gatan, nga inkabilna iti tuktok ti bantay Polis ken maysa a kabaian, ti Bangan, nga inkabilna iti tuktok ti Bantay Calawitan.
Ti lamiis iti rabii ti nangriing ken ni Gatan ket nasarakan ti bagina iti di pamiliar nga aglawlaw. Padasenna uray kasano dina malagip ti napasamak kenkuana, amin a lagip ket napunas iti panunotna. Mabalinna laeng nga ipamaysa ti agkir-in a lawag nga agkir-in iti adayo, maysa a sigurado a pagilasinan nga adda sabali a sibibiag a parsua.
Naguray agingga iti parbangon.
Bayat nga agsapsapul ni Gatan iti taraon, nakasarak iti maysa a balsa nga agtaytayab. Iti kannawan a sikigan ti balsa adda aso idinto nga iti kannigid adda manok.
Innala ni Gatan daytoy a kas pagilasinan manipud kadagiti didiosen ket nagturong iti direksion ti lawag a nakitana.
Nakatulong unay dagiti kakaduana nga animal. Tunggal nalabes ti panagturong ti balsa iti kannawan agtaul ti aso ket ilinteg ni Gatan ti kursoda ket no agwalis ti balsa iti kannigid agkarayam ti manok ket i-chart manen ni Gatan ti kursoda.
Dina ammo a dagiti kakaduana ket sagut ti dios a ni Lumawig, ket uray no ammona, saan koma a napateg dayta.
Nagdisso ni Gatan iti igid ti Bantay Calawitan.
Nakitana nga adda abut a napno kadagiti sibibiag nga ember. Kadagiti sarukod iti abay ti abut adda sinturon ken palda ti babai. Sinukimat ni Gatan ti lugar tapno birokenna ti babai ket idi makitana ket naupay. Immay a naglayus dagiti lagip.
Ni Bangan ti kabsatna a babai.
Nagkandado dagiti matada ket dida ammo ti aramidenda. Sigurado a dida mabalin ti makidenna ta agkabsatda.
Ngem inted ti dios a ni Lumawig ti bendisionna. Isuda laeng ti dua a tattao a nabati ditoy daga ken addaan iti responsabilidad a mangparnuay iti baro a kaputotan a rumang-ay kadagiti daga.
Binilin ni Lumawig ni Gaki nga agkarayam a rummuar iti abut ket isaksakna ti saksakan ti abut. Ti bumasbassit a danum ti nangpataud iti lubong dagiti turod ken ginget, bantay ken karayan. Awanen ti nagturay ti pannakalangalang, ta baro a pangrugian daytoy.
Kas sagut kadagiti baro a tattao iti daga innalana ni Lumawig iti rupana ti maysa a galunggong ti barbas ket inwarasna iti intero a daga. Nagbalbaliw daytoy a silo a nagbalin a mula itan, a nangpunno iti daga.
Ket isu ti kasta a timmaud ti lubong kas ammotayo.
=———————————=
English Version
The earth began with nothing.
Desolation ruled the land with only the waters that stood testament to the passing of time.
In the center of the world was a pit where the giant crab Gaki stayed, overseer of the great god Lumawig. The flowing waters raced here, draining towards Gaki.
There were people then that dotted the face of the earth. Nomads by nature, they traveled around the concave surface of the earth, hunting animals. Because their environment was featureless, they would lose track of their surroundings, becoming lost for there were no landmarks to guide them.
They resorted to shouting, and that disturbed Lumawig’s slumber.
That would not do.
Lumawig became angry at the noisy humans, in his eyes they were unfit for the world. He dreamed of new humans, a generation that would inherit a more beautiful world.
To that end he called upon Gaki. He ordered the giant crab to plug the pit with its body. Lumawig wanted to purify the earth with the ensuing flood.
And out of the flood, two mountains rose: Polis and Calawitan.
The flooding was swift, no human had survived the deluge. From the flood waters Lumawig lifted two bodies, a male named Gatan, which he placed on top of mount Polis and a female, Bangan, which he placed on top of Mount Calawitan.
The night chill awakened Gatan and he found himself in unfamiliar surroundings. Try as he might he could not remember what had happened to him, all memory wiped from his mind. He could only focus on a flickering light that twinkled in the distance, a sure sign that there was another living being.
He waited until dawn.
While Gatan was searching for food, he found a raft floating. On the right side of the raft was a dog while on the left was a rooster.
Gatan took this as a sign from the gods and headed towards the direction of the light that he saw.
His animal companions were of invaluable help. Whenever the raft went too much to the right the dog barked and Gatan corrected their course and when the raft swept to the left the rooster would crow and Gatan again charted their course.
He did not know that his companions were gifts of the god, Lumawig, and even if he did know, it wouldn’t have mattered.
Gatan landed on the shore of Mount Calawitan.
He saw that there was a pit filled with live embers. On sticks beside the pit were a belt and a woman’s skirt. Gatan searched the area to find the woman and when he saw her he was dismayed. Memories came flooding back.
It was his sister, Bangan.
They locked eyes and did not know what to do. Surely they could not copulate as they were brother and sister.
But the god Lumawig gave his blessing. They were the only two humans left on earth and had the responsibility of creating a new generation to flourish among the lands.
Lumawig ordered Gaki to crawl out of the pit and unplug the hole. The receding waters gave rise to a world of hills and valleys, mountains and rivers. No more did desolation reign, for this was a new beginning.
As a gift to the new peoples of the earth Lumawig took from his face a knot of beard and scattered it throughout the earth. This knot transformed into what are now plants, populating the earth.
And it was thus the world as we know it came into being.
*Ilocano is the third most-spoken local language of the Philippines.An Austronesian language, it is related to such languages as Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Maori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan and Malagasy. It is closely related to some of the other Austronesian languages of Northern Luzon, and has slight mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and the eastern dialects of the Bontoc language.
Written by Karl Gaverza
Ilocano translation by Princess Jaselle
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Princess Jaselle
Adapted from the legend of Gaki and Lumawig from the Bontok Igorot found in The Soul Book. Demetrio & Cordero-Fernando 1991.
Gaki Illustration by Daniel Decena
Instagram: @thepenslinger
Color by Patricia Pria
Instagram: @meowtricia_
