*Note this story is in Bahasa Sug
In tagainüp nangdüngdüngi kākü’ sin giyatusan mata niya ampa in aku amura in kapamanhüd ku ha kulangan ku.
Di’ ku kaingatan bang unu in kabaya’an niya, malayngkan di’ ku mapikil manga awn maksud niya kamudāratan. In mahaluk timikang harap mawn kākü’ iban sā’bu ku diyürüngdüngan in baran niya magpillaw-pillaw, kiyahātihan ku ra mayan. In pangdamat bükün mattan pangdamat. Hambuuk sadja pamānda’. In daligmata (Di’ ku kaingatan bang biya’ diin in kaingat ku sin ngān, simaygpat sadja pa lawm-uw ku) simusulay namayta’ kākü’ kalagihan ku pa’gangan in pagdatüng sin linug.
“Biya’ diin in kaagi ha yan?” Iyasubu ku in daligmata. Diyüngdüngan aku nagbalik, ampa kiyaingatan ku. Kalagihan ku madtu pa pag-aawnan ha manga linug. Subay ku sila kabayta’an manattapi wayruun kuhibal. “Mahi ta’ aku?” In sambung ha pangasubu ku dimatüng biya’ sahubbu ha pikilan ku. In daligmata himühüla’ ha lawm tagainüp, ampa makakuhibal sadja bang duun ha lawm hüla’-pārkawasahan. Wayrapat niya makakadtu pa kadunyahan sin manga baranan, labi wayrapat pa duruunan sin manga linug iban manga hunus bang niya ri’ maparuun ha kīd niya in hambuuk mananagainüp.
Ampa nakakawa’ siya hambuuk mananagainüp.
In pagkadtu bükün sibu’ in anib iban sin ha napasandung ku. In daligmata, ha pikilan ku, nagpamayta’ sadja amura kalagihan ku in managainüp supāya aku makakadtu, ampa kiyahidāyatan aku marayaw. Biyayta’an aku papanagainüpün sin dunya, sagawa’ bükün biya’ sin kiyaingatan ku. Nagbissara siya pasal siring-langit, in pagbü’lak sin dunya iban sin nārka’ iban sin manga simud sin manga mahaluk himühüla’ didtu. Salupa sin manga hās nanglilibüri ha dunya, tiyatayak sin sangat-lagkü’ tuhan Magbabaya, nanglīgütan ha lawm uw ku. Tiyagainüp ku in siring-langit iban manga hās ni Magbabaya. Tiyagainüp ku in hüla’ amu in piyagpaawnan ha manga linug. Tiyagainüp ku in lupa’ sin manga hangin iban sin manga hunus.
Iban hangka küdjap da, didtu na aku.
“Uwya’ mānusiya’ magkamatay”. Nangasip kākü’ in tingüg babai. “Makakita’-makakita’ kami sin pihak mu awn sadja pārsugpatan niya pa kahinangan ni Mangilala.” Hambuuk tingüg üsüg in simambung. Kiyahantapan ku sin imaatud aku ha manga uw sin duwa hās kalap-lagkü’, kaniya-kaniya labi malagkü’ dayng ha gibayan-dakula’ sangat-taas. Apit sa yadtu ku muga’, sagawa’ in kabassaran sin duwa nagpanananam kākü’ katahammulan labi-labihan. Nimanam aku kasalamatan ha panghādiri nila.
Sīkmu’ aku sin daligmata dayng ha ulihan hangkan kiyatümtüman ku mahi aku miyadtu. “Manga Hās Salaggü’-laggü’…” Wala’ ku kiyaingatan bang biya’ diin in panawag kanila, sagawa’ nakira ku in pagpakita’ pag-addat di’ makamula. Biyayta’an ku sila sin pangdamat ku, in linug landu’ küsüg nangjuljana’ ha dāira ku iban nanglarak ha bāy ku.
“Amu ini in hüla’an sin manga linug, mānusiya’ asibi’,” Simambung in tingüg üsüg. “In pagjügjüg maawn bang kami humibal.” In tingüg babai simambung. “In panghibal-hibal namü makahüküt ha dunya.” Laung sin tingüg üsüg. “Unu in kapunnyahan namü’ bang in dunya matigallam na?” Nangasubu in tingüg babai.
“Bang in pangdamat ku dumatüng, in dunya ku malawa’ na. Kalu baha’ tibahagi’an asibi’ da sin katiluagan dunya, sagawa’ in tibahagi’an manahut yadtu amu in kalunlunan dunya ku. In dāira yadtu hangka sibu’ in hālga’ kākü’ iban sin hālga’ sin manga ginlupa’an-langkus kaniyu.” Amu yadtu in sambung ku.
“Maisüg kaw.” Laung sin tingüg babai. “Wayruun pa mānusiya’ nakabissara kāmü’ iban katulusan.” Simambung in tingüg üsüg. “Kamataüran sin mānusiya’ pagsulayan kami dupangün hipalanggana’ in manga banta nila.” Namissara in tingüg babai. “Hambuuk ini pamindahi tatayma’ün.” Simambung in tingüg üsüg. “Naraak kami magpatütüg sin dunya ha kiyabübütangan.” Naglapal in tingüg babai. “Pa’gahan in pagtigallam sin dunya.” Simambung in tingüg üsüg. “Sagawa’ unu in hikarayaw bang matüpük in hambuuk dunya ha lawm sin dunya?” Nangasubu in tingüg babai.
“Hinangün namü’ biya’ sin piyangayu’ niyu. Tumattap kami wayruun hibal supāya in dunya niyu kumakkal tibuuk.” In manga Intumbangul nagdüra’ simambung. “Kadtu na kaw, mānusiya’. In hüla’an sin manga linug bükün duruunan sin biya’ sin kajinis mu.”
Simulay aku magsukul kanila, sagawa’ timagna’ na in hangin maküsüg dimüpüy. Diyā aku ampa itungan di’ aku makanapas. In düpüy landu’ makajuljana’ pangannal ku biya’ aku sin pīrīt. Nakapamahit aku.
Sakali nakabati’ aku.
In jāman-magbabanda’ ku kimatingüg. Lisag pitu na sin mahinaat. Kiyaingatan ku makaikul aku pa iskul bang aku wala’ imüws. In pagsūkbanyul sin sasakatan adlaw ini makabuga’, biya’ sin dayng angay adlaw. Nangiyaban aku iban siyulayan ku tiyümtüm in panagainüp ku. Ha kira ku mataüd hās iban tiyumpukan mata imaatud kākü’, sagawa’ di’ ku na katümtüman puas ha yadtu.
In hambuuk pa jāman-babanda’ ku hikaruwa miyagting labi pa matanug dayng sin nakauna. Siminyal na sin panagna’an sin adlaw mataud ligap.
Naangan-angan ku bang aku nakahinang labi mataüd barāpa makaraüg-küwg.
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English Version
The dream stares at me with its hundred eyes and I stay frozen on my bed.
I don’t know what it wants, but I don’t think it means any harm. The creature walks over to me and as I stare at its blinking body, I finally understand. The nightmare wasn’t a nightmare at all. It was a warning. The daligmata (I don’t know how I know its name, it just popped in my head) was trying to tell me I needed to stop the earthquake from happening.
“How do I do that?” I asked the daligmata. It stared at me again, and I knew. I had to go to the place where earthquakes were born. I had to ask them to stay still. “Why me?” The answer to my question came in a flood of thoughts. The daligmata lives in dreams, and it can only move in that realm. It could never go in the physical world, much less the home of earthquakes and storms if it didn’t have a dreamer by its side.
And a dreamer it had.
The journey wasn’t as perilous as I imagined it to be. The daligmata was in my thoughts saying I only need to dream to be there and it guided me well. It told me to dream of the world, but not as I knew it. It spoke of the horizon, the split between the earth and the underworld and the mouths of the creatures that lived there. Images of the snakes wrapped around the world, held up by the great god Magbabaya, swirled in my head. I dreamt of the horizon, of the snakes, of Magbabaya. I dreamt of the place where earthquakes were born. I dreamt of the land of the winds and storms.
And in a flash, I was there.
“Hello mortal.” A feminine voice greeted me. “Whenever we see your kind Mangilala usually has something to do with it.” A male voice answered back. I realized I was staring at the heads of two gigantic snakes, each bigger than a skyscraper. I would have been scared, but the majesty of the two was making me feel so much awe. I felt safe in their presence.
The daligmata nudged me from behind and I remembered why I was there. “Great Serpents…” I didn’t know how to address them, but I figured showing respect wouldn’t hurt. I told them about the nightmare I had, the giant earthquake that ripped through my city and shattered my home.
“This is the home of earthquakes, little human.” The male voice answered. “The shakes are caused when we move.” The female voice replied. “Our movements keep the world tethered.” Said the male voice. “What use are we if the world is gone?” The female voice asked.
“If my nightmare happens, my world would be gone. It may be a small part of the entire earth, but that tiny bit is my whole world. That city is as important to me as the continents are to you.” Was my answer.
“You are brave.” The female voice said. “No mortal has ever spoken to us with such candor.” The male voice replied. “Most mortals try to trick us into destroying their enemies.” The female voice answered. “This is a welcome change.” The male voice replied. “We are tasked to keep the world in place.” The female voice said. “To keep the earth from falling away.” The male voice replied. “But what good is that if a world within the world is broken?” The female voice asked.
“We will do as you ask. We will stay still so your world may be kept intact.” The Intumbangol replied in unison. “Go now, mortal. The home of earthquakes is no place for your kind to be.”
I tried to thank them, but a strong wind started blowing. It picked me up and I almost couldn’t breathe. The gusts were so violent I thought I was being ripped apart. I screamed.
Then I woke up.
My alarm was going off. It was 7 AM. I knew I would be late for class if I didn’t hurry. The traffic would be terrible today, like every day. I yawned and tried to remember the dreams I had. I think there was a snake and a bunch of eyes looking at me, but I couldn’t recall much past that.
My backup alarm rang even louder than the first one. It signaled the start of a really long day.
I wish I did more exciting things.
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*Bahasa Sug or Tausug is an Austronesian language spoken in the province of Sulu in the Philippines and in the eastern area of the state of Sabah, Malaysia, by the Tausūg people. It is widely spoken in the Sulu Archipelago (Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Basilan), the Zamboanga Peninsula (Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga City), southern Palawan, and Malaysia (eastern Sabah).
Written by Karl Gaverza
Bahasa Sug translation by Benj Bangahan
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Benj Bangahan
Inspired by the Intumbangol description in The Soul Book. Demetrio, Cordero-Fernando &Zialcita 1991. And the Daligmata descriptions in Songs and Gifts at the Frontier : Person and Exchange in the Agusan Manobo Possession Ritual. Buenconsejo. 2002. & 101 Kagila-gilalas na Nilalang. Samar. 2015.
Intumbangol Illustration by Nadine Cabe
Tumblr: http://
Watercolor by Alexa Garde
Website: www.Lexa.us