*Note this story is in Tagalog

“Anong nakita mo?!”

“Lolo, tama na, marami na siyang pinagdaanan.”

“Inilalagay niya sa panganib ang pamilya natin. Hindi pa ba sapat na namatay ang tatay niya?! Ngayon naman binubulabog niya ang mga kaluluwa. Hindi ninyo naiintindihan kung gaano ito delikado.

“Lolo, hindi niya alam kung ano ang ginagawa niya. Curious lang siya.”

“Ni hindi natin alam kung anong ginawa niya, baka—”

“Nakita ko.”

“….Kuya, anong nakita mo?”

“Anong ginawa mo?”

“Sinunod ko yung instruction. Pinuntahan ko ang pinutol na puno para sa ataul ni Papa tapos inilagay ko ron yung mga gamit na dala ko.”

“Anong mga gamit kuya?”

“Galing sa ataul ni Papa. Noong gabi ng lamay niya, pumunta ako ron at nakita ko mismo.”

“Sabihin mo sa akin anong nakita mo.”

“Nakakita ako ng mga alitaptap at nakita ko rin ang pagtapon ng mga bituka. Mayroon ding lumulutang na mga ulo, mga braso at mga binti. Nakita ko uli si Papa, pero nilampasan niya ako. Nakita ko ang mga anino na nabuhay at pinalibutan ako. At doon nakita ko.”

“Anong nakita mo?!”

“Nakita ko ang buso.”

=—————————————=

English Version

“What did you see?!”

“Lolo, please, he’s been through enough.”

“He’s put this family in great danger. Wasn’t it enough that his father died?! Now he goes invoking the spirits. Neither of you understand how dangerous this is.”

“Lolo, he didn’t know what he was doing, he was just curious.”

“We don’t even know what he did, he could have—“

“I saw.”

“….Kuya what did you see?”

“What did you do?!”

“ I followed the instructions. I went to the tree that was cut down for Papa’s coffin then I put the pieces that I took there.”

“What pieces kuya?”

“The ones that I took from Papa’s coffin. On the night of his funeral I went there and I saw.”

“Tell me what you saw.”

“I saw the swarm of fireflies and I saw the intestines being spilled. I saw floating heads and arms and legs. I saw Papa again, he walked right past me. I saw the shadows come alive and wrap around me. And then I saw it.”

“What did you see?!”

“I see the buso.”

=——————————————-=

*Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a quarter of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by the majority. Its standardized form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of two official languages alongside English.

Written by Karl Gaverza

Translation by Reina Mikee
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © Reina Mikee

Story inspired by the Buso entry in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971. and Bagobo Myths. Journal of American Folklore. 1913.

Buso Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito

Watercolor by Mykie Concepcion
Tumblr: http://mykieconcepcion.tumblr.com/

FB: That Guy With A Pen

The post Buso (Shadow) – Tagalog Translation appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

She lived like fire, everything she touched turned into a bright blaze.

There was no stopping her of course, though there were many that made that mistake. When she put her heart into something it was as if the universe didn’t exist. It was only her and what she needed to do. I would spend many nights watching her work, admiring the brushstrokes on the canvas.

The energy that radiated from her was a wild force, it wouldn’t be kept silent and she didn’t bother trying to hide it. It leaked through her every movement no matter how small and inconsequential. She inspired others with that energy. Some nights I think she could have taken over the world if she wanted to.

Let me go back to the start.

I met Leonora 2 years ago. I was then and now, a struggling artist, trying to find inspiration wherever I went. She was already a big name in the painting scene with many exhibits under her belt.

We bonded over smoke clouds and failed expectations.
I’d like to think that’s when we became friends. Every week after that I would go to her studio and try to learn what I could from her.

I realized too late that you couldn’t learn what she had.
One night, a few months ago, I was with her while she was working on her latest piece. It was entitled ‘A slow dance of red’. It was a landscape piece, unusual for her to do, but she said she wanted to remember the mountains of her childhood home.

She was from Kiokong, Bukidnon, a place that I’ve never been, and a place I know all too well. It was through her paintings that I was able to glimpse the rugged beauty of the rock walls and the rivers they stood guard over.

She would always ask me if it looked right and I had to remind her that it was her home and not mine that she was painting, though, looking back, I don’t think the question was directed at me.

Those were happier times.

I don’t know what to say about what happened. It was a shock to everyone, especially those closest to her.

We all knew she had her own demons to fight, and all of us let her know that we would be there if she ever stumbled.

But she never asked.

I… I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that gathered to remember Leonora. She had a place in all our hearts and it will only grow now that she’s gone.

As I look over the faces here, some familiar and some strangers to me, I can’t help but think of the way Leonora would have wanted to paint this. She the rare talent of capturing the essence of emotion in a few strokes of paint.

A few… beautiful…. Strokes…. I… I can’t do this.

It’s all wrong.

Leonora didn’t die from an overdose.

She tried to tell us what she was going through, through her paintings, but we were too stubborn to listen.

Look at her final works. The clawed hands, the pointed teeth, the long tongue. It was all there.

And she tried to stop it.

She told me it listened for the sounds of death, maybe that’s why she spent so much time in the cemetery. We all brushed it off as an artistic peculiarity, after all we can’t judge where artists get their inspiration from.

Oh God… if only we had listened.

Look for yourselves! There’s nothing in the coffin!

No trace of her anywhere. They said her body was lost at the morgue, but now I know better.

It was that…. thing that did this.

Her last wish was that her body be washed with vinegar.

No one did the request. It was too strange. We thought it was a joke.

Now no one’s laughing.

Leonora I’m sorry. I should have listened. We all should have listened. The fault is not mine alone. We couldn’t see past the artist in you and now look what happened, watching over an empty coffin hoping that our prayers would be lifted to you.
But prayer can’t help us anymore.

I beg all of you gathered here to remember her last works. Look for yourselves what she was fighting against.

Go back to your homes and dream of her.

That’s the least we can do.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Illustration by Edson Espiritu
IG: @blackink.es

Inspired by the busaw/buso description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

The post Busaw appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

*Note this story is in Kapampangan

Metung ya mu buri: daya.

Linawe na ngang Manib deng memagkalat ya bangke da reng kayang kawal. Karakal da na reng bagani na mengamate keng buso, dapot ali pa yari ing pamipamuk. Medinan lang istu mung oras na makapulayi deng manuknangan, uling mengasugat ne ing buso manibat keng karelang tabak. Mabiye ya pa ing buso, balu nang bumalik ya pa kaniti.

Pinulut neng Manib itang metagan keng baluting gindua ning kawal. Sapak neng daya ing masalat a abaka ya panyagka ning karelang katawan. Sibulan ya ing lagyu ning kawal. Aganaka neng Manib, yapin ya itang manigtigang kuglong kanitang piyesta. Ali na sana buring Sibulan ya maging kawal, oneng ala neng akarapat ning sinugud ya karela ing buso.

Tinalnan neng Manib ing kayang tabak, matalik. Pilan pa ba ing dapat mate karela bayu ya mate ining buso? Abi na ning mabalian*, menibat ya ing buso keng aliwang yatu, perala da reng dimonyu para keng kagulwan da reng manginu keng katalauran.

Ali na agyung isipang betingan da reng ginu ing kayang balen. Atin yang pamigalang i Manib kareng miglalang: Macoreret, Domacolen, Macaponguis, Tiguiama, ampong deng aliwa pa. Atin yang kasalpantayanan kareng miglalang, panwalan nang ali da la kabud paimburisan king kasakitan da ngeni.

Minta ne i Manib nung nokarin la mikit-mikit deng kayang kawal. Bitbit da na la reng karelang armas; makayadia na lang mate para king karelang pamilya, gang buso pa ing karelang kapate. Ning ikit na muring Manib keng malda reng kayang anak, sinikan ya lub; ala nang panaun para mag-adwang-isip
.
Kaibat kanita, ginulisak yang masikang-masikan. Demdam da reng sabla ing kayang siuala: “Ali ta papabureng siran na ning buso ing eganagana. Menibat ya man kang Darago—kaputol dang Colambusan, Comalay, Tagamahng, Siring ampong Abac—mate ya murin keng kekatamung tabak! Makipamuk tamu angga magus ya ngan ing kayang daya keng kekatamung tabak!”

Masikan muring gulisak ing pekibat da reng kawal. Anggang nang malyari, ali la murung deng bagani. Kaibat deng begut keng kaluban deng karelang tabak, memanyugud na la keng pisalikutan ning mangaynang buso.

Daya ing buri na ning buso—dapot deng kawal, sane la keng dayang miyayagus keng gabun.

————————–————————–————————–—–

English Version

All it knows is blood.

Manib looked at the valley littered with the bodies of his warriors. Too many bagani* had succumbed to the battle with the beast and he knew it wasn’t over. His men were able to wound the buso long enough to give time to the rest of the villagers to escape but he knew it would be back.

He crouched and picked up the remnants of a warrior’s gindua armor. The ragged edges of the abaca strips that they used for inner protection was soaked red. Sibulan, that was his name. Manib remembered that he saw him during the last festival and he was playing his two stringed kuglong. Sibulan never meant to become a warrior, but there were no other options when the buso struck.

Manib clenched his bolo. How many more would have to die before the buso was finished? The priestess said that it was a warning from the other world. The great demons were sending their messengers to wreak havoc on the worshippers of the just.

He didn’t believe that the gods would be so cruel to leave them alone. Manib had always respected the creators, Macoreret, Domacolen, Macaponguis,Tiguiama and all the rest. He knew they wouldn’t forsake his people in their darkest time.
Manib walked to where his remaining men were gathered. They had their weapons and were prepared to die trying to save their families from the buso. He saw a few of his sons in the crowd and he knew that it was no time to falter.

He prepared his voice and shouted as far as the last man could hear “We will never allow this creature to destroy what we have. This agent of Darago, brother to Colambusan, Comalay, Tagamahng, Siring and Abac will fall to our swords! We will fight until its blood runs through our swords!”

His warriors responded with a loud shout. His bagani would never consider retreat as an option and they drew their weapons and charged at the wounded beast’s hiding place.
This buso may know blood, but his warriors were also used to spilling it.

————————–————————–————————–

• Kapampangan, Pampango, or the Pampangan language is one of the major languages of the Philippines. It is spoken in the province of Pampanga, most parts of Tarlac and Bataan. Kapampangan is also understood in some municipalities of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija and by the Aitas or Aeta of Zambales. The language is also referred to honorifically in the Kapampangan language as Amánung Sísuan, meaning “breastfed/nurtured language.” In 2012, Kapampangan was one of the major languages of the Philippines, taught and studied formally in schools and universities.

*The warrior class of the Bagobo people

*Colambusan, Comalay, Tagamahng, Siring and Abac are names of demons in Bagobo cosmology.

Written by Karl Gaverza
Translated by Joseph Argel Gania Galang
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Joseph Argel Gania Galang

Inspired by the Bagobo Buso myths and the Buso/Busaw/Busao description in Creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. Ramos. 1971.

Buso Illustration by Leandro Geniston from Aklat ng mga Anito
FB: That Guy With A Pen

The post Buso – Kapampangan Translation appeared first on Philippine Spirits.