*Note this story is in Tagalog

Ang paglubog ng araw ay tila mas mapula mula noong 2019.

At alam ko kung bakit. Masdan mo, may mga puno na nagpapataas ng kalangitan Kailangang ito ay malinis. O, pinangunahan ko na naman…

Balikan natin ang alam ng lahat… Ang pandemya ay walang pinaligtas- punong puno ang mga pagamutan, magmula sa lock down hanggang sa papag alun-alunin ang bilang ng kamatayan na naging epekto nito ng maraming taon sa hinaharap. Naaalala ko pa noong ako ay naipit sa Covid Ward. Doon lamang ako nakaramdam ng sobrang panghihina, ng kawalan ng pag-asa at dalamhati.

Nakaligtas naman ako rito.

Isa ako sa mga naging mapalad. Hindi talaga mapaghahandaan ang pagkawala ng pang-amoy at panlasa.  Kumain ako ng krayola para makita kung maibabalik nito ang aking pandama.

Hindi ito nangyari.

Nawala na naman ako sa paksa, humihingi ako ng paumanhin. Ang mga numero sa pandemya ay patuloy na tumataas, mula sampu hanggang daan-daan hanggang libu-libo.

Mga numero na akala ko ay hindi magiging posible. Mga numero na akala ko ay nangyayari lamang sa mga pelikula. Napuntirya nito ang mga nakatatanda.

Ilang lolo’t lola ang hindi na muling nakita ang kanilang mga apo? Higit sa inakala… At balikan natin ang paglubog ng araw, May mga nilalang na tinatawag na Salakap.

Sila yung nagdudulot ng epidemya sa mundo.

Naglalakbay sila sa isang napakalaking katig at naglalayag sa amihan, dinadala pabalik sa kaharian ng Kiyabusan ang mga namatay sa bulutong, disenterya, trangkaso at iba pang mga sakit na dulot ng epidemya. At higit silang naging abala noong kasagsagan ng pandemya.

Ngayon, ang monkey pox ay magdadala ng mas maraming kaluluwa sa Kiyabusan.  Ano ang kinalaman niyan sa paglubog ng araw? Muli nating balikan ang mga puno… Yung mga nagpapataas ng kalangitan…

Alam mo, may pinuno ang mga Salakap.

Tumangkuyun ang pangalan nito. At nananalaytay sa kanilang dugo ang nakaatang na tungkulin.

Ang mga Salakap ay hindi lamang nagdadala ng mga kaluluwa ng mga namatay sa epidemya sa Kiyabusan o hangganan ng mundo. Sila rin ay kumukuha ng dugo mula sa mga namatay.

Ang mga puno ay marapat na laging malinis. Nasusundan mo ba ako? Nililinis nila ang mga puno gamit ang dugo na iyon. Ang mga paglubog ng araw ay hindi gaya ng dati. At hindi magtatagal Mapipintahan na naman ang kalangitan.

Ng nagbabadyang kulay dugo.

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English Version

The sunsets seem redder since 2019.

And I know why.

See, there are trees that hold up the sky.

And they must be cleansed.

Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Let’s head back to what everyone knows.

The pandemic spared no one, completely filling emergency rooms, starting lockdowns and releasing a wave of death that will ripple many years in the future.

I still remember the first time I was stuck in a Covid ward. I had never felt so powerless, so filled with despair and anguish.

But I survived. I was one of the lucky ones.

No one can really prepare for the loss of smell and taste. I actually ate crayons to try to test if my senses would come back. Safe to say they didn’t.

I’m off topic again, I’m sorry.

The pandemic’s numbers steadily rose, from tens to hundreds to thousands. Numbers that I thought weren’t possible. Numbers that I thought were only real in movies.

It targeted the elderly the most.

How many grandparents would never see their grandchildren again?

Too much.

And we head back to the sunsets.

There are creatures called the salakap.

Those that bring epidemic sickness to earth.

They travel in a huge outrigger (adiyung) and sail with the northeast winds through the high regions and carry back to the realm of Kiyabusan those that have died from smallpox, dysentery, flu and other epidemic diseases.

And they were never as busy as they were when the pandemic hit.

Now with the news of monkey pox they will bring more souls to Kiyabusan.

Now what does that have to do with sunsets?

Again we go back to the trees.

The ones that hold up the sky.

See, the salakap have a leader.

Their name is Tumangkuyun.

And it is their duty bound by blood.

The salakap not only bring the souls of those that have died in epidemics to Kiyabusan, they also collect the blood from those that died.

The trees must be kept clean.

Do you follow me?

They clean the trees with that blood.

The sunsets have never been the same since.

And it might not be long.

Before the skies are painted.

A foreboding scarlet.

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*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 Rhodora Garcia-Medina
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © Rhodora Garcia-Medina

Inspired by the Tumangkuyun description in Tagbanuwa Religion and Society. Fox. 1982.

Tumangkuyun Illustration by Race De Villa

IG: @corvus_blanc

The post Tumangkuyun – Tagalog Translation appeared first on Philippine Spirits.

*Note this story is in Tagalog

Noong 1539, sa bayan ng Igbahay, mayroong namataang isang kakaibang nilalang kaya’t nilusob ng mga tao ang pinanggalingang bahay nito. Mula sa pinagtataguang bahay na ito ay may nakita silang maraming kakilakilabot. Napag-alaman nilang tirahan ito ng isang masamang tao na kilala sa tawag  na Talagman. Ang kakaibang nilalang na kasama nito sa bahay ay isang uwak na may tuka na kasingtulis ng kutsilyo, may apat na mahahabang mga paa at mga matutulis na kuko na puno ng mga tinik.

Bulung bulungan ng mga taong-bayan na si Talagman ay isang di pangkaraniwang nilalang at may taglay na kasamaan.  Diumano siya ay isang  sigbin o isang aswang na noong mga panahong iyon ay sanhi ng malaking kasamaan at pinsala  sa kanilang bayan.

Ilang kwento pa ng mga taga-bayan noon ay  nahuli ng isang malakas na lalaki si Talagman sa gitna ng isang masamang gawain at pinutol ng malakas na lalaki ang tenga nito. Isang nakaugalian ng mga Ibajao sa  bayan ng Igbahay ang pagpuputol ng kaliwang tainga ng ilang piling tao. Ang tradisyon na ito ay upang sirain ang kasunduan na magkakaroon  sa espiritung tinatawag na oag. Ang Oag ang nilalang na nagbibigay ng langis para maging sigbin o aswang ang isang tao.

Ayon din sa maga taong bayan, Ang  mga mata ni Talagman ay may kakaibang kapangyarihan na nakapagdudulot ng kapahamakan sa taong tititigan nito. Nagpasalin salin din ang kwento mula pa sa mga  ninuno na  itong si Talagman raw ay nakitang kumuha ng maliit na prasko, pinahiran ng langis ang kanyang katawan at lumipad habang ang kalahati ng kanyang katawan ay naiwan sa kanyang bahay

At hindi nga nag-iisa sa kalupitan at kasamaan si Talagman. Palagi nitong kasama sa kanyang paglipad at paghahanap ng sariwang karne ang walang kasing itim na Uac-uac.  Sinasaksak ng Uac-uac ang kanyang mabibiktima gamit ng kanyang matalas na tuka at ganun din ang  matataliim na kuko sa pagdagit ng laman ng mga ito.  Labis ang pagkalugod nito sa ginagawang kasamaan kasama ang amo nitong sigbin.

Ang kwentong ito ay daan-daang taon na ang nakalilipas na laging nagpapaalala o nagbibigay babala. Kung makikita mo ang Uac-uac at ang apat na paa nito, hindi malayong nasa paligid din lamang ang amo nitong si Talagman.

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English Version

In the town of Igbahay, there exists a curious creature. In the year of the Lord, 1539, the people of the town raided the house of an evil man called Talagman. In his house they found many horrors. One most strange was a black crow with a beak as sharp as a knife, four long feet and claws and spines.

Now, it was said by the townsfolk that this creature was the companion of something more malicious. The evil of Talagman was so great that the people of the town whispered that he was a sigbin. In those days, a sigbin was a man who caused great evil and harm from his hiding place.

The townsfolk even tell a story of one day when a strong man caught Talagman in the middle of an evil act and the strong man cut off Talagman’s ear. Now, in those days there was a tradition in the town of Igbahay, whose people are called the Ibajaos, where certain men would have their left ear cut off. This practice was to break the pact that sigben would have with the spirit called oag, the creature that gives the oil which would make a man become a sigben.

Such was the evil of Talagman that, to this day, people would tell stories of how his glance alone would cause harm. They still say of stories where their great-great-great grandparents would see Talagman take a small flask, anoint his body with oil and fly through the air leaving half of his body in his house.

The cruelty and malice of Talagman had his match in the uac-uac, his companion. The misshapen crow would stab victims with its sharp beak and take great pleasure in raking its claws against the flesh of humans. So great was its love of torture that it would fly with its sigben master to find fresh meat that it could dig its claws in.

This story is of hundreds of years past, but always be warned. If you see the uac-uac and its four legs, know that its master will not be far behind.

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*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 Rhodora Garcia-Medina
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Translation Copyright © Rhodora Garcia-Medina

Inspired by “The Legend of the Sigbin.” Pavon (1838-1839) in Philippine Folk Literature: The Legends. Eugenio. 2002.

Uac-uac Illustration by NightmareSyrup
Tumblr: http://nightmaresyrup.tumblr.com/

The post Uac-uac – Tagalog Translation appeared first on Philippine Spirits.