*Note this story is in Ilocano

Idi un-unana a panawen, adda nataengan nga agassawa nga saan a maaddaan iti anak. Kada rabii, itag-ay da ti kararagda iti langit agingga a naammuan ti babai isun ket masikogen. Idi maipasngay ti anakda, napalalo ti kinapintas daytoy ket naidir-i dagiti nagannak,” Awanen ti napimpintas pay ngem ti anak ta. Uray daytay kapintasan a tumawo ket saan a maidilig iti anak ta.”

Intayab ti angin dagiti balikasda iti nasipnget a kabakiran ken kadagiti kangangatuan nga ulep agingga a nakadanon dagitoy iti lapayag dagiti tumawo nga agnanaed iti maysa a narabaw a bubon, saan unay nga adayo iti pagtaengan dagiti agassawa.

Saan nga impagarup dagiti agassawa a daydiay naisawang da ket rubroban na ti panagapal dagiti espiritu. Napagnunumuan dagiti espiritu nga masapul nga bayadan ti ubing dagiti naisasao ti nagannak na.

Dagitoy a tumawo ket naanos kas iti kina-agnanayonda.. Naimatangan da ti panagdakkel ken ad-adda nga ipipintas ti ubing.  Uray dagiti adda iti adayo a lugar ket nadamagda ti maipapan iti ubing ken ti awan agpaiduma a kinapintas daytoy.

Kimmaro ti panagilem dagitoy a tumawo. Nangngeg da dagiti senyales a maibugas iti samiweng dagiti billit.

“ Isu ti init nga agpangato iti law-ang. Mabendisyona nga agnanayon dagiti masagid ti lawagna.”

“ Saan a maartapan dagiti amin a sabsabong iti lubong ti kinaraniagna.”

“Nagtaud kadagiti matana dagiti rimat ti kinaagnanayon. Awan ti makakitakit iti imatangna.”

“Saan nga masarmingan ti danum ti pudno nga daeg na.”

Ita, dagiti maudi a balikas ket nangted ti nauneg a sugat iti kaunggan dagiti espiritu nga aggigian iti narabaw a bubon. Para kaniada, nasagraduan unay ti danum ket ti pangibbet iti kasdiay a sasao ket mangparnuay ti pungtot.

Iti maika-sangapulo ket lima nga tawen ti panagkasangay ti balasitang, inrussuat dagiti espiritu ti panggep da.

Iti dayta a rabii, rimmuar ti balasitang idi makaturogen ti pamilya na, ket linagip na ti kinasangsangayan dayta nga aldaw. Adu ti naawat na a sagut manipud kadagiti agraraem kaniana- narimat nga al-alahas ken nakaayayat a balitok. Imbilangna dagiti init ken bulan kas tulnek laeng  nga mangsilnag iti pigura na.

Nasinga ti panaglaglagipna  gapu iti maysa a samiweng a  kasla mangay-ayab kaniana.  Saan na a malappedan ti kinapintas dayta nga uni ket rinuggian na ti nagna a nangsurot iti gubbuayan daytoy.

Iti bubon, nagsusupiat dagiti espiritu.

“Ilemmes tayo dayta nga nakasur-suron nga kattubo. Bassit la a minutos, ket malpasto aminen; satayto ipatulod ti nabulok a bangkayna kadagiti dadduma nga tattao tapno mabuyada no kasano a talaga ti kinapintas daytoy a prinsesa.”

“Saan! Rumbeng nga maikkan ti dusa nga atiddog ken in-inut. Iti unos  ti sangapulo ket lima nga tawen, inibturan tayo dagiti insulto iti langa tayo. Kayatko nga agsagaba met kas kadatayo.

Naglalaban ken nagpipinnasagid dagiti espiritu, ngem awan latta ti naurnos da a katulagan.

Agingga a maysa a timek ti naguni manipud iti uneg ti bubon. “Kakabsatko a tamawo, dagitoy patangan tayo maipanggep iti dusa ken panangparigat ket saan na masebseban ti pungtot tayo. Immanamong dagiti tattao  nga awan ti makaasping ti pintas daydiay a balasitang. Masapul a paneknekan tayo a nagbiddut da.

“Ania ti kayatmo ngarud nga aramiden mi?”

“Makitayonto.”

Nagtakder ti balasang iti abay ti bubon. Ammona no ania ti mapaspasamak ti bagina ngem saan na nga makontrol daytoy.

Manipud iti bubon, rimsua ti maysa a napintas a babai. Ammo iti puso ti balasang a maysa a datdatlag daytoy a babai, kas iti pannakaestorya ti apongna a lakay.

“Pangngaasim ta palusposannak,” impakaasi ti balasang.

“Adda nadagsen unay a basol ti pamilyam kadagiti espiritu.”

“Ania ti kayat mo a sawen?Awan ti inaramidmi a pakadangran da.”

“Saan kadi a pudno nga inwarwaragawag  dagiti tattao iti kabangibang a lugar a napinpintas ka ngem dagiti espiritu?”

“Wen, ngem ang-angaw laeng daydiay. Agpas-pasaw da laeng.”

“Ti pagarupek ket saan. Kas met ti inaramid mo.”

“Awan ti imbagbagak!”

“Kasta kadi? Ngem ania ti napasamak iti panagkasangay mo?”

“Awan ti napasamak!”

“Ania ti imbagam kalpasan a naawat mo dagidi sagutmo?

“Awan. Ang-angaw ko laeng!”

“ Ania. Ti. Imbagam?”

Nagayus ti lua iti pingping ti balasang.

“Imbagak a siak laeng ti napateg. Nga awan ti naparsua, awan ti espiritu, awan ti uray maysa a didiosen a makaartap ti pintas nga adda kaniak.

“ Tinupraam ti rupa dagiti espiritu. Awan ti makaartap ti kinapintas nga adda kadakami. Maysaka laeng a tao, ken saan nakam to a pulos na makapada.

Nagulimek ti balasang. Nariknana ti panagkapsut ti engkantasyon a mangigawgawid kaniana, ngem imbes nga agtaray, sinangona ti espiritu.

“Saan mo nga ammo ti ibagbagam.Sika nga maag a baka! Saan mo kadi nga ammo no kasano ti kinapintasko wenno awan kadi ti matam? Maaramid mo ti kaykayatmo kaniak, ngem kanayon, kankanayonto nga maammuam  a napimpintas daytoy a tao ngem ti aniaman a tumawo!”

“Maituredmo ti di mangrespeto.”

“Saan. Ibagbagak laeng ti kinapudno. Malaglagipdanto a siak ti kapipintasan iti daytoy a  lugar ken iti sabsabali pay, ngem dayta rupam, awan man la ti agka-interes a kadaywan a tao.

“Maag a balasang! Ngem mabalin nga husto ka. Napinpintas ka nga amang ngem ti panangipagarupko kenka. Ngem adda ammok a wagas tapno ibaga dagiti tattao ken espiritu nga dagiti tumawo ti kapipintasan iti daytoy nga pagturayan ken iti sabali pay.”

“Ania ti aramidem kaniak?”

“Makitam to… kabsat a babai.”

Adu a tawen a pinadas ti agassawa a biroken ti balasangda agingga a ti pannakasair ti pusoda ti nangdadael iti nakapsuten a bagida. Saan a nasungbatan dagiti kararagda ket nagtutuokda gapu iti saem ti panagpukaw ti anakda  agingga iti panungpalan da. Naitabonda iti asideg ti pagtaenganda, kadagiti tanem nga awan markana.

Kuna ti dadduma a nalmes ti balasitang iti karayan a saan unay nga adayo ket makita ti al-aliana nga agdaldaliasat kadagiti naliday a daldalan.

Kuna ti dadduma a maysa kadagiti nagarem ti nangitaray kenkuana iti adayo a daga , ket sadiay isu itan ti reyna, kontento a mangusar kadagiti aldawna a mangiranud iti kinapintasna kadagiti iturayanna.

Ngem adda dagiti mamakdaar a maiparit ti mapmapan iti naiputputong a bubon iti asideg ti kabakiran. Kunada a dagiti napintas nga espiritu ti agtataeng dita.. Adda dagiti di mangikankano kadagita a pakdaar ta kunada met a maysa kadagita nga espiritu ti kapipintasan a parsua iti amin a pagturayan. Dagidiay addaan iti sentido komon, ipangagda dagitoy a pakdaar ngem kadagidiay awanan iti rasrasunen, awan ti manglapped kadakuada a mangsirpat uray ti apagdarikmat iti kinapintasna.

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English Version

Once there was an old couple who had a difficult time conceiving. Every night they lifted their prayers to heaven until one day the woman found herself pregnant. When their child was born, she was of such profound beauty that her parents exclaimed, “There are none more beautiful than our daughter. Even the fairest tomawo could not compare to her!”

The wind carried their words through the somber forests and lofty clouds until they settled on the ears of those that tamawo that dwelt in a shallow well a fair distance from the couple’s house.

It never crossed the couple’s mind that an exclamation such as that could inflame the envy of those spirits. The spirits agreed that the child would pay for her parent’s words.

These tomawo were as patient as they were eternal. They watched as the child matured, growing even more beautiful. Even those from far-off lands knew of the girl and her unsurpassed loveliness.

The spirits grew even more embittered. They could hear the signs carried in the melodies of the songbirds:

“She is the sun ascending from the horizon. Those who are touched by her light are blessed forever.”

“All the flowers in the world cannot match her radiance.”

“In her eyes are the flickers of the infinite. No one can resist her gaze.”

“Mere water cannot reflect her true elegance.”

Now those last words cut a deep wound in the spirits’ pride for they dwelt in a shallow well. To them, water was so sacred that to even utter that statement would invoke their wrath.

On the girl’s fifteenth birthday the spirits began their plot.

That night, after her family had gone to sleep, the girl sat outside and reflected on how amazing the day was. She had received gifts from many suitors, dazzling jewels and breathtaking gold. She felt that the sun and moon were mere dots that served to light her figure.

Her rumination was interrupted by a sweet harmony, beckoning her near. She could not resist the sound’s charm and started walking to its source.

In the well the spirits bickered.
“We should drown that irritating upstart. A few minutes and it will all be over, then we can send her bloated corpse to the other humans to show just how pretty this ‘princess’ actually is.”

“No! We should make her punishment long and slow. For fifteen years we had to endure those insults that were thrown at our own beauty. I want to her to suffer as we have.”

The spirits fought and threw taunts at each other, but they were still no closer to an agreement.

Until one voice reverberated through the well.
“My tamawo sisters, all this talk of pain and suffering will not sate our resentment. The humans agreed that there was no spirit that could ever be as beautiful as this girl. We must prove them wrong.”

“What would you have us do then?”

“You shall see.”

The girl stood beside the well. She was fully aware of what her body was doing, but she could not control it.

From the well rose a beautiful woman. In her heart the girl new that the woman was a supernatural like her grandfather would tell of in his stories.

“Please let me go,” the girl begged.
“Your family has committed a grave sin against the spirits.”

“What do you mean? We’ve done nothing to harm you.”

“Is it not true that the humans across this land and others have proclaimed you as more beautiful than the spirits?”
“Yes but that was just a joke, they were exaggerating.”

“I don’t think they were. Or you were, for that matter.”

“I didn’t say anything!”

“Oh really? Then what happened at your party?”

“Nothing happened!”

“What did you say after you received your gifts?”
“Nothing! It was just a joke!”

“What. Did. You. Say.”

Tears welled out down the girl’s cheeks.

“I said that I was the only thing that mattered. That no being, not a person, not a spirit, not even a god could ever reach the beauty I have.”

“You spit in the face of the spirits. There are none that hold beauty such as we do. You are nothing but a human and you will never equal us.”

The girl grew silent. She could feel the spell that kept her still fade away, but instead of running she faced the spirit.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about! You stupid cow! Do you know how gorgeous I am or do you not have eyes! You can do what you want with me, but you will always, ALWAYS, know that this human is more beautiful than any tomawo will ever be!”

“You dare throw disrespect?!”

“No, I am just telling the truth. I will be remembered as the greatest beauty in this land and others, while your stupid face can’t even interest a normal person!”

“Foolish girl. But you may be right. You are beautiful, more than I care to admit. I do know one way to have humans and spirits alike say that the tamawo are more beautiful than anything  in this realm and others.”

“What are you going to do to me?”

“You shall see…. Sister.”

The couple spent years trying to find their daughter until their heartbreak took a toll on their frail bodies. Their prayers were unanswered and they were tormented with the pain of loss until the end. They were buried near their home, in unmarked graves.

Some say the girl drowned in a river not too far away and her ghost could be seen roaming lonely paths.

Others say that one of her suitors carried her to a far-off land where she is now queen, content to spend her days sharing her beauty with her subjects.

But there are those that warn against going to an isolated well near the forest. They say that beautiful spirits make it their home. There are those that ignore those warnings for it is also said that one of those spirits is the most beautiful being in all the realms. Those with common sense would heed these warnings but for those without logic, nothing will stop them from seeing a glimpse of her beauty.

*Tomawo are beautiful spirits like the engkanto.

*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 Maria Jesusa Villaruz
Copyright © Karl Gaverza
Translation Copyright © Maria Jesusa Villaruz

Inspired by the Manbukay description in The Remnants of the Great Ilonggo Nation. Sebastian Sta. Cruz Serag. 1997.

Manbukay illustration by Gabrielle Solera

IG: @gbsolera

(1994) Nichter, M. Anthropological approaches to the study of ethnomedicine. Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers.

Wait, no, that isn’t right.

Nichter, M. (1994). Anthropological approaches to the study of ethnomedicine. Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers.

Goddamned citation formats. I always forget if the date goes before or after the author.

I let out a loud sigh (okay maybe a grunt) and everyone in the coffee shop stares.

I also forget when I’m in public.

I sink into my chair and hope that the rest of the shop goes on about their day.

Whatever. This paper’s going nowhere. Why the hell did I choose healing rituals as my topic for this anthropology class. I could’ve been in a bar somewhere interviewing people about their body modifications but no, I had to get dengue and think about how indigenous people dealt with sickness.

Now I’m in a coffee shop staring at a Wikipedia article about the history of medicine in the Philippines and wondering how I can find more information on the similarities between traditional Chinese medicine and native Filipino medicine.

Another sigh escapes me, but this time it’s a lot quieter. I’m certain no one heard it.

No one except her.

She was a small woman, about my height, with nut-brown skin and curly hair. She asked if she could sit with me (it was then I noticed that there were no free chairs in the shop) and I said yes.

The irritation on my face must have been obvious because she asked if I was okay. I gave a soft chuckle and explained that today wasn’t my day.

The paper (that was 40% of my final grade by the way) was a hurdle that I didn’t know how to jump. There were just so many variables. Do I list down all the different methods of folk medicine around the country? Do I just limit it to a certain area? Do I just focus on herbal remedies? What about modern practices that were amalgamations of indigenous rituals and foreign influence (hence the Wikipedia article)?

The woman smiles at me and quietly asks me to calm down. The tranquility in her voice washes over me and switches my mind from erratic racing to soothing stillness.

I lean back into my chair and apologize to the woman. The paper’s my problem, not hers. No sense in letting the stress spill over to other people.

She tells me that the life of a university student isn’t easy and it’s perfectly normal to feel out of control.

I thank her and offer to buy her a cup of coffee (or tea). It’s rare to find someone that understands what you’re going through and won’t use it against you.

She declines my offer and instead asks me about my paper.

I tell her there isn’t much to say. About a month ago I was in the hospital fighting for my life. Between the fever, the blood transfusions and the big white room I called home, something struck me – What if I didn’t have this hospital? What would happen if I was in the middle of the province, unable to leave the house? Without western medicine, how could you cope?

And that was it. As soon as I was well enough to go back to school (facing a mountain of work I had to finish) I made a decision. I took incompletes in all my classes except one: Anthropology. I figured I could convince my prof to let me use this as the topic for my final paper.

It seemed like a good idea then. Now is another matter.

Instead of nodding her head and changing the topic (like I expected), she actually seems interested in what I have to say.

So, I ask her what I should do.

Her brow furrows and she takes a minute to reply. She asks me where I’m from.

I tell her I’m a city girl, born and raised in Makati.

She corrects herself and asks me where my family is from.

As far as I know my parents are both from Negros. My dad is from Bacolod and my mom is from a place called Tanjay in Negros Oriental.

Her eyes light up when I mention Negros. She says she’s from there as well. In a city north of Tanjay called Bais.

The coincidence surprises me. It was a welcome distraction from my paper, but time’s growing short and I tell her that I have to get back to writing.

She tells me that maybe she has something that could help. We agree to meet at this coffee shop at the same time tomorrow. I’m not sure what’s going to happen, but curiosity compels me.

I let a day pass, order a large Americano, and settle in my usual spot.

And just as promised, she’s at the coffee shop like clockwork.

She tells me she can’t stay and she was only here to give me something: an old book. As she leaves, she says that maybe I should research something closer to home and to check page 419.

I don’t even get a chance to say my goodbye so I sit back down and leaf through the pages.

Studies in Philippine Anthropology (In Honor of H. Otley Beyer) – Edited by Mario D. Zamora (Associate Professor and Chairman, Department of Anthropology). Copyright 1967 – Alemar-Phoenix Publishing House.

I recognize the name Beyer – he was an American anthropologist that spent most of his life dealing with Philippine indigenous cultures. At the very least this seems legitimate because of his name.

Flipping to page 419, I’m met with the title: The Bais Forest Preserve Negritos: Some Notes On Their Rituals and Ceremonials by Timoteo S. Oracion – Silliman University.

She was right, this was much closer to home.

The study is about 20 pages long and it’s perfect. There are nearly a dozen rituals cataloged, 6 of them about sickness. If she had stayed, I would’ve given her the biggest hug. This is just what my paper needed.

Going through the rituals is easy (the author made them very clear) and my fingers dance on my keyboard until all 30 pages of the paper is done.

I do my due diligence and edit the paper, making sure the citations are correct and fixing any spelling errors. And one part catches my eye – the Daga or Dolot ceremony.

It is a ritual for those that had just recovered from sickness. Varieties of food are prepared: beko, a sticky rice cooked with sugar and coconut milk (Biko in other words); dinogo-an, pigs blood stew with its internal organs (dinuguan’s my favorite); a rice cake called bodbod (the internet tells me that it’s like suman); rice, liquor cigarettes and tuba.The tambalan (or babaylan) recites a few words, waiting for the spirits to arrive and dances the sinulog (which I guess is more than the festival). The tambalan continues this until they are exhausted at which point they pick up bits of food and places them on empty plates on the ground. When all the plates have been filled the tambalan signals to the owner of the house to bring the rice and the people gathered have a feast.

I wish they had something like that after I beat dengue.

I turn in the paper and I score an uno (1 is the highest grade you can get). I feel a sense of relief that it’s finally over, though it’s weighed down by something.

I never saw the woman again. Whenever I stop by the coffee shop, I ask the baristas if they’ve seen her and they always say no.

That leads me to tonight. I don’t know what compelled me to do this, but it just seems right.

My dining room table is filled with biko, dinuguan, suman, rice and some tuba. I’m going to tell my family that it’s a surprise dinner for them, but before I let them in, I have to say:

Bulalakao sa kabukiran

(Falling stars from the mountains)

Mga tomawo sa talon

(Supernaturals from the other side)

Sa amihanan, sa habagatan,

(From north, from south)

Palapit na kamo yari ang pagkaon

(Come nearer all of you, here is food)

Guina dolot namon sa inyo

(We offered for you)

Written by Karl Gaverza
Copyright © Karl Gaverza

Inspired by The Bais Forest Preserve Negritos: Some Notes On Their Rituals and Ceremonials by Timoteo S. Oracion  in Studies in Philippine Anthropology (In Honor of H. Otley Beyer)

Tomawo Illustration by Abe Joncel Guevarra
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