Origin Myths among the Mountain Peoples of the Philippines

by H. Otley Beyer

It has been mentioned above that among their tales and stories they preserve a tradition relating to their origin and beginning, after a great and dreadful flood which, a very long time ago, as their old people relate, covered the earth. All the inhabitants except a brother and sister were drowned. The brother and sister, though separated from each other, were saved, the woman on the summit of the highest mountain in the District of Lepanto, called Kalauítan, and the man in a cave of the same mountain. After the water had subsided, the man of the cave came out from his hiding place one clear and calm moonlight night, and as he glanced around that immense solitude, his eyes were struck by the brightness of a big bonfire burning there on the summit of the mountain. Surprised and terrified, he did not venture to go up on the summit where the fire was, but returned to his cave. At the dawn of day he quickly climbed toward the place where he had seen the brightness the preceding night, and there he found huddled up on the highest peak his sister, who received him with open arms. They say that from this brother and sister so providentially saved, all the Igorots that are scattered through the mountains originated. They are absolutely ignorant of the names of those privileged beings, but the memory of them lives freshly among the Igorots, and in their feasts, or whenever they celebrate their marriages, the aged people repeat to the younger ones this wonderful history, so that they can tell it to their sons, and in that way pass from generation to generation the memory of their first progenitors.[23]

This myth of the great flood, and of the brother and sister who survived it, is common throughout northern Luzon. It is most highly developed by the Ifugaos, as we shall later see.

The Bontoks

The Bontoks are sometimes wrongly called Igorots, but have no more right to that name than have the Ifugaos. They are a distinct people, occupying a part of the subprovince of Bontok. They are in some respects unique, and possess certain social institutions and traits which have not been found elsewhere in the Philippines. Most of our information concerning them is contained in the monograph by Jenks;[24] in the bulky volume on the language by Seidenadel;[25] and in my own observations on the general culture and ethnology of the Bontoks. Jenks’ monograph is excellent as an economic paper, but the few myths given are mostly children’s stories. Seidenadel[26] gives several myths in the form of texts, and some of these I have freely translated as follows:

Stories about Lumáwig

The sons of Lumáwig went hunting. In all the world there were no mountains, for the world was flat, and it was impossible to catch the wild pigs and the deer. Then said the elder brother: “Let us flood the world so that mountains may rise up.” Then they went to inundate at Mabúd-bodóbud. Then the world was flooded. Then said the elder brother: “Let us go and set a trap.” They used as a trap the head-basket at Mabúd-bodóbud. Then they raised the head-basket and there was much booty: wild pigs and deer and people—for all the people had perished. There were alive only a brother and sister on Mt. Pókis. Then Lumáwig looked down on Pókis and saw that it was the only place not reached by the water, and that it was the abode of the solitary brother and sister. Then Lumáwig descended and said: “Oh, you are here!” And the man said: “We are here, and here we freeze!” Then Lumáwig sent his dog and his deer to Kalauwítan to get fire. They swam to Kalauwítan, the dog and the deer, and they got the fire. Lumáwig awaited them. He said: “How long they are coming!” Then he went to Kalauwítan and said to his dog and the deer: “Why do you delay in bringing the fire? Get ready! Take the fire to Pókis; let me watch you!” Then they went into the middle of the flood, and the fire which they had brought from Kalauwítan was put out! Then said Lumáwig: “Why do you delay the taking? Again you must bring fire; let me watch you!” Then they brought fire again, and he observed that that which the deer was carrying was extinguished, and he said: “That which the dog has yonder will surely also be extinguished.” Then Lumáwig swam and arrived and quickly took the fire which his dog had brought. He took it back to Pókis and he built a fire and warmed the brother and sister. Then said Lumáwig: “You must marry, you brother and sister!” Then said the woman: “That is possible; but it is abominable, because we are brother and sister!” Then Lumáwig united them, and the woman became pregnant. They had many children * * * and Lumáwig continued marrying them. Two went to Maligkon͠g and had offspring there; two went to Gináan͠g and had offspring there; and the people kept multiplying, and they are the inhabitants of the earth * * *. Moreover, there are the Mayinit-men, the Baliwan͠g-men, the Tukúkan-men, the Kaniú-men, the Barlig-men, etc. Thus the world is distributed among the people, and the people are very many! * * *

Another story runs as follows:

The brother-in-law of Lumáwig said to him: “Create water, because the sun is very hot, and all the people are thirsty!” Then said Lumáwig: “Why do you ask so much for water? Let us go on,” he continued, “I shall soon create water.” Then they went on, and at last his brother-in-law said again: “Well, why do you not create water? It should be easy, if you are really Lumáwig!” Then said Lumáwig: “Why do you shame me in public?” And then they quarreled, the brothers-in-law. Then they climbed on up the mountain, and at last the brother-in-law said again: “Why do you care nothing because the people are thirsty, and you do not create water?” Then said Lumáwig: “Let us sit down, people, and rest.” Then he struck the rock with his spear, and water sprang out. Then he said to the people: “Come and drink!” And his brother-in-law stepped forth to drink, but Lumáwig restrained him, saying: “Do not drink! Let the people drink first, so that we shall be the last to drink.” And when the people had finished drinking, Lumáwig drank. Then he said to his brother-in-law: “Come and drink.” Then the brother-in-law stooped to drink, and Lumáwig pushed him into the rock. Water gushed out from his body. Then said Lumáwig: “Stay thou here because of thy annoying me!” Then they named that spot ad Isik.[27] Then the people went home; and the sister of Lumáwig said to him: “Why did you push your brother-in-law into the rock?” Then said Lumáwig: “Surely, because he angered me!” Then the people prayed and performed sacrifices. * * *

In the above stories we see the recurrence of the flood myth and the origin of fire, or rather the manner in which men received it. The story of bringing water out of a rock is interesting, and occurs again in Ifugao mythology in a slightly different form. It is possible, of course, that this is a biblical story which was brought in by some wandering Christians several generations past; but the flood legend is certainly native, and I see no good reason why the story of the miraculous drawing of water from a rock should not also be a native development in spite of its similarity to the Hebrew myth.