one day when a mother was pounding out rice to cook for supper, her little girl ran up to her and cried:
“oh, mother, give me some of the raw rice to eat.”
“no,” said the mother, “it is not good for you to eat until it is cooked. wait for supper.”
but the little girl persisted until the mother, out of patience, cried:
“be still. it is not good for you to talk so much!”
when she had finished pounding the rice, the woman poured it into a rice winnower and tossed it many times into the air. as soon as the chaff was removed she emptied the rice into her basket and covered it with the winnower. then she took the jar upon her head, and started for the spring to get water.
now the little girl was fond of going to the spring with her mother, for she loved to play in the cool water while her mother filled the jars. but this time she did not go, and as soon as the woman was out of sight, she ran to the basket of rice. she reached down [118]to take a handful of the grain. the cover slipped so that she fell, and was covered up in the basket.
when the mother returned to the house, she heard a bird crying, “king, king, nik! nik! nik!” she listened carefully, and as the sound seemed to come from the basket, she removed the cover. to her surprise, out hopped a little brown rice bird, and as it flew away it kept calling back:
“goodbye, mother; goodbye, mother. you would not give me any rice to eat.” [119]
1 lumawig is the greatest of all spirits and now lives in the sky, though for a time his home was in the igorot village of bontoc, he married a bontoc girl, and the stones of their house are still to be seen in the village. it was lumawig who created the igorot, and ever since he has taken a great interest in them, teaching them how to overcome the forces of nature, how to plant, to reap and, in fact, everything that they know. once each month a ceremony is held in his honor in a sacred grove, whose trees are believed to have sprung from the graves of his children. here prayers are offered for health, good crops, and success in battle. a close resemblance exists between lumawig of the igorot and kaboniyan of the tinguian, the former being sometimes called kambun’yan.
2 the bukidnon of mindanao have the following story: during a great drought mampolompon could grow nothing on his clearing except one bamboo, and during a high wind this was broken. from this bamboo came a dog and a woman, who were the ancestors of the moro. see “the white squash,” note 1, p. 186.
3 at the north end of the village of mayinit are a number of brackish hot springs, and from these the people secure the salt which has made the spot famous for miles around. stones are placed in the shallow streams flowing from these springs, and when they have become encrusted with salt (about once a month) they are washed and the water is evaporated by boiling. the salt, which is then a thick paste, is formed into cakes and baked near the fire for about half an hour, when it is ready for use. it is the only salt in this section, and is in great demand. even hostile tribes come to a hill overlooking the town and call down, then deposit whatever they have for trade and withdraw, while the igorot take up the salt and leave it in place of the trade articles.
4 the women of samoki are known as excellent potters, and their ware is used over a wide area. from a pit on a hillside to the north of the village they dig a reddish-brown clay, which they mix with a bluish mineral gathered on another hillside. when thoroughly mixed, this clay is placed on a board on the ground, and the potter, kneeling before it, begins her moulding. great patience and skill are required to bring the vessel to the desired shape. when it is completed it is set in the sun to dry for two or three days, after which it is ready for the baking. the new pots are piled tier above tier on the ground and blanketed with grass tied into bundles. then pine bark is burned beneath and around the pile for about an hour, when the ware is sufficiently fired. it is then glazed with resin and is ready to market.
5 the mythology of nearly all peoples has a flood story. for the tinguian account see note on page 103. for the bukidnon story see p. 125.
6 a bamboo basket, in which the heads of victims are kept prior to the head-taking celebration.
7 the folk-lore of all countries has some story accounting for the acquisition of fire. the tinguian tale is as follows: once in the very old times kaboniyan sent a flood which covered all the land. then there was no place for the fire to stay, so it went into the bamboo, the stones, and iron. that is why one who knows how can still get fire out of bamboo and stones.
8 see note 1, p. 99.
9 the magical increase of food is a popular subject with the tinguian, appearing in many of their folk-tales. see note 2, p. 48.
10 note the similarity to the story of moses in this account of lumawig striking the rock and water coming out. there is a possibility that this incident was added to the story after the advent of the catholic missionaries.
11 usually one or more new coffins can be found in an igorot village. they are made from a log split in two lengthwise, each half being hollowed out. since their manufacture requires some days, it is necessary to prepare them ahead of time. after the body is put in, the cover is tied on with rattan and the chinks sealed with mud and lime.
12 a somewhat similar idea is found among the kulaman of southern mindanao. here when an important man dies he is placed in a coffin, which resembles a small boat, the coffin being then fastened on high poles near the sea. see cole, wild tribes of davao district, mindanao, pub. field museum of nat hist, vol. xii, no. 2, 1913.
13 this story, first recorded by dr. a.e. jenks, gives the origin of the custom of head-hunting, which plays such an important part in the life of the igorot. the igorot claim to have taken heads ever since lumawig lived on earth and taught them to go to war, and they declare that it makes them brave and manly. the return of a successful war party is the signal for a great celebration.
14 this is also the common way of making pottery.
15 here we have a story, recorded by dr. a.e. jenks, with a twofold value: it is told to the children as a warning against stinginess, and it also explains the origin of the serpent eagle.
16 there is no jungle in the greater part of the igorot country, the mountains being covered by cogon grass with occasional pine trees. at a distance these have a strange appearance, for only the bushy tops are left, the lower branches being cut off for fuel.
17 first recorded by dr. a.e. jenks.
18 tattooing is a painful process, but igorot men, women, and children willingly submit to it for the sake of beauty. the design is first drawn on the skin with an ink made of soot and water: then the skin is pricked through the pattern and the soot is rubbed into the wounds. various designs appear on the face, arms, stomach, and other parts of the body, but the most important of all markings is that on the breast of an igorot man. this designates him as the taker of at least one human head, and he is thus shown to be worthy of the respect of his tribe.
19 this story also accounts for the origin of the crow and the lizard, both of which are common in the igorot country.
20 this story, first recorded by dr. a.e. jenks, while it explain the origin of the little rice bird, also points a moral, namely, that there is punishment for the disobedient child.
