BIRTH OF LUMAUWIG

LUMAUWIG Kabunian, the powerful god, descended to earth shortly after the flood wasover. While wandering across the lowlands, he met and fell in lovewith a beautiful young woman named Bugan. It was a universal law of theskyworld, however, that mortals could not marry gods. But Kabunian wasvery much in love with Bugan. He thought of ways by which hecould give meaning to his desires. Eventually, he changed himself to ahandsome young man and wooed the young mountain lass. Several months offervent courtship brought results--- Bugan accepted the love of thegreat god and they got married. Bugan bore Kabunian three children. The eldest was Kabigat, a handsomeboy. The second was a girl whom they called Daungen. When the thirdchild came, Kabunian was
preparing to return to the Upperworld. Hecould not stay in human form and live on earht forever. This grievedpoor Bugan who did not suspect that she had married a god. Kabunian wanted to take their children along with him to theUpperworld, but Bugan objected to his plan Now that he would be leavingher, she said, she needed the children to comfort her in the eveningand to help her work on the fields. At last, after a lengthydiscussion, they agreed to divide their children. Kabigat remained withhis mother and Daungen went with her father. The problem of custody over the third child came up. Neither couldagree that the ther would take care of the younget boy. For a while thewhole problem remained unsettled. Later they agreed to divide the childas they had done with their other chidren. Kabunian used his power andsupplied the missing parts of the halved infant. His share of
the boybecame a girl and he called her Bangan while Bugan's share became a boyand she named him Lumauwig. Lumauwig grew to be a mighty warrior ( infact, some mountain groups worshipped him as their principal god ) ,and Bangan became the goddess of the skyworld. On the other hand,Kabigat married his sister Daungen and they became the parents of allthe mountain peoples. BROTHERS OF INUDE There lived in the Ifugaoland so many years ago two brothers, Wigan andIhik, and their sister Bugan. Bugan was so beautiful that many suitorscame to win her hand. However, her borthers were so selfish that theyforced her to refuse all of them. The act made the girl very unhappy.She found out later that what her brothers were telling her about hersuitors were not true! Looking down form the sky, Kabunian saw how these brothers madetheir sister
miserable. So he went down to earth to test the youngwoman's heart and to put and end to her brother's selfishness. Hechanged himself into an ugly, leprous man and went down to the village.Then he courted the beautiful damsel. The girl accepted him withoutmuch ado because she saw an honest man behind the sores and ugliness.Her decision to marry Kabunian disappointed her brothers. They laughedat her. "Why don't you use your eyes?" roared one of her brothers."Take a good look and tell us what you see in your lover's face." "Hadn't she better wash her eyes before she opens them?"joined the brothers. They both burst in an uproarious laughter. The ridicule of these two brothers only deepened Bugan's love. Shemarried the disguised Kabunian. One day the men of the village went out to the forest to check whethertheir prepared sacrifices were
ropitious to the deities or not. The sunwas half-way when they reached a place called Inude, a small stonyclearing on the mountaintop. Everybody was tired and thirsty. But therewas no spring or brook at which they could quench their thirst. In that partly was Kabunian and one of his brothers-in-law, Ihik. Ihik wasvery thirsty and, still carrying the resentment over what heconsidered his sister's disobedience to their wishes, he turned toKabunian and told him to make water flow out of the stones. "If you are as great and noble as my sister says you are," Ihiksaidmockingly as he faced the disguised Kabunian, "then perform a miracle.Be somebody---you can act Kabunian himself and make water flow out ofthis rock." Without saying a word, Kabunian took his spear and thrust it againstthe rock. The weapon pierced the stone and to the astonishment of
all,water flowed out. Ihik hastened to drink but Kabunian brushed him aside. "You wait," the god said, "let us observe the custom ofgiving priority to our elders, You, Ihik, being the youngest in the group drinklast." And so the older men of the group drank first. When it was Ihik'sturn, Kabunian kicked him in the stomach and said, "You stay here and drinkas much water as you can take ." Instantly, the man turned into stoneand water passed through his mouth and flowed out of his anus. Thusended the selfish man who ridiculed the great god. LUMAUWIG AND MITURA Years went by Lumauwig, son of Kabunian and his mortal wife, Bugan, grewup to be a handsome, dashing young man. Kabunian was pleased and he gave his sonextraordinary powers. He also entrusted to him the patronship of the warriors.One day Lumauwig's presence was invoked by the
chief of one of the villagesin Mountain Province. Despite his mother's objection because there was somuch work to do in the fields, the god-hero took his spear and headed for thevillages. On his way, he saw a young and beautiful daughter of a Kankanaychieftain, The lovely lady was playing with her friends by the bank of thebrook. Lumauwig, struck by the dazzling beauty of the maiden, changed himselfinto a handsome mortal, and approached the party. But the women, upon seeinghim, ran away. It was prohibited by the local custom in those days for anunmarried woman to look into the eyes of a man, especially stranger. Lumauwig stopped the young woman. "Don't go away fair one,"he said. "I will not harm you. Here, let us chew betel and you tell me youename." The beauty of the stranger standing before her dazzled the eyes of thegirl. Her fear vanished, and, amazingly, she fell in love with
him. "Myname is Mitura," she mumbled nervously. She kept looking at the young manand Lumauwig knew that his charm worked. Without hesitation he asked Mitura tomarry him. Mitura's father did not object when Lumauwig sought the hand ofthe girl in marriage. Lumauwig, however, did not find happiness with his mortal wife. Therewere many things that they did not have in common. Mitura turned out to be ajealous. nagging wife. One day, Lumauwig told her that he would be away for sometime. The sturdy god of the warriors did not tell his wife who he was, and thisstarted the whole trouble. After a fortnight's absence, Mitura became suspicious. Thoughts ofanother woman preyed on her mind and she went to spy on her husband. This madethe great Lumauwig very angry, and when he came they quarreled. The great god ofthe warriors swore by Mount Pulog never to live on earth again. But before
hedeparted, he took with him their child. Mitura became very lonely, miserable anddespondent! She wept and wept and Lumauwig despite his anger, took pity on her.He placed their child out in the sky every night for Mitura to see. The childbecame the mooon. DESCENT OF DAUNGEN Daungen, daughter of Kabunian by Bugan, was taken by her father to thesky, where she became the goddess of rainbow. While wandering along the regionof the clouds one day, she saw down in the valley a young man, Lawigan, workingin his field very hard. Lawigan was an orphan. His parents had died when he was still a very youngchild and since then he lived alone. He tended the ricefield which his parentshad left to him. Added to this hardship, no one in the village was willing tohelp poor Lawigan though he had begged them. Changing herself into a mortal woman, Daungen came down to
earth. Thenwith the craftiness of a real woman, she proceeded with her plans. First sheclothed herself with a tapis, a jacket and a blanket; then she made beads out ofthe sand and placed them around her head. She looked beautiful and attractive ina woman's attire. Her second scheme consisted in acting like a stranger. She approached thehandsome mountain youth and asked him which way to get to a certain villagecalled Bauko. Lawigan, unaware of the scheme, directed her. After a whilehowever, Daungen returned to the young man, saying that she had not found herway. And since it was already late in the afternoon, she asked Lawigan if shecould spend the night in his bauwi. Knowing that she was in a situation where his hospitality was at stake,Lawigan searched his mind for a good reason to refuse her accommodation. At lasthe could confronted her. "I am sorry, lady, but I have not stored
anyfod." "You don't have to worry," Daungen told him. "Go andgather fuel." When Lawigan left, the goddess produced some palay from hermagic bag and pounded the grains. Then she cooked the rice and together theyate. While they were thus eating, Daungen made known to Lawigan her intentionto help him in his fields. Reluctant at first because he knew he could notafoord a farmhand, Lawigan consented later. Daungen immediatelywent to work andmade the fields ready for planting before midnight. Since it was tabooed foryoung men to sleep under the same roof with an unmarried woman Lawigan went tothe men's dormitory to sleep that night. And Daungen slept in his housealone. This affair continued for several months until the designing goddesssucceeded in inducing the mountain youth to fall in love with her. Lawiganceased sleeping at the men's dormitory several weeks later. A few
monthspassed. Daungen conceived and gave birth to a pretty baby girl. They named herIngalayan. With the birth of the child, the goddess felt that her mission wasaccomplished and when Ingalayan was a little older, she decided to return to theskyworld. Besides she wanted to teach the man a lesson: Lawigan had grown toodependent on her to work in the fields! One afternoon Daungen did not return home. Lawigan told his daughter tolook for her mother. Ingalayan scoured the fields and the neighboring hillsides.But there was no sign of Daungen. The girl was on her way home when she saw abundle of clothes beside the brook. She knew it was her mother's. Sheimmediately went home and told her father. Lawigan wept bitterly because hethought his wife had been abducted by the headhunters. He went to the brook andto his surprise, the rainbow spoke to him. "Grieve no more, Lawigan, for I am safe. I am
not a mortal woman asyou thought. I am a goddess--Daungen of the skyworld -- and I changed myself toa woman because of my compassion over your helplessness. Now that Ingalayan isgrown up, she can take care of you. Let her take a husband so that you will havesomeone to help you in the fields." Then the rainbow vanished. Lawigan wenthome very lonely but wiser than before.