How the Rice was Discovered

Many years ago food was very abundant. People did not have to work in the fields. They did not have to plant crops either. All they did when they were hungry was to gather edible roots and fruits of the trees. The rivers were also full of shrimps, snails and fishes.
In the Western Bisayas, there lived a man named Siguinhon and his wife, Tiguinlan. They were childless for many years. So they used to wander about the mountainsides.
Finally, Taguinlan became pregnant. This made it difficult for her to travel up and down the mountains. Siguinhon decide to stay put. He went out one day to look fo an ideal site.
Strange events took place at this time. The hillsides became dry. Rain failed to come in spite of the prayers which people made to their anitos and offerings they gave to their ancestral spirits.
This drought continued for several months. Even the streams became very shallow and the spring dry. Many plants died. Edible roots and fruits became scarce.
When Tiguinlan gave birth, food was very hard to find. But since the nursing mother needs more food in order to nourish the baby, there was no other recourse but for Siguinhon to look for food. He departed one morning. He climbed mountains, explored the forest, and followed the rivers. But he could not find anything to eat.
This search led him to the highest peak of the mountain. Here, he found some tall grass growing. He had not seen these plants before. And when he came very near, he found them heavy with grains.
When he stepped forward to touch the grain, the plants spoke to him.
"Take us home with you. Then removed the husks, from our grains. Boil the clean grains and eat them."
Siguinhon was afraid. However the plants assured him that there was nothing to be afraid of. They were merely trying to help his nourishing baby.
The young man did as he was told.
When he reached home, he told Tiguinlan about his luck. Together they removed the grains from the stalks and pounded these on the top of the big stone. Thus husks were removed. This done, they cooked the clean grains.
The cooked grains were good to eat. It was a satisfying meal the couple had. After eating they rested. While they were lying down, Siguinhon said to his wife.
" Perhaps it would be better if I gather some more grains and plant them here."
Tiguinlan thought it was a good idea. So they prepared to go. As they were about to depart, the grains spoke to them.
" As soon as you have enough of us, clean the hillside before sowing it."
Siguinhon and Tiguinlan answered favorably. They agreed to clean the hillside, In fact they volunteered to re-direct the flow of the spring nearby.
The couple departed to look for more grains from the stalks.. Then they cleaned the hillsides and sowed their seeds.
At this time, their baby was already big. He started to talk. One day, as Tiguinlan and Siguinhon prepared dinner, the baby crawled towards the kitchen. The sweet odor of the cooked grains attracted the child. He started saying "pa-ay,pa-ay."
Because Tiguinlan and Siguinhon had no name for the sweet-smelling grains, they called them "paray", a modification of what the child said. Actually the term means "good-spirit."