KABIGAT AND BUGAN

A long time ago, there lived in one of the regions of the sky two powerful Ifugao deities, Kabigat and Bugan. After so many years of courthship, Bugan accepted Kabigat and both were married and had many children.



One day Kabigat sent two of his children, Wigan and Bugan, to dig tubers on theside of the sky-hill. While the brother and sister were busy digging tubers, Kabigat caused a heavy rainfall, and the pair to be carried down to earth bythe flood which followed.



Wigan and Bugan scoured the earth and finally settled in a place called Upstream Region. Here they built a temporary hut and cultivated the hillside. soon they prospered.



However, despite their wealth, they lived modestly. They were not boastful like the other villagers who talked too much about their good harvest and who refused to offer sacrifices to the gods in time of plenty. They observed their annual obligations to the divinities of Mount Pulog and performed necessary rituals to the anito in time of harvest and before the planting season.



From heaven, Kabunian, the superior deity, saw the abuses of the other childrenof Kabigat and Bugan. At first the great god tried to understand their shortcomings, forgiving them in as many ways as he could. However, as days passed, he could no longer bear their perverted attitude. So one day he decided to flood the whole world except Mt. Amuyao---and to drown all men except the

faithful brother and sister.



He warned these two favorite of his plan in a dream. Having instructed them togo to Mt. Amuyao, the great god opened the Gates of the sea and and in rushed the waters . Up the Mountaintop, Wigan and his sister, Bugan survived the deluge

which drowned all other human beings.



At first reluctant, Bugan later consented to become the wife of her brother. Their marriage brought them two children, Kalimongan and Mangotngot. Because they were the only people left, Kalimongan married his sister, Mangongot, and they had many children.





One day Kalimongan and Mangotngot decided to leave Mt. Amuyao to look for a better place live in. Food was fast becoming scanty because of their growing numbers. So, taking along few of their personal belongings, the pair journeyed until they reached a village called Bawang, a small valley located east of Mayawyaw. Here they stopped and built new home.



While looking for food one afternoon, Kalimongan saw two rice plants growing in a pond of stagnant water. An idea came to him. If he could level the ground or build something to stop the water from flowing down the mountainside, he could grow his grain which he found good to eat. He called for his wife and together they leveled the mountainside. Then built stone walls order to keep the water inside the level fields. This started the rice-terrace building in Mount Province, and brought about the cultivation of rice as well as the staple food of the Filipinos. Wigan and Bugan became the ancestors of the people in the Mountain Province.