Karanasan sa Paghahanap ng mga Nawawalang Salita sa Wikang Isinay (4)

Tagahawak ng mga Nalimutan ng Isinay

SUMUNOD NA pinuntahan ko ang talagang pakay ko sa aking paglalakad sa araw na ito. Si Ginoong Guillermo A. Calacala Jr., isang magsasaka sa may Dalihan-Tueng-Palobotan.

Upang marating ko siya, kailangan munang tumawid ako ng ilog at bagtasin ang mahahaba, makikitid, at malambo-lambot pang pilapil. Ilang beses din akong kamuntikmuntikan nang madulas sa pilapil. Kaya tuloy nasambit ko sa sarili: Walanghiya... dalasdalasan mo kasi ang pag-uwi para masanay ka uling maglakad sa bukid!

Abalang-abala sa pag-aararo si Uwa Junior noong makita ko siya. Kung di ko pa siya inimikan ng "ang lawak pala ng palayan mo" sa Isinay, di niya ako napansin. Doon ko lang napagtanto na kailangan talaga ang konsentrasyon kung ikaw ay nag-aararo, at kung hindi ay baka lilihis sa landas ang iyong araro at baka lalampas pa ang humihilang kalabaw sa ibang pilapil.

Karanasan sa Paghahanap ng mga Nawawalang Salita sa Wikang Isinay (3)

Mga Salitang may Kakambal na Ala-ala

SA LAKAD kong ito ay nag-unahan muli sa pagsagi sa aking isipan ang mga salitang Isinay na nahalukay ng mga bagay na napagtuunan ko ng pansin o kaya’y hinila ng mga tanawin na kakaib kumpara sa mga nakakasalamuha ko sa Baguio.

Mula noong nagsimula akong mangalap ng mga salitang Isinay, ganyan naman lagi ang nangyayari sa tuwi akong mag-early morning walk. Katulad nang sa tinatawag ng mga mananakbo na "runner's high", ano ba't sa pagkabanat ng aking mga buto at pagpasok ng sariwang hangin sa aking kalamnan, dinadagsa ako ng kung anu-anong ala-ala, ideya, at mga salita na para bang sinasabing “Present! Andito ako!”

Pero ang masarap ay ito: bawat salitang pinapanumbalik ng aking paglalakad ay may kaakbay, kaakibat, o kakambal na mga ala-ala.

Halimbawa, yung pagbubukang-liwayway na pinakakaasam-asam kong panoorin sa paggising saang lugar man ako mapadpad.

Unang naglaro sa kukote ko ang manborobdang – sa Ilocano ay agbannawag. Kasunod nito ay dumating ang mga salitang daya at butta – parehong Isinay ng silangan (bagaman sabi nila ay Ilocano yung daya at ang tunay na Isinay niya ay butta.

At mayat-maya pa ay nabuhay sa aking ala-ala yung mga madaling araw sa I-iyo na halos tulog pa ang buong nayon ay nasa kalsada na kami ng aking lolo at lola papunta sa bukid. Hindi pa ako nag-aaral ay kasakasama na ako ng lola at lola ko. Kung di ko kasama sa kariton noon ang aking lola, nandun ako sa likod ng aking lolo at yakap-yakap ang likod niya habang nakaangkas kami sa kanyang malaking kalabaw (nuwang sa Isinay, nuang sa Ilocano).

Mula sa nayon ng I-iyo noon ay tatlong lugar ang malimit naming puntahan sa bandang ilaya (upstream)ng poblacion ng Dupax (Dupax del Sur na ngayon).

Pinakauna rito ang Langka na kung saan may kaingin (swidden farm sa English, uma sa Ilocano, soppeng sa Isinay) kami.

Pangalawa ang kabilang ilog lang niya na Mammayang na kung saan may sinasakang tubigan (ricefield, taltalon, payaw) ang lolo ko.

Pangatlo ang Arwat na kung saan may bukid ang nanay ko at sa kalapit nitong bundok ay may kinaingin din ang lolo ko na tinamnan ng upland rice (biit sa Ilocano, biit din yata sa Isinay, palay sa bundok yata sa Tagalog).

Noong maglaon ay napadagdag ang mga taniman nila ng kamote at mani sa mga di ginagalaw na tabing-ilog. Ito yung mga flood plain na tinatawag sa English.

Palibhasa tunay na Ilocano, masipag kasi ang aking Apong Pedro lalo na kung sa pagtatanim ang pag-uusapan. Kaya lagi kaming may kinakain at inuulam na mga apo niya ay dahil lagi siyang may binubungkal at tinatamnan kahit hindi niya sarili ang lupa.

Kung masipag-sipag ka lang kasi ay maraming tiwangwang na lugar noon sa Dupax – libreng tamnan mo ng kamoteng baging, kamoteng kahoy, mani, papaya, saging, at samut-saring gulay. Halimbawa ng mga gulay namin dito noon ay: sitaw (gayya), munggo (betung), talong (balaseno), patani (atav), bitsuelas (kudiyas), iris, kamatis, at mustasa. Iyon ay kung kaya mong magbanat-buto para hawanin ang malalaking damo na tinatawag na tanubong sa Ilocano (di ko pa alam sa Isinay).

SUMUNOD na nagpasigla sa aking ala-ala ang dike na tinatawag naming tanggal sa Ilocano at nitong nakalimutan na ng mga Isinay ang taal nilang salita ay tanggal na rin ang kanilang tawag.

Deppu ang naalala kong Isinay nito, pero (pangunahan ko na) noong nagtanong ako pagkatapos kong puntahan ang dike na ito ay nadiskubre ko ang tunay pero nakalimutan na nga karamihan na pangalan nito sa Isinay – pa^de. Ang alam kong tawag ay deppu, pero ito raw ay para lang sa mga maliliit na dike ng patubigan (irigasyon), lalo na yung mga nasa gitna ng mga sakahan.

Ang kakambal na gunita ng pa^de o tanggal ay yung mga weekends na kaya ko nang mapag-isa kung ginagalugad ko ang aking munting paraiso noon sa paligid ng linakihan kong I-iyo. Sa tanggal sa I-iyo ako malimit maligo at magpana noon.

May mga tanggal din paborito naming pasyalan na mga kabataan noong nagbibinata ako. Isa ang Daki^ na sa palagay ko’y ipinangalan sa bamboo raft na daki^ ang tawag sa Isinay (rakit sa Ilocano, balsa sa Tagalog at sa Ilocano). Pangalawa ang Birayan na palagay ko noong unang panahon ay may biray (tawag sa bangka ng mga naunang Ilocano at Visaya). Pangatlo ang Lohban sa may bukiring lugar na tawag ay Lohban (lukban o sua sa Ilocano, suha sa Tagalog).

PANGATLONG bagay na gumising sa ibang kabanata ng aking pagiging bata ay ang nakita kong ginagawa ng isang apo nina Uwa Junior at Manang Sabel Calacala sa may ilog sa ibaba ng bahay nila sa Dalijan. Naghuhugas ng kinainan. Ang Isinay ng gawaing iyon ay manajpat (aginnaw sa Ilocano). Ganoon ang karaniwang assignment ko noong alagang-bata (ajayam sa Isinay, aw-awir sa Ilocano) pa ako hanggang sa noong ako’y maging saydkik, kung baga, ng mga magulang ng nanay ko.

Sangkaterba ang hinuhugasan ko noon – plato (sipa sa Isinay, pinggan sa Ilocano), sandok ng kanin (innaru sa Isinay, aklo ti innapoy sa Ilocano), sandok ng ulam (se-ung sa Isinay, aklo sa Ilocano), mangkok (kumaw sa Isinay, malukong), palayok (banga sa Isinay, tayab), kaldero, at iskudilya.

Wala pang dishwashing liquid noon. Gamit ko lang noon ay fine river sand – pito^ sa Isinay, darat sa Ilocano – na ikinukuskos sa pamamagitan ng dayami (seve sa Isinay, garami). Kung minsan ay tinatangay ng agos ang ilan sa mga hinuhugasan ko, kaya dali-dali ko silang hahabulin para di tuluyang maanod punta sa malalim na bahagi ng ilog kung saan maraming river leech o linta (bilavil sa Isinay, alimatek sa Ilocano).

Katabi ng pinaghuhugasan ng bata ay ang open well (tuvu sa Isinay, bubon sa Ilocano). Paborito ko ang gumawa ng ganitong igiban noong bata ako. Pipiliin ko noon ang di gaanong mabatong parte ng tabing-ilog, tapos kakayurin ko at gagawa ng pabilog na butas. Kung abot ko na ang bumubukal na bahagi, lilinisin ko ito, lalagyan ng malalapad na bato sa gilid, gagawan ng daluyan, at kakalasan ng maputik na tubig. Di maglaon ay magiging malinaw (maliting sa Isinay, nalitnaw sa Ilocano) na ang tubig nito at puwede nang umigib (mansajov sa Isinay, agsakdo sa Ilocano) ng maiinom mula rito na ang gamit namin noon ay bamboo tube (bayongbong sa Isinay, tubong sa Ilocano).

Maliban sa batang kinunan ko ng litrato, ewan kung may mga kabataan pa sa aming bayan na ganyang pag-iimis ng kinainan at paggawa ng igiban ang normal nilang gawain.

(SUNDAN SA KABANATA 4)

Karanasan sa Paghahanap ng mga Nawawalang Salita sa Wikang Isinay (2)

Dayong Ibon sa Kinagisnang Nayon

Nangyari ito nito lamang ika-27 ng Nobyembre. Tulad ng akin nang nakagawian tuwing nasa Dupax, gumising ako na ang alarm clock ay pag-potpot ng magpapandesal, nagtimpla ng kape at nagsawsaw ng kung anong puwedeng isawsaw (malimit ay mainit-init pangpandesal, kung minsan ay natirang tinapay, kung suwertehin ay tupig), dumalaw saglit sa kubeta, at mayat-maya pa ay gumayak na sa paglalakad tungo sa kung saan ko “feel” na magandang puntahan sa araw na iyon.

Mas type ko ang maglakad kung madilim-dilim pa. Gawa kasi pag maliwanag na at may nakakakita sa akin, di ko maiwasan na tumigil para batiin ng “Si bi^bihat!” (magandang umaga sa Isinay) at kung kakilala ang tao ay tiyak masasabit na ako sa matagal-tagal ding kamustahan at kung nasaan na si ganito, ilan na ang mga anak ko, kelan namatay si ganito, saan ako nagtatrabaho, at pagbabalik-tanaw sa buhay Dupax noong araw na may malalaki pang puno pa ng sampalok dito at wala pang bahay sa banda doon, at marami pang iba.

Nakakailang uwi na rin ako sa aking bayang sinilangan. Kung kaya’t sa aking paggagala ay may mga bumabati na sa akin na kung saan sila nang nagsasabi sa mga usyosong kapitbahay, halimbawa, ng “Si Sarles diye an ana^ Ente^ on Dalen Castro” o kaya’y “Apun Baket Feliza on Lahay Pedro Pudiquet diye”. Nakakatuwa na maging conversational piece ka – parang artista o pulitiko – ng mga nadaraanan mo.

Pero andun din ang naiilang pa rin ako pag may nakakakita sa akin na bakas mo sa mukha nila na ang turing sa akin ay isang dayuhan. Ang masakit ay kung kausapin mo sila, halimbawa, sa Ilocano – “Akinbalay dayta?” (Kaninong bahay yan?) – o sa Isinay “Lumawusa^ tay” (Makikiraan po). Bata man o magulang, malimit ang sagot sa iyo ay Tagalog na kung di man puntong Ilocano ay halatang may Isinay accent.

Mas maigi kung ganon na mamasyal kung di pa sumisikat ang araw, mahamog pa ang mga damo sa tabing kalsada, halos wala ka pang nasasalubong at, kung di man nagugulantang na asong kalsada, ang magtataka lang sa gayak mong makulay na baseball cap, putting T-shirt, maliit na pasiking, kakaibang walking shorts, at pekeng Crocs sandals ay mga naghihikab na kalabaw at baka.

(SUNDAN SA KABANATA 3)

Karanasan sa Paghahanap ng mga Nawawalang Salita sa Wikang Isinay (1)

WIKANG ISINAY sana ang aking gagamitin sa blog na ito. Pero ewan ko ba at biglang sumagi sa aking isipan na magsulat naman sa wikang pambansa ng Pilipinas.

Marahil nagsasawa na ako sa pagiging Paeng (bansag na gamit namin noong dekada ‘80 sa isang opisyal ng Forestry na bagaman taal na Ilocano at marunong namang mag-Tagalog ay pa-ingli-English kung kausapin). At kaakibat niyan ay napagtanto kong maganda rin kung, for a change or to break the monotony, ay maibuhos ko paminsan-minsan sa wikang Filipino ang damdaming Isinay.

Marahil din nagpupumiglas ang aking pagka Pinoy at kahit papaano ay maiwasiwas man lang ang natutunan kong Pilipino mula noong nagbabasa ako ng Liwayway, Hiwaga, Tagalog Klasiks, Pilipino Komiks, at Tiktik noong ako’y nag-aaral pa sa Dupax Elementary School (1958-1964), kasama na noong una kong matisod sa Saint Mary’s High School na ang kahulugan ng balarila (ayon yata ito kay Lope K. Santos) ay “pag-aaral ng pagkakasunud-sunod, pagkakadugtung-dugtong, at pagkakaugnay-ugnay ng mga salitang napapaloob sa isang pangungusap.”

At marahil pilit na ibinabalik ng aking senior citizen nang subconscious ang mga natutunan kong pananagalog noong papaug-paog pa akong estudyante sa UP Los Baños (at di magaya ang paggamit ng ganire, nakakaadwa, matam-is, nakain ka ba ng aso, hane, at iba pang pananalita sa Timog Katagalugan) hanggang sa ako’y nagsusulat na rin sa wikang Filipino (halimbawa sa mga plakard at peryodikit bago mag-Martial Law, sa Ang Manggugubat ng Forestry Student Body Organization at sa Kalipunan ng Samahang Ekolohiya), at noong nagtapos na ay tumulong sa pagsasa-Filipino sa Saligang Batas ng Samaeko, naging tagapayo sa mga talumpatimpalak tuwing linggo ng wika sa Dalubhasaan ng Panggugubat, at nakibahagi nang konti sa pagkilos ng Sentro ng Wikang Filipino ng UPLB.

Kagilagilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran

Isa sa aking mga bukam-bibig mula noong nahasa na ako sa pakikipagtalakayan sa wikang Pinoy ay ang salitang kagilagilalas. Maalala pa siguro yan ng mga matandaing nakasalamuha ko sa mga umpukan sa UPLB lalo na sa Forestry noong bata-bata pa ako.

Ginamit ko pa yata siya sa pamagat ng isa kong tula-tulaan noong ako'y pinalad maging Literary Editor ng mga pinakaunang isyu ng UPLB Perspective. Noong 1974-75 pa iyon. Kung tama ang aking ala-ala, ang pamagat ng katha kong iyon ay “Kagilagilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ng Isang Tinamaan ng Balisawsaw”.

Siguro naman walang mababalisawsaw sa mga mambabasa at tagapagtangkilik sa blogsite na Isinay World – lalo na ang mga katribu kong Isinay – kung bubuhayin ko muli ang paborito kong salitang iyon sa blogpost na ito.

Sa mga kadugo kong Isinay: Matuwa tiye, iiva on abeveyoyan. Ganas, mamis, on marin matamam podda daratye madandanas uwar si pangan-anap si mawaywayir boon ila ya tinama tau mot an ba^ba^ si Isinay. (This is true, brothers/sisters and townmates. What I go through in my search for vanishing or forgotten words in Isinay are joyful, sweet, and unforgettable experiences.)

Pasensiya na kung di ko mai-translate sa Isinay ang kagilagilalas at pakikipagsapalaran. Maski anong pagpiga ang gawin ko sa utak ko, wala akong maalala sa ngayon na deretsahang katumbas na mga salitang iyan.

Gayunpaman, isasama ko ang mga salitang iyan – pati na mga synonyms ng kagilagilalas na amazing, wonderful at exciting, at “kamag-anak” ng pakikipagsapalaran na adventure, escapades at journeys – sa mga isasangguni ko sa mga nakakatandang Isinay pag-uwi ko muli sa Dupax.

Susubukan ko ring kalampagin ang mga kapareho kong Isinay sa aming grupong Isinay Global Association at Isinay Friends sa Facebook. Kung susuwertihin ay baka may mga katumbas ang mga naturang salita sa wikang Isinay ng mga taga-Bambang.

Sa aking paghahanap ng mga nawawala, natabunan, o kaya'y nakaligtaan nang mga salita sa Isinay ay kung saan-saan ako dinadala ng aking mga paa.

Marami-rami na nga ang aking samutsaring karanasan sa paggalugad ng mga salitang Isinay para sa ginagawa kong Isinay Dictionary.

Nagsimula pa ito noong 2007-2008. Ito’y pagkatapos kong tamaan ng sinasabi nilang slight myocardial infraction, maratay ng ilang araw sa Baguio Medical Center, at di naglaon ay nasundan ng halos dalawang taon na pakikipagbuno sa di ko maipaliwanag na pagkaba-kaba sa tuwing maiwang mag-isa sa bahay o sa apartment, sumakay sa elebeytor, eroplano at siksikang bus at MRT, dumaan ang sinasakyang taxi o kotse sa underpass, at mapagawi sa walang bintana o doble-saradong mga gusali.

Magkahalo raw na agoraphobia at claustrophobia ang dumapo sa akin. At sa mga panahong iyon na nabawas ang aking paggala at lie-low muna ako sa trabahong consultant na may kakambal na biyahe, doon ko naisipan na gumawa ng diksyunaryo ng nawawala nang sinaunang wika ng Timog Nueva Vizcaya.

Hindi minsanan, parang hinihipan ako noon ng aking anghel de la guwardiya hindi lang ng ideya ng pagbuo ng kaunaunahang talatinigan ng Isinay kundi pati ng kung ano ang gagawin, sinong mga tao ang kakausapin, at saang mga lugar ang gagalugarin.

Papitik-pitik noong una ang aking pagkalap ng mga salitang Isinay. At usad-pagong, wika nga, ang aking pagbubunong-braso para sa nasabing proyekto. Subalit kahit papaano ay kaakibat ng mga iyon ang mga karanasan na nagbibigay-sigla kung di man parang nanggagatong sa akin na kahit mahirap ay huwag na huwag akong susuko sa nasimulan kong misyon.

Nandiyan, halimbawa, ang mapasali ako sa padasal ng mga may edad nang kababaihan sa Dupax del Sur na kung di mo alam ang aming masiglang pinag-uusapan ay aakalain mong nagbibigay ako ng isang nakatutuwang training.

Nandiyan ang sisingit ako sa umpukan ng mga kalalakihang Isinay sa isang kanto at mayat-maya pay masaya na silang nagbabangayan sa kung ano ang tamang Isinay nito at nang ganito, at kung kelan at saan nangyari ang pamumugot-ulo ng mga Ibilaw, at marami pang iba.

Kahit saan ako mapunta sa aming bayan ngayon, para bagang isa akong kandidato na ano ba't binabati/nilalapitan/kinakausap, bagay na di ko naranasan noong di ko pa pinangatawanan ang pagbubuo ng kaunaunahang diksyunaryo ng lengguaheng Isinay.

Kung tutuusin ay pupuwede na ngang gawing libro ang mga karanasang ito. Datapwat kakailanganin ko siguro ang matagalang pag-upo sa harap ng aking kompyuter para maibuhos ang mga ito sa isang anyo na mababasa at nanamnamin sila ng ibang tao.

Pansamantala, pagdamutan natin ang kuwento ng pinakahuli kong pakikipagsapalaran. Medyo mahaba-haba ito kaya hiramin ko ang pambungad ng Kuwento ni Lola Basyang noong buhay at sikat pa ito sa radyo: “Mga bata, huwag na kayong malikot, maupo na kayo at sisimulan na ang ating kuwento….”

(SUNDAN SA SUSUNOD NA KABANATA 2)

Aritao Isinay Document: 1925 Testament of Margarita Larosa Granada

NOTE: How is Aritao Isinay compared to Dupax Isinay? If we use as sample the following Aritao Isinay document written in 1925, the Isinay of Aritao and Dupax don’t have distinguishable differences. I made the same observation as regards the contributions by the late Isinay writer-editor Edgar Daniel of Aritao and those of
his parents to Ernesto Constantino’s book Isinay Texts and Translations. If you are well versed in either Dupax Isinay or Aritao Isinay, please judge for yourself.

War Testamentowar Margarita Larosa Granada (1925)

Si ngaron di Diosar Ama Ana on Espiritu Santo. Saon si Margarita Larosa Granada Filipina inmasaua y Aurellano Salinas Aleman natural ami sitien bebeoy Aritao provincia Nueva Vizcaya an masajup ami sitien Distrito No. 2 consejal Don Bernardo Gammad.

Mibus toy tuoya naratngan si arun di Aputauar Dios si osan pan-atung u an ilaloa ta satu mos si pan-ayaj di Diosar isaon, on toy mebbes tar esep uar ya manutua si anur si Misterion di Santisima Trinidad atdipay lar inulianar mataju on misisipeanar, on ar urumar tay panpatutuan di Santa Iglesiar Catolica, si pangui-entregaar si anguear si Diosar, ya apio tien testamento an patadojon di misesseunurar darin mapelet si uritti-ar tien inpauaramin simbeyan si pangui-ipas miar si ana miar tien ososea an si Pascuala Salinas Larosa, immasaua y Federico Larosa, si naaliar dari tien urritti inpauara mi an saratu.

1. Osan ynuman sin-gottong si lugarar Casay an insulicitud ut gratuito an ni-yjar siratien taju, este Jose Granada natoy, oeste Susana Sinuldung natoy, norte Potenciana Portillo, sur Genoveba Aleman y Eufracio Toje.

2. Osan ynuman sin-gottong siri paylan lugar an tituladon di asauaar, an ni-ijar siratien taju, oeste Jose Granada natoy, este Aurellano Hermosilla, norte Jose Aleman, sur Juan Larosa.

3. Osan beoy maritay nasput dioy si materialesna si tabla di beuanar on osan beoy cocena tinajete completo man-oy si lugarar nilusaran di saratien naalin beoy on cocena.

Mitotear si apumiar Magdalena Larosa Salinas an tuoy si sajungonmiar.

Osan caban baul, osan lamesan redonda, osan lamesan comedor, osan beoy si pongan, osan colgadura, osan langcapen neajan si au-uoy, osan taborete de turno, osan taborete neajan si au-uoy, osan bangcon costado, osan espejo am-may, osan luup piniston tumbaga, osan damajuana aninao, osan saya nacabuan, osan eeng sinamay, osan ayin domdom, palanganan losa, opat tazan pancafean pino, osan cafeteran losa, duan vaso de agua, osan pana-uran panay, opat comao mam-may on osan mabagan man-oj.

Mibus si sabayat min sinbeyan an naninpajnanmi ta yipas mi lom-an di urittiar tien inpauara mi si naaliar tien anami an ososea, mu bayao toy neir an pilaj si panlimos u mu boon mansala daratien ana min sinbeyan Pascuala on Federico an manguibuttat pilaj si limos mi man-oy si gastosar, si ojor si limanpiun pesos (P50.00P) mu bayao toy uar duar an clase an dioy mababa sitien lista an saratu, ynumanar tituladon di asauaar, on beoyar an cocena ya mapaar tay sitien naalin asaua toy tuoy tay isian mataju ta pantajuanatay, on dumatong elar arun si Aputauar Dios sitien asaua ta matoy ya itriganamos daratie si naaliar anami an nababamos sitien Inventario.

Atdipay mu si amayu pat maratngan si arun di Aputauar Dios ya otorgon yu pay lan ibuttar limos nar man oy si urumar dari tay an mapelet.

Satut in iptao ut tien pinatadoj un testamento si voluntad di pusu-ar si urittiar tien inpauaramin sinbeyan an nitobayan di naaliar tien asaua Aurellano Salinas Aleman. On ta matutua tien inapia si ar asdeanar ya firma si limaar onang manfirma pay la di naaliar asaua on urumar darin mantasi an dioy naseom.

Aritao veinte y nueve de Marzo de mil noevecientos veinte y cinco.

Margarita Larosa

Aurellano Salinas

Sixto Bungubung
Testigo

GLOSSARY
inmasaua
natural
bebeoy
masajup
consejal
tuoya
naratngan
arun di Aputauar Dios
pan-atung
ilaloa
pan-ayaj
mebbes tar esep uar
manutua
anur si Misterion di Santisima Trinidad
inulianar mataju on misisipeanar
urumar tay panpatutuan di Santa Iglesiar Catolica
pangui-entregaar si anguear si Diosar
apio tien testamento
patadojon di misesseunurar darin mapelet
uritti-ar tien inpauaramin simbeyan
pangui-ipas miar si ana miar tien ososea
naaliar dari tien urritti inpauara mi
saratu
osan ynuman sin-gottong
insulicitud ut gratuito
ni-yjar/ni-ijar
este
oeste
natoy
norte
sur
tituladon di asauaar
beoy maritay nasput
dioy si materialesna
tabla di beuanar
osan beoy cocena
tinajete
completo
man-oy si lugarar nilusaran
mitotear
opat
dua
tuoy si sajungonmiar
caban baul
lamesan redonda
lamesan comedor
beoy si pongan
colgadura
langcapen neajan si au-uoy
taborete de turno
taborete neajan si au-uoy
bangcon costado
espejo am-may
luup piniston tumbaga
damajuana aninao
saya nacabuan
eeng sinamay
ayin domdom
palanganan losa
tazan pancafean pino
cafeteran losa
vaso de agua
pana-uran panay
comao mam-may
mabagan man-oj
sabayat min sinbeyan an naninpajnanmi
bayao toy neir an pilaj si panlimos
mu boon mansala daratien ana
manguibuttat pilaj si limos mi man-oy si gastosar
ojor si limanpiun pesos
tuoy tay isian mataju
pantajuanatay
itriganamos
maratngan si arun di Aputauar Dios
man oy si urumar dari tay an mapelet
otorgon yu pay lan ibuttar limos nar
satut in iptao ut tien pinatadoj un testamento
voluntad di pusu-ar
nitobayan
ta matutua tien inapia si ar asdeanar ya firma si limaar onang manfirma pay la di naaliar asaua on urumar darin mantasi an dioy naseom
veinte y nueve de Marzo de mil noevecientos veinte y cinco

Isinay Stories from Aritao: How Aritao Got Its Name

Ni^butan di Ngaronar di Aritao

EUFRONIO LAROSA, SR.
(Octobre 2, 1976)

Ana^, iv-iva, da^da-e on bisitas mi an mandonge si satiyen estoryo^ ira^yu besan.

Si lu-ang uwar an manbasa-basa on man-ada-adal mu sangkanan ningaranan tiyen beveyoy si Aritao, nayir lan urum an binasa^ si sinulat omu dingnge^ mu sangkanan ningaranan tiyen beveyoy si Aritao.

Bayaw ot diyoy si osan nambasaa^ si damdaman estorya an mu sangkanan nangaranan di osar an barrios di beveyoyar Pingkian si Santa Cruz. Satiye ya osan parten di estorya nar tiyen beveyoy Santa Cruz.

Mu sangkanan ningaranan diyen beveyoy toy mi^bus toy war papariyar darin naun-una an dimmatong situn provinsiya ya nanlaar datdi ba^yurar ningaranan si Bantay Lakay. Nanlaar datdi ot impas dat osan lugar an Pingkian.

Si osan lugar ya nanmisa ra, nanloov ra. Sinelebrasyon da ri osar an misa, ot dipan la ri misar siri ba^yurar siri Pingkian, ningaranan da riyen lugar si Santa Cruz. Dipan la riye loovar o misar siri Santa Cruz, immali rattu doteyar situ Aritao an besan mo.

Ya datong dar situ Aritao, mi^bus eman toy war tahuwar sirin poto^ ya nayir lan osa irira si manuttuwa si na-inkristiyanowanar an panuttuwa atdi ela papariyar darin niluuy si Espaniolar dari, ya inselebrar da omu inappiya rattu beveyoyar Aritao, siri lugarar an mingaranan si Ituy, riye primerowar poddan loov omu misa.

On mi^bus toy war ehawar an niselebra di primerowar poddan loov omu misattu beveyoyar ya nipto^ si ehawar an ingngaranan da besan si Ingles an Christ the King. Sarin ehhaw si ehaw riye Apu ta^war an Jesu Cristo, arin di tahuwar dari.

Andoholan si panuttuwaar on si pan-ad-adal uwar on inpandondongnge-ar, si uritti-ar an panrisersing u an inappiya^, ya manuttuwa^ an mu sangkanan ningaranan tiyen beveyoy si mangkaplatanar an ngarona mi^bus toy war primerowar podda omu na-un-unar poddan misa na niselebrar situ beveyoyar Ituy ya ehaw riye Aputa^war Jesu Cristo.

Andoholan ingngaranan tiyen beveyoy an Aritao, gosto nan ba^ba-on an arin diye lom-an di tahuwar dari.

Satu lohom on tandalan yu otiya tiyen uunga.

GLOSSARY
Aputa^war Jesu Cristo ― our Lord Jesus Christ
arin di tahuwar dari ― the people’s king
ba^yurar ningaranan si Bantay Lakay ― mountain named Mount Old Man
dingnge^ ― I heard
dipan la ri misar ― immediately after the mass
estoryo^ ― I will tell the story
gosto nan ba^ba-on ― in other words
immali rattu doteyar situ ― they came to this place
impas ― went down
inpandondongnge-ar ― what I heard
Ituy ― name of Southern Nueva Vizcaya particulalry Aritao, Dupax and Bambang
lu-ang ― based on
manbasa-basa on man-ada-adal ― reading and studying
mangkaplatanar an ngaronna ― its present name
mi^bus toy ― because
mu sangkanan ningaranan tiyen beveyoy si Aritao ― why this town was named Aritao
nambasaa^ ― my reference, something I read
nanmisa ra, nanloov ra ― they offered mass
nipto^ ― coincided
panrisersing u an inappiya^ ― the research I personally made
panuttuwaar ― my belief
primerowar podda ― the very first
satu lohom ― this is all
tandalan ― remember
uunga ― children

Bambang Stories: The Igorots, Ilongots and Isinays

[NOTE: To give Isinay World friends and patrons an idea of how the Bambang version of Isinay was spoken and written several decades ago, we're putting out selections of Isinay-Bambang stories from the book ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS (authored by former University of the Philippines Professor Ernesto Constantino and published in December 1982 by the Tokyo-based Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa). The book is copyrighted, thus we're only including the Isinay version of the stories here with the sole intent to help revitalize the Isinay language, nothing more. To help our readers with certain words that may have eluded their Isinay vocabulary (as well as to enhance the Isinay literacy of fellow language activists), we appended a selection of terms with their nearest English, Ilocano and Filipino equivalents. Still, we advise those who wish to know the meaning of other words, phrases, or sentences in this selection to please get in touch with a literate Isinay, or get hold of a copy of the book where the stories have English translations. Oh yes, this particular story should show readers how Bambang Isinay compares with Dupax Isinay.]

Appoyaw Ri Beveyoyad Bambang

Diego Umamos
(Octobre 4, 1966)

Sa-on si osa an mivebbeyoy situ beveyoyad Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya. Diyoya^ an midistrito situ Buag. Neyir urum si ba^ba-o^, on uritti^ lokom, an amung dinongnge^ pita-on, an sina^du^ an ap-appoyaw ri lalakayar dari on bivi-al si poto^ an unga^ tay. Ya satu ri inoy miyad an sinandala^.

Addiyona, nanung dimmatong di kongkistadoresar dari an Kakastila, si tiyempowar on taw-on mil sa-is siyentos diyes mantunat mil siyete siyentos korentay uno, ya neyir urum si immali an na-un-una situ Bambang mu boon si Reberendo Prayar Juan Armaza. Aluuy ra da Alejandro Cacho, Juan Arjona, on Domingo Caro. Saratu si Kakastila an papari on misionario an immalittu Bambang.

Si poto^ di satiye an taw-on an mil nueve sientos korentay uno, a koresiyon, adiyona osiya mil siyete sientos korentay uno, ya diyoy nararan si limampiyu ot lima an ranseria. Duwan piyuwad of weyu ya siya darariye i-Awaad dari an ma-ingaranan Igorotes, an diyoy ra si eyanopan di soy-angar. Diyoy pay la si duwan piyu ot pitu an ranserya an nittuwan di Ilonggotes. Saratu si pon-a an in-awara ra darasiye an duwan baranggay o grupo si tahu, an nambaliw an Isinay.

Siriye an dimmatong di Kakastilar dari an nangadnan, dingnge ra ta wad in-aalin di Kakastilad dari, an papari on misionario, ya wad ma-unar an anapon da si takuwar dari an dinakngan da situ ranserya rari, ya^ pan-ivaka ra ri Diyosar ma-una, balitu-ad si segunda, on war terserar ya panggloria rad, si in-aali rad si lugarar an ningadna^ an ranseryan di Igorotes on Ilonggotes.

Besan, saratiye an tahu an nangadnan an Ilonggotes on Igorotes ya^ diyoy si^ osa an aap-appoyaw ra, darasiye an duwan klasen si tahu an lideres di duwa rari an puli an Igorotes on Ilonggotes. Atdiyon da si appoyawar an dinongnge^, ta wa darasiyen duwan baranggay o klasen si tahu, ya nabto^ da mi^bus si panganup dar on pangkalap dad isirat danum.

Besan, nanlaar di tiempowar, ya nipto^ an mabbet poddad ehawad, ma-ukav an marin man-uran on nayid poddan marongednge si man-uni an mantaytayav omu ayup. Ya wad diyoyar tiye ye ab ranseria an Igorotes si eyanopanar ya nannod da si laman. Nanlaad di tiempowar, dingngen di Igorotesarari an diyoy si osad pay an baranggay an mangadnan Ilonggotes.

Besan, mannod di atun di Igorotesarari, ya^ wad tonod dad, nan-apit si buttan di ehawad. Pingtaneyan diyoy ri lamanar on atuwad si danumar Meet, nipto^ siri nandamuwan Meet on danumar Abuat. Pingsaneyan suma^yat mot di lamanar, napakel, ya war atuwar ya matde an nannor si lamanar. Ya ta^yat deyan duwa si danumar Meet ya ineyat di atuwarari ri batang di lamanar, ot nan-iyatud lamanad. Ensigida an bimmutta ri baranggay di Ilonggotes.

Saratu an Igorotes on Ilonggotes, nansasavayat da. Si masaa-it di innu rad an mansin-aareglo toy mi^bus si lamanar. Bayaw, wa ri matdeyarari an si puwersa na, puwersa an Igorotes, ya osa ri tinette rad, toy diyoy pasy si amung insipan di tarasiye an Ilonggotes an pavutton ta wemu nasi^si^dut tay ri^ nomnom dar lom-an an man-iiyatu. Ya bimmutta si osan mariit di Ilonggotesarari, an siya betan si in-atensionan di Igorotesarari an leleya-i an uunga.

Ot nan-iiyatu ra, asan da betan an nasasavayatan di innuwad si lamanar an ineya^bu ra. Tasiyen lamanar am ineya^bu ra, ya sari betan si nanlapuwan da an nansin-iinom, si partes di Igorotesar dari on Ilonggotesar dari. Nanlaad si tiempo, ya^ tasiye an laman si amung lapu na ri impansin-iinom dad.

Nanlaad pay si tiempo, si atdit tudtud di lalahayarari on bivi-al an Isinay, ya^ atdiyon da, ta^ siriye an napanut mot di taratiye an baranggay si Igorotes on Ilonggotes, ya nansin-at-atawa ra. Dimmee ra, on dimmee ri ayup darari, dimmee ri tanaman darari, nanyaman da, an siyari betan si dinakngan di tarasiye an Kakastila an kongkistadores an ni^but Pangasinan.

Besan, si saratiye an tiempo an nanlaar, ya^ dinongnge ra ri papariyarari, ta gosto ra an kongkiston di tahuwar an dohap, an Igorotes on Ilonggotes, ta man-ugmu^ da si oteyan lugar, toy diyoy anu si iprosesyon da an immahe, an tarin immahe ya siyari anu ri^ Diosar an siya betan si aluuy ri^ krusar an atdiyon da, ta war krusar ya siyari ri nipaasakan an Jesu Cristo, an ana^ di Diosar.

Mi^bus si tarasiye an prosesyon on pan-uugmu^ da, ya wa ri Kakastilarari, ya inayahan da lom-an an kinombersiyon di partes di Igorotes on Ilonggotes. Impaangan da dira, impantattaro^ da dira, impankankanta ra dira, ot nanggayhaya ra. Asan da dira an in-opreseyan si eeng da, anon da, on urumad tay an mabbet an pangaw-awis si tarasiye an bona^, Igorotes on Ilonggotes.

Pingsaneyan ta il-ilan di tarasiye an misionario di tarasiyen Igorotes on Ilonggotes ta mabbet da mot, ya nangappiya ra mot si simbaan. On tariyen simbaan ya^ siri si nangawitan da si lom-anar an makongkista ra an tahu. Pingtaneyan nakongkista ra mot, ya namata^dog da pay si kapilia an man-og ta atdi ela dawmon dan awiton an pambinyakon di takuwar dohap.

Pingtaneyan dee mos si navinyakan, tari mot pay la nabinyakanarari si nangonkista si urumaddari, nangaw-awit, ta atdi ela ma-ugmu^ da lom-an si sentron di nittuwan an nambebbeyoyan di papariyarari an Kakastila, man-oy pay la si sondalowarari.

Pingsaneyan ilan di papariyarari ta nayid lan mabbet si pan-intatatmo^ da, ya si Alejandro Cacho an mabbet an man-aral si ba^ba^ si tupang on tupang, ta atdiyon da ta lingguwista, ya^ siya si nangappiya si katetismo, an wa riyen katetismo siyari ri addiyon da diyen aralon di takuwar dohap, ta atdi ela ya manlapu ra an man-abese.
Siriyen nan-aral da, ya war papariyarari an nangappiyad katetismo ya^ sari mot si in-aral da. On naal-ali tiyempowad si masewe an sinlasut an taw-on ya boon mot an Bungkalot di pamba^ba^ dad omu Ivilaw, mu boon nabto^ mot si oteya, an siya ri atdiyon dad an ba^ba^ dan nansin-aayawan da an Isinay.

Satu besan in-innun di in-awaran di Isinayarari an maba^ba^ on narongednge^ si pan-estoryan di apuwarari an naun-una, on atdi pay la si papariyarari an namisivi si pangaral da, on pangkombersiyon si tarasiye an tahu. On neyid urum si nangombersiyonan da mu boon si sentron di simbaanar, altar di simbaanad on kapilya an manman-og an nan-ivuvuwa si^ lugarar dari an dawmon dan pampa-ug-ugmu-an si tahu.

Pintaneyan navut darasiye an inap-appiya ra, in-iyatu ra mos, on inlapu ra mot an mangonbersiyon si lom-an di takuwar an na-ugmu^ si oteyan lugar. On tarasiyen lugar ya siyat lugar di atdiyon dad an Isinay.

Lokeri.

----------
Source: ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS. Ernesto Constantino. December 1982. Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa. pp. 162-170

GLOSSARY:
aluuy – companion
appoyaw – story. [sutsur in Dupax Isinay]
apuwarari – grandparents, elders, ancestors
aralon – lesson, something to be studied
atu – dog. [asu in Dupax Isinay]
ba^ba^ si tupang on tupang – various languages
balitu^ – gold
baranggay – village, tribe, group of people
beveyoy – village, community
bivi-al – old women
bona^ – race
buttan di ehawad – where the sun rises; east. [buttan di ejawar in Dupax Isinay]
dinakngan – arrived at. [dinajngan in Dupax Isinay]
dinongnge – something heard
eyanopan – west, place where the sun sets
eyanopan di soy-angar – where the sun sets; west
i-Awaad – i-Owak, people from Owak
impaangan – was/were fed or given food
impantattaro^ – was/were asked or allowed to dance
in-aali – arrival
in-aral – teaching
in-awaran di Isinayarari – origin of the Isinays
ineya^bu – caught
ineyat – bit
in-opreseyan – given, offered
insipan – promised, something promised
isirat danum – food from the rivers
katetismo -- cathechism
konkiston – to colonize
lalakay – old men. [lalajay in Dupax Isinay]
laman – deer
leleya-i an uunga – male youths. [lele-i an uunga in Dupax Isinay]
lokeri – that’s all, the end of the story. [satu lojom in Dupax Isinay]
maba^ba^ on marongednge – orally transmitted and heard
man-abese – "man-ABC", to learn the ABCs
mangonbersiyon – to convert (to Christianity)
man-og – small. [man-oj in Dupax Isinay]
mantaytayav – bird. [mantetteyav in Dupax Isinay]
mariit – young woman
marongednge – audible. [marnge in Dupax Isinay]
masawe – more than. [maseve in Dupax Isinay]
ma-ugmu^ – to be gathered together. [maujmu^ in Dupax Isinay]
ma-ukav – afternoon. [maujav in Dupax Isinay]
mivebbeyoy – resident
nabinyakan – a baptized or Christened person. [nabinyajan in Dupax Isinay]
nabto^ – became one or united. [naboto^ in Dupax Isinay]
namata^dog – put up, built, constructed. [nanpata^doj in Dupax Isinay]
nambaliw – became, changed to
nambebbeyoyan – place where they built houses
namisivi – persevered
nan-apit – went towards or in the direction of a place
nandamuwan – meeting point; confluence
nang-ugmu^ – one who gathered people to a place. [nangujmu^ in Dupax Isinay]
nan-invuvuwa^ – scattered
nan-iyatu – rested
nanlaad si tiempo – in the course of time, as time went by. [nanlaar di tiempowar in Dupax Isinay]
nannod – one who ran after. [nannor in Dupax Isinay]
nansin-aayawan dan ba^ba^ – language that linked them
nansin-at-atawa – intermarried. [nansin-aasawa in Dupax Isinay]
nansin-iinom – drank together
nan-ugmu^ – gathered or lived together. [nan-ujmu^ in Dupax Isinay]
nanung – prior to
nanyaman – became prosperous
napakel – got tired. [napajel in Dupax Isinay]
napanut – lived in harmony
nasi^sidut di nomnom dar – their minds became calm; have peace of mind
nayid poddan marongednge – not a sound could be heard. [nayi poran marnge in Dupax Isinay]
ni^but – came from. [ni^bus in Dupax Isinay]
nipasakan – where one was nailed. [nipasajan in Dupax Isinay]
pamba^ba^ – speech, language, way of talking
pambinyakon – to get one baptized. [panbinyajon in Dupax Isinay]
pampa-ug-ugmu-an – place or reason for convening people. [pan-uj-ujmu-an in Dupax Isinay]
panggloria – glorification
pangkalap – fishing
pan-ivaka – preached, told. [pan-ivaja in Dupax Isinay]
papariyarari – the priests
pavutton – let it out, show
pintaneyan – once, then. [pingsaneyan in Dupax Isinay]
pon-a an in-awara – origin, how a thing came to be
poto^ – early times
ranseria – rancheria, the Spanish-era village
sina^du^ – one that I understood
sinandala^ – remembered. [tinandala^ in Dupax Isinay]
suma^yat – went up, especially from a river to its bank
takuwar dohap – all the people. [tajuwar dojap in Dupax Isinay]
tanaman – farm, planting area
tarasiye – these. [daratiye in Dupax Isinay]
tariye – that. [sariye in Dupax Isinay]
tersera – third
tinette – saw
tudtud – story. [sutsur in Dupax Isinay]

Bambang Isinay Stories: How Bambang Got Its Name

NOTE: To give Isinay World friends and patrons an idea of how the Bambang version of Isinay was spoken and written several decades ago, we're putting out selections of Isinay-Bambang stories from the book ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS (authored by former University of the Philippines Professor Ernesto Constantino and published in December 1982 by the Tokyo-based Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa). The book is copyrighted, thus we're only including the Isinay version of the stories here with the sole intent to help revitalize the Isinay language, nothing more. To help our readers with certain words that may have eluded their Isinay vocabulary (as well as to enhance the Isinay literacy of fellow language activists), we appended a selection of terms with their nearest English, Ilocano and Filipino equivalents. Still, we advise those who wish to know the meaning of other words, phrases, or sentences in this selection to please get in touch with a literate Isinay, or get hold of a copy of the book where the stories have English translations. Oh yes, this particular story should show readers how Bambang Isinay compares with Dupax Isinay.]

Wad Ngaronad Di Beveyoyad Bambang

Anastacio Acosta
(Octobre 4, 1966)

Si naun-unar an tiyempo, nan-intatawiran di de^dee miyar dari, si nanlaput apu, apu si apu, maantunat tarasiye an ekaw. Tinawir mi siyen estorya, mu andiye innun di beveyoyad Bambang an nangeyat ngarona.

Sirin tiyempo nanung na tay an ma-i-ator di in-aamtar si siyen beveyoy, si buttan di ekawar, diyoy si osan tribu an diyoy pay la si obehas na, atdi pay la si eyanopanar. Akayanan ba^ba-on, di Buhalotar on Ibilaw. Andu-oy an tiyempo an mansingkontra darasiye. Mari ran makaykayan an manliliyuuy.

Dimmatong si osa an nangngaron si Juan Campa, an mangi-ali si in-akristiyano si siyen beveyoy. Kinontran di saratiye an tribu, on akakayan da otiya an patayon. Mu bayaw nayid poddan serbin di armas dad isiya, toy mu gayangon da omu peyangon da, pum-ot lokom si payung nad.

Besan, naas-asinut na dira an inamo, atdi ela inesep da ri mebbesar. Nantavtavayat tiyen duwa an tribu. Nandaramu ra sitiyen beveyoy, imbangbang da ri armas dar dari an gayang, ota^, eyatay. Inluvu^ da si piyo-ar. Tarit sangkana an ingngaronan siyen beveyoy Bambang.

Satut umput na.

Bambang Isinay Stories: How Bambang Originated

NOTE: To give Isinay World friends and patrons an idea of how the Bambang version of Isinay was spoken and written several decades ago, we're putting out selections of Isinay-Bambang stories from the book ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS (authored by former University of the Philippines Professor Ernesto Constantino and published in December 1982 by the Tokyo-based Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa). The book is copyrighted, thus we're only including the Isinay version of the stories here with the sole intent to help revitalize the Isinay language, nothing more. To help our readers with certain words that may have eluded their Isinay vocabulary (as well as to enhance the Isinay literacy of fellow language activists), we appended a selection of terms with their nearest English, Ilocano and Filipino equivalents. Still, we advise those who wish to know the meaning of other words, phrases, or sentences in this selection to please get in touch with a literate Isinay, or get hold of a copy of the book where the stories have English translations. Oh yes, this particular story should show readers how Bambang Isinay compares with Dupax Isinay.]

WAD BEVEYOYAD BAMBANG

Hospicia U. Arcega
(Oct 10, 1963)

Siriyen poto^, wad beveyoyad Bambang ya pan-ariyan si duwan grupon si taku an nangadnan si Bungkalot on Ivilaw.

Naantanan di pan-inkontra rad darasiyen duwan bogtoy. Wad dayan di beveyoyad ya tonan on sakup di Ivilawad, on wad lakud nad ya tonan on sakup pay iriran di Bungkalotarari.

Oteyan ekaw, immoy nanganup di tarasiyen duwan grupon si taku. Diyoy si oteyan laman si innan di panan di Ivilawarari, on atdi pay si panan di Bungkalotarari. Nandama ri duwarari siyen bogtoy mi^bus si siyen naappiya, lalo pay toy nararan dan man-inkontra.

Besan, toy ninomnom da pela ya nayid an i-atod di pandaddarama rad, tarit inpan-ot-otta ra bayaw di nomnom darari an man-inpapabbes da.

Ot tariye lan orat ya inbangbang da lom-an di armas darari ta mangipa-ilat pan-inpapabbes dad.

Manlaput diye, ya wad beveyoyad ya nangadnan si Bambang.

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SOURCE: ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS. Ernesto Constantino. December 1982. Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa. 561 pages.

NOTE:
Those of you who are familiar with the Dupax and Aritao versions of Isinay would note that Bambang Isinay differs in phonetics. For example, Dupax/Aritao Isinay would say beveyoyar, taju, nangaranan, Bugkalot, naansanan, daratiyen, and bojtoy while Bambang Isinay uses beveyoyad, taku, nangadnan, Bungkalot, naantanan, darasiyen, and bogtoy.

GLOSSARY:
beveyoy – village, town. Ilocano: kabalbalayan, ili. Filipino: kabahayan, bayan.
bogtoy – group, tribe. Ilocano: bunggoy, tribo. Filipino: grupo, tribu.
darasiye – these. Ilocano: dagitoy. Filipino: ang mga ito
daya – east, eastern part. Ilocano: daya, dayaen. Filipino: silangan, bandang silangan.
i-atod – to give. Ilocano: ited. Filipino: ibigay.
inbangbang – buried. Ilocano: inkali. Filipino: ibinaon.
inpan-ot-otta– united. Ilocano: nagkaykaysa. Filipino: samasama.
lakud – west, western part. Ilocano: laud. Filipino: kanluran.
laman - deer. Ilocano: ugsa. Filipino: usa.
mangipa-ila – proof, indication. Ilocano: mangipakita. Filipino: pagpapatunay.
man-inpapabbes – will improve. Ilocano: mangpasayaat. Filipino: magpapabuti.
manlapu - start. Ilocano: mangrugi. Filipino: magmula.
mi^bus – because, since. Ilocano: gapu, yantangay. Filipino: dahil, kung kaya.
naantanan – too much. Ilocano: nakaro, napalalo. Filipino: sobra, matindi.
nandama - quarreled. Ilocano: nagapa. Filipino: nag-away.
nangadnan - named. Ilocano: nanaganan. Filipino: pinangalanan.
nararan – ready. Ilocano: nakasagana. Filipino: nakahanda.
ninomnom – thought. Ilocano: napanunot. Filipino: naisip.
oteyan ekaw – one day. Ilocano: maysa nga aldaw. Filipino: isang araw.
pana – bow and arrow. Ilocano: pana. Filipino: pana.
pan-ariyan – kingdom, territory. Ilocano: sakup. Filipino: teritoryo.
pandaddarama – conflict, quarrel. Ilocano: susik, panagaapa. Filipino: hidwaan, away.
poto^ – place. Ilocano: lugar. Filipino: lugar.
siriye – when, where. Ilocano: idi, idiay. Filipino: noong, doon.
tarasiyen – these. Ilocano: dagitoy. Filipino: ang mga ito.
tona – property, ownership. Ilocano: kukua. Filipino: pag-aari.
tonan on sakup – owned and covered. Ilocano: kukua ken sakup. Filipino: pag-aari at sakop.
wad – the. Ilocano: ti. Filipino: ang.

Dupax Isinay Stories: Saint Vincent Ferrer

NOTE: To give Isinay World friends and patrons an idea of how the Dupax version of Isinay was spoken and written several decades ago, we're putting out selections of Isinay stories from the book ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS (authored by former University of the Philippines Professor Ernesto Constantino and published in December 1982 by the Tokyo-based Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa). The book is copyrighted, thus we're only including the Isinay version of the stories here with the sole intent to help revitalize the Isinay language, nothing more. To help our readers with certain words that may have eluded their Isinay vocabulary (as well as to enhance the Isinay literacy of fellow language activists), we appended a selection of terms with their nearest English, Ilocano and Filipino equivalents. Still, we advise those who wish to know the meaning of other words, phrases, or sentences in this selection to please get in touch with a literate Isinay, or get hold of a copy of the book where the stories have English translations.]

SAN VICENTE FERRER

Alfonso Castañeda
(Oct. 4, 1966)

PINGSANEYAN NILAPU ri travahon si simbaanar, ya nampuwoy rat tahut Manila an mangeya si immahenar San Bisente Perer. War deyanar siri ot amung deyan si manganup. Man-awat mattuwar Karbalyo.

Domona otiyan pakarga si kabayo mu masa-it mikarga si osan kabayo si andu-oy deyan on maram-ot.

War mangeyar dari ot nansahay ra neyapu Dupaj si kabayo. Nilawusan da ri beveyoyar dari Kranglaan, Pungkan, San Jose, Muñoz, Talavera, an nayir urum si buttan ra mu boon Talahiv, Gapan, Bulacan on Kala-okan. On sirit pipaaran di kabayowar dari.

Sirin umuli ra ya nanbavansan di tahuwar dari ri immahenar. Mapahel da ela ya man-iyatu ra. Ipo^dah da ri immahenar.

Siriyen ituloy da ri biyahe rar, sinantu ra si nanung dan mana^bat si immahenar ya atdiyon da, "Apu, ahayhayam mittut tu Aritaw?"

Siriyen sa^baton da mos otiya ya uriyan dan domon oppaton di immahenar toy maram-ot. Ningaranan dar urumar beveyoy, ya sapaylarin maram-ot.

Ningaranan da Dupaj, ya timmahpiyaw ri immahenar ot intuloy rat biyahe rar.

Nan-iyatu ra pay. Ot sinantu ra si atdi naun-unar, ot atdi pay la ri savayat di immahenar. Nanpitlu an sinatu ra mantunat dimmatong da Dupaj.

Satiyen estorya ot bina^ba^ di apu-ar, osat nansa^batar darit immahenar nansu^nu Manila nantunat tiyen Dupaj.


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SOURCE: Constantino, Ernesto. 1982. ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS. Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa. Pp. 132-134

NOTES:
1) The author was the first and as of today the only Isinay to become Governor of Nueva Vizcaya. The newest town of the province, Alfonso Castañeda, was named after him.
2) The Isinay texts used by Prof. Constantino are phonetical. Thus, for certain words, he used H instead of the J prevalently used in written Isinay (example: He used Dupah instead of Dupaj).

GLOSSARY:
ahayhayam - to like or prefer something. Ilocano: kayatmo. Filipino: gusto mo.
andu-oy - long. Ilocano: atiddog. Filipino: mahaba.
beveyoy - town. Ilocano: ili. Filipino: bayan.
deyan - road, route. Ilocano: dalan. Filipino: daan.
dimmatong - has arrived. Ilocano: simmangpet. Filipino: dumating.
domona - possible. Ilocano: mabalin. Filipino: kaya.
immahen - statue; image. Ilocano: istatua, rebulto. Filipino: estatuwa, rebulto.
mana^bat - porter; one who will carry a thing on his shoulder. Ilocano: para baklay; agbaklay. Filipino: taga-pasan; papasan.
man-awa - to take the route. Ilocano: magna. Filipino: dadaan.
manganup - hunter. Ilocano: mangnganup. Filipino: mangangaso.
mangeya - to get. Ilocano: mangala. Filipino: kumuha.
man-iyatu - to rest. Ilocano: atiddog. Filipino: mahaba.
maram-ot - long. Ilocano: atiddog. Filipino: mahaba.
maram-ot - heavy. Ilocano: nadagsen. Filipino: mabigat.
masa-it - difficult. Ilocano: narigat. Filipino: mahirap.
mattuwa - real, true. Ilocano: agpayso. Filipino: tunay, totoo.
mittu - to stay. Ilocano: agyan. Filipino: manatili.
nampuwoy - sent someone to do something. Ilocano: nangibaon. Filipino: nagpadala, nag-utos.
nanbavansan - did something by shifts or one after another. Ilocano: nagsisinnublatan. Tagalog: nagsalitsalitan.
nanpitlu - three times, thrice. Ilocano: namitlo, namintallo. Filipino: tatlong beses.
nansa^bat - one who carried. Ilocano: atiddog. Filipino: mahaba.
nansu^nu - from, starting from. Ilocano: nangrugi. Filipino: nagmula.
nantuna - up to, until. Ilocano: agingga. Filipino: hanggang.
neyapu - beginning from. Ilocano: nangrugi. Filipino: nagsimula.
ningaranan - mentioned the name; gave the name. Ilocano: innaganan. Tagalog: pinangalanan.
oppaton - to carry. Ilocano: bagkaten. Filipino: buhatin.
pingsaneyan - when; immediately after; once. Ilocano: idi. Tagalog: noong.
sapaylari - similarly, all the same. Ilocano: isu met lang. Filipino: ganoon din, pareho rin.
satiye - this. Ilocano: daytoy. Filipino: ito.
savayat - reply, answer. Ilocano: sungbat. Filipino: sagot.
timmahpiyaw - became lighter. Ilocano: limmag-an. Filipino: gumaan.

Dupax Isinay Stories: The Princess of Dampol

NOTE: To give Isinay World friends and patrons an idea of how the Dupax version of Isinay was spoken and written several decades ago, we're putting out selections of Isinay stories from the book ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS (authored by former University of the Philippines Professor Ernesto Constantino and published in December 1982 by the Tokyo-based Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa). The book is copyrighted, thus we're only including the Isinay version of the stories here with the sole intent to help revitalize the Isinay language, nothing more. To help our readers with certain words that may have eluded their Isinay vocabulary (as well as to enhance the Isinay literacy of fellow language activists), we appended a selection of terms with their nearest English, Ilocano and Filipino equivalents. Still, we advise those who wish to know the meaning of other words, phrases, or sentences in this selection to please get in touch with a literate Isinay, or get hold of a copy of the book where the stories have English translations.]

WAR PRINSESAR DI DAMPOLAR

Concepcion C. Felix
(Oct. 4, 1966)

SIRIN POTO^, damdama mot an tiyempo, war atdiyon di apu miyar dari ot siniye Dampolar ya^ diyoy si osan ari on reynan nanbeyoy sina guwav di Dampolar. Diyoy si ana^ dat oseyan bavayin maserot poddat nayir isu na.

Mu alimbawa nan atah-oy ri buwenar, marin amoy di tahuwar darin manpe^pet di guwav di dampolar toy mu masa-itan o mu mivebbevoy ri^ ana^ darari ya^ man-atung da, boon ela matoy ra. Andoh-olan wa ri panuttuwan di tahuwar sirin poto^ ot mu alimbawa nan ehawan, alas doset ehawan, nayir amoy manpe^pe o mu amoy mansahov toy mu^ miringan di ana^ dar an manbebbevoy ta^ o^non da o mu dapiluhon da ya man-atung da pirira.

Andoh-olan wa ri panuttuwan di tahuwar sirin poto^ ot wat guwav di dampolar ya diyoy si nanbevoy sinat ari on reynan diyoy si ana^ dat os-oseya. Madahetar toy pingsanan umamma-i ri ana^ dar ya namesang. Impamesang da ot natoy ri ana^ dar.

Besan, war innu nar mu gawan si lavi, dongngem an manbalbaliwaway si ana^ nar, manpe^pet gamit nar dari an mapuraw, isap-oy nat na.

Dongngen di tahuwar daritdin poto^, toy tahuwar daritdin poto^ ya manuttuwa ra tay si sovret banih. Atdi ela ya^ wa mos di innun di tahuwar dari ya mari ra mos amoy manpe^pe. Mari ra mos amoy mansahov mu alas doset ehawan, atdi pay mu ma-uhav.

Satu lohom ya^ si amta^ an ba^ba^ba-on di apu miyar dari, ot timma-ut ami. Mari ami mos poddan manpe^pe on mansahov mu lavi mos, omu ehawan.

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SOURCE: Constantino, Ernesto. 1982. ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS. Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa. Pp. 126-128

NOTE: The author was formerly Concepcion Castañeda and the wife of the Isinay educator Gregorio Felix Sr.

GLOSSARY:
andoh-olan ― and so, thus, therefore
mu atah-oy ri buwenar ― when the moon is high
ba^ba^ba-on di apu miyar dari ― being said or told by our grandparents
bavayin maserot poddat nayir isu na ― woman of incomparable beauty
damdama mot an tiyempo ― a long, long time ago
Dampol ― a Spanish-era bridge (made of bricks) that spans Abannatan Creek and connects Dopaj and Domang in Dupax del Sur
ehawan ― daytime
gamit ― diaper, baby clothes
guwav di dampolar ― under the Dampol
impamesang da ― let her give birth (without a husband)
isap-oy ¬― let dry
lavi ― nighttime
man-atung da pirira ― get sick also
man-atung ― get sick
manbalbaliwaway si ana^ nar s― inging lullaby for her child
manpe^pe ― to wash clothes
mansahov ― to fetch water
manuttuwa ― believe
mari ra mos amoy ― they don’t go anymore
miringan ― do one thing at the same time
mivebbevoy ― play with someone
mu gawan si lavi ― at midnight
namesang ― delivered a child without a husband; single mother
nanbevoy ― resided, dwelled
o^non da o mu dapiluhon da ― hit or push aside
os-oseya ― lone, one and only
panuttuwan di tahuwar ― the popular belief
pingsanan ― when
sirin poto^ ― in the early days
sovret banih ― about ghosts
timma-ut ami ― we got scared

Dupax Isinay Stories: The Ghost of Abannatan

NOTE: To give Isinay World friends and patrons an idea of how the Dupax version of Isinay was spoken and written several decades ago, we're putting out selections of Isinay stories from the book ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS (authored by former University of the Philippines Professor Ernesto Constantino and published in December 1982 by the Tokyo-based Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa). The book is copyrighted, thus we're only including the Isinay version of the stories here with the sole intent to help revitalize the Isinay language, nothing more. To help our readers with certain words that may have eluded their Isinay vocabulary (as well as to enhance the Isinay literacy of fellow language activists), we appended a selection of terms with their nearest English, Ilocano and Filipino equivalents. Still, we advise those who wish to know the meaning of other words, phrases, or sentences in this selection to please get in touch with a literate Isinay, or get hold of a copy of the book where the stories have English translations.]

SUTSUR DI BANIHAR SIRI ABANNATAN

Ermelinda C. Magalad
(Jan. 17, 1982)

SIN-UNUN TAW-ON nipelawus, osat pariyar darin nittut Dupaj ot war mangpe'peyar si eeng nar dari ot osan bavayin mandam-ot.

Osan Savaru, immoy ran (simbeyan) mangi-entrega si nape^peyanar darin eeng, ta pansantan di pariyar toy borang nar ot Simba. Bayaw sariyen ehaw ot matden podda ri uranar. Nansor tay ri duwar dari mantunat marin deyomarin di natdanar si uranar nanung dan nanlivat an tumayan.

Mi^bus toy damdama ran nansor si pantuyong di uranar on immoy mot di laviyar, ahahas deya, ya mari ran nan-awa si deyangtoyar o Dampolar. Nanbuhivuh da an immoy Abannatan ta wemu as-asup si i-ooy rar si beyoy rar. Mebbes tay siriyen lapuwan dan umaappang si danumar. Pingsaneyan diyoy ra si gawanar, dimmatong di ammaiyar datong an napilgos.

War osan liman di le-iyar ot nangdon si peyuwar. Osar ilan lima na ot inonnana di liman di asawa nar. Mi^bus toy war manpilgosar danum ot mantuna mot si wewe nar, binolosana ri liman di bavayiyar ta wemu domonan man-iyat.

Nalo^tat dan duwa, ot nayir eyammos apuy ra toy war peyuwar an inonnan di le-iyar ot ni-anur. War le-iyar ot nan-iyat mantunat dinapus nar supang nar Abannatan. Ananeya on diyoy ri asawa nar manun-ur anta wen ensigidan ni-anur toy uriyana isiyan amtan man-iyat.

Man-olyaw di le-iyar man-ayah si bavayiyar mu nayir an manavayat. Damdamat soot-or, mu nayir an bumutta si asawa nar. On sorom podda. Masa-it di nomnom diyen le-iyar immulit beyoy rar.

Nansu^nut diyen naappiya, ba^ba-on di lumawusar dari si Dampolar an mu mandomdom anu ila ri buwenar on medyo mandeyomarin, ya war tahuwar dari an as-asup si teyantah nar Abannatan ot dongngen da ri manohdohar. Ampaylamu immoy mot di laviyar, ot diyoy anu si ma-ilan nikuladan deen mapuraw an inave, amung gamit si unga.

Urum ila atdiyon di manpaspasyalar dari ya beglonan diyoy si miluuy an bavuy si poto^ di Dampolar. Umommoy ya manbuwes di bavuyar.

Mantunat ehawar besan, ya mari tay maan di ta-ut di tahuwar dari mu lumawus da si Dampolar mi^bus si sariyen desgrasya.

Satu lohom. @

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SOURCE: Constantino, Ernesto. 1982. ISINAY TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS. Tokyo: Institute for the Study of Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa. Pp. 122-124

NOTE: The author, daughter of Governor Alfonso Castañeda, taught for many years at the St. Mary's High School of Dupax, Nueva Vizcaya. She was one of the key resource persons consulted by Professor Constantino for his Isinay book from where this selection was borrowed.

PART 5: A Forest-Blessed Childhood in Isinay Country

CONNECTING THE dots now, I feel sad that even those whose childhood was lived near the forest are not aggressively tapping their experience to help keep the Philippines nature-rich and beautifully green.

Henry David Thoreau, himself once a forest dweller (when Walden Pond was still sylvan and biodiversity-rich), had a quotation that touches on this:
“Each more melodious note I hear brings this reproach to me, that I alone afford the ear what would the music be.”

Another pertinent call comes to mind: “We didn’t inherit the world from our parents, we borrowed them from our children.”

What I’m really trying to say is that we adults have a moral duty to pass on to our children a still healthy and livable world and to guide and hand-hold them on how to keep that world bright and wonderful.

No matter how brief or infrequent, exposing kids to things of nature such as hills and rivers, including the flora and fauna and culture that are associated with them, can work wonders to young people’s attitude and behavior towards nature and the environment later in life.

I happened to walk along this teach-your-children-well trail when, even as I was a weekend father most of the time when my three “forest products” were in their formative years, I made effort to find quality time to teach them to be at home with the things of nature. Yes, through playing under the pine trees and sylvan outdoors that Baguio still had then.

My children are all grown-ups now and (probably as a natural hangover of those days when it was still pure joy to see them delight in playing with pine cones and dandelions) I recently got into the habit of nudging them with these lines:

“When you have kids of your own, don’t forget to give me and your mom freedom to bring them out – like what we used to do when you were small – to play hide and seek under the trees, pick dandelions, chase butterflies, catch tadpoles, pitch tent on the grass, build bonfire and roast corn and camote, etc.”

A FEW MORE personal trips and dips down Philippine forest memory lane:

As a young forester I happened to play bit roles, as it were, in the information, extension and communication (or IEC) aspects of forestry, using my hands-on learning and exposure to forests and nature as, oh well, wind beneath my wings.

Among my pleasant memories was having been part of the UP Los Baños team that tried to seduce teachers in Manila, Quezon City, Pasay City, Caloocan, Rizal, Province, Nueva Ecija, Mindoro, Lubang Island, Iloilo, Antique, and Sultan Kudarat to love forests – and to in turn pass on that sylvan love to their pupils (as part of that nationwide program in the seventies that sought to inject Forest Conservation in the curriculum of public elementary schools).

I was also fresh out of college when the UPLB College of Forestry’s outreach publications – Conservation Circular, Forestry Digest, Makiling News, the Ilocano forest magazine Anaraar – were literally and figuratively my bedmates. And as part of my assignments I once wrote a news story about illegal logging in the watershed of Pantabangan Dam. The item became front-page material in one issue of the Manila Bulletin, was made into an editorial the following day, and reportedly caught the attention of then President Marcos, who consequently sent a phalanx of government foresters to investigate the matter.

I got assigned next to handle the publications and communications activities of the then UPLB Northern Luzon Forestry Extension Office in Pacdal, Baguio City. I helped conduct film showing and community lectures on forest conservation matters in remote areas of the Cordillera and the Ilocos region, and played supportive role in the training on extension work of several batches of Forest Guards in the two regions of the then Bureau of Forest Development.

While in Baguio, easily one of my memorable extra-curricular activities was my having been an instructor (on a part-time basis) at the University of Baguio which was then offering the BS in Forestry degree. This was where I had a student who would later become what I call “my beloved forester’s guard” and mother of my “forest products.”

At the time, my little writing skills as a forester started to bear fruit. For instance, I qualified for an assignment as Philippine correspondent of the FAO Forest News (and each time I would get my pay check in dollars from Dr. Chandrasekharan, I would go buy myself a new pair of Levi’s).

When I got “pirated” from UPLB to the BFD central office, I got immersed as one of the water boys of social forestry and upland development. That was in the early 1980s when we were yet convincing fellow foresters to balance timber-focused mindsets with concern for agroforestry and the poor forest-based communities.

Perhaps because there was no one else intrepid enough to do the job, at one time I was a speechwriter – on forestry matters. It was not an easy assignment, being a ghostwriter. But, oh my, how I enjoyed putting words to the mouths of my superiors at the then Bureau of Forest Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources, including then President Marcos!

For a couple of years, too, I was a forestry voice on radio – handling such Ilocano programs as “Kabakiran” and “Kayo: Pagbaknangan ti Tao.” And occasionally I would insert Isinay lines, to call on my fellow Isinays to go slow on their making soppeng and to instead plant more trees so that our rivers would not go dry (mabdu-anan) in the hot summer months.

Years later, I got lucky to land a Research Fellowship at the East-West Center in Honolulu where – under the tutelage of one of the foremost Filipino forestry communicators Nap Vergara – I co-edited one of the pioneering books on social forestry in the Asia-Pacific region.

My Hawaiian experience was soon followed by a two-year assignment in Bangladesh, this time as Extension/Communication Specialist of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Nandyan na rin lang tayo, may I add a few more things:

1) the little list of books, magazines, journals and newsletters on forest ecosystems, social forestry, upland development, and environment that I edited/co-edited;
2) the almost fifty fellow foresters and a few in associate disciplines who I helped in crafting and/or polishing their MS and PhD theses, most of them at UP Los Banos;
3) the more than a hundred technical personnel of the DENR (particularly those at the Central Office and in Regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 5, and CAR), who I shared tips on how to confidently write better, meatier, more readable, and more grammatical reports, office communications, project proposals, and the like;
4) a couple of success-story comics on agroforestry that I did for the Society of Filipino Foresters (one on the Kalahan forest community and the other on a trail-blazing rattan planter); and
5) my little stint with a World Bank-funded project that sought to pump-prime some 120 LGUs in the Bicol, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga regions en route to their taking care of their natural resources, including watersheds, marine resources, mangroves, ecotourism potentials, wildlife, and remnant forests.

Yes, I guess you could say katas ng kagubatan ang dugong nananalaytay sa aking katauhan. But I really wish I could do more. A senior citizen now, and with the sunny forests, meadows and rivers of my youth admittedly no longer as poem-inducing as they used to, I feel I no longer have the stamina for forestry IEC work.

Perhaps teaching appreciation for leaves, trees, birds, beetles, cicadas, bees, dragonflies, fireflies, fish, hills, ponds, and rivers to my grandchildren yet to come would compensate for this shortcoming? Well, I just hope that my fellow senior foresters would follow suit and that, by doing so, the kids would become better and smarter natural resource stewards of the Philippines and, for that matter, Planet Earth, than we have ever been.

SALAMAT SI TIPE YUAR AN NANBASA SI SATIEN SUTSUR!

PART 4: Once Upon a Forest-Blessed Childhood in Isinay Country

FOR MANY YEARS we thought that the Amorsolo-painting-like nature of my hometown, especially my boyhood barrio, would never end. The picture began to change when bulldozers and strangers on board noisy trucks they called “six by” arrived.

At first we were glad to see new faces. We were also happy the strangers improved the muddy road that passed by our barrio and opened up new routes in the hills that avoided ricefields and river crossings. As children, we were excited, too, each time a logging truck stopped on our way home from the upland farms and the driver allowed us to sit atop his load of gigantic logs. We enjoyed how the wind brushed our faces like we were riding a carabao running non-stop up and down the mountain trail.

But it didn’t take long before our appreciation for such logging-induced amenities faded. The bulldozing of riversides to either build or stabilize logging roads appeared to go on forever. The resulting mud and silt did not only make our fishing fruitless but also drove the fish and other river edibles away. With the new roads and the free rides, more and more people also opened up forested areas to kaingin and settlement. Opportunities for wage labor were available to locals in the timber-cutting areas and in the sawmill, yes. But only for a few able-bodied males.

As if on cue, incidences of beheading in the forest fringes vanished as the presence of strangers on the hillsides and riverbanks may have proved too big a challenge to the Ilongots. But in exchange we got problems we didn’t encounter before. Farm huts where anyone could seek shelter at night or when caught by thunderstorm, started to lose their resident salt, rice kettle, and firewood. Cornfields and peanut farms whose produce have yet to be tasted by their owners had significant quantities of their edible parts missing.

Before the loggers came, our rivers never got murky nor ferocious. But a few years after logging started our swimming holes became chocolate-colored and flood waters from upstream washed away bamboo clumps, food-rich thickets, vegetable farms, and ricefields by the riverside.

I wrote an essay many years ago for the Forestry Digest about such price my town had to pay for allowing its forests to be ransacked by non-natives. Titled “No More Poems for My Children,” it lamented how my would-be kids and other children would be deprived of their forest heritage. Many years later, my sentiments got echoed by Asin with their “Kapaligiran” song:

Ang mga batang ngayon lang isinilang
May mga ilog pa kayang lalanguyan...
May mga puno pa kaya silang aakyatin
May dagat pa kaya silang matitikman.

(PLEASE TURN TO PART 5)

PART 3: Once Upon a Forest-Blessed Childhood in Isinay Country

MY EXPOSURE to forests had its roots in the fact that as a child I happened to shuffle between two homes both of which gave me opportunity to explore the outdoors. One was my parents’ house near the western hills of town where my playmates were Isinays. The other was my grandparents’ place in the barrio nestled between the river and the cattle-grazing tracts, and where our neighbors were all Ilocanos.

In both worlds, almost all boys in my time wore slingshots on their necks. We used the slingshot to hunt wild chickens (kalatan in Isinay, abuyo in Ilocano) and monitor lizard (baniyas in Isinay, banias in Ilocano, bayawak in Tagalog), and to drive away field rats (gandaw in Isinay, utot in Ilocano) and rice sparrows (tulin In Isinay, billite-tuleng in Ilocano, maya in Tagalog) that fed on our ripening rice crops.

The slingshot was a toy but when no one was looking, we also used it to bring down seductive guava or mango fruits. It also boosted one’s bravery when sent for errands that required passing by houses with unfriendly dogs or geriatric trees believed to house sinampade, lampong, kapre, enkantada, ansisit, and other supernatural beings said to be dwelling in forests.

Please don’t get the impression though that playing outdoors was an everyday thing for me. No sir. As the eldest of eight children, I had to squeeze in time for my books and class projects while doing such chores as sweeping the yard of fallen starapple leaves, feeding the chickens and pigs, watering the coffee and ornamental plants, running errands for my mother, and taking care of baby sisters.

Saturdays were not all slingshot time either. I had to be around my father when we needed to mend fences, tend the backyard vegetable garden, or split firewood. It was my duty, too, to bring a cavan of palay to the rice mill and back when Mother’s rice bin was running empty.

But you will note that even such chores, including the ones I had in the barrio (such as taking the carabaos to pasture or helping weed the upland rice and the squash and beans in the kaingin), were not completely divorced from the forests and related “fields of the Lord.”

Whenever a hen has hatched eggs, I would search the bamboo groves for termite nest-balls to feed the chicks. To make the rice-bran feed more delicious to the pigs, I would comb stream banks for the herb Amorphophallus campanulatus (called imbayang in Isinay, tigi in Ilocano, pongapong in Tagalog, pamangkilon in Bisaya, tokod-banua in Pampanga, bagong in Bikol, corpse flower in English).

In the barrio, while the carabaos grazed, my friends and I would play hide and seek among the arosip and wild guava trees. If in the ricefields, we chased the tuklingin Ilocano, siboj in Isinay (gallinule) or the wild ducks (engaj in Isinay, papa in Ilocano) that searched the mudholes for stranded shells, frogs and fish. We gorged on the fruits of kaluttit and bujnay in Ilocano, painted our faces ala-Indian with appatut (achuete) seeds, and carried firewood on our sunburnt shoulders on the way back home.

MY TOWN’S FORESTS are not known to have ever hosted charismatic (or ‘elite’) wildlife such as the Philippine eagle, the tamaraw, and the tarsier. Such lack of fascinating creatures might however be counter-balanced by the presence, as mentioned, of the Ilongots. Yes, when I was little, the tribe lent color and a sense of adventure to our forests, apart from having the heart and jungle skills that could put them at par with the American Indians.

Our forests may not have been as photogenic as those of the pine stands of the Cordillera either. But at the time, if one happened to survive a plane crash in our side of the Nueva Vizcaya wilderness, at least there was plenty of wild food he could stay alive with. For example, bush meat from the ugsa (deer), alingo (wild pig), mutit (civet cat), paniki (fruit bat), and banias (monitor lizard) were common table fare then. Each time I had scabies on my legs (acquired from eating igat or eel), Inang Baket would ask my uncles to go hunt monkeys the adobo meat of which would make my skin allergies disappear.

Similarly, our streams and rivers were jungle-survival paradise. Seldom murky then, they always made fishing a delight. With bare hands or with small nets one could get enough shrimps to make into “jumping salad” seasoned with bagoong, fern, and green mango or wild tomatoes. Not to be outdone, the ricefields have not yet fallen hostage to chemical fertilizers and pesticides at the time. Thus, it was safe to collect the shells that we call basikul, ambeveyo^ and genga in Isinay (bisukol, leddeg, birabid in Ilocano) and the edible freshwater algae we call bahase in Isinay (barbaradiong in Ilocano) that were at the time part and not pests of ricefield ecosystems.

During heavy rains when fish and shells were hard to find, other organic food could be found in the riverbanks or in the fringes of ricefields. They may be considered exotic food now, but pith of the fishtail palm (called umu^ in Isinay, ubog in Ilocano),rattan shoot (tangpat in Isinay, barit in Ilocano), and the edible jungle fern tabahat were common then.

Usually in April-June, many of us became entomophagous (insect-eaters) as the white eggs and nymphs of the tailor ant (eja in Isinay, abuos in Ilocano, kara-kara in Tagalog) became abundant in the trees near the timberline. At twilight we trooped to grassy spots near the river to catch the also delectable May beetle (called e-ve in Isinay, abal-abal in Ilocano, salagubang in Tagalog). We also considered as delicacy the fat yellow worms (called bate-vate in Isinay, tateg in Ilocano) that wriggled under decaying tree trunks.

When rats, locusts, and mayas (tulin in Isinay, billit-tuleng in Ilocano) diminished our rice harvest, we turned to the wild yam (karut in Ilocano and Isinay; nami in Tagalog; kalot in Bisaya) for alternative staple food.

The essayist Maximo Ramos put it well: “We had gizzards of stone.” Indeed, such appetite for genuinely natural and organic food forms a huge chunk of my happy memories of being nurtured by wild food that most children of today will probably not be able to taste anymore.

(PLEASE MOVE ON TO PART 4)

PART 2: Once Upon a Forest-Blessed Childhood in Isinay Country

IF GUARDIAN angels that shield children from harm really exist, the one assigned to me must have worked non-stop 24/7 for many years. This included my pre-teenage years when I would join my grandfather and uncles in clearing, burning then planting patches of ublag (second-growth) forests to make swidden farm (called soppeng in Isinay, uma in Ilocano, kaingin in Tagalog,) and, when going home to our village base after an exhausting day, we would hitch rides on top of huge dipterocarp and narra logs hauled down from the mountains by rickety logging trucks.

There were stories of upland farmers getting stung by the cobra (called immanuy in Isinay, karasaen in Ilocano, ulupong in Tagalog) and getting chased by a simarron (feral carabao). But I only had minor bruises, thorns lodged on the foot, and skin allergies caused by contact with what I like to call the “babies” of butterflies.

Well, as kids, perhaps we didn’t encounter life-threatening situations because we heeded our elders’ counsels, for example: not to use our bolos this way or that way, especially when in the water. Grandmothers cautioned us not to stray too far, not to climb trees, not to start fire, and not to go swimming during high noon, when malevolent spirits were said to go after hard-headed boys.

As was natural for kids in my time, however, we were not always saints. When someone warned us not to go near this part of the barrio because of the presence of honeybees (iyu-an in Isinay, uyukan in Ilocano, pukyutan in Tagalog), we only half listened. Why? Because the mere mention of honeybees awakened images in our mind of sweet diro (honey) waiting to fill our little mouths, and how much beeswax (allid in Ilocano, lilin in Isinay) the honeycombs could be made to strengthen our carabao ropes and make fishing lines water-proof.

Finding the beehive was easy as almost always blue-green birds we called kulepplew in Isinay (pirpiriw in Ilocano) would noisily hover around the host tree to feast on the bees. We could not resist applying our slingshot skills on the birds. But when our shots would instead hit the bees, to the river or the nearest farm hut we would run as swarms of the angry insects came looking for the culprits.

We committed venial sins, too, in summer when the song of the cicadas, the call of the birds, and the scent of the ripe fruits in the wilderness were at their most seductive pitch. Thus, if not looking for bird’s nests or ensnaring cicadas (duluriyaw in Isinay, ari-ari in Ilocano, kuliglig in Tagalog) with sticks coated with jackfruit latex, you would find us climbing trees. There were plenty of guava, aratiles, tamarind, anonas, bignay, mabolo, santol, and duhat trees then, many of which were on private lands but, as was the rural norm then, you could pick and taste for free their saccharine offerings for as long as you leave some for their owners.

Not even rumors of what they call kumaw in both Isinay and Ilocano (sipay or manunupot in Tagalog) -- said to kidnap gallivanting kids, put them in jute sacks, and squeeze their blood out to fortify bridges in downstream Magat or Cagayan River -- could keep us from enjoying life among the birds and the trees.

Let’s put it this way: Once revved up, it would probably take heaven and earth to wean kids away from Mother Nature.

FOR THE RECORD, one thing was more scary for us than the blood-using kidnappers mentioned above, including tree-dwelling supernatural beings. This was when the bagbag tree (Erythrina species) started to shoot forth its blazing red flowers, signaling the season when Ilongot braves came downhill in search of heads, at the time mostly of Ilocano and Isinay kaingineros, male or female, to collect.

While the kumaw and tree-dwelling spirits may have been fiction fostered by mothers to keep their children from escaping farm or household chores, the Ilongots were real people. Even during off-season for headhunting when they would come downhill to trade their dried venison (laman in Isinay) and wildpig meat, split rattan, and deer-skin with our salt, tobacco, and blankets, we were afraid meeting them outside the barrio. This was because for a couple of summers past we did see their bloody handiwork, swarming with flies while displayed in the plaza for community mourning and proper disposal, minus their heads.

To those who are hearing the name for the first time, the Ilongots are a forest-dwelling tribe, now preferring to be called Bugkalot, whose headhunting tradition has kept virgin forests in southern Nueva Vizcaya and parts of the Sierra Madre and the Caraballo mountains off-limits, first to Spanish missionaries and Ilocano migrants, then centuries later to big-time loggers, miners, ranchers, swidden farmers, rattan gatherers, and yes, even bird-hunting, river-fishing, and fuelwood-gathering kids.

The aviator-naturalist Charles Lindbergh and the Stanford University anthropologist Renato Rozaldo started to befriend them in the 1960s, and soon they stopped chopping off the heads of landgrabbers and other exploiters who dared to intrude into their forest-rich ancestral territory.

(PLEASE PROCEED TO PART 3)

PART 1: Once Upon a Forest-Blessed Childhood in Isinay Country

[NOTE: I had been tied up during most of September polishing my forestry feathers thru participating in the before, during, and after exigencies of this year's Society of Filipino Foresters National Convention held Sept. 19-21 in Subic. As a result, and because I had a similarly engaging and difficult-to-say-no-to activity earlier, I almost got zero in my blog posts for the month. Fortunately, among my outputs for the convention is an essay that filled five pages of the souvenir book. Originally titled "It's Time to Pass the Forest-Care Baton", I thought it would be cool to offer it here as a five-part post and with minor tweaks to suit this blog's readers. After all, much of its contents touch on Isinay World and the experiences of Isinay Bird which I guess are relevant to the whys and wherefores of this blogsite.]

BY WAY OF chipping in to last year’s celebration of the International Year of Forests, I jotted down my recollections on how it was to live in a place and at a time where and when there were plenty of forests. Before I knew it, the memory bytes took on a body of their own that I thought I should share not only to my fellow foresters but also to parents and lolos like me who wish to sow the seeds of nature appreciation among their kids.

Well then, the illustrations for this piece by the veteran nature-education artist Dante N. Pecson capture much of how kids were when I was little. Yes, apart from being more respectful to the elderly, we were very much at home then with trees, birds, beetles, dragonflies, spiders, fireflies, cicadas, butterflies, bees, grasshoppers, snakes, lizards, crickets, earthworms, tadpoles, frogs, rats, bats, monkeys, and what have you.

Unlike many of today’s over-accessorized yet nature-malnourished kids, we made do then with what our sylvan surroundings gave us. No battery-operated nor even plastic toys. The closest to “high-tech” things we got to touch were the rubber of our slingshots and flat sardine cans that we converted into toy trucks with fruits of the tibig (called lavay in Isinay, tebbeg in Ilocano) for wheels.

We made airplanes out of dragonflies (atittino^ in Isinay, tuwwato in Ilocano, tutubi in Tagalog, alindahaw in Bisaya) that we caught by the tail on grassy grounds. At night we chased fireflies (i^irong in Isinay, kulalanti in Ilocano, alitaptap in Tagalog, aninipot in Bisaya) among the gumamela shrubs. We also had fun with betel nut palm fronds for horses, low-lying mango branches for swings, banana trunks for boats, bamboo poles for musical instruments, and hollowed-out sour fruits of the pomelo (lojban in Isinay, lukban in Ilocano) for boxing gloves.

BY HINDSIGHT, I can tell with conviction now: To get kids to bond with Mother Earth, start with what they like to do best ― play. That was how I learned to identify trees, birds, vines, orchids, insects, herbs, and grasses. That was also how we learned to climb trees ― emboldened at seeing smaller guys able to make their way up a tamarind tree and enjoy its marasaba fruits, while lesser mortals (like the good guy in Jose Rizal’s tale about the monkey and the turtle) just make do with what those up there would throw.

Playing in the green outdoors with friends helped me master what wild fruits were edible, which shrubs to avoid for their itchy leaves, what bushes hosted beetles, and what trees not to cut for fuel because they caused cooking pots to crack.

Our playgrounds were, however, not confined to wooded places, nor what we did every day was gallivant and play.

When goats or carabaos under our care were put to pasture, when waiting for the wild pigeon (manaleban in Isinay, alimuken in Ilocano) to perch on its feeder tree seemed to take forever, or when our slingshots could not touch the feathers of the tariktik high up in the kalumpit tree (kaluttit in Isinay, kallautit in Ilocano), to the river we would go. There we would teach one another how to swim, how to catch fish and freshwater crabs with bare hands, or how to dam a part of the stream and be able to bring home (as good excuse for being outdoors all day) a bamboo-tube full of small fish, shrimps, and crabs.

Often, a couple of carabaos would be enjoying the water near our favorite swimming hole. If the owner was not around, we would use the docile animals as diving board. Alternatively, we would test one another's bravery by searching a carabao's belly for leeches feeding on the former's blood. I cannot do it now but, at the time, I was some expert at turning the slimy blood-fattened creatures inside out with a stick pushed on one end, with blood oozing and all, before letting them squirm again in the water.

Depending on the season, river banks were our supermarket then. Ferns, button tomatoes, wild ampalaya, and other edible plants were common. Palm piths (umu^ in Isinay, ubog in Ilocano), bamboo shoots (tumpup in Isinay, rabong in Ilocano) and the wild tuber called karot in both Isinay and Ilocano (kalut in Bisaya, nami in Tagalog) were free for the taking.

During the rainy season, edible mushrooms (amabuvun in Isinay, uong in Ilocano, kabute in Tagalog) and fungi (such as the urapping and tangtangila in Isinay, kudet and kulat in Ilocano) were a delight to hunt in the thickets.

BE IT IN the hills, forests, or streams, my friends and I exchanged notes as well as folklore concerning the natural world. We shared tips on what vegetation was the favorite nesting place for certain birds, which larvae or lizard you could touch, what snakes were venomous and which ones you could sleep with. We debated on which python one’s grandfather hacked was bigger, what part of the woods was believed to be haunted, and which mountain stream led to Ilongot territory.

From playmates I also learned which herbs could cure ringworm and other such skin diseases, what leaves could stop the bleeding of wounds, and how to use the shrub called kuribetbet in Ilocano (salibukbuk in Bisaya, halibukbuk in Bikol, alibutbut in Kapampangan, pandakaki in Tagalog) to shrink boils, mollify allergies, or prepare the male organ for circumcision.

As friends we traded know-how on which leaves could stupefy river fish and thus make them easy to catch, how to ward off river or terrestrial leeches, and which ponds had plenty of tilapia. But even as we shared tips on which fruiting trees attracted the birds pirruka, alimuken and kolasisi, rarely shared was the live tree where one got his martines chicks. Also kept as secret was where the wild ducks and the jungle fowl (kalatan in Isinay, abuyo in Ilocano) were roosting.

For multi-purpose toys, our favorite was the mini version of the dalaydayan used by our elders to haul logs, bamboo or rattan poles from the forests using carabao power. Instead of real logs, however, we hauled banana trunks from the nagtebbaan (literally, cutting area) to the garbage pit; in place of carabaos, we hitched the sled to friendly dogs; and most of the time we used the toy to babysit younger siblings.

My Isinay friends in the town proper were more advanced. They had mini logging trucks, with tansan (softdrink bottle caps) for headlights. They used these toy trucks to haul slabs and thick barks of dipterocarp logs from the sawmill, and would enjoy riding on them on downhill parts of the road. My father once crafted one such truck for me and I had fun fetching firewood and sawdust with it, until its wooden axles and wheels gave up.

(PLEASE PROCEED TO PART 2)

Isinay Words Related to Dogs

THANK excessively rainy weathers for this piece.

We experienced one such very wet one for several days in Baguio in the early part of August and it has led our whole household to spend long hours attending to the cooking, feeding, toilet, and storm-shelter needs of our three dogs and six puppies. Quite serendipitously, such joyful moments made me remember a number of Isinay words pertaining to or associated with dogs.

I have written an earlier blog related to this that I suggest you should also visit (http://isinay-bird.blogspot.com/2012/02/talking-to-dogs-in-isinay.html) but this one you are reading now should offer more terms to enrich your Isinay vocabulary.

OK then, Isinay language learners the world over, here we go:

Adult and Young Dogs
Dog = asu
Puppy = u-on
Male dog = lein asu
Female dog = bavayin asu
Old dog = lajay/bi-al an asu

Common Dog Descriptions
Short-tailed = potot
Shaggy-haired = barbon
Black = mango^ngot
White = mapuraw
Spotted = labang
Striated = garit
Fat = matava
Thin = nati^lang
Big = ammai
Small = man-oj
Flea-infested = matime
Soriasis-infected = najugguran
Falling hair = namu^pu^
Growler = nangernger

Dog Sounds and Ways
Bark = eyu, aw-aw. The verb or action word for this is: man-eyu or man-aw-aw.
Growl = ngernger. The verb form is manngernger.
Howl = ayuwong. The verb form is man-ayuwong.

Dog Smells
Odorous = meyangdur
Bad odor = majuv
Smells like excreta = Mantepan attay

Dog Actions
Scratching = man-guju
Biting = mangeyat
Nibbling = mangot-ot
Lick = mansimut
Dogs fighting other dogs = man-aange

Terms Pertaining to Good Dogs
Well-behaved = man-a-nge
Good house guard = mavves manbantay si beyoy
Good hunter = mavves manganup
Does not bite = marin mangeyat
Does not run after kids = marin mannor si uunga
Does not bite or run after chickens = marin manmanu^
Does not raid the kitchen = marin mankallung

Terms Pertaining to Bad Dogs
Mad or crazed = nataje
Bites = mangeyat
Eats decayed flesh = mangan si naviyu^
Runs after people = mannor
Runa away with objects = mangipti^ or mangibuti^ Chases and/or eats chickens = manmanu^
Frequents kitchens for food = maakkallung

Dog Assignments
Guarding the house = manbantay
Sniffing birds/chickens/wildlife = manepa
Shooing away chickens, ducks, pigs etc. that raid the garden or the newly harvested rice being dried = manalin
“Cleaning” unwashed kettle and dishes with its tongue = mansimut
Chasing animals being hunted = tonor or mannor

“Dog Style”
This list would not give justice to the topic if it did not include the "censorable" item on how dogs have sex. Well, I don't know how dogs in other countries do it, but in Isinay land (as well as in Baguio and in many rural communities of the Philippines where dogs are part of human communities), dogs are free to "make love" on the streets or in other public places -- unmindful of spectators. The pertinent terms here are:
Female dog in heat = manmaya
Male dog's act of riding the rear of the she dog = manpatang
The copulation act = man-avaya.

The Isinay World a Century Ago: Bayombong, Solano & Bagabag (April 30, 1910)

NOTE: Bayombong, Solano and Bagabag were not (and still are not) Isinay territory, but if only to give our readers a big picture of the province of Nueva Vizcaya a century ago, it would be interesting to include here the experiences and observations of the American military professor Willcox in those originally Gaddang towns. By the way, the Mr. Forbes mentioned here is the Harvard-educated William Cameron Forbes, who the Wikipedia says is "an American investment banker and diplomat (who) served as Governor-General of the Philippines from 1908 to 1913 and Ambassador of the United States to Japan from 1930 to 1932." Thus, because Forbes was Governor-General at the time he was with the American group that visited Santa Fe, Aritao, Dupax, Bambang, and the rest of Nueva Vizcaya in the summer of 1910, he must have been the highest Philippine official to ever visit this part of the Philippines in those good old days.

THE MAGAT IS another of those turbulent, uncertain rivers of the Archipelago; we were not sure as we neared it whether we could get over or not. When up, it carries waves in midstream six to seven feet from crest to trough. But we had no such ill-luck, and bancas soon came over for us, the horses swimming.

While waiting for them we had a chance to admire the beautiful country; on one side tall spreading trees and broad savannahs, on the other the mountain presenting a bare scarp of red rock many hundreds of feet high; immediately in front the cool, green river, over all the brilliant sun, not yet too hot to prevent our thinking of other things.

Once over, we had no occasion to complain of our reception! All the notabilities were present, of course, mounted, but in addition there were three bands, all playing different tunes at the same time, in different keys, and all fortissimo. No instrument was allowed to rest, the drums being especially vigorous. One of the bands was that of the Constabulary, playing really well, and with magnificent indifference to the other two. I am bound to say they returned it.

We had the Constabulary troops, too, as escort, a well set-up, well-turned-out and soldierlike body. What with the bands, the pigs, the dogs, the horses, the children, the people, it was altogether one of the most delightful confusions conceivable, not the least interesting feature being the happy unconsciousness of the people of the incongruity of the reception. However, we formed a column, the Constabulary at the head, with its band, and were played into Bayombong, with the other bands, children, dogs, etc., as a mighty rear guard.

Our first business was to listen to reports and addresses. So we all went upstairs in the Government House, the presidencia; the Governor-General, Mr. Worcester, and the presidente took their seats on a dais, while the rest of us, with the local Americans and some of the native inhabitants, formed the audience, and listened to a report read by the treasurer. This made a great impression on us, so sensible and businesslike was it; not content with a statement, it went on to describe the affairs of the province, the possibilities of agriculture, and what could be accomplished if the people would turn to and work, and in particular it made no complaints.

Apparently this report alarmed the presidente, for he left his seat on the platform as soon as he decently could, and delivered a speech intended to traverse the treasurer’s report. His concern was almost comic: the idea of saying to the Governor-General that a great deal could be done locally by work, when there was a central Government at Manila!

Mr. Forbes, as usual, made in his turn a very sound speech, based on his observation in the province, on its fertility, its possibilities, the necessity of improving communications and of diversifying crops. I noticed here, as elsewhere in the province, the excellence of the Spanish used in speeches. As for the treasurer, we were informed that he had been taken in hand at an early age by the Americans and trained, so that in making his reports he had developed the ability to look upon the merits of the question in hand. But he must feel himself to be a unique person!

We rested here in Bayombong through the heat of the day, part going to Governor Bryant’s house, the rest of us to that of Captain Browne, the local Inspector of Constabulary. I have a grateful recollection of his hospitality, as well as of that of his brother officers, with whom we dined.

Nor must I forget the Standard Oil Company. For had not Browne rigged up a shower, consisting of the Standard five-gallon tin? A muchacho filled it with water and pulled it up over a pulley, and you got an excellent shower from the holes punched in the bottom. In fact, the Standard five-gallon tin is as well known in the East as its contents, and is carefully preserved and used. We had several opportunities to bless its existence.

Pleasant as was the nooning, it had to end: we mounted and rode on to Solano. On the way Bubud insisted on drinking from a dirty swamp by the roadside, although there was a limpid stream not fifty yards ahead which he could see as well as I. But there was nothing for it but the swamp; I accordingly let him have his way, only to find the bank slippery and the water deep, so that he went in up to his shoulders, with his hindquarters on the bank.

While I was trying to pull him back, he got in his hindquarters, and then, in further answer to my efforts, sat down in the water! And such water! Thick, greasy, smelly! A carabao wallow it was. He now gave unmistakable evidence of an intention to lie down, when a friendly hand got me up on the bank, whereupon Bubud, concluding he would get out too, emerged with a coat of muddy slime.

This seemed to have no effect whatever on his spirits, for on entering Solano a few minutes later, to the sound of bells and bands, with banners fluttering in the breeze, he got into such a swivet that before I knew it he was at the head of the procession, having worked himself forward and planted himself squarely in front of the Governor-General’s horse, where he caracoled and curvetted and pranced to his heart’s delight. As soon as we got out of the barrio, he was quite satisfied to take a more modest position, but occasions of ceremony seemed to deprive him of all realization of his proper place in the world.

The people of Solano made a great effort to have us stay the night, but it was impossible; we had to get on to Bagábag. Solano, by the way, is the commercial emporium of this end of the province, for there is not a single shop in Bayombong.

So on we went, through a calm, dignified afternoon, the country as before impressing me with its open, smiling valleys, its broad fields, its air of expectant fertility, inviting one to come scratch its surface, if no more, in order to reap abundant harvests. In fact, it seemed to me that we were riding through typical farming land at home, instead of through a Malay valley under the tropic.

And if anything more were needed to strengthen the illusion, it was a college yell, given by a gang of Ifugaos (the people we were now immediately on our way to visit) repairing a bridge we had to cross! They did it in style, and naturally had no cheer-leader; time was kept by beating on the floor of the bridge with tools. For this uttering of a shout of welcome or of other emotion in unison is a characteristic trait of the Ifugaos, like their using spoons, and can be likened to nothing else in the world but our American college yell.

Our reception at Bagábag was much like all the others we had had: bands, arches, addresses, one in excellent English. But on this occasion, after listening to a speech telling how poor the people were, how bad the roads were, how much they needed Government help, etc., etc., Mr. Forbes squared off in his answer, and told them a few things, as that he had seen so far not a single lean, hungry-looking person, that the elements were kindly, that they could mend their own roads, and that he was tired of their everlasting complaint of poverty and hunger, when a little work would go a great way in this country toward bettering their material condition.

This, of course, is just the kind of talk these people need, and the last some of them wish to hear.

We were now on the borders of the Mountain Province; literally one more river to cross, and we should turn our backs on Nueva Vizcaya. And with regret, for it is a beautiful smiling province, of fertile soil, of polite and hospitable people, of lovely mountains, limpid streams and triumphant forests. In Dampier’s quaint words, spoken of another province, but equally true of this one, “The Valleys are well moistened with pleasant Brooks, and small Rivers of delicate Water; and have Trees of divers sorts flourishing and green all the Year.”

Its people lack energy, perhaps because they have no roads; it may be equally true that they lack roads because they have no energy. However this may be, the province can and some day will grow coffee, tobacco, rice, and cocoa to perfection; its savannahs will furnish pasturage for thousands of cattle, where now some one solitary carabao serves only to mark the solitude in which he stands.

Source: Cornelis De Witt Willcox, 1912. The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon From Ifugao to Kalinga Franklin Hudson Publishing Company. [2005 by The Project Gutenberg Ebook]