The following myths were collected by the writer in 1907-8 during a
stay of sixteen months with the Tinguian, a pagan tribe of northwestern
Luzon in the Philippines. The material, for the most part gathered
in texts, was partially translated in the Islands, while the balance
was worked over during a brief visit to America in 1909. In this task
I was assisted by Dumagat, a full blood Tinguian, who accompanied me.
While not, in all cases, giving a literal rendering, I have endeavored
to follow closely the language of the story-tellers rather than to
offer a polished translation. In some cases, where it was impossible
to record the tales when heard, only the substance was noted, a fact
which will account for the meagerness of detail evident in a few of
the stories.
The Tinguian tribe numbers about twenty thousand individuals,
most of whom are found in the sub-province of Abra, and in the
mountains of Ilocos Sur and Norte. Their material culture, beliefs,
and ceremonials are quite uniform and exceedingly complex. It is my
intention to publish a study of this people in the near future, but
realizing that it will be quite impossible for readers unacquainted
with Tinguian life to understand many references in the tales, I
have added such foot notes as will enable them to grasp the meaning
of certain obscure passages.
In the introduction, an attempt has been made to bring together the
culture of the people as it appears in the myths, and to contrast it
with present day conditions and beliefs. In this way we may hope to
gain a clearer insight into their mental life, and to secure a better
idea of the values they attach to certain of their activities than
is afforded us by actual observation or by direct inquiry. It is also
possible that the tales may give us a glimpse of the early conditions
under which this people developed, of their life and culture before
the advent of the European.
It should be noted at the outset that no attempt is here made to
reconstruct an actual historical period. As will appear later, a
part of the material is evidently very old; later introductions--to
which approximate dates may be assigned--have assumed places of great
importance; while the stories doubtless owe much to the creative
imaginations of successive story-tellers.
A comparison of these tales with the folk-lore of neighboring tribes
would be of greatest value, but unfortunately very little material
for such a study is available. Under the circumstances it has seemed
best to defer the attempt and to call attention in the footnotes to
striking similarities with other fields.
In the main these tales are so closely associated with the religious
beliefs of the present day that it is unlikely they will be found,
in anything approaching their present form, outside the districts
dominated by this tribe. Nevertheless, isolated incidents corresponding
to those of neighboring peoples or even of distant lands occur
several times.
Observation has led me to the belief that the religious organization
and ceremonies of the Tinguian have reached a higher development
than is found among the neighboring tribes, and that this complexity
decreases as we penetrate toward the interior or to the south. If
this be true, it seems evident that the tales based on or associated
with them must likewise grow weaker as we go from Abra.
I wish here to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. Franz Boas and
Dr. Berthold Laufer, whose interest and suggestions have been of
greatest value in the preparation of the material for publication;
also to express my gratitude to the late Robert F. Cummings, under
whose liberal endowment the field work was carried on. His constant
interest made possible the gathering of the extensive Philippine
collections now in the Museum, and it is a matter of deep regret
that he did not live to see all the results of his generosity made
available to the reading public.
Fay-Cooper Cole,
Assistant Curator of Malayan Ethnology.
Chicago, January, 1915.