From time to time since the American occupation of the Islands,
Philippine folk-tales have appeared in scientific publications, but
never, so far as the writer is aware, has there been an attempt to
offer to the general public a comprehensive popular collection of
this material. It is my earnest hope that this collection of tales
will give those who are interested opportunity to learn something
of the magic, superstitions, and weird customs of the Filipinos,
and to feel the charm of their wonder-world as it is pictured by
these dark-skinned inhabitants of our Island possessions.
In company with my husband, who was engaged in ethnological work for
the Field Museum of Natural History, it was my good fortune to spend
four years among the wild tribes of the Philippines, During this
time we frequently heard these stories, either related by the people
in their homes and around the camp fires or chanted by the pagan
priests in communion with the spirits. The tales are now published
in this little volume, with the addition of a few folk-legends
that have appeared in the _Journal of American Folk-Lore_ and in
scientific publications, here retold with some additions made by
native story-tellers.
I have endeavored to select typical tales from tribes widely separated
and varying in culture from savagery to a rather high degree of
development. The stories are therefore divided into five groups,
as follows: Tinguian, Igorot, the Wild Tribes of Mindanao, Moro,
and Christian,
The first two groups, Tinguian and Igorot, are from natives who
inhabit the rugged mountain region of northwestern Luzon. From time
immemorial they have been zealous head-hunters, and the stories teem
with references to customs and superstitions connected with their
savage practices. By far the largest number belong to the Tinguian
group. In order to appreciate these tales to the fullest extent,
we must understand the point of view of the Tinguian. To him they
embody all the known traditions of "the first times"--of the people
who inhabited the earth before the present race appeared, of the
ancient heroes and their powers and achievements. In them he finds
an explanation of and reason for many of his present laws and customs.
A careful study of the whole body of Tinguian mythology points to
the conclusion that the chief characters of these tales are not
celestial beings but typical, generalized heroes of former ages,
whose deeds have been magnified in the telling by many generations
of their descendants. These people of "the first times" practiced
magic. They talked with jars, created human beings out of betel-nuts,
raised the dead, and had the power of changing themselves into other
forms. This, however, does not seem strange or impossible to the
Tinguian of today, for even now they talk with jars, perform certain
rites to bring sickness and death to their foes, and are warned by
omens received through the medium of birds, thunder and lightning,
or the condition of the liver of a slaughtered animal. They still
converse freely with certain spirits who during religious ceremonies
are believed to use the bodies of men or women as mediums for the
purpose of advising and instructing the people.
Several of the characters appear in story after story. Sometimes they
go under different names, but in the minds of the story-tellers their
personality and relationships are definitely established. Thus Ini-init
of the first tale becomes Kadayadawan in the second, Aponitolau in
the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, and Ligi in the seventh. Kanag,
the son of Aponitolau and Aponibolinayen, in the fifth tale is called
Dumalawi.
These heroes had most unusual relations with the heavenly bodies,
all of which seem to have been regarded as animate beings. In the
fourth tale Aponitolau marries Gaygayoma, the star maiden who is
the daughter of the big star and the moon. In the first story the
same character under the name of Ini-init seems to be a sun-god:
we are told that he is "the sun," and again "a round stone which
rolls." Thereupon we might conclude that he is a true solar being;
yet in the other tales of this collection and in many more known to
the Tinguian he reveals no celestial qualities. Even in the first
story he abandons his place in the sky and goes to live on earth.
In the first eight stories we read of many customs of "the first
times" which differ radically from those of the present. But a careful
analysis of all the known lore of this people points to the belief that
many of these accounts depict a period when similar customs did exist
among the people, or else were practiced by emigrants who generations
ago became amalgamated with the Tinguian and whose strange customs
finally became attributed to the people of the tales. The stories
numbered nine to sixteen are of a somewhat different type, and in
them the Tinguian finds an explanation of many things, such as,
how the people learned to plant, and to cure diseases, where they
secured the valuable jars and beads, and why the moon has spots on
its face. All these stories are fully believed, the beads and jars
are considered precious, and the places mentioned are definitely
known. While the accounts seem to be of fairly recent origin they
conflict neither with the fundamental ideas and traditions of "the
first times" nor with the beliefs of today.
Stories seventeen to twenty-three are regarded as fables and are told
to amuse the children or to while away the midday hours when the people
seek shaded spots to lounge or stop on the trail to rest. Most of
them are known to the Christianized tribes throughout the Islands and
show great similarity to the tales found in the islands to the south
and, in some cases, in Europe. In many of them the chief incidents
are identical with those found elsewhere, but the story-tellers, by
introducing old customs and beliefs, have moulded and colored them
until they reflect the common ideas of the Tinguian.
The third group includes stories from several wild tribes who dwell
in the large island of Mindanao. Here are people who work in brass
and steel, build good dwellings, and wear hemp clothing elaborately
decorated with beads, shell disks, and embroidery, but who still
practice many savage customs, including slavery and human sacrifice.
The fourth division gives two tales from the Moro (hardy Malayan
warriors whose ancestors early became converts to the faith of
Mohammed). Their teachers were the Arabian traders who, about 1400,
succeeded in converting many of the Malay Islanders to the faith of
the prophet.
The last group contains the stories of the Christianized natives--those
who accepted the rule of Spain and with it the Catholic religion. Their
tales, while full of local color, nevertheless show the influence
of the European tutors. They furnish an excellent opportunity to
contrast the literature of the savage head-hunters with that of the
Moro and Christian tribes and to observe how various recent influences
have modified the beliefs of people who not many centuries ago were
doubtless of a uniform grade of culture. It is interesting, too, to
note that European tales brought into the Islands by Mohammedan and
Christian rulers and traders have been worked over until, at first
glance, they now appear indigenous.
Owing to local coloring, these tales have various forms. Still we
find many incidents which are held in common by all the tribes of
the Archipelago and even by the people of Borneo, Java, Sumatra, and
India. Some of these similarities and parallelisms are indicated in
the foot-notes throughout the book.