_Tinguian_
One day Aponibolinayen and her sister-in-law went out to gather
greens. They walked to the woods to the place where the siksiklat grew,
for the tender leaves of this vine are very good to eat. Suddenly while
searching about in the underbrush, Aponibolinayen cried out with joy,
for she had found the vine, and she started to pick the leaves. Pull
as hard as she would, however, the leaves did not come loose, and all
at once the vine wound itself around her body and began carrying her
upward. [1]
Far up through the air she went until she reached the sky, and there
the vine set her down under a tree. Aponibolinayen was so surprised
to find herself in the sky that for some time she just sat and looked
around, and then, hearing a rooster crow, she arose to see if she
could find it. Not far from where she had sat was a beautiful spring
surrounded by tall betel-nut trees whose tops were pure gold. Rare
beads were the sands of the spring, and the place where the women set
their jars when they came to dip water was a large golden plate. As
Aponibolinayen stood admiring the beauties of this spring, she beheld
a small house nearby, and she was filled with fear lest the owner
should find her there. She looked about for some means of escape and
finally climbed to the top of a betel-nut tree and hid.
Now the owner of this house was Ini-init, [2] the Sun, but he was
never at home in the daylight, for it was his duty to shine in the
sky and give light to all the world. At the close of the day when
the Big Star took his place in the sky to shine through the night,
Ini-init returned to his house, but early the next morning he was
always off again.
From her place in the top of the betel-nut tree, Aponibolinayen saw
the Sun when he came home at evening time, and again the next morning
she saw him leave. When she was sure that he was out of sight she
climbed down and entered his dwelling, for she was very hungry. She
cooked rice, and into a pot of boiling water she dropped a stick
which immediately became fish, [3] so that she had all she wished to
eat. When she was no longer hungry, she lay down on the bed to sleep.
Now late in the afternoon Ini-init returned from his work and went
to fish in the river near his house, and he caught a big fish. While
he sat on the bank cleaning his catch, he happened to look up toward
his house and was startled to see that it appeared to be on fire. [4]
He hurried home, but when he reached the house he saw that it was
not burning at all, and he entered. On his bed he beheld what looked
like a flame of fire, but upon going closer he found that it was a
beautiful woman fast asleep.
Ini-init stood for some time wondering what he should do, and then
he decided to cook some food and invite this lovely creature to eat
with him. He put rice over the fire to boil and cut into pieces the
fish he had caught. The noise of this awakened Aponibolinayen, and
she slipped out of the house and back to the top of the betel-nut
tree. The Sun did not see her leave, and when the food was prepared
he called her, but the bed was empty and he had to eat alone. That
night Ini-init could not sleep well, for all the time he wondered who
the beautiful woman could be. The next morning, however, he rose as
usual and set forth to shine in the sky, for that was his work.
That day Aponibolinayen stole again to the house of the Sun and cooked
food, and when she returned to the betel-nut tree she left rice and
fish ready for the Sun when he came home. Late in the afternoon
Ini-init went into his home, and when he found pots of hot rice
and fish over the fire he was greatly troubled. After he had eaten
he walked a long time in the fresh air. "Perhaps it is done by the
lovely woman who looks like a flame of fire," he said. "If she comes
again I will try to catch her."
The next day the Sun shone in the sky as before, and when the afternoon
grew late he called to the Big Star to hurry to take his place, for he
was impatient to reach home. As he drew near the house he saw that it
again looked as if it was on fire. He crept quietly up the ladder, and
when he had reached the top he sprang in and shut the door behind him.
Aponibolinayen, who was cooking rice over the fire, was surprised and
angry that she had been caught; but the Sun gave her betel-nut [5]
which was covered with gold, and they chewed together and told each
other their names. Then Aponibolinayen took up the rice and fish,
and as they ate they talked together and became acquainted.
After some time Aponibolinayen and the Sun were married, and every
morning the Sun went to shine in the sky, and upon his return at night
he found his supper ready for him. He began to be troubled, however,
to know where the food came from, for though he brought home a fine
fish every night, Aponibolinayen always refused to cook it.
One night he watched her prepare their meal, and he saw that, instead
of using the nice fish he had brought, she only dropped a stick into
the pot of boiling water.
"Why do you try to cook a stick?" asked Ini-init in surprise.
"So that we can have fish to eat," answered his wife.
"If you cook that stick for a month, it will not be soft," said
Ini-init. "Take this fish that I caught in the net, for it will
be good."
But Aponibolinayen only laughed at him, and when they were ready to
eat she took the cover off the pot and there was plenty of nice soft
fish. The next night and the next, Aponibolinayen cooked the stick,
and Ini-init became greatly troubled for he saw that though the stick
always supplied them with fish, it never grew smaller.
Finally he asked Aponibolinayen again why it was that she cooked the
stick instead of the fish he brought, and she said:
"Do you not know of the woman on earth who has magical power and can
change things?"
"Yes," answered the Sun, "and now I know that you have great power."
"Well, then," said his wife, "do not ask again why I cook the stick."
And they ate their supper of rice and the fish which the stick made.
One night not long after this Aponibolinayen told her husband that
she wanted to go with him the next day when he made light in the sky.
"Oh, no, you cannot," said the Sun, "for it is very hot up there,
[6] and you cannot stand the heat."
"We will take many blankets and pillows," said the woman, "and when
the heat becomes very great, I will hide under them."
Again and again Ini-init begged her not to go, but as often she
insisted on accompanying him, and early in the morning they set out,
carrying with them many blankets and pillows.
First, they went to the East, and as soon as they arrived the Sun began
to shine, and Aponibolinayen was with him. They traveled toward the
West, but when morning had passed into noontime and they had reached
the middle of the sky Aponibolinayen was so hot that she melted and
became oil. Then Ini-init put her into a bottle and wrapped her in
the blankets and pillows and dropped her down to earth.
Now one of the women of Aponibolinayen's town was at the spring dipping
water when she heard something fall near her. Turning to look, she
beheld a bundle of beautiful blankets and pillows which she began to
unroll, and inside she found the most beautiful woman she had ever
seen. Frightened at her discovery, the woman ran as fast as she could
to the town, where she called the people together and told them to
come at once to the spring. They all hastened to the spot and there
they found Aponibolinayen for whom they had been searching everywhere.
"Where have you been?" asked her father; "we have searched all over
the world and we could not find you.'
"I have come from Pindayan," answered Aponibolinayen. "Enemies of
our people kept me there till I made my escape while they were asleep
at night"
All were filled with joy that the lost one had returned, and they
decided that at the next moon [7] they would perform a ceremony for
the spirits [8] and invite all the relatives who were mourning for
Aponibolinayen.
So they began to prepare for the ceremony, and while they were
pounding rice, Aponibolinayen asked her mother to prick her little
finger where it itched, and as she did so a beautiful baby boy popped
out. The people were very much surprised at this, and they noticed
that every time he was bathed the baby grew very fast so that, in
a short time, he was able to walk. Then they were anxious to know
who was the husband of Aponibolinayen, but she would not tell them,
and they decided to invite everyone in the world to the ceremony that
they might not overlook him.
They sent for the betel-nuts that were covered with gold, [9] and
when they had oiled them they commanded them to go to all the towns
and compel the people to come to the ceremony.
"If anyone refuses to come, grow on his knee," said the people,
and the betel-nuts departed to do as they were bidden.
As the guests began to arrive, the people watched carefully for one
who might be the husband of Aponibolinayen, but none appeared and they
were greatly troubled. Finally they went to the old woman, Alokotan,
who was able to talk with the spirits, and begged her to find what town
had not been visited by the betel-nuts which had been sent to invite
the people. After she had consulted the spirits the old woman said:
"You have invited all the people except Ini-init who lives up
above. Now you must send a betel-nut to summon him. It may be that
he is the husband of Aponibolinayen, for the siksiklat vine carried
her up when she went to gather greens."
So a betel-nut was called and bidden to summon Ini-init.
The betel-nut went up to the Sun, who was in his house, and said:
"Good morning, Sun. I have come to summon you to a ceremony which the
father and mother of Aponibolinayen are making for the spirits. If
you do not want to go, I will grow on your head." [10]
"Grow on my head," said the Sun. "I do not wish to go."
So the betel-nut jumped upon his head and grew until it became so
tall that the Sun was not able to carry it, and he was in great pain.
"Oh, grow on my pig," begged the Sun. So the betel-nut jumped upon
the pig's head and grew, but it was so heavy that the pig could not
carry it and squealed all the time. At last the Sun saw that he would
have to obey the summons, and he said to the betel-nut:
"Get off my pig and I will go."
So Ini-init came to the ceremony, and as soon as Aponibolinayen and the
baby saw him, they were very happy and ran to meet him. Then the people
knew that this was the husband of Aponibolinayen, and they waited
eagerly for him to come up to them. As he drew near, however, they saw
that he did not walk, for he was round; and then they perceived that
he was not a man but a large stone. All her relatives were very angry
to find that Aponibolinayen had married a stone; and they compelled
her to take off her beads [11] and her good clothes, for, they said,
she must now dress in old clothes and go again to live with the stone.
So Aponibolinayen put on the rags that they brought her and at once
set out with the stone for his home. No sooner had they arrived there,
however, than he became a handsome man, and they were very happy.
"In one moon," said the Sun, "we will make a ceremony for the spirits,
and I will pay your father and mother the marriage price [12] for you."
This pleased Aponibolinayen very much, and they used magic so that
they had many neighbors who came to pound rice [13] for them and to
build a large spirit house. [14]
Then they sent oiled betel-nuts to summon their relatives to the
ceremony. The father of Aponibolinayen did not want to go, but
the betel-nut threatened to grow on his knee if he did not. So he
commanded all the people in the town to wash their hair and their
clothes, and when all was ready they set out.
When they reached the town they were greatly surprised to find that
the stone had become a man, and they chewed the magic betel-nuts to
see who he might be. It was discovered that he was the son of a couple
in Aponibolinayen's own town, and the people all rejoiced that this
couple had found the son whom they had thought lost. They named him
Aponitolau, and his parents paid the marriage price for his wife--the
spirit house nine times full of valuable jars. [15]
After that all danced and made merry for one moon, and when the people
departed for their homes Ini-init and his wife went with them to live
on the earth.