Kankanay Ceremonies Part 11

SAGAUSAU

Among the Kankanay of Benguet the sagausau is generally celebrated before starting on a journey, and always before starting on a journey to trade.

A chicken is first killed and its gall examined. If the gall is full and smooth the trader will have luck, but if the gall does not look right, the trip is delayed and the next day another chicken is killed. When the prospective trader finds a chicken whose gall is all right, he then proceeds to celebrate the sagausau.

In the western Benguet Kankanay towns, the person giving the sagausau prays as follows:

Sika agou ya boan, nay ay manaugasauak; sina yamo amoya sin amoyak, ya yaanda sakun si galiko ya takoanda sakun ni nalaka.

You, Sun and Moon, I am now celebrating the sagausau; and if I go, wherever I go, make them give me blankets and sell to me cheap.

In Buguias, where a large number of people make their living by acting as middlemen, between the Nabaloi and Ilocano on the one hand, and the Ifugao on the other, the prayer which is spoken by the mambunong is as follows:

You, Sun and Moon, come; witness the sagausau. ---- is about to start on a journey to trade. May he be successful in trading. May he be able to collect all that is due him and evade payment of what he owes. Cause the people to give him food and blankets.

In the Lepanto town of Mancayan the sagausau is celebrated, but I do not know whether or not it is held in the other Lepanto towns.

The sagausau of the Nabaloi is celebrated for a different purpose and is an entirely different ceremony.

MYTHS [10]

ORIGIN OF THE BIG AND LITTLE THUNDER

Guaday ifugau ay way onasna. Usay bungbungo idi una inila baung, inila ay waday mangibot si onasna. Ud isay labi nantabon ta ilauna.

Inila nay adadu ay basang nay omali ay inbayat si si lupateha sin alad. Inanay din lupot nay usali yan kimiti. Din isali nay babayi inani di lupot, yan sinmayag, modin usali nabayan adin makasayag tan din lupot inikudna din payadna.

Inkwanina sin ifugau un, "Iatudmo din lupotko, tan sakun talauak, yan kianko ay sumayag ud kayang." Mon din ifugau yatna un, "Adiak iatud din lupotmo anganas asauwam sakun." Ud niman manasauwada, mon adina inatud din lupotna insisiya. Mo din lalaki inpuina di lupot sin dalum di dakalan sin adina inila.

Ud niman angoi yay tolo ay tauan di manasauwanda, ut nananakda's dua. Idi usali yay agou din babayi inmui nay sansinokatan din dakdakalan, idi sinokatanan dakalan, dingtungna din lupotna.

Mo din usali nay anak mati. Din si inada maladi ay inanilaun di usali yay anakna ay mabayan si nalabi, mon adin omali sin kagauan.

Sin namingsan nay labi, din si inana di anak piana nay alaun sisiya ut kayang, mon din si amana inilana si asauwana. Idi anoka naniboda ut mantolagada un panpapitakadda din anak. Si inana din kagadua, ut nanbiagana; idi nanbiagana di kagadua, binugauwan naut di usali yay kagaduana. Modin usali nay kagaduana nabuyok tan si amana adina mabalin nay panbiagan. Idi namingsan nay labi, din si inana nanbiagana, yan yatna un, "Sulabitam din kagaduum." Ud niman sinongbalana, mon adiut napigsa tan nabayag ay nabuyok.

Nanbalin si kitkitoi yay kido, ut usali nay kagadua nanbalin nay abalug ay kido.

There was a man who had sugar cane. One morning when he went to see his field, he saw that some one had stolen his sugar cane. Then one night he hid to watch.

He saw many beautiful women come and hang their clothing on the fence. He took the clothing of one and made a loud noise. The other women took their clothing and flew away, but the one remaining could not fly because her wings were fastened to her clothing.

She said to the man, "Give me my clothing, because I am a star and wish to fly away to the sky." But the man said, "I will not give you your clothing until you marry me." Then they married, but he did not give her clothing to her. But the man hid the clothing under the dakalan [11] when she was not looking.

From that time until three years (afterwards) they were married, and they had two children. One day the woman started to change the dakalan; while changing the dakalan she found her clothing.

Then one of the children died. The mother continued to come to visit the remaining child in the night, but would not come in the daytime.

One night the mother of the child wanted to take it to the sky, but the father saw his wife. That time they quarreled and agreed to split the child in two. The mother took one half and made it alive; when the half had been made alive it called loudly for the other half. But the other half was rotten because the father was not able to make it live. Then one night the mother made it alive and said, "Answer your half." Then it answered, but not loudly, because it was rotten.

It became the Little Thunder, and the other half became the Big Thunder.

ORIGIN OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

Ud agayao inmali sinan lota din Lumawig, ut inbuina dinisay babayi. Sia adadu ditonodna ay babayi. Inapada ta bakun eda di masauwana, Dayida ipaeda din posok sindaon di kaugunda. Din Lumawig sinongsongna din posok, ian adina layidun.

Sia kinwanina sin asauwana, "Sakun mantaoliak ud tagoi; alayuk dingudwan din anakta ya makayan dingudwana." Sia ginudwana din anakta, ut inana din toktokna. Din toktona mabungut tan iwud din awakna ut nanbugan. Din Lumawig sinapona din awak ya dinsikina, ut sia d.i.n.kedo.

Din gudwana ay binayan din Lumawig adi makali, ut sia inmali loman ut sinapona din toktok, ut masauwana din kedo ut sia din kimat.

Long ago Lumawig came to the earth and married a girl. She had many sisters. They were jealous because he had not married them. They put garlic under their beds. Lumawig smelled the garlic and did not like it.

He said to his wife, "I shall return to the sky; I shall take half of our child and leave half." He divided the child into halves, and took the head. The head was angry because it did not have its body, and talked loudly. Lumawig made it a body and legs, and it became the Thunder.

The half that Lumawig left could not talk, but he returned again and made (it a) head, and it married the Thunder, and it (became) the Lightning.

THE MOUNTAIN KABUNIAN

Waday isa ay liang sin isa ay bantag sined nabaon, kabunian bonngonanona di ifugau nga oomoi sidi. Yatda un manganda mon adida alaun din pilad. Kayipo ifugau di amoi ud guab ay un manlakos piana amoi sin liang. Din anito bunganasda eda.

Sin mamingsan inmoi di isay lakay ut binonngan di anito yan inana ut din nanagananna ay pilad. Ut nanbiliu si bato, ut inmaylagui sin sookan di liang. Mapo di danom sin tupukna ut mo waday malabas inomunda. Mayigapo sin nangisaanda si pilad tinekdan din kabunian di manb.u.mo.

There is a cave in a mountain where long ago the G.o.ds gave food to the people who stopped there. They told them to eat, but not to carry away the plates. Many people going to the seash.o.r.e to trade would stop at the cave. The G.o.ds gave them food.

Once a man stopped and was fed by the G.o.ds, but took away the dishes in which he had eaten. Then he was turned to stone, and (now) stands in front of the cave. Water gushes from his mouth, and when there are (people) pa.s.sing by they drink it. After the plates were taken away the G.o.ds stopped giving food.

THE ORIGIN OF MAN

Id nabaon ginmosad si kabunian sinan lota, mo'n iwud di ifugau. Sia kinwanida, "Maptung mo waday ifugau. Takosamopoa si lalaki iga babayi." Eda inoma si lota ut sinmapo si dua ay sinan ifugau ut pimatakdugna. d.i.n.kingpas manok asina panglagtoan kinwanida, "Pansiakak eda ta mataG.o.da." Ut isa sinan ifugau naysiak. Sia nanbalin si lalaki. Dinusa dinnguna dinganangona ut naysiak abu, ut nanbalin si babayi.