(TURE & GENEI RARY WORKS Maria Lilia F RealubitCity of Naga, PhilipinesCHAPTER II Bikol Oral Literature ‘The ramifications of Bikol oral Mterature are complex and mul- tiple, The oral forms are so bound up with early historical frag- ments and associated with place-rames and topographical nomen- clature related to legendary accounts and mythical narratives which have been handed down through the ages in Bikol soil, Largely cone visting of matter-of-fact narrations of experiences and events, they formed a part of the people's lives until the conquest, What remain- ¢d after gradually diminished due to loss of contact and the little value given them by the people. ‘This chapter shall present a view of the riddles, proverbs, tig- siks or toasts, folk poems, folksongs, simple narrations, animal tales, fairy tales, folk tales, legends and myths of Bikol, The materials were obtained during a period of about ten years from 1971-1981, by interview and informant elicitation from old folks all over the region, My oldest informant was 98 years old, male; the rest ranged from 65 years and above, both male and female, The abundance of the oral literary material cannot al] be presented here except a sampling of each genre, The study gives brief descriptions of the structure and cognitive aspects of Bikol oral literature, Riddles or Patotodon * ‘The Bikol tradition of ridding dates back to ancient times. Bikol riddles are descriptive and poetically formulated, ‘Two elements characterize each riddle: a positive description which is metaphorical, expressed in the first statement, and a following negative element in the second statement which 1s meant to confuse the guessor, Con- sider these examples: May sarong babae na may koronaj | i rs Dawa sain may mata, A woman with a crown Has eyes everywhere, Answer: Pineapple An magurang dai naghihiro An aki nagkakamang, ‘The mother does not move ‘The child crawls. Answer: Squash Plant Kon tukaw halangkaw Kon tindog hababa. It seated, it is tall If standing, it is short. Answer: Dog Nagdakit si Santa Ana Dai nabasa si saya. Saint Anne crossed (the river) But her skirt did not get wet. Answer: Gabi Plant Bakong tao bakong hayop Pero may dila, It isn’t a man it isn’t an animal But it has a tongue. Answer: Shoes Nagtanom ako nin ransas* Sa tahaw nin dagat Kadakul an naghahanap Saro-saro an nagkapalad, I planted oranges In the middle of the sea Many looked for it Only one was lucky (to find it), Answer: Maiden Far from being simply descriptions whose referents must be guessed or revealed, riddles are questions which must be answered. Moreover, the Bikol riddle employs oppositional elements meant to confuse, as in:abl Plt w #4, EN ¥ Ano an bilog na may pitong labot? What round thing has seven holes? Answer: Face Duwang turotindahan Sabay-sabay kon buksan, Two small stores Open at the same time, Answer: Eyes From the above examples, we see that subjects of riddles are the familiar and concrete things in life, What man sees he tries to define and describe by giving it life or personification, However, riddles des- eribing the abstract appear, such as this one: Aram mo pero dai mo nasasabotan Dai mo nasasabotan pero aram mo, You know but you do not understand You do not understand but you know. Answer: Death As in other riddles, the device of inversion is confusing, and the gues. for misinterprets the figurative for a literal description, Yaon ka duman Pero yaon ka digdi, ‘You are there But you are here. Answer: Echo In both riddles above the abstract is given concreteness, The process is called the animistic tendency, whereby a new experience or objects, to be assimilated, had to “involve the imputing of some degree of vitality to objects actually inert.” Here are riddles in three or four lines: An langit gipatos sa bagol An bagol gipatos sa tubig An tubig gipatos sa panit. The sky is wrapped in shell The shell is wrapped in water The water is wrapped in husk, Answer: CoconutNakiiwal si Talidong An kadulak si Talipni Pagdilabi ni Maputi Nagdurugo daing sukol, Talidong quarrelled ‘The enemy was Talipni When Maputi joined the fray All bled profusely. Answer: Beetle Chew The understanding of these riddles depend entirely on participation in a culture system (i.e,, shared language, world view, etc.). Thus the subjects of riddles may be almost anything from things or ob. jects, to action of men, to life and death, to the concrete or material and abstract, Proverbs or Kasabihan The proverb played a big role in early Bikol life. They were handy slogans to pick from as occasion or need arose, particularly “to re mind people of the follies or consequences of unconsidered acts,”* Mainly, the proverbs were moral or ethical and expressed general truths about life. Here are choice samples with metaphoric lines: An masinaginsagin maanghit pa sa kanding He who pretends stinks more thana goat. An katotohanan garo uwak na dai ikatago Truth is like a crow that cannot be hidden An ngusong marinotabrutab siring sa gorang makinutat A talkative mouth is like a cackling hen An dangog siring kan niyog na kon mapisay dai na mabibilog Reputation is like a coconut which can no longer be put together after it has been halved. ‘The comparisons are between an abstract noun and a concrete noun plus adjective, such as pretension and a stinking goat, truth and a black crow, gossip and a cackling hen, reputation and a broken coc nut. In fact, most Bikol proverbs depict what should be desirable virtues such as ability, independence of mind, trustworthiness, gentleman| 95, i Ainess, self-reliance, curiosity, humility, honor, and others more. | Some examples are: } ‘Madali an maging tao : Masakit an magpakatao, I It is easy to be a man It is difficult to be gentlemanly. ang Mayong masakit sa tatao, Rte) i Nothing is difficult to one who knows. Ns F & = a | Sabang haii, Sabang poli, { ‘Where you come from, there you go back. Kon ano an mawot, iyo an inaabot. Whatever you desire is what you get, Aside from proverbs on moral and ethical virtues, there are pro- verbs on plants, animals and the human body, However, a good ma- | jority of them refer to the human condition in some way or the other. Almost all plant and animal references occur in a human con- ic lines: text or illustrate the absence of an important human value, For example: An bahog dai madulok sa manok, Feed will not go to the chicken. \ Patuson mo man an amo sa bulawan amo man giraray, t Wrap a monkey in gold, he will be a monkey yet. adntat | ‘An bayawas dai mabungang tapayas, | ‘The guava tree will not bear papaya fruits. piles | ‘An ngusong marinotabrutab siring kan gonang makinutal, a pt | A talkative mouth is like a cackling hen, et | ‘An dangog siring kan niyog na kon mapisay dai na mabibilog. ot Reputation is like a coconut which is hard to put back to- at fi gether once it is destroyed. b . Geet Note comparisons of human traits to nature, particularly references ' to animals and plants: wt An burak maski gurano kagayon maluyos man giraray.@, the analogy 1s between a deformed elbow and an evil analogy between a non-human thing with a human ‘an unspecified human thing that has ears and the speci- thing that has both ears and wings, nagkotat tyong naglagak Euneaver crowed {8 guilty. Lata ry 18 between a man with a guilty conscience, und a noisy ‘One who keeps secrets walks in the dark, A dark path fs a guilty conscience,(Wand an ef) Uh man fund the sh ya anl@ " Will be 4 ieing, Will romp wucoune, Contrasting Ideas Are reeoMnind and wiven » yomtie Lornudution in those examplens Kon dignos an inutany dignos wn kabayndun, Keon bayadan nin kabong dat man wan sakoon, If you horrow @ rleebird, pay your debt with « rhowbird, It you pay with another thing, 1 will not be woompted, Masayon an maginiawo, mapanot an magpakatao, Tt Is great to be a man, it is dittioult to be human, A structural look at these proverbs reven! certain levels of Vingule- tie sophistication, Wach statement consists of » matrix sentence and an embedded constituent, There are examples of derived sentence forma ranging from nomina)izations, adjectivalizations, yassivia- ions, and modifications of all sorts, Consider this example: Sa Unorotagdo nalalabot an matagas na gapo,, ‘Through the continuous drop of water, a hard stone even tually breaks, ‘The constituent sentence “An (tubly) nagtatagdo” (water drips) is embedded into the matrix sentence ""Matagas an ” (The stone in hard), There are many other examples but to look Into each case would be tedious, In addition, Bikol proverbs show patterns of choles or style and » growing sensitivity to the implication of these cholces, The examp- plew here An binotsan na horon dai na mababawe, What has been said may not be taken back, An tataramon makasarong mabutsan dal na mababawe, A word once said may not be taken back, both mean “what has been waid can no longer be unsaid”, The em. bedding process of independent and dependent clauses of sentence re. lation show # conscious awareness of varieties of expression and the Slternative ways of framing sentences while Keeping the basic mos ‘86 Unchanged,Toasts or Tigsik ular toasts known In similar poetic formulations were the pop' 7 as kangsin or abatayo in the ancient past, and later called tigstk, which were recited during banquets or drinking spress. Often in three or four-line verses, the tigsiks were short and witty on-the-spot com. positions of local poets, Listen to the rime in these examples: Tinigsik ko ining kagayonan Kaining sakong kahampang T drink to the beauty O£ this lass in front of me, That she may not forget me Till the day I die. The girl, or guest, to whom a toast has been offered is obliged to give an answer in verse along the same tone, Full of light banter and wit they read like this: Tinigsik ko ining kadlum Di ika magparaodongodong Ngani di taka mataplong, Translation: offer you this kadlum — Do not be very shy So I will not spank you, ‘Kadlum was a plant which symbolized virginity, The girl to whom he plant was offered is shy and hesitant to accept the offering: {h? it in the above version could be an older man, perhaps a relative . humor and satire of the tigsik were enjoyed in uninterrupte4 for long hours. A tigsikan or alapan would begin with 2°¥ ‘statements:YOU live Jong and prosperous, YOU Captive the tovetiont YOUR that born be w boy, ns Loe ‘the tgsik became 4 pene, the ‘oa men would turn to each other Anom na sawa marara ga limang bobon, Pano na an aagthan kan lambany “ ey 4 sro dal magdoot #9 mana. ‘Bix snakes will drink in tive ponds Mow will they manage not to touch each other? ‘The host acts as A self-appointed Judge, who takes upon himself the merry task of drowning with bamboo mugs of wine whoever cor- reotly anawers or fails to answer a puzzle, ag people cheer alongside the halls, Often puzzles or verses were taken from the corridos or metrical romances, The Bible, Pasyon and Tronco del Mundo were also sources of tigsik topics, Os oblig y | of light ba ‘The sorompongan or dugsungan, which means get-together during moonlight nights or fiestas, was o contest to find the best story tel- Jer or singer, The first step was to create a situation, and from there the contestants wove a story — the most pathetic, humorous, or tall- at tale, Applause wag given to the singer or to the story teller who made the audience laugh or cry most, It was likely through the so- rompogan that the story of Juan Osong expanded, The stories could be legends or folktales depending upon arrangements made at the start of the game, ‘The story teller would usually begin with the phrase: “Di tyo na ngani baga ito, , , Pagkuyan’”” Bo that was how it came to be ,,, And then... Here are the stories of “An Bota Saka an Bongog,” (The Blind and the Deaf), “An AKi nin Paraaasin” (The Son of the Saltmaker) and others which were favorites, For instance, a surprising last line of 4 Community song would elicit much laughter, Baro, duwa, tole, . , lalantahon Apat, ima, anom , .. papaplangon/guiromdomon Mare ka dodorog #8 bako mong agom,“ % 100 boiled two, three .. - (it must be) ee cut off its ears/remember this Four, five six... rem Do not sleep with somebody else's wife, the added lines or episodes were illogical yt matter whether har nd laughter. as long as they provoked excitement ai Love themes were popular but they had to be given novelty in or. der to arouse interest among the sleepy folk, The singer below com. pares himself to an ant: Kon dawa an tanga na dai nin boot Na dai sinangkap potenclas sentidos Kita pa daw ini sinangkap nin gabos An dai mamoot sa burak dumolok? Even the ant who has no mind, ‘Who hasn’t been endowed with common sense How can we with full faculties Not fall in love and go near a flower? Reference'to the Bible is employed here to stress the point about how an attractive girl can drive men crazy: Kong idtong Solomon na orog kadunong Nagpagibo siya templong magayon Asin ta igwa pa nin sangribong agom Alagad nawara nimfa nakaonong? Why, remember that wise Solomon Who had a beautiful temple built And had a hundred wives Who all disappeared by se of a maid? ‘The banter can go on and on. The champion of these contests was called a poliador and could travel to other places < mpose verse. Folksong or Kantang Suanoy 9] folksongs Bikol folksongs are spontaneous cople’s fee!- ‘lings and beliefs rendered musically, It is likkewi ‘that Bikol ethnicity is clearly manifested, particulars 2 tment, melody and manner of singing. This paper will, howeverabout 101 deal only with the first two aspects, subject and treatment, By sub- Ject is meant topic of the songs, and treatment, manner of viewing the subject of the songs, Old records on the Agta of Mount Iriga disclose love songs called dinusa, festive songs called tolbon, and wailing songs to lament the death of a kin called diwata, But the Agta songs are no longer sung nor can the Agtas of today remember them. From the lowlands several kinds of folksongs are known to have existed, namely: awit,kundiman, tagulaylay and hoarasa, In the awit class are narrative songs such as play songs, drinking songs, work songs and lullabies or kantang panayoknok, The loss of the ritual songs called soraque, songs to dead ancestors or dumago, funeral songs called angoy, tagulaylay or songs of wars and deeds of arms, and the hoarasa, which is a plaintive song rendered after a catastro- phe like eruptions of volcanoes, violent storms or destructive earth- quakes are understandable as they are no longer sung by the people. Many of the awits and kundimans are still heard but only among the old people. Several of these songs will be cited here to illustrate the kinds of songs the Bikol folk of yore were preoccupied, For ins- tance, this short narrative song shows the people’s flair for poetry even in the most ordinary situations: Kaya ako habo na magsolosolo Sa pampang nin salog ta igwang engkanto, Ta mala pa ngan! kaso sarong odto ‘Yaon si labahan dai na si tawo, Translation: SoI do not like to stay alone Near the river bank where fairies live Because you know last noontime The laundry was there but the launderer no more, ‘The reference to engkanto above is complimented by bancg, a night bird, in the lullaby below:forms like animals, birds, fishes or the banog is an engkanto, who ‘away children and drop them dead e people's obssession with the evil spirit; ng, which takes other forms like that oftd fake sngkant, vip op then dt the el s tae tl po OP 103 All the people Are millionaires ‘There is no airport But we have airplanes ‘That fly at night Bringing along human beings, It seems that this belief in spirits has connections with the Bikol’s tendency to impute life to inert objects, For example, “Panyong Binurdahan” (The Embroidered Handkerchief), which a gir] Lulay asks to fly over the head of Juan and a longer song titled “Pagel de Canton"(Canton Paper), which is a letter sent by a man to pay res pects to his girl, ‘As poetry and song were inherent in the early Bikols, many folk- songs were on-the-spot compositions done especially during moon- light nights, It was a common pastime, and it is still done m the ru- ral areas today — to gather in the barrio store where benches have been set, and talk of village happenings and make merry with the eompany around, Solo performances were appreciated, but group per- formances vying with each other brought much fun, The regular evening events, usually contests, and the sorompongan or dugsun- gan (songfest, literally) were held. The barrio chief presided over the festivities, He would create a story situation, and the contestants would put this into song. The better singer would make a sad story sadder, a happy situation hap- pler, a funny one funnier, or a dirty incident dirtier. Thus, these ditties were born in such songfests; namely: (1) An absurd situation becoming absuder: Singer 1 Tilibong’tilibong tilibong ‘Nadasmag si Ramon Nahulog sa bobon Nagkaborolokon, Translation: Roll around and around Ramon tripped- 105 ‘Atlway daw dai mabthag Ay Neneng, kan salmong piad Maski gadanang damulag, Lolay, Mabuhat ta manonoag, ‘Translation: ‘Who ia not captivated Oh Nenong, by your hips Even a dead carabao Will rise to tight for you ‘The versions range from sentimental songs to humorous ones like the second one above; the more funny the better It was liked by the crowd, Satire in song was likewise explored, The satire in this popular ditty titled "Manang Pulana” is very light, Si Manang Pulana Nagpaparatangis ‘An kadahelanan Ta dai nin tapis Kaso sbakal ko Nin tapis na pula Simba sanang simba Minsan daing misa, ‘Translation : Manang Pulana Has been crying ‘The cause ‘She hag no skirt When I bought ber A red tapis ‘She always went to church Even if there was no mass. ‘The light satire 1s turned to ribaldry in the following version: St Manang Pulana nagsakat sa tuba Nalislis si saya nahiling oi letra