Asbury College Incorporated

College Department
Anda, Pangasinan

EL 115 AFRO-ASIAN LITERATURE

Instructor: Ma’am Jenie Babe Buca

Reporters: Lovely Grace F. Sampaga
Micaela Juson
BSED- MAJOR IN ENGLISH III

“BIAG NI LAM-ANG”
Pedro Bukaneg
Philippine Literature

The Iloko Biag ni Lam-ang is the oldest recorded Philippine folk epic and the only
complete epic from the Christian Filipino groups. A relatively short epic with 977 lines.

Pedro Bukaneg was a Filipino poet. He is considered the "Father of Ilocano literature."
Blind since birth, he is the believed to have authored of parts of the Ilocano epic Biag ni Lam-
ang. A street inside the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex in Pasay, Philippines is
named in his honor. 

 CHARACTERS
1.   Don Juan Panganiban – father of Lam-ang
2.   Namongan - wife of Don Juan Panganiban
3.   Lam-ang – Son of Don Juan and Namongan Panganiban and the major character of
the story.
4.   Ines Kannoyon – Wife of lam-ang, daughter of the richest man of the town Kalanuha

 SETTING
Nalbuan, somewhere in the Valley of Naguilan River in La Union where Lam-
ang and his parents lived.

 PLOT

A. INTRODUCTION
Don Juan and his wife Namongan lived in Nalbuan, now part
of La Union in the northern part of the Philippines. They had a son
named Lam-ang. Before Lam-ang was born, Don Juan went to the
mountains in order to punish a group of their Igorot enemies. While
 he was away, his son Lam-ang was born. It took four people to help
Namongan give birth. As soon as the baby boy popped out, he spoke
and asked that he be given the name Lam-ang. He also chose his
godparents and asked where his father was. 

B. RAISING ACTION
After nine months of waiting for his father to return, Lam-ang
decided he would go look for him.  Namongan thought  Lam-ang was
up to the challenge but she was sad to let him go. During his
exhausting journey, he decided to rest for awhile. He fell asleep and
had a dream about his father’s head being stuck on a pole by the
Igorot. Lam-ang was furious when he learned what had happened to
his father. He rushed to their village and killed them all, except for
one whom he let go so that he could tell other people about Lam-ang’s
greatness. 

C. CLIMAX
Upon returning to Nalbuan in triumph, he was bathed by
women in the Amburayan river. All the fish died because of the dirt
and odor from Lam-ang’s body. 

D. FALLING ACTION
There was a young woman named Ines Kannoyan whom Lam-
ang wanted to woo.  She lived in Calanutian and he brought along his
white rooster and gray dog to visit her. On the way, Lam-ang met his
enemy Sumarang, another suitor of Ines whom he fought and readily
defeated.

E. DENOUEMENT
Lam-ang found the house of Ines surrounded by  many suitors
all of whom were trying to catch her attention.  He had his rooster
crow, which caused a nearby house to fall.  This made Ines look out.
He had his dog bark and in an instant the fallen house rose up again.
The girl’s parents witnessed this and called for him. The rooster
expressed the love of Lam-ang. The parents agreed to a marriage with
their daughter  if Lam-ang would give them a dowry valued at double
their wealth. Lam-ang had no problem fulfilling this condition and he
and Ines  were married.

F. ENDING
It was a tradition to have a newly married man swim in the
river for the rarang fish. Unfortunately, Lam-ang dove straight into
the mouth of the water monster Berkakan. Ines had Marcos get his
bones, which she covered with a piece of  cloth. His rooster crowed
and his dog barked and slowly the bones started to move.  Back alive,
 Lam-ang and his wife lived happily ever after with his white rooster
and gray dog.
 THEME
The theme of the epic revolves around the bravery and courage of the main
character portrayed by Lam-ang, who was gifted with speech as early as his day of birth,
who embarked on a series of adventures which culminated in his heroic death and
subsequent resurrection.

 MOOD
The mood is the feeling that the writer is trying to evoke in their readers—
feelings like calm, anxiety, joy, or anger.

 MORAL
The moral of the epic is that life is full of trials and problems; one must be
strong and must accept this reality. Lam-ang is a great person because he has a
supernatural power that he use to help other people around him. He do anything just to
win the heart of the woman he loves.

 LITERARY ANALYSIS
The epic of Biag ni Lam-Ang portrays the qualities and several characteristics of
Filipinos. The fact that the traits, attitudes, and values being shown in this phenomenal
epic are all reflections of our ancestors especially the Ilocanos who were the source of
this fictitious piece during pre-Spanish period. It depicts unwavering bravery, justice,
love, romance, relationship, journey and even friendship. The vastness and heroism in the
story are filled with idealistic imagination and fantasy.
 Lam-Ang, the hero in the epic, son of Don Juan and Namungan Panganiban in
the place of Nalbuan. He is being feared and adored by the people because of his
extraordinary powers. He has an usual birth. He can talk just after his birth. Lam Ang’s
astounding growth was so fantastically amazing. When he was nine months old, he
already possessed maturity, physically and mentally. He also had a very loud voice that
he can broadcast a declaration clearly to the town of Nalbuan. He had an indescribable
spirit that he conquered the numerous Igorots alone. Lam Ang’s bravery was being
shown to the town people of Calanutian and Nalbuan as he tried to get the shellfish, the
fact that it was a difficult task because many have tried to attempt to get the precious
shellfish but they failed do it. Aside from all his extraordinary capabilities, he also had
astonishing powers. When it comes to his love life, he tried to do anything for his love,
Ines Cannuyan, to prove his worthiness of marrying her. Unfortunately, he was killed by
berkakan, a furious shark, but he was brought to life through the help of his unbelievable
animal friends.

First, the epic shows the importance of family. Lam Ang’s love for his family was
selfless as he searched for his father. The leadership skills were also manifested, he
protected the town people of Nalbuan for possible colonization of Igorots. The epic also
emphasizes the rivalry between Lam Ang and other suitors. When Lam Ang fell in love
with Ines, He fought and killed several monsters and eventually challenged Sumarang
who was a dedicated suitor of Ines. It is just a picture how the Filipinos fight for their
 love, doing everything just to prove how dedicated we are.  Lastly, the Biag ni Lam Ang
depicts a very good portrayal of a true Iloco all about and to all the Filipinos.
s
BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://iloveenglish2015.wordpress.com/2015/10/31/biag-ni-lam-ang/
http://myliterarypiecesblog.blogspot.com/2016/01/literary-analysis-of-biag-ni-lam-ang.html