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PHILIPPINE LITERATURE

“The Wedding Dance”

Amador Daguio

I. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amador T. Daguio was a poet, novelist and teacher during the pre-war. He
was best known for his fictions and poems. He had published two volumes of
poetry, “Bataan Harvest” and ”The Flaming Lyre”. He served as chief editor for
the Philippine House of Representatives before he died in 1966.

In 1932, he graduated from UP as one of the top ten honor graduates. After
World War II, he went to Stanford University to study his masterals in English
which he obtained at 1952. And in 1954 he obtained his Law degree from
Romualdez Law College in Leyte.

A. OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

 Huhud hi aliguyon (a translation of an Ifugao harvest song,
Stanford, 1952)
 The Flaming Lyre (a collection of poems, Craftsman House, 1959)
 The Thrilling Poetical Jousts of Balagtasan (1960)
 Bataan Harvest (war poems, A.S Florentino, 1973)
 The Woman Who Looked Out the Window (a collection of short
stories, A.S Florentino, 1973)
 The Fall of Bataan and Corregidor (1975)
B. AWARD
Republic Cultural Heritage award (1973
 II. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Awiyao and Lumnay most likely to belong to the Igorot people who
inhabit the mountain areas of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. The
Philippine islands were settled by various migrants from Southeast Asia for
centuries. These peoples built up a number of different cultures and clan-based
social structures on the many islands of the archipelago. In the 1500s, Spain
colonized the islands, spreading Christianity and the Spanish language. Following
Spain’s loss in the Spanish American war of 1898, the Philippines became a
territory of the United States.
Awiyao and Lumnay most likely to belong to the Igorot people who
inhabit the mountain areas of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. The
Philippine islands were settled by various migrants from Southeast Asia for
centuries. These peoples built up a number of different cultures and clan-based
social structures on the many islands of the archipelago. In the 1500s, Spain
colonized the islands, spreading Christianity and the Spanish language. Following
Spain’s loss in the Spanish American war of 1898, the Philippines became a
territory of the United States.

III. CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS

In order for us to better understand the story, we must understand their law.
It states "A couple who wish to divorce due to infertility of either one of the
partners is allowed by the law. A husband who divorces a wife without any valid
reason will have to leave all properties to the children and the wife, this is another
law."

IV. SYNOPSIS/ SUMMARY

Awiyao and Lumnay were husband and wife for seven years, but now the husband
has to marry another woman, Madulimay, because Lumnay was not able to give him a
child. (In their culture in the mountains during those times, having a child to follow after
the husband’s name was a must.)

On the night of the wedding, Awiyao goes to his and Lumnay’s house to
personally invite her to the traditional wedding dance. However, Lumnay, the best dancer
in the entire tribe, refuses to go. Then, during their conversation, it is revealed that both
of them still love each other, but because of their tribe’s custom, they have to separate.

Lumnay can hardly let go of her husband. The two both agreed that if Awiyao's
second marriage did not work, he will go back to Lumnay's arms and this was sealed by
the beads that Lumnay will keep. Then Awiyao goes back to the wedding because
someone is calling him already. After being fetched by others, Lumnay decided to go to
the wedding not to dance or to join the celebration but to stop the wedding.

She decided to break the unwritten law of her tribe, but when she is near all her
guts to stop the wedding suddenly disappeared. She did not have the courage to break
into the wedding feast. Lumnay walked away from the dancing ground, away from the
village. She went to the mountain instead and in the mountain is where she diverted all
her bitterness in her and she partly reminisce their story of Awiyao.