Ditangco, Koen Mir G.

Date Submitted: 29 Jan 2019

Science 11 F

The Legend of Lumiwag

Over the mountains of the North, the Bontok people believed that their community
was built when a supreme being named Kabunian let one his three sons, Lumawig, come
down to earth when he was distributing crops in the fields in the heavens. Lumawig saw
something in particular with the humans which made him want to marry the people walking
on the lands of the earth. Upon hearing this, Kabunian granted Lumawig’s wish to descend
to earth. Lumawig brought with him a dog, a rooster, some betel nuts, and a bag to carry all
these.

As he stepped on earth, he was greeted by the Sun and was asked about his
intentions, to which Lumawig replied “I want to marry in one of the humans’ lands.” Because
of this, the Sun gave Lumawig a shell belt, which is supposed to be given to the woman that
Lumawig would want to marry. He, then, proceeded to roam over the lands of the earth,
searching for the place that he liked the most. After days of searching, he was finally able to
arrive at a place which astounded him and gave him euphoria — Bontoc. The place
emanated some sort of energy, as if he was charmed by some magic.

Lumawig sat on the grass, for he grew tired of all his venturing. Shortly after he sat,
Lumawig saw two sisters harvesting black beans from the fields. He observed that they are
having a shortage of crops. Lumawig, having the prowess to increase crop production,
approached the sisters and granted them heaps of beans and crops, but with a price.
Lumawig ordered that their people should not be greedy, and should give back whatever
they took from the land back to the soil. One of the sisters, Fucan, grew interest in Lumiwag
and asked to marry him. Lumiwag agreed to marry, and they proceeded to Fucan’s father to
bless their marriage.

Batanga, Fucan’s father, finally met the two, but did not easily grant his blessing.
Because of this, Lumiwag showed off his strength by carrying a rock that is impossible for
any human being to even be able to lift. Also, he gave them pigs, which he grew out of
nowhere, for everybody to feast on. Batanga was amused. He was impressed by Lumiwag’s
act of kindness. He shouted, “This man is a refined man. This the man who should marry my
daughter.” Everyone shouted in joy and celebrated their marriage. They performed cañao to
signify the union of the couple Lumiwag and Fucan. They ended up having becoming a
family with three children.

Source: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/incorians/the-legend-of-lumawig-bontoc-
t864.html?sid=2f832598781a27e9acf1498f4eb6a347&fbclid=IwAR2eUGW4CcTn-
1504Hz1Xz4dJZuocdsyu6lR-cl5i39biOPm0L1Ap4u4pzM

QUESTIONS:

a. How does the myth, legend, folklore, or practice of your province or region relate to
Living Systems?

- In the folklore, it was stated that there were people who were responsible for harvesting the
crops. This implies that they have a system of gatherers, hunters, and other positions that
are to be carried out by each member of their community. Also, it was evident from the
folklore that the people of Bontoc were reliant solely to their environment. No civilizations
were mentioned throughout the story of Lumawig. Lastly, the use of oral traditions to narrate
the story of the confounding locals of Bontoc was an indication of their understanding of oral
preservation for the future generations.

b. How does this describe the environment, the human community? The deities (if
any)?

- From the narrative, it seems like the people in Bontoc were living quite peacefully. In fact,
their way of living was really simple, and no trace of extravagance was observed. It was not
clear whether they abused the environment that they were in, but from the protagonist’s
experience of being charmed, it can be deduced that the environment was pristine and pure
– that it still preserved its natural beauty. The supreme beings, Lumawig and Kabunian, were
portrayed as kindhearted beings who are very generous to others.

c. What does this tell you of the place of humans with respect to the world around
them?

- The folklore involved certain characters that had more powers than mere humans. This
indicates that the Cordilleran natives recognize the presence of supreme beings which they
really look up to. They associate these beings to having control over our world, which makes
us respect them even more. This could be a way for them to carry across their message of
showing care for the environment. In a sense, they might implying the dominance of these
beings, and that we must not disturb or destroy what they had created for mankind. This
subtle instigation of fear to the listeners/readers could be what keeps their community in
harmony with the environment, not only of Bontoc, but also, of the whole nation.