Ulalim, the Epic of Love of the Maducayan

By Melvin Banggollay Jr.

An ullalim epic is a traditional music and poetry form of the Philippines. These
are long chanted stories passed down hundreds of years that tell the exploits of heroes.
They are classics of the Malayo-Polynesian language family. The most skilled poets
would memories epics cycles that took two to four days to recite during all-night
dramatic performances. Two examples of precolonial (before Spanish came) epics that
survive today are Biag ni Lam-ang (Legend of Lam-ang) in Ilocano (a northern Luzon
dialect) and Ibalon in Bicol (a southern Luzon dialect). The term ullalim is sometimes
used today to refer to that style of song, but the real ullalim is the epic poem of the
Kalinga people. An article I read says that the singer would dress up in brilliant, flashy
clothes like the hero described in the story. It is considered an epic of the Kalinga people
depicting the struggle of Banna and Lagunnawa who were the main characters of the
love story Ullalim – this is a long epic song of the Kalinga about the adventures of
Banna, the hero of the epic. Tagalog Epic story Maragat is the counterpart of Ullalim.

The story tells us that Banna was a traveling adventurous man going from place to place in
search for a maiden to marry until one day he found Lagunnawa that truly mesmerize him
until they fall in love with each other. Lagunnawa was known as the most beautiful woman in
the villages he went through while Banna was known to be young, handsome and brave tribal
leader with unmatched skill in hand to hand without spear og bulo. He was feared by all men
for having that lighting speed during combat but so sought by many women with his sterling
qualities and handsome looks and athletic figure.
One day, he came to the village and met Lagunnawa that for the first time he fell in love
with this beautiful woman oozing with enchanting beauty of an angel. To get her, he
serenaded her with a song that started by giving a “momma” singing that if you like me oh
woman of beauty so serene like the melody of the moon shinning above, take my simple
offering from the bottom of my heart. The woman on the other hand being so in love with
this man whom he behold so handsome and kind, accepted the “momma” and chewed it
while singing, “oh you are the man of my dream that cherished every dream I have, come let
me love thee with all the pearl of my heart.” Together, they dance and sung the song full of
burning passion until they decided to get married and form a union of their warring villages
live in peace and harmony and shared the spirit of love of Banna and Lagunnawa have for the
two village.
Every village have their own Ullalim depicting the struggle and journey of Banna in
search for the woman of hist heart, Lagunnawa. Even the place of Maducayan, have such epic
handed from generations to generations believed to originate from Maducayan an old village
in the higher lands of the Mountainous areas of Cordillera Region. Lagunnawa, on the other
hand, was believed to be from a village far away in the land of Kalinga.