Kapampangan Periodicals and Newspapers

 Periodicals and Newspapers

• Ing Emangabiran or El Imparcial (1905) a four-page bilingual tabloid  Ing Alitaptap
(Bacolor) but ceased publication in 1919.
• Ing Catala (The Parrot) San Fernando) published from 1917-1941.
• The Voice of Central Luzon and Pampanga Newsweek

 Magazines
• Ing Katimawan- featured the romantic short story.
• Campuput is a bilingual English- Kapampangan magazine

 Prominent People in Kapampangan Literature

• Triumvirate from Bacolor, Pampanga- Mariano Proceso Pabalan Byron, Juan Crisostomo
Soto and Felix Galura
• Juan Crisostomo Soto- the Father of Kapampangan Literature.
• Mariano Proceso Pabalan Byron- wrote Managpe,
• Felix Galura- translated Noli Me Tangere to Kapampangan and his best  known work is
Ing Kabiguan.
• Father Anselmo Jorge Fajardo- wrote the longest work in Philippine Literature
• Aurelio Tolentino- Best known works are Ing Buac nang Ester at Napun, Ngeni, at
Bukas, his masterpiece.
• Monico Mercado from Sasmuan- wrote the first translation of Mi Ultimo Adios
• Zoilo Hilario- introduced a new orthography in Kapampangan based on Tagalog  Jose
M. Gallardo- literary genius who invented the malikwatas or magical poem  Zoilo
Galang- wrote the first English novel written by a Filipino.
• Diosdado P. Macapagal from Lubao, wrote Sintang Cayanacan.
• Silvestre Punsalan wrote Ing Katimawan and Paninap Ning Macaguising.
• Francisco Guintu translated the poem Trees to Kapampangan.
• Two theaters, Teatro Sabina and Teatro Trining, served as venues to these masterpieces
as they fueled literary achievements in Bacolor and Guagua respectively.
 Guidelines to Poetry Analysis

- Poetry derives from the Greek word ‘poesis’, meaning making or creating.
1. A poem must be read slowly, carefully, and attentively unlike prose.
2. Take note of meanings, music (rhythm) and images that bring about an experience
and elicit emotional response.
3. Remember that poetry has a subject-matter that can be found in everything that is
interesting and presents a situation about the drama of life.
4. It is most closely related to music.

 Kapampangan Legends
• Ing Alamat na Ning Opu- Si palupu ay mataba na mabait siya ay sawi sa pag ibig at
namatay, kung saan sya nilubing may tumubong halaman na pinangalan ay “opu”.

 Narratives from Oral Tradition

• Pampanga is traditional homeland of the Kapampangans.
• Pampangan and Tagalog mythology mirror one another
• Indianized influence and the Datus and Rajahs who came from the Pampanga region,
• The Formation of the World is one such story. This Pampangan tale was documented by
Alfredo Nicdao, in 1917.
• Precambrian Era- time represents the vast bulk of Earth’s geologic history and covers nearly
90% of Earth’s history.
• Hadean Era (from Hades, the Greek god of the underworld) describes the hellish conditions
then prevailing on Earth.

 Formation of the World (Creation Myth)

Mangechay- Mangechay. He ruled the universe for several millenniums with great power. The
supreme god sent for all his vassals to meet in great council to decide on a certain affair in the
universe. The gods responded to the call and the elements were disturbed greatly by the swiftness
of their chariots. As soon as they gazed at the beautiful daughter of Mangechay who was seated
on her golden chair the gods were charmed at her beauty. Instead of deciding on the affair of the
universe, the gods proposed marriage to the pretty goddess.
 Kapampangan Deities
• Mangechay or Mangacha- The great elder, is said the creator of the Heavens, it is said that
she is the ‘net weaver’
• Mangatia – the net weaver, where no gender is specified.
• Aring Sinukûan- The Kapampangan sun god of war and death,
• Apûng Malyari- The moon god who lives in Mt. Pinatubo
• Tálâ- The bright star,
• Munag Sumalâ- represent dawn. Also known as the golden serpent.  Lakandanup-
represents the sun at noon time.
• Gatpanapun- the noble who only knew pleasure
• Sisilim- her name means dusk or early evening in Kapampangan language.
• Galurâ- represented by a giant eagle and believed to be the bringer of storms.
• Nága- serpent deities
• Lakandanum- known to rule the waters.

 PATIANAK, small dark creatures that lived underground, in remote spots marked by
termite mounds. Passers-by had to say "Makilabas ku pu!" or "Itábi po, puera nunu!"
(“May I pass?" or "Please go away, I hope there is no old dwarf here!”) The word
patianak did not come from the Tagalog tiyanak, but from the Bahasa pontianak, the
ghost of a stillborn baby. Thus, Kapampangans thought them to be the souls of
unbaptized children, who tormented women during childbirth and harassed immoral
people (like unchaste priests and unfaithful husbands).
 MANGKUKUTUD, the Kapampangan version of the manananggal, whose torso
detached from the rest of the body to fly in the night in search of cadavers to eat. This is
the reason we never leave our dead unattended, or the mangkukutud would steal the
corpse, slice the flesh and cook it. This creature laid eggs like hens do, and people who
took these eggs by mistake and cracked them open would be shocked to find a nose,
fingers, eyeballs and other body parts inside. The magkukutud got its name from the
ancient Kapampangan word kutud, "to cut."
 MANGKUKUSINU, the Kapampangan version of the mangkukulam, only much more
evil. He could inflict pain on a person even from a great distance, magically able to put
poison, a metal object or even a live chicken inside his victim's body, causing extreme
suffering.
 KULARIUT, a dark, elusive creature with a long white beard who lived in bamboo
groves and forests, perched on branches or rooftops quietly watching people while they
slept in their rooms. Not too long ago a theater group depicted kulariut as the restless
ghost of an American soldier, Col. Elliott.
 MANGLILILI, an invisible entity who caused disorientation in solitary travelers, making
them lose their way in deep forests and mountains. Poor travelers would spend hours,
even days, trying to find their way back. People living at the foot of Mount Arayat have
experienced being led astray by a beautiful lady for what seemed to be only hours but
turn out to be actually months and years.
 MAGLALAGE was the generic term for ghosts, or spirits of the dead stranded on earth
because of an unfinished business.
 ASWANG was a mean, dark creature who rubbed a special ointment on his armpits to fly
in search of the dying instead of the already dead.
 MANGUANG ANAK, fast-running agents of an unseen evil person or spirit who
kidnapped children off the streets and took them to a faraway place where they were bled
to death and their blood sold and used in minting coins (old folks thought dipping coins
in blood was part of the minting process and coins did taste like blood). When I was a kid
we called them Ilonggot, and I remember seeing one apprehended by the police and
tortured before a big crowd in front of the municipio. The Ilonggots were a mountain
tribe outlawed by Americans in the early 1900s for being headhunters.
 BINANGUNAN, vampirish beings that could suck the blood of children even from a
distance. Thin, anemic children were thought to be victimized by a binangunan. Research
must be made if this word is related to the name of the town Binangonan, Rizal.
 KAPRI, "10 to 15 feet tall, very black and wearing a long black coat, had long arms, long
beard, a long cane which he used to knock the heads of people, and always had a long
cigar in his mouth." He appeared at night during a slight drizzle, staying under a large
tree or squatting on its branches or sometimes dangling his legs.” The kapri imagery
probably originated from black Africans who worked as slaves for Spaniards; Bergaño
referred to these tall, dark-skilled slaves as "cafre" in his 1732 dictionary (from the
Muslim derogatory term kafir, or heathen).