LASIC, Don Mclin C.

Folktale of CARAGA: TULALANG

Tulalang was seated on the banks of the Livehanen River, a small tributary of the Kulaman River, happily
fashioning ornamental knee bands. He seemed to be concentrated on what he was doing, oblivious of
the young women who were sitting by themselves, observing him and noting how different he was from
other young men of his age, for he was "never irritated" and was "overly well behaved."

After a long time, Tulalang partook of his lunch of betel nut chew. Being an immortal, Tulalang had no
need for food and only chewed betel nut. When he had finished chewing, Tulalang began to get ready.
He rose and slowly approached his golden clothes trunk and carefully selected the clothes that he would
put on. He dressed slowly and painstakingly until he was fully clothed.

He next put on his "tengkulu"-turban and wrapped it around his head. The edge of the turban was
decorated with little bells that tinkled when Tulalang moved his head. It was also decorated with
embroidery done by Tulalang's only sister who had worked on it in the pitch darkness of the night,
working only by the light of her radiant beauty.

Tulalang next put on the rest of his armor – his warrior vest, a breastplate, his Belarew-dagger which he
tied to his waist and his Hinepuan-dagger which he wore on the left side. He fastened his daggers to his
waist by tying the string around his waist ten times and knotting it nine times. He then sat down on his
golden throne and gestured to his shield hanging on the wall and to a spear stuck into the wall. They
came to him. He dusted off the shield and slowly shook the handle of the spear. The tinkling of the spear
was heard from afar, everywhere, and it was heard by the spirit-guardian of animals, who called out to
other spirits for assistance that Tulalang would not live any longer because he made her miserable and
disturbed her on purpose.

As Tulalang stood up and got ready to go on his journey, he heard the call of a dove considered as a bad
omen. The dove's call was repeated but Tulalang did not heed the omen. He decided that he would not
stop his journey, but he pondered on how he could avert the evil that would come of it. He wished that
the harm that would come from ignoring the warning of the dove would fall on him alone and not on
the innocent people of his kingdom.
He went back to his seat and occupied himself with his hobby of weaving ornamental knee bands. One
sunny day, the skies darkened and Tulalang heard a rushing sound. A gigantic eagle had alighted. This
monster of an eagle, with its golden beak and dagger-like talons frightened everyone and brought much
harm to the people. The eagle hooked Tulalang by his turban and began to light him up, but it could not
lift him high because he was very heavy. Meanwhile, Tulalang prepared himself for battle. He grabbed
the eagle by its feet and tightening his hold, he held the eagle high in the air and dashed it against the
rocks again and again until it died. After a while, however, he decided to restore the eagle to life. The
newly resuscitated eagle licked Tulalang's palm as a sign of surrender and declared itself his slave. The
eagle said that it would guard Tulalang's house and warn him of any impending danger.

After this, Tulalang ordered his black wooden shield to mimic him, to act just like him, and be his
substitute in the fight. This would keep the enemy busy, because he felt that he was going to sleep. So
he lifted himself to the top of a flat rock and, unable to fight off sleep, fell down and lay completely
stretched out on the rock.

While he was asleep, his spirit-guardian talked to him, and Tulalang asked him how he could conquer his
enemies. The spirit informed him that he (Tulalang) would not conquer his enemies because they kept
their life's breath outside of their bodies – inside a snake (serpent), a fenced-in snake. Tulalang
therefore went to the place where the spirit had seen the serpent and with his dagger he split the heart
of the snake in two. He found the tiny bottle containing the life's breath at the very center of the
serpent's heart.

Tulalang now prepared to return home. When he arrived, fighting was still going on. The bandits tried to
grab his black wooden shield, but when Tulalang held up the bottle for everyone to see, the enemy
surrendered and begged for mercy. Tulalang broke the bottle, and all of those warriors were thrown
down flat on that yard and died.

Then Tulalang sang his victor's song. Like a cicada, he began to sing on top of a hill, "rolling his tune,
trilling his voice," after which he got ready to return to his palatial home.

The Last Tribes of Mindanao, the Manobo, river people of Cotabato.

Manobo, the name may came from Mansuba from man (person or people) and suba (river), meaning
river people. The first Manobo settlers lived in northern Mindanao, at present Manobo tribes can be
found at the hillsides and river valleys of the northeastern part of Cotabato.
According to an oral tradition, the Manobo's were lead by two brothers: Mumalu and Tabunaway, they
lived by the Banobo creek, which flowed into the Mindanao River near the present site of Cotabato City.
In the 14th century Sharif Kabungsuan, a muslim missionary, arrived from Johore, to convert the people
of Mindanao. Tabunaway did not want to convert to Islam but told his younger brother not to reject the
Muslim Faith. Tabunaway and his followers moved up the Pulangi River to the interior of Cotabato, they
decided to part ways and in the years to come established their own tribes. These groups retained their
indigenous beliefs, practices and the name of their original site, Banobo, which eventually became
Manobo, the descendant's of Mamalu became the Maguindanao.

Despite the fact that the various Manobo communities have been separated there is one common
threat that binds them together, Each tribal group culture believes in one Great Spirit. usually viewed as
the creator figure. The Manobo also believe that there are many unseen spirits who can intrude in the
lives of humans to accomplish their desires. These spirits are both good and evil in nature and can raise
anger and pleasure. There is a common believe that a Manobo hunter will be killed by his own dogs or
prey if he does not ask for permission first from Lalawag, the god of all forest games, before going on a
hunting trip.

The Samayaan is a native ritual in which omens are read in connection with the various stages of the
farming cycle: clearing, planting, growing, and harvesting. The first day of the planting season marks the
beginning of the Manobo year, the last day of harvesting is the ending. Cultivating rice and corn has
been and still is a part of the Manobo way of living, some Manobo villages have shifted to the
cultivation of coconut for copra export. Corn and rice are planted in the month of February, the corn is
harvested in July but rice takes longer to grow and is harvested four months later. When the trees start
to bloom, the Manobo hunter will wait for the coming of the bees that will led him to their bee hives.
The hunt for bees is the basis of the traditional bee-hunting dance. To pray for a successful hunt only
bee hunters are allowed to sing a traditional song titled Manganinay , this hymn is sung in honor of
Panayangan, the god of the bee hunt. The song must be proclamed outside the house, singing it inside
will cause the house to burn down.

Throughout the year, the elders of the Manobo tribe are looking for the star-lit sky to determine the
season of planting, harvesting, fishing and hunting. Each star can bring a different message and will
guide the tribal group in their traditional way of living. This practice is called Pamiteun, the Manobos'
indigenous way of understanding the stars. Nowadays only the members of the older generation of
farmers will continue to use the Pamiteun but they are passing the knowledge to the present
generation, to learn the old way of living, keep their culture and traditions alive and deepen their
consciousness about their own culture
A Manobo community is mostly male dominated, The man is considered as the head of the family and
he is the one who will make the family decisions. Only a Royal, a Datu can practise polygamy, only with
the consent of the first wife and her parents. The fist wife will remain the head wife. The Datu or Chief
must also have proven his bravery and leadership in battle as a bagani. This postion can be passed on to
a Datu's children, as long as they have the necessary qualifications. Village member are expect help in
any way from their kinship group or persons related by marriage, this relationship is named upakat or
reciprocity.

The Manobo are both strong in mind and spirit, their cultural identity is firmly rooted in the land and its
nature. It is maintained through storytelling, language, family and the passing on of traditional skills and
arts. The traditional way of life has not ended for most Manobos, like any other tribal community in
Mindanao, the Manobo have faced many cultural challenges in their past and will encounter even more
in the future. They strive to uphold their values and traditions even while living in a modern society,
faced with new realities, ready to compete in the modern economic world instead of the world of
nature.

Questions:

1. Who is the character that is "never irritated" and was "overly well behaved"?

Answer: Tulalang

2. Being an ___________, Tulalang had no need for food and only chewed betel nut.

Answer: immortal

3. What dagger did Tulalang put on his waist?

Answer: Belarew-dagger

4. How many times did Tulalang tie the daggers in his waist?

Answer: Ten (10)

5. What did he sang in top of the hill?

Answer: "rolling his tune, trilling his voice,"

6. Where does the name Manobo came from?

Answer: Mansuba
7. Who are the brothers who lead the Manobo?

Answer: Mumalu and Tabunaway

8. ______________________, a muslim missionary, arrived from Johore, to convert the people of

Mindanao.

Answer: Sharif Kabungsuan

9. Who mostly dominates the Manobo community?

Answer: male

10. What do you call the practice when the Manobo peopla are looking for the star-lit sky to determine
the season of planting, harvesting, fishing and hunting?

Answer: Pamiteun