Antique Legends
Antique Legends
Antique Legends
F. LANDA JOCANO
Introduction
During the last fifty years many studies have been done on
Philippine folklore. However, it appears that no attempt has been
made to study these oral folk narratives in terms of their , func-
tion in the areas where they have been collected. Even the major
works of scholars 'after World War II (cf. E. Arsenio Manuel 1955;
1957, Frances Lambrecht 1955a; 1960, Morice Vanoverberg 1955,
Amador Daguio 1952) have not progressed beyond the collecting
stage. Over thirty years ago, Bronislaw Malinowski (1926) called
the attention of scholars to the significance of the' sociological ap-
proach to folklore studies. He pointed out that the gathering of
text is extremely important but without its sociological context
"it remains lifeless." Taking clues from the lead which Malinow-
ski provided, writers like W. R. Bascom (1953; 1954), Carpenter
(1958), S. L. Richard Dorson (1959), Firth (1960a), Claude Levi-
Strauss (1955; 1958b), Edmond Leach (1954), Mellvile Jacobs
(1959b),. J. L. Fisher (1963), Stith Thompson (1953; 1961) and
others have stressed the. need for studying folklore in terms of
its [unctions in the social life of the people among whom these
narratives are found.
This paper is a preliminary attempt to study twenty-three
place-name legends from Antique Province and to determine their
possible uses and functions in the communities where these have
been gathered, Central to our analysis, in this respect, will be
on the significance of folklore in the naming of some towns and
barrios in Antique province. By significance 'we mean the part
which folklore plays in the logical social sentiments associate'
with place-naming.
The writer admits that this treatment is not the only valid ap
proach to the study of folklore. There are many other ways of at-
tacking the problem. The present method has been suggested by
observations made among various groups of people with whom the
16
TWENTY-THREE ,PLACE-NAME LEGENDS 17
nate suspicion' 'that they" ate: "lImade';.tim~';t::lly ; the' 'people to' satisfyvthe
investigator.
18 ASIAN STUDIES
The Setting
meaning, the hill is being eaten from below. It' was believed that
the flood was caused by the angered spirits of the fields, the
keeper ofthe salima-o, which the people did not invoke during the
festival ceremony for the spirits.
Gradually, the hole under the hill became bigger and deeper
until finally the top ridge gave in, cutting the hill into two and
carrying with it the houses of the people. The survivors later
called the place sibalom, meaning, eaten from below. They called
the other end of the hill bari, or broken; while the other half
sulong, meaning the mound which held the current. At present
the hills are still called by these old names, and so is the town of
Sibalom.
6. Capahian.-The barrio of Capahian stands at the foot of
Mount Montagawi, facing the rich plains of Sibalom.
In the early days of frontier-pushing men, groups of families
came to settle in this area which was then a forest. Working on
virgin land, the settlers prospered soon after they had arrived.
Many other men joined this first group. With the steady increase
of settlers more clearings were made. One day, a calamitybefell
this progressive settlement. Drought swept over the land. For
months and months rain did not come. Famine soon crept into
the area and many died of starvation.
Forced by hunger, a couple went deeper into the forest to
look for rattan shoots. On their way, they passed a clear-water
brook. The woman went down to the water-bed to drink, and when
24 ASIAN STUDIES
she stooped for a swallow, her hand brushed 'aside a big stone.
The stone rolled and beneath it the woman saw a large 'pahi, 'a kind
of fresh-water lobster. She called her husband and they both began
turning. the stones and caught the lobsters hiding under them.
When the other villagers saw the couple's catch that day, they
all rushed to this mountain stream. The supply of pahi seemed
unexhaustible. In memory' of these fresh-water crustaceans, which
abounded in the place and which saved the people from starving,
the village folks called the place capahian, "the place where pahi
abound.'
Interpretation
In this first set of legends we have plants, animals, and fish
as principal themes. In the first legend, it has been shown that
the name of barrio Cabriwan was derived from the word baliw, a
kind of palm which was found to be good material for weaving
cloth and which abound in the area. In the other story, the
name of the barrio was derived from a tall tree, called dao, which
the hunters found to be a convenient guidepost in finding their way
in and out of the forest. If, as J. L. Fischer (1963: 273) has pointed
out, "the series of dramatic images evoked by a folktale may be
regarded as consisting of symbolic reference to features of the psy..
chological structure and. the. social structure of. their community,"
then it is understandable why the people named their home-place
after these plants when the frontier area became a settlement. In
the main; the baliw palm was good source of materials for cloth-
ing. Sociologically, it satisfied certain needs of the people. It is,
therefor~, .logical that the name of the place. where these plants
were found plentiful should be remembered. This close .associa-
tion of the plant with the life of the people established certain
sentiments of attachments. Remembering the name of ,the 'plants
crystalizes the image of the place where these are found, and 'when
a need for raw materials for clothing arises, the place :where. these
'abound is sought. In this way, the place and the plant became as-
sociated. When the plants died, the place remained. .And because
the place was well-known for this particular product, the senti-
ment of attachment to an object which satisfied human needs be-
came an expressed point of reference for identifying the commu-
riity.
In the second legend, it must be noted thait it was the hunters
who' called the place dao after the tree bearing the same name..
TWENTY-THREE' ·PLACE:.NAME LEGENDS 25
which such drives as fear and hate could be released. The legend
has also a sanctioning function. A disobedient child in Magcalon
today can be made to obey by telling him that if he does not come
up the house early in the evening the "magcal will come and eat
you." How would one make this real to a child who have not
seen the snake? A story is the only logical answer. In this way
the legend becomes associated with the behavior pattern of the
child. He grows up, marries, and tells the same story to his own
child. This repetition canalizes the legend into a universally ac-
cepted culture pattern, and here it becomes part of the attitudes
of the people. It aids the emotional adjustment of the disciplin-
ing parent in that..his order was followed by the telling of the
story without having to lay a hand on the child, and the child,
because he now understood why he should not be out playing un..
der the house when it started to become dark.
In the simple life of the rural folks of Antique, the foodquest
still occupies a predominant position in the community social
life. When there is food the people are happy and when it is scarce
everyone suffers. This condition could possibly be true in the past.
In one legend, particular attention was focused on the discovery 0'£
the lobster (pahi) in the brook. Since the pahi was found to be
edible, the same value attached to other kind of food was attached
to it. As long as there was plenty of pahi in the vicinity, the people
were supplied with enough protein-food, but when these crustaceans
were exhausted, the people suffered from lack of them. The re-
membering of the good-old days is present, even today. Everytime
a crisis is felt in the barrio, the old folks sighed "it was never like
the good old days." It is within this framework that the associa-
tion of the pahi with the value system of the people had been estab..
Iished, The legend therefore is told today not as a vain musing of
the people's imaginings but as a charter of sentiments (Malinowski
1948) which embodies the social value attached to the major source
of food-the pahi, Hence the naming of the place where the "pahi
were once plentiful."
II. Heroes and Founding Fathers
1. Egana.-The barrio of Egafia was at one time a wilderness.
Wild animals roamed in the forest. The entire area was unpass-
able because of the thickets. The people were afraid to go into
the forest because they said, it was inhabited by strange, harmful,
insect-spirits.
TWENTY·THREE PLACE-NAME LEGENDS 27
Egan built a large house and cultivated the area around it.
His wife, Enya, helped him plant the field. Their life in the new
place was a successful one. The game in the forest supplied them
with meat, and the produce of their field was more than enough
for their daily needs.
When the people from the lowland heard about the couple's
prosperous life in the mountains, they also went up to live in the
new settlement. Soon there were many people who joined the
venturous couple. Egan was chosen by the people as their leader,
and Enya was his assistant. When these pioneers died, the loca-
lity they founded was named after them.
2. Igbalangao and Bulalakaw.-Igbalangao is a barrio in Bu-
gasong while Bulalakaw is a barrio in Sibalom. These two are
situated far from each other but there is a story which connects
them.
Many years ago the people lived in groups, each under a
leader. Forem.ost among the Bugasong group was Balangao and
the one from Sibalom was Bulalakaw. Both leaders boasted of
their individual power and might. A bitter rivalry developed bet..
ween them.
One day Balangao challenged Bulalakaw's group to a fight,
which the latter gladly accepted. ·At the start both sides proved
invincible. Balangao's followers were as skilled as Bulalakaw's
men. In the thick of fight, one of Balangao's men was struck
dead by a Bulalakaw fighter. Seeing the man fall, Balangao's men
became demoralized and they were unable to put up an effective
defense. Bulalakaw's men therefore took advantage of the situa-
tion. Seeing his men slaughtered, Balangao ordered a retreat.
The fight between the two leaders was a memorable one. In
memory of Balangao, the people of Bugasong named their barrio
Igbalangao. The place where one of Balangao's fighters was killed
was called Buntol, meaning "fallen": while the place where Bula-
lakaw's men proved victorious was named Indagan, meaning "vic-
tory".
ASIAN STUDIES
Finally, when they w·ere nearing destination, the wife was un-
able to bear the pam in her stomach.. She was forced to stop.
Her husband .held her as she tried to .sit down. In so. doing, she
slipped and the impact of the fall .made her deliver the child pre-
maturely. The child died instantly. The place where the Negrito
woman slipped was called Lgdanlog, arid the place where she deli-
vered, Har-asan, meaning prematurely delivered.
5,. Hinumbaca't Daraga.~On the ·boundary between Lawaan
.and Barbaza, facing the 'sea, .is a hill called Hinumbaca't Daraga,
It is about three kilometers from Lawaan and five .kilometers
from Barbaza..
According to the legend .there' once lived ·on this hill a' 'beauti-
ful maiden. Her only companion was a-small dog. One morning
she went to the spring to fetch water. While filling 'her bamboo
tube, she heard her-dogs barking. Thinking there was something
wrong, she shouldered her half-filled tube and hurried home. In
herhaste, she slipped and fell. ,'The tube was emptied of 'lls con-
tent. When she stood up she heard someone' talk' to her. 'She
turned and standing in front of her was a young man, a handsome
stranger armed with a bow and :arrow. He smiled at her and of-
fered his help,
On her way horne the 'stranger told her that he was the son ';0£
chief of a nearby island. This meeting was followed by others
until one day the young man ·told themaiden of 'his love and asked
her to be his wife. .The maiden unhesitatingly accepted theyoung
man and when the latter departed to talk to his parents, she pro..
mised to wait for him, . Before Teaving, the. young man told the
maiden that she would know of his arrival by the sails of an ,In-
coming boat. Should .the sail.. be. white it would mean that he
had come 'back, however, should the sail be black, it would mean
that something unfortunate had befallen him.
For days and. months the maiden watched. 'At night .she
would stay up late beside the shor-e·.However,. no boat came.
Then one morning while she was gazing out of the window
of her little home, she saw a boat onthe horizon. Nearer and
nearer it came. But when it cameashore, shel'saw that it has a
black; sf\il.At once she knew that something had befallen her lover.
Losing all hope and feeling that life, would .be useless without her
loved O1J.e,. the poor maiden ran toa nearby cliff and threw her-
self down among the rocks.v Since then the placewas called hi-
numbaca't daraga, meaning ':'the place. where the .maiden jumped,"
30 ASIAN STUDIES
moment he fell asleep. His dog, seeing him asleep, went home
alone.
When the man failed to return home that day, his wife went
to the barrio to look for him. But she could not find her hus-
band. Finally she asked the dog to point out where its master
was, and the poor creature seeming to understand led the woman
to the stone where its master had fallen asleep. But the man was
not there; he had disappeared.
Realizing that her search was fruitless, the wife went I10me
crying and wailing on the way. For days she moaned and wailed
but her husband never returned. She died mourning and weeping.
From that time on the valley had been called gintangisan" mean-
II
the river. TIle other hunters who chanced to pass nearby ran to
see what happened when they heard his cry. They saw nothing but
a big stone smeared with blood. Calling their· companions, the
hunters shouted: "May naglumpat," meaning, somebody had
jumped. All the men gathered and watched the stream wash over
the gory stone. Two days later, when they returned, they saw im-
printed on the stone marks of two human feet. Because of
this, they 'called the place lumpatan, meaning place where some-
one had jumped.
11. Alayon.-Alayon is a barrio adjacent to Malandog. Its
legend goes back to the time of the landing of the datus on the
island of Panay.
One day Datu Sumakwel, who had settled in Malandog deci-
ded to make the rounds of his lands, He was accompanied by
his beautiful wife, Alayon, who wanted to go with him and see
the beauties of nature. After a long walk, Alayon became thirsty.
But there was no spring or well around. Datu Sumakwel, who
was said to have extraordinary powers, got his cane and struck:
it into the ground. When he pulled it out, a gush of water came
and Alayon quenched her thirst. III memory of this unbelievable
act, the place was called "Alayon."
12. Ginubatan.-There lived at the foot of the .mountains, five
kilometers away from Patnongon, a farmer named Jose.. Jose
married a fair woman named, Petra, and they had a lovely daugh-
ter; Juana. The child was very industrious. Every morning she
would fetch water from a nearby spring. Sometimes she would
linger near the forest, listening. to the murmurs of the trees and
songs of the birds..
Juana grew up to be a beautiful maiden. One day she went
to fetch water. On the way she Was stoppedby a bearded, fierce-
looking man who told her: III amthe chief of the mountains who
gave your family all the things you needed. However, your 'father
had never offered anything in return. Now I shall demand my
share. I will take you." Then the man disappeared.
Juana was so .frightened. She ran horne to tell her. father
about the, incident, but Jose, did not believe what his daughter
told him. Night ~am~., Suddenly a group, of huge monkeys came
and attacked the house. These creatures killed J o~e when he tried
to fight back and took. Juana .away. Only Petra, the mother,
survived to tell the story. That's how Ginubatan got its present
name. It is derived from, the word gubat, meaning "attacked."
34 ASIAN ST'UDIES
Interpretation
save the face of her family and kin group, to concoct a story about
the attacking supernatural beings who took Juana and killed Jose.
Because of this unusual incident, the people named, the place
"Ginubatan," thus .the social stigma was redirected towards the
place and the supernatural beings not towards Petra's family, which,
without this culturally accepted legend, would have otherwise suf-
fered from it.
III. Legends with Spanish and American Overlays
1. Calag-itan.-Old folks tell us this tale of how Calag-itan
got its name.
When the Spaniards first set foot on the island of Panay,
there lived in the place where the municipality on San Remigio
now stands a very wealthy man called Itan. He owned a large
house and had many house helps, a large tract of land, and other
property. In spite of his wealth Itan was a miser. He would
not spare anyone anything.
One day Itan was suddenly stricken ill. I-Ie died the day fol-
lowing the attack. The servants were all happy, and so were the
people i11 the village. However, they were surprised when they
opened the treasure trunk: that it was empty. They found no gems,
instead a huge man was lying inside. The people were so fright-
ened that they ran away.
They had not gone very far when they met some Spanish sol-
diers. Those soldiers asked them, in Spanish, the name of the
place. The people, thinking that the soldiers were asking them
what they were running away from, answered: "Kalag ni Itan!
Kalag ni Itan jJ)-m-eaning, Hiram the ghost of Itan! the ghost of
I tan!" The soldiers adapted the phrase and called the place
t Kalag-itan:"
t
The aged stranger led the soldiers to the foot of the hill.
When the Spaniards saw that the hillside was rugged and stony,
they .complained, They threatened to kill the old man for having
fooled them.
"There" is water here," the old man said with authority. And
no sooner had he uttered the words, when a stream of crystal..
clear water spouted out of the ground, The exhausted soldiers
all rushed to drink. And when" they were filled, they turned to
thank th'e old man. However,' the stranger was gone. Because
of this incident which occurred during the feast of San Juan, they
called the place lithe spring of San Juan." It was said that the
old man was San Juan himself who came to save the dying sol-
diers. Much later, people came to live near this spring. They call..
ed their barrio San Juan, after the spring.
3~ San Jose de Buenavista.-Before the Spaniards came to
Antique the entire province was already inhabited. The early
settlers established themselves in Malandog and made I-Iamtik
their capital. However, the Spaniards transferred the capital site
to a new place, San Juan de Buenavista. Here are two incidents
which the people tell why the new site was called San Jose de
Buenavista
After the Spaniards had established themselves in Antique, an
earthquake occurred. It shook the 'entire region violently, so that
every church tower toppled down. Soon mighty waves were rush-
ing toward the shore. The people in their panic cried for help.
They implored their patron saint, San Jose. As the waves were
nearing the shore, a strange-looking, bearded, old man appeared
and stood at the beach. The huge rolls of waves suddenly broke
and the turbulent sea calmed down. The people \tV ere greatly
moved. After the incident the old man. disappeared.
Much later, another incident occurred in this small coastal
town. A group of Muslim pirates arrived to plunder the corn-
rnunity. Again the same bearded, old man appeared and drove
the Muslim pirates away, The local priest said that the old .man
was San" "Jose. So in memory of the strange-looking, 'bearded)
old man who saved the people, the" place was named San Jose de
Buenavista-e-meaning.Y'a good view of Saint Joseph."
4. Bugasong.-Bugasong is one of the towns of Antique si-
'tuated ulong the coast. Many years ago this town had no name.
38 ASIAN STUDIES
Conclusion
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