LUMADNONG PAGKINABUHI NGADTO SA KALINAWspent most of his time in the forest, sometimes taking weeksbefore he would come home. Most of time, he just wandered,spending time inside the caves, under the tall trees, or bythe huge rocks. “Because of my frequent visits to the forest, Ibecame familiar with the various rivers and creeks, as well asthe different mountains.”Aside from hunting, Amay Mantangkilan also collectedwild honey through a method called pamuhag or pamalayag.After owning nine dogs and ultimately losing them all, hethen studied another hunting method called panlais, whichuses spear trap instead of dogs. He said that the method wasquite difficult, especially for a young boy who lacked strength,because it entailed bending a big tree trunk.Amay actively participated in the community feedbacking and validation workshoplast January 6, 2006.48
Part 2 - Four Datus: Stories of the Higaunon LifeThe young Amay Mantangkilan also ventured into fishing.His catch usually consisted of tambilolo, beta, kulop, and kalibad.He was pretty much self-sufficient while he was in the forestbecause, as he puts it, “One will never know hunger as longas he is industrious.”Higaunons make a living by farming, while gatheringforest resources and fishing on the side. Thus, aside fromhunting, the young Mantangkilan was also taught farming byhis father, including the identification of a good farming site.The latter was done through the pagbala, an oracle where aprayer is directed towards Ibabasuk, the guardian of the soil.Cole (1956:51) theorized that before any work was done, thefarmer must square accounts with the spirit world since theearth is like a person, and that if it were cut it would bleedand the spirit would suffer. Hence, the prospective ownercultivatormust seek the approval of the spirits.Amay Mantangkilan recalled that when he and his fatherfound a possible farming area, his father got a rattan vinemeasuring one foot long. His father then recited a prayer,asking Ibabasuk to grant them good harvest, and for the landtillers’ safety. The prayer usually lasted for several hours, andduring this time a piece of rattan is cut into halves. After theinitial prayer, the rattan was measured by the dangaw (thedistance between the tips of the thumb and the middle fingerwhen stretched towards opposite directions). If the rattanmeasured just about the size of a dangaw, it meant the areawas not fit for cultivation, or an omen that something badcould happen to the tiller or to his family. But if the rattanmeasured longer than a dangaw, it was a positive sign. AmayMantangkilan explained, “If the oracle conveyed somethingbad, we had to look for another farmland. This was our customin the past before we start plowing the land.”Amay Mantangkilan’s marriage was arranged, a practicelocally known as buya. He narrated his own experience49
Change language