"That is possible; but it is abominable, because we are brother
and sister!" Then Lumáwig united them, and the woman became
pregnant. They had many children * * * and Lumáwig continued
marrying them. Two went to Maligkong and had offspring there;
two went to Gináang and had offspring there; and the people
kept multiplying, and they are the inhabitants of the earth *
* *. Moreover, there are the Mayinit-men, the Baliwang-men, the
Tukúkan-men, the Kaniú-men, the Barlig-men, etc. Thus the world is
distributed among the people, and the people are very many! * * *
Another story runs as follows:
The brother-in-law of Lumáwig said to him: "Create water, because
the sun is very hot, and all the people are thirsty!" Then said
Lumáwig: "Why do you ask so much for water? Let us go on," he
continued, "I shall soon create water." Then they went on, and at
last his brother-in-law said again: "Well, why do you not create
water? It should be easy, if you are really Lumáwig!" Then said
Lumáwig: "Why do you shame me in public?" And then they quarreled,
the brothers-in-law. Then they climbed on up the mountain, and
at last the brother-in-law said again: "Why do you care nothing
because the people are thirsty, and you do not create water?" Then
said Lumáwig: "Let us sit down, people, and rest." Then he struck
the rock with his spear, and water sprang out. Then he said to
the people: "Come and drink!" And his brother-in-law stepped
forth to drink, but Lumáwig restrained him, saying: "Do not
drink! Let the people drink first, so that we shall be the last
to drink." And when the people had finished drinking, Lumáwig
drank. Then he said to his brother-in-law: "Come and drink." Then
the brother-in-law stooped to drink, and Lumáwig pushed him into
the rock. Water gushed out from his body. Then said Lumáwig:
"Stay thou here because of thy annoying me!" Then they named that
spot ad Isik. [27] Then the people went home; and the sister
of Lumáwig said to him: "Why did you push your brother-in-law
into the rock?" Then said Lumáwig: "Surely, because he angered
me!" Then the people prayed and performed sacrifices. * * *
In the above stories we see the recurrence of the flood myth and the
origin of fire, or rather the manner in which men received it. The
story of bringing water out of a rock is interesting, and occurs again
in Ifugao mythology in a slightly different form. It is possible,
of course, that this is a biblical story which was brought in by some
wandering Christians several generations past; but the flood legend
is certainly native, and I see no good reason why the story of the
miraculous drawing of water from a rock should not also be a native
development in spite of its similarity to the Hebrew myth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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