BA-DIW

BA-DIW SHE KASAL

by Gamboa Alumit in Traditional Beliefs and Practices in Benguet by Biano L. Baucas)

                                                                                  English translation:

Sih-kayo men nan-ngilin,                                          You who are now wedded,                                

It-itneng jo’y bilbilin.                                                Hear all the pieces of advice.                             

kayo on-gasagasat,                                                     You shall have fortunes,

Kayo on-gabagabay.                                                   You shall be progressive.

Angken wara’y nowang,                                             Even if there is a carabao,

Eg mebagke’n ma-owang.                                          It can’t be sent alone to work.              

Angken wara’y baha,                                                  Even if you have a cow,
Eg met laeng mabegka,                                               It cannot be sent for an errand,  

Shi piyan ondawan to.                                                 In places where it should go.

Angken wara’y kabajo,                                              Even if you have a horse,

Eg mabegka’n manbajo.                                            It can’t pound rice for you.

Angken wara’y molmol mo,                                      Even if you have pigs,

Eg mabegka’n mani-mol.                                          They can’t feed other pigs.

Angken shahel i kanshing,                                         Even if you have goats,

Eg ira met mamising.                                                 They can’t cook vegetables for viand.

Angken shakel i manok,                                             Even if you have chickens,

Eg ira mabegka’d Antamok,                                      They can’t be sent to Antamok
Eg-mansayo ni balitok.                                              Where they can pan pieces of gold.

Egto inges i anak,                                                       You cannot compare to children,

Kamon manbu-bongakngak,                                      If they make rhythmic sounds,

Kita ka mandaddadsak.                                              They make us very happy.

                                         

Ba-diw is the most important and most common of the Ibaloi songs and chants.  It is a leader-chorus form of poetry or group prayer where a chant in near monotone is given by a leader and the rest in the crowd repeat some of the leader’s words in a laryngeal, undulating tone, called the etob/asbayat.  The language of the ba-diw uses ancient Ibaloi words and ancient pronunciations.  It also uses synonyms, poetic language and figures of speech.  At festive occasions, it can take the form of repartee.  If someone understands the figurative language of the ba-diw, he might take it up and respond.  A ba-diw should fit the occasion, otherwise, those in the crowd will not do the asbayat but reprimand the leader instead (Ibaloy Dictionary, 2011).

Ba-diw is done on various occasions as weddings, wakes, and ritual feasts.  In ritual feasts and wakes, Kabunyan, the ancestors, the spirits, and/or the dead relative(s) are asked look over those whom the dead has left behind, or the descendants of the ancestors. Elders pray for health, prosperity, longer life, more blessings, more animals to care for, etc.  In weddings, the elders ask Kabunyan and the ancestors to bless the newly-wed. They also share pieces of advice for the couple thru their ba-diw.  Some ba-diw may be funny but given much thought, they may have a deeper meaning. 

NASPET

Children playing in a field of beray grasses.

NASPET –  old enough to be trusted to walk around on one’s own, unwatched – spoken of children; also perhaps figuratively applied to teenagers (Ibaloy dictionary, 2011).

When an Ibaloi mother has to go somewhere and has to leave her baby in the care of a relative, she does so only when the baby is naspet already because she is sure that her baby wouldn’t be crying the whole day looking for her.

But beyond naspet children and teenagers, the Ibalois are truly and fiercely independent and free.  An Ibaloi can build his home on an area where his nearest neighbor could be an hour’s walk or three mountains away and he can survive.  He is not afraid of wild animals (if there still are up to these days) nor of any visitors.  He diligently tills his land quietly and by himself.  He helps his neighbor if he can and asks for help if needs to.  He is free to come, go and do as he pleases, in his own time, in his own space.

As  Claerhoudt had written,  “How peacefully  lives the Igorot in the wild mountains and the hills.  His song may well repeat what the Flemish farmer sings of his misty meadows and fertile fields:   “My land is a land of peace, and of nature – lonesome but free!” (The Songs of a People:  Igorot Customs in Eastern Benguet, 1966).

SALAW

Tapey in a salaw.

SALAW. a porcelain and earthenware jars or pots that were part of a trade from China and mainland southeast Asia to the Philippines over many centuries.  These ceramics were brought up to Benguet from the La Union and Ilocos coasts.  It is especially used not only for making rice wine (tapey), but also for cooling water and salting meat (Ibaloy Dictionary, 2011).

Nowadays, however, less and less Ibalois make their own tapey.  The salaw is then used for other purposes.

Salaw used as an added feature in a garden.

When we entered a small restaurant, we were happy to see this salaw, thinking we could drink fresh and cool water from it.  When we asked for a glass, however, the owners told us, the water there is just used for washing hands.

I hope the Ibalois find the importance of the salaw they have at home and preserve them.

I wonder what the Ibalois used to keep their tapey before the salaw came.

DESIDERATA (Ibaloi version)

Desiderata

Max Ehrmann 1927

 This is my own Ibaloi translation:

DESIDERATA (Ibaloi version)

Pan-ejeng ka she kawa ni nuteng tan biyes, et nemnem mo’y kapya’n meb’din ja wara’d kinek

No mebedin, karaka on-ekdas. Mapteng ni ulay e peki-adi-adivay mo ni emin’na too,

Malodop mo'n ikowan i pudno reshan; tan itnengim e eshom’ma to-o,

Tep angken harama kowan'ey ayshe ashal sha, wara ngo'y ibingay sha.

Kareka mekiadivay she toro’on ngalawngaw tan memassig, ensalipoteng bengat era.

No i-inges mo’y bakdang mo ni eshom, endastog uno mesaktan ka bengat,

Tep wara ni olay e ekah-kah-jang tan ebab’bava say sihkam.

Kenakenas mo’y siged ja dingkam tan shima dag-en mo fay nem kabasan,

Pan-imdeng ka ni olay she obdam, angken ebava;

Siged’da kinabaknang itan she manbaliw ne olay'ya timpo.

Pansilib ka she emin’na dag-en mo, tep napno e duvong ne mapedalo’n too;

Ngem egka kuma mekorab et asen mo pay laeng e mapteng,

Asdeg to pay laeng e mahinpiyan ne masiya et angken towa’n sokong, napno pay laeng e biyag ni kinamaksil.

Sisiged ka.

Importante’n eg mo ipah-din e semek ni to-o son sih-kam,

Tan karam esekshal e semek; tep angken shi sangab ni bitil tan dismaya, wara ne ulay e semek.

Ashal mo e ka-ituro ne endavas’sa timpo et  ibih-jag mo’y kojen ni kaaaneng.

Pakedsang mo’y nemnem mo tep sih-kato’y almas mo no wara’y digat;

Nem egka ngo eshan mannemnemnem ne ngangaaw,

Kelasi’n kinakelsit e dafo’d bedey tan amtiyeng.

Importante nem siged ja disiplina, semek mo e bakdang mo.

Anak to ha ni duvong,  Inges ira’nma kiyow tan talao, wara’y karbengan mo’n wara’d jay.

Mepoot man sun sih-kam ono ayshe, manka-oyad latta e duvong.

Nahol ne mekisaksahey ka sun Kabunian, nganto man ono sifa e pengavat mo sun sih-kato.

Et no nganto man e digat tan kogkogip mo she menuteng ja asangao ni biyag,

Kapya kuma ni ulay e wara sun sih-kam

Angken shahel e oowap, digat tan esharal’la kogkogip, siged latta iya duvong.

Pansilib ka. Pan-imdeng ka!

Iba Loy 2012

Note:  In some versions, instead of "be careful," they have "be cheerful" in the second to the last line.  I followed what's in the video, "be careful."

WATWAT

WATWAT
Inomsiangak jen ekibihat

Balang wa’y may-ahad ja watwat,

Say wara’y isagpaw ni pising

Jen sikdopen ni aanak.

Eki-adivayak iran’ma nangkaama.

Nantetnengak ni bah-diw sha.

Nanbujaak ni tayao tan sarong sha.

Imparas ko fay enolibaw tan engalsa.

Idi inmaharak, kak dinibkan ima watwat

Ja shi sengeg ni kape nak inba-jat,

Nem naha nemnemnema ima adivay ko’d nangkaama

Asdeg to ngo reshan ima watwat jen in-ahan sha!

photo courtesy of Et-chel

Whenever an Ibaloi household hosts a ritual feast, there is usually a WatWat.  The meat is sliced into big chunks and boiled without salt then come eating time, people line up for their 3-4 slices of meat as their viand.  People bring home their leftovers because the WatWat is more than one can eat in one meal.  Then there is the raw meat, called boki,  which is distributed to the whole community whether or not they are in attendance.  Those who attended the feast are asked to deliver the boki to their neighbor who did not attend. 

The WatWat stands for sharing of one's blessings so everybody must bring it home to their own families. It should not be stolen nor given away because everybody in the community gets a share, whether one attends the feast or not. It should not be gambled away either because it is a disrespect to the blessing that is shared. Of course, we also get a lot of takeaways when we have conversations with the community during the feast.

 

I do wish such practices stay with the Ibalois for more centuries to come because we still have a lot to discover and learn from our culture.

watwat/gwatgwat/vatvat/batbat - the distribution of meat to the attendees and non-attendees but are within the community (ka-boki) or are the relatives of the hosts (in this context), it is also one's share of meat itself
boki - raw meat distributed

bihat/bikat - large, prestigious feast