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Ancient Philippine Creation Myth: Malakas and Maganda

When the world first began there was no land; there was only the Sea and the Sky, and between
them flew a huge, beautiful Kite (a bird similar to a hawk). One day, the bird, which had nowhere
to land and rest, grew tired of flying about, and in frustration stirred up the Sky in a quarrel
against the Sea. The Sky threw rain, thunder, and lightning that reached the Sea, who in turn rose
up and hurled waves and hurricanes that reached the Sky.

In order to restrain its fury, the Sky showered a multitude of massive boulders down upon the
Sea, which became the islands that formed the Philippines. These islands prevented the waters
from rising any more - instead causing them to flow back and forth, and thereby creating the
tides. Afterwards, the Sky then ordered the Kite to light on one of the newly-formed islands to
build her nest, and to leave the Sea and the Sky in peace.

Now at this same time the Land Breeze and the Sea Breeze were married, and they had a child
which they named Bamboo. One day, when Bamboo was floating against the sea, it struck the
feet of the Kite. Shocked, hurt, and angered that anything should strike it, the bird furiously
pecked at the bamboo until it split in half. Out of one section came a golden-bronze colored man,
named Malakas (Strong One) and from the other half came a similarly hued woman, named
Maganda (Beautiful One).

The earthquake then called on all the birds of the sky and the fish of the sea to see what should be
done with these two, and the animals decided that they should marry each other. Together,
Malakas and Maganda had many children, and from them eventually came all the different races
of people.

After a while the parents grew very tired of having so many idle and useless children around.
They wished to be rid of them, but they knew of no other place to send them off to. Time went on
and the children became even more numerous that the parents could no longer enjoy any peace.
One day, in an act of pure irritation and desperation, Malakas seized a stick and began beating
them on all sides.

This so frightened the children that they all fled in different directions; seeking some place to hide
both within and outside the house. Some of the children ran into hidden rooms in the house,
several concealed themselves within the actual walls, while others hid in the fireplace. Some ran
outside and the rest fled out to the sea.

Now it happened that those who went into the hidden rooms of the house later became the chiefs
of the islands (Maharlikas); and those who concealed themselves in the walls became slaves
(Alipins). Those who hid in the fireplace became the Negritos and the Aetas; and those who ran
outside turned into free men (Timawas). As for those who fled to the Sea; they were gone many
years, and when their children eventually came back, they had become the white foreigners.

Notes

Because the Philippines has so many islands and is inhabited by different ethnic groups,
Philippine mythology and superstitions are very diverse. Even the story of Malakas and Maganda
vary from region to region, but specific elements of the story remain the same: there is a huge
bird that splits a giant bamboo, and Malakas and Maganda emerge from the halves.
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The names Malakas and Maganda also denote a deeper meaning and truth about Pilipino culture.
Pilipinos consider women to be maganda - beautiful, sweet, and soft; while men as malakas - a
strong and sturdy being to whom the family can depend on at all times.

The final part about the children who fled out to the sea and eventually came back as “white
foreigners” seems to have been added to the original version that had been handed down orally
over the years from generation to generation.

How the World Was Made

Thousands of years ago there was no land nor sun nor moon nor stars, and the world was only a
great sea of water, above which stretched the sky. The water was the kingdom of the god
Maguayan, and the sky was ruled by the great god Captan.

Maguayan had a daughter called Lidagat, the sea, and Captan had a son known as Lihangin, the
wind. The gods agreed to the marriage of their children, so the sea became the bride of the wind.

Three sons and a daughter were born to them. The sons were called Licalibutan, Liadlao, and
Libulan; and the daughter received the name of Lisuga.

Licalibutan had a body of rock and was strong and brave; Liadlao was formed of gold and was
always happy; Libulan was made of copper and was weak and timid; and the beautiful Lisuga had
a body of pure silver and was sweet and gentle. Their parents were very fond of them, and
nothing was wanting to make them happy.

After a time Lihangin died and left the control of the winds to his eldest son Licalibutan. The
faithful wife Lidagat soon followed her husband, and the children, now grown up, were left
without father or mother. However, their grandfathers, Captan and Maguayan, took care of them
and guarded them from all evil.

After a time, Licalibutan, proud of his power over the winds, resolved to gain more power, and
asked his brothers to join him in an attack on Captan in the sky above. At first they refused; but
when Licalibutan became angry with them, the amiable Liadlao, not wishing to offend his
brother, agreed to help. Then together they induced the timid Libulan to join in the plan.

When all was ready the three brothers rushed at the sky, but they could not beat down the gates of
steel that guarded the entrance. Then Licalibutan let loose the strongest winds and blew the bars
in every direction. The brothers rushed into the opening, but were met by the angry god Captan.
So terrible did he look that they turned and ran in terror; but Captan, furious at the destruction of
his gates, sent three bolts of lightning after them.

The first struck the copper Libulan and melted him into a ball. The second struck the golden
Liadlao, and he too was melted. The third bolt struck Licalibutan, and his rocky body broke into
many pieces and fell into the sea. So huge was he that parts of his body stuck out above the water
and became what is known as land.

In the meantime the gentle Lisuga had missed her brothers and started to look for them. She went
toward the sky, but as she approached the broken gates, Captan, blind with anger, struck her too
with lightning, and her silver body broke into thousands of pieces.
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Captan then came down from the sky and tore the sea apart, calling on Maguayan to come to him
and accusing him of ordering the attack on the sky. Soon Maguayan appeared and answered that
he knew nothing of the plot as he had been asleep far down in the sea.

After a time he succeeded in calming the angry Captan. Together they wept at the loss of their
grandchildren, especially the gentle and beautiful Lisuga; but with all their power they could not
restore the dead to life. However, they gave to each body a beautiful light that will shine forever.

And so it was that golden Liadlao became the sun, and copper Libulan the moon, while the
thousands of pieces of silver Lisuga shine as the stars of heaven. To wicked Licalibutan the gods
gave no light, but resolved to make his body support a new race of people. So Captan gave
Maguayan a seed, and he planted it on the land, which, as you will remember, was part of
Licalibutan's huge body.

Soon a bamboo tree grew up, and from the hollow of one of its branches a man and a woman
came out. The man's name was Sicalac, and the woman was called Sicabay. They were the
parents of the human race. Their first child was a son whom they called Libo; afterwards they had
a daughter who was known as Saman. Pandaguan was a younger son and he had a son called
Arion.

Pandaguan was very clever and invented a trap to catch fish. The very first thing he caught was a
huge shark. When he brought it to land, it looked so great and fierce that he thought it was surely
a god, and he at once ordered his people to worship it. Soon all gathered around and began to sing
and pray to the shark. Suddenly the sky and sea opened, and the gods came out and ordered
Pandaguan to throw the shark back into the sea and to worship none but them.

All were afraid except Pandaguan. He grew very bold and answered that the shark was as big as
the gods, and that since he had been able to overpower it he would also be able to conquer the
gods. Then Captan, hearing this, struck Pandaguan with a small thunderbolt, for he did not wish
to kill him but merely to teach him a lesson. Then he and Maguayan decided to punish these
people by scattering them over the earth, so they carried some to one land and some to another.
Many children were afterwards born, and thus the earth became inhabited in all parts.

Pandaguan did not die. After lying on the ground for thirty days he regained his strength, but his
body was blackened from the lightning, and all his descendants ever since that day have been
black.

His first son, Arion, was taken north, but as he had been born before his father's punishment he
did not lose his color, and all his people therefore are white.

Libo and Saman were carried south, where the hot sun scorched their bodies and caused all their
descendants to be of a brown color.

A son of Saman and a daughter of Sicalac were carried east, where the land at first was so lacking
in food that they were compelled to eat clay. On this account their children and their children's
children have always been yellow in color.

And so the world came to be made and peopled. The sun and moon shine in the sky, and the
beautiful stars light up the night. All over the land, on the body of the envious Licalibutan, the
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children of' Sicalac and Sicabay have grown great in numbers. May they live forever in peace and
brotherly love!

The Creation
Igorot

In the beginning there were no people on the earth.

Lumawig, the Great Spirit, came down from the sky and cut many reeds. He divided these into
pairs which he placed in different parts of the world, and then he said to them, "You must speak."

Immediately the reeds became people, and in each place was a man and a woman who could talk,
but the language of each couple differed from that of the others.

Then Lumawig commanded each man and woman to marry, which they did. By and by there
were many children, all speaking the same language as their parents. These, in turn, married and
had many children. In this way there came to be many people on the earth.

Now Lumawig saw that there were several things which the people on the earth needed to use, so
he set to work to supply them. He created salt, and told the inhabitants of one place to boil it
down and sell it to their neighbors. But these people could not understand the directions of the
Great Spirit, and the next time he visited them, they had not touched the salt.

Then he took it away from them and gave it to the people of a place called Mayinit. These did as
he directed, and because of this he told them that they should always be owners of the salt, and
that the other peoples must buy of them.

Then Lumawig went to the people of Bontoc and told them to get clay and make pots. They got
the clay, but they did not understand the molding, and the jars were not well shaped. Because of
their failure, Lumawig told them that they would always have to buy their jars, and he removed
the pottery to Samoki. When he told the people there what to do, they did just as he said, and their
jars were well shaped and beautiful. Then the Great Spirit saw that they were fit owners of the
pottery, and he told them that they should always make many jars to sell.

How the Moon and the Stars Came to Be

One day in the times when the sky was close to the ground a spinster went out to pound rice.
Before she began her work, she took off the beads from around her neck and the comb from her
hair, and hung them on the sky, which at that time looked like coral rock.

Then she began working, and each time that she raised her pestle into the air it struck the sky. For
some time she pounded the rice, and then she raised the pestle so high that it struck the sky very
hard.

Immediately the sky began to rise, and it went up so far that she lost her ornaments. Never did
they come down, for the comb became the moon and the beads are the stars that are scattered
about.
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Origin
Bagobo (Mindanao)

In the beginning there lived one man and one woman, Toglai and Toglibon. Their first children
were a boy and a girl. When they were old enough, the boy and the girl went far away across the
waters seeking a good place to live in. Nothing more was heard of them until their children, the
Spaniards and Americans, came back. After the first boy and girl left, other children were born to
the couple; but they all remained at Cibolan on Mount Apo with their parents, until Toglai and
Toglibon died and became spirits. Soon after that there came a great drought which lasted for
three years. All the waters dried up, so that there were no rivers, and no plants could live.

"Surely," said the people, "Manama is punishing us, and we must go elsewhere to find food and a
place to dwell in."

So they started out. Two went in the direction of the sunset, carrying with them stones from
Cibolan River. After a long journey they reached a place where were broad fields of cogon grass
and an abundance of water, and there they made their home. Their children still live in that place
and are called Magindanau, because of the stones which the couple carried when they left
Cibolan.

Two children of Toglai and Toglibon went to the south, seeking a home, and they carried with
them women's baskets (baraan). When they found a good spot, they settled down. Their
descendants, still dwelling at that place, are called Baraan or Bilaan, because of the women's
baskets.

So two by two the children of the first couple left the land of their birth. In the place where each
settled a new people developed, and thus it came about that all the tribes in the world received
their names from things that the people carried out of Cibolan, or from the places where they
settled.

All the children left Mount Apo save two (a boy and a girl), whom hunger and thirst had made
too weak to travel. One day when they were about to die the boy crawled out to the field to see if
there was one living thing, and to his surprise he found a stalk of sugarcane growing lustily. He
eagerly cut it, and enough water came out to refresh him and his sister until the rains came.
Because of this, their children are called Bagobo.

The Story of the Creation

In the very beginning there lived a being so large that he cannot be compared with any known
thing. His name was Melu, and when he sat on the clouds, which were his home, he occupied all
the space above. His teeth were pure gold, and because he was very cleanly and continually
rubbed himself with his hands, his skin became pure white. The dead skin which he rubbed off
his body was placed on one side in a pile, and by and by this pile became so large that he was
annoyed and set himself to consider what he could do with it.
Finally Melu decided to make the earth; so he worked very hard in putting the dead skin into
shape, and when it was finished he was so pleased with it that he determined to make two beings
like himself, though smaller, to live on it.
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Taking the remnants of the material left after making the earth he fashioned two men, but just as
they were all finished except their noses, Tau Tana from below the earth appeared and wanted to
help him.

Melu did not wish any assistance, and a great argument ensued. Tau Tana finally won his point
and made the noses which he placed on the people upside down. When all was finished, Melu and
Tau Tana whipped the forms until they moved. Then Melu went to his home above the clouds,
and Tau Tana returned to his place below the earth.

All went well until one day a great rain came, and the people on the earth nearly drowned from
the water which ran off their heads into their noses. Melu, from his place on the clouds, saw their
danger, and he came quickly to earth and saved their lives by turning their noses the other side up.

The people were very grateful to him, and promised to do anything he should ask of them. Before
he left for the sky, they told him that they were very unhappy living on the great earth all alone,
so he told them to save all the hair from their heads and the dry skin from their bodies and the
next time he came he would make them some companions. And in this way there came to be a
great many people on the earth.

In the Beginning
Bilaan (Mindanao)

In the beginning there were four beings (Melu, Fiuweigh, Diwata, and Saweigh), and they lived
on an island no larger than a hat. On this island there were no trees or grass or any other living
thing besides these four people and one bird (Buswit). One day they sent this bird out across the
waters to see what he could find, and when he returned he brought some earth, a piece of rattan,
and some fruit.

Melu, the greatest of the four, took the soil and shaped it and beat it with a paddle in the same
manner in which a woman shapes pots of clay, and when he finished he had made the earth. Then
he planted the seeds from the fruit, and they grew until there was much rattan and many trees
bearing fruit.

The four beings watched the growth for a long time and were well pleased with the work, but
finally Melu said, "Of what use is this earth and all the rattan and fruit if there are no people?"

And the others replied, "Let us make some people out of wax."

So they took some wax and worked long, fashioning it into forms, but when they brought them to
the fire the wax melted, and they saw that men could not be made in that way.

Next they decided to try to use dirt in making people, and Melu and one of his companions began
working on that. All went well till they were ready to make the noses. The companion, who was
working on that part, put them on upside down. Melu told him that the people would drown if he
left them that way, but he refused to change them.

When his back was turned, however, Melu seized the noses, one by one, and turned them as they
now are. But he was in such a hurry that he pressed his finger at the root, and it left a mark in the
soft clay which you can still see on the faces of people.

The Creation Story

Tagalog

When the world first began there was no land, but only the sea and the sky, and between them
was a kite (a bird something like a hawk). One day the bird which had nowhere to light grew tired
of flying about, so she stirred up the sea until it threw its waters against the sky. The sky, in order
to restrain the sea, showered upon it many islands until it could no longer rise, but ran back and
forth. Then the sky ordered the kite to light on one of the islands to build her nest, and to leave
the sea and the sky in peace.
Now at this time the land breeze and the sea breeze were married, and they had a child which was
a bamboo. One day when this bamboo was floating about on the water, it struck the feet of the
kite which was on the beach. The bird, angry that anything should strike it, pecked at the bamboo,
and out of one section came a man and from the other a woman.

Then the earthquake called on all the birds and fish to see what should be done with these two,
and it was decided that they should marry. Many children were born to the couple, and from them
came all the different races of people.

After a while the parents grew very tired of having so many idle and useless children around, and
they wished to be rid of them, but they knew of no place to send them to. Time went on and the
children became so numerous that the parents enjoyed no peace. One day, in desperation, the
father seized a stick and began beating them on all sides.

This so frightened the children that they fled in different directions, seeking hidden rooms in the
house -- some concealed themselves in the walls, some ran outside, while others hid in the
fireplace, and several fled to the sea.

Now it happened that those who went into the hidden rooms of the house later became the chiefs
of the islands; and those who concealed themselves in the walls became slaves. Those who ran
outside were free men; and those who hid in the fireplace became negroes; while those who fled
to the sea were gone many years, and when their children came back they were the white people.
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Theories on the Origins of the Philippines

Pacific Theory

According to Bailey Willis, a noted geologist, the Philippine islands were formed as a result of
volcanic eruptions. These volcanoes were found under the Pacific Ocean towards the eastern
region of Asia. The Pacific Theory or the Volcanic Theory says that some 200 million years has
passed since the eruption of these volcanoes. This natural phenomenon caused the splitting of
rocks followed by the waters surrounding them.

This phenomenon also happened in Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Solomon Islands, and New
Zealand. These countries from what is now known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. There are 250
volcanoes around the region. The Philippines has 22 active volcanoes. It is no wonder then than
earthquakes occur quite frequently around the country. (Custodio 1998)

Asiatic Theory

According to the Asiatic theory of Dr. Leopoldo Faustino, the islands were form through the
process of diastrophism. This explains the movement of the earth that caused some parts either to
rise or sink. This happens with the folding, faulting, and wrapping of the earth.

Wave of Migration Theory

According to the theory of H. Otley Beyer, a renowned archaeologist, the Philippines was once a
part of the Asian continent because of land bridges. This geographical feature was common
during the Pleistocene Period or the Ice Age some 1.8 million years ago. Waves of migrants from
Mainland Asia made their way to the Philippines crossing these land bridges.

After the Glacial Period, the ice around the continent began to thaw, causing waters to rise and
the oceans to form over the land bridges. The lands above sea level shaped the islands dotting the
archipelago. This theory also explains the similarities of plants and animal species found in the
country and in some parts of the Asian region.

The theory also identifies five land bridges that connected one area to another:

Palawan and Borneo

Early Filipino Customs and Practices

Social Classes

Maginoo (Nobles/Noblemen). This class was made out of the Datu and his family. It ought to be
noticed that the datu was not a lord, but rather a lot of a pioneer, a middle person in question, and
was in charge of the welfare of the general population inside his locale.

Timawa/Maharlika(Freemen). They were the warriors, vendors, specialists, and slaves who won
their flexibility. The timawa possessed his own property, had his own particular supporters but on
the other hand will undoubtedly serve the datu. The Tagalog maharlika rendered military support
of the datu at his own cost and imparted to his pioneer the crown jewels of war. This class
vanished at some point in the 1630's the point at which the Spaniards could join differing
connection gatherings.

Alipin (Slaves/Dependents). These were hostages of war, those not able to pay their obligations,
all ill-conceived youngsters; those acquired, and rebuffed culprits. In the Visayas, an alipin was
called oripun.

Aliping Namamahay (householder)- - had his own particular family, little house and parcel, and
served the ace amid planting and reaping season or in the development of houses

Aliping Sagigilid (hearth slave)- - the individuals who are living with the ace, had no property,
and couldn't wed without the ace's assent. The sagigilid,; in any case, could purchase his
opportunity in gold. By the 1700's, one could ascend to the timawa class by paying 90 pesos.

Ladies

Ladies, for the early Filipinos, were the equivalents of men for they were profoundly regarded,
could possess properties, and could progress toward becoming chieftains without male
beneficiaries. They as well, had the selective appropriate to offer names to their kids. The ladies
of Catanduanes, the Spaniards composed, were talented in angling and raising harvests like their
men.

A Priestly Caste

Early Filipinos had a genetic religious class of twelve positions. The most elevated was called
Katalonan, or Babaylan in the Visayas. The mankokolam was of a lower rank. The local
clerics/priestesses were dreaded in light of the fact that they were accepted to have the ability to
incur maladies. There was the aswang who slaughtered people and devoured their substance. The
bayogin was a male transvestite with common powers, and had a place with the least rank. In the
Cordilleras, these shamans were called by different names with different capacities and
capacities. Among the Ibalois of Benguet, there is the mambonong; the Ifugaos have the
mumbaki; the Kankana-eys have the mansip-alright.

The social stratification of the early Filipino society was not as inflexible as that of the Caste
System of India. Those with lower status could ascend to the most astounding status and the other
way around.
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Garments and Ornaments

Male Attire: [Upper]óguys wore a sleeveless coat called "Kangan"; datus and nobles wore a red
kangan, while the average citizens wore blue or dark coats. Guys likewise wore a headgear called
"putong" (turban)ó a bit of fabric wrapped around the head; a red putong demonstrated that the
client slaughtered a man in war, while a weaved putong showed that the client executed no less
than seven. [Lower]óguys wore a g-string called "bahag"ó a portion of material wrapped about
the midsection, going down between the ties

Female Attire: [Upper]ófemales wore a coat with sleeves called "baro" or "camisa".
[Lower]ófemales wore a free skirt called "saya" or "patadyong"; a bit of red, white or weaved
material called "tapis" was normally wrapped around the abdomen

The early Filipinos did not wear shoes or shoes. They strolled about barefooted. They likewise
embellished themselves "intensely". Both men and ladies troubled themselves with so much
trappings as armlets (kalumbiga), pendants, wrist trinkets, gold rings, studs, and leg-lets. The
teeth were enhanced with gold or silver fillings. Inking was likewise polished. Both guys and
females inked their face and bodies. Tattoo was not just for beautification purposes. Among the
guys, it implied war records. The Spaniards called the inked guys of the Visayas area "Pintados".

Composing, Literature, and Time Keeping

The early Filipinos had a syllabary called "baybayin", which was most likely of Sanskrit or
Arabic source. It comprised of seventeen images, three vowels (An, E or I, and O or U) and
fourteen consonants (B, K, D, G, H, L, M, N, NG, P, S, T, W, Y).

Groups along streams and drifts were the most educated among these early Filipinos. These
people group were exchanging focuses. Composing was most likely used to record business
exchanges. Afterward, the scripts were utilized to record folktales, verse, tunes, and other abstract
pieces. They composed with a metal stylus on bamboo strips or banana leaves, start to finish, and
left to right.

Paleologist discovered three surviving antiques bearing antiquated scripts: the Calatagan pottery
pot (found in Batangas); the Butuan silver paleograph; and the Laguna copper plate. Two
contemporary gatheringsóthe Tagbanua in Palawan and the Mangyan in Mindoroóhave held their
conventional composition. Of the three scripts, it is just the Laguna copper plate that has been
deciphered up until now. The plate exposes "the Saka year 822; the time of April-May, the fourth
day of the dim portion of the moon; Monday". The people of yore composed on bark of trees, on
leaves and on bamboo utilizing their blades, pointed sticks or iron as pens, and the hued sap of
trees as ink.

Old Filipino writing might be characterized into drifting or oral writing and composed or
recorded writing. This writing was made out of sayings, conundrums, war tunes, wedding
melodies, cradlesongs, serenades, dramatization, stories, myths and legends, folktales. As a rule,
melodies are joined by moves and acting.

The early Filipinos were a very melodic individuals. Their types of music and move were
generally associated with conciliatory or custom offerings. Spanish preachers wondered about the
melodic aptitude of the general population who, they revealed, "chatted through their music".