\id SITX029.TXT Central Subanen Text, Ansicpon Promon's Experiences, 28-JUL-00 \h3 |bANSICPON PROMON'S EXPERIENCES,|r SITX029.TXT \h3 By Ansicpon Promon and Dolino Anulay \ip This first-person account of a man's life in the mid-20th century includes Subanen survival strategies at times of famine and plague and during World War II, as well as the narrator's amusing first encounter with Americans and vehicles. \h3 \r \t Su Mibianan ni Ansikpun Prumun* \f Ansicpon Promon's Experiences* \p \r 1 \t Naa mendadi, iini mibianan ku buat pa di kaika"ayu, ma"nini". \f Now then, these are my experiences, from my youth on. \p \r 2 \t Kig bekna mibianan dengantu, sanan nami dia Ginin,* ki meliget gupia gutem. \f The first thing that happened long ago, while we were there in Engin,* was a very severe famine. \r 3 \t Pu" ki gaan nami, laak gelut,* nda"idun tanan ig banggala. \f Because all we had to eat was |ielut|r tubers;* there wasn't even any cassava. \r 4 \t Sa" palay da nami, migela" gupia aanay gapan muka" tubung. \f Our rice was completely consumed by locusts and rats. \p \r 5 \t Naa bena" miniben, pu" migdakit ma itu telu taun, sigi mayani pelabu". \f Well, for a long time, three consecutive years, plagues kept coming. \r 6 \t Kaas di kepaat taunen, minawa" ami ditu Ginin, minuli" ami pelum dia Titik.* \f So in the fourth year we left Engin and moved to Titik* instead. \p \r 7 \t Bena" minateng ami dia Titik, tuminaun puli" su gama"u, tumu" singku"an ami gupia. \f When we reached Titik, my father made a field again, and fortunately we had a very good harvest. \p \r 8 \t Naa iini tuaan ilan dun dinaan, kali" ami aan, inaan, mipauku maan, pu" pegbantayu di gemay, ma"niin pelum palas guled, saba" miniben nda"u maita"i palas gemay. \f Well, they laughed at me, because when we began to eat, I didn't want to eat, because rice looked like insect larvae to me, it had been so long since I had seen what rice looked like. \p \r 9 \t Naa bena" miniben na, bena" melaun nai gaan nami, su gama"u, mipanaw di melayu" benwa. \f Well, after a while, when we had plenty of food, my father went far away. \r 10 \t Kagina inaan laaki gembagelbagel, mabu" siam tauni gidadu ki kepanaw ni Ama", kaas inaan na laaki bata" pektegel mengimbaal megabang dini Ina", pu" su nga ngudan ku, mekaika" pa ilan. \f Since I was the only fairly large child, perhaps my age was nine when Father left, I was the only one trying to work to help Mother, because my younger siblings were still small. \r 11 \t Mibianan pa nami se bulan, nda" ami siben pekaan masin, iini asin nami dig lempan, ki gubud gempait. \f We went one month without once eating salt; what we used as salt for our vegetables was bitter palm heart. \r 12 \t Pu" sa" menengi ami di ngag duma nami, ndi" na ami begayan, pu" minita" na nilan nda"idun mai penelapi"u, pu" maika" pau.* \f Because if we asked our companions for anything, they didn't give it to us, because they saw that I had no way to make money, since I was still small.* \p \r 13 \t Naa bena" paat taun buat mpanaw si Ama", miktegeltegel muli". \f Well, four years after Father left, he made the effort to come home. \r 14 \t Bena" minateng, liliagu gupia, pu" duun nai mekpetubu" dinami puli". \f When he got back, I was very happy, because now there would be someone to provide for us again. \p \r 15 \t Mendadi, ki kedateng ni Ama" kini, mitaang na dema ditu kedateng nu nga Gapun, pu" miglegubat ilan. \f Well, when Father arrived, it coincided with the arrival of the Japanese, because they were waging war. \p \r 16 \t Naa di timpu ni gubat kitu, iini baalen nami dua" ni Ama", mangay ami ditug dagat megdaaw ami sumaguk dun, pu" mendek ma ami ditu nga Gapun. \f Now during that war, what Father and I used to do was to go down to the sea and stealthily scoop up sea water, because we were afraid of the Japanese. \r 17 \t Iini baalan nami ditug dagat, pelutu"en, adun mbaluy masin. \f What we did with that sea water was to cook it, so that it turned into salt. \r 18 \t Iini migbatag, taman nda" melinaw su gubat. \f That's how it continued, until the war was over and peace came again. \p \r 19 \t Naa buat di ma"antu kitu, sa" gendaw, megeglud ami di gulangan, pu" mendek ami daapen nu nga Gapun. \f Well, in that situation, in the daytime we hid in the forest, because we were afraid we would be captured by the Japanese. \r 20 \t Sa" gendaw, ndi" mekpelutu", pu" mendek ami maita"i gebel nami. \f In the daytime no one cooked, because we were afraid the smoke from our fires would be seen. \r 21 \t Subay mekpelutu" ami sa" laak gebii. \f We had to cook only at night. \r 22 \t Kaas meliget gupiai kebetang nami timpu kitu. \f So our situation was terribly difficult during that time. \p \r 23 \t Kiin pelum bayan keginapet nami, subay mengalap ami baka, dayun nami linasay, iin dayuni ebelen nu gina"u, bata" baalen nami gumut muka" salual. \f The way we clothed ourselves was that we had to get hemp, and then we stripped it, and my mother wove it, and that was what we managed to make blankets and trousers out of. \r 24 \t Iini paingalan nami ditu penepeten kitu, pulaw. \f We call that cloth |ipulaw.|r \p \r 25 \t Naa bena" milinawlinaw na su gubat, dayun ami dua" ni Ama" mangay ditu Madas, pu" menengaw ami penelapi" nami. \f Well, then when the war had subsided somewhat, Father and I went to Maras, to look for a way to earn money there. \r 26 \t Iini mibaangan nami penelapi", memata" betung. \f The way we found to make money was to cut bamboo. \r 27 \t Bena" duun nai mitimud nami bata" kwarta, iin dayuni piksaluy nami penepeten muka" masin. \f When we had collected a little money, that was what we bought our clothing with, and our salt. \r 28 \t Minuli" ami dayun puli" ditu Titik. \f Then we moved home again to Titik. \p \r 29 \t Bena" minateng ami ditu Titik, kagina duun mai samaya" nu gama"u beklug* adun ndi" ami mematay di gubat kitu, migbeklug ami dayun. \f When we reached Titik, since my father had made a vow to hold a |ibeklug|r* ceremony so that we wouldn't die in that war, we held the ceremony. \p \r 30 \t Bena" mitubus na sug beklug, si Ama", mipanaw na pelum, minangay ditug dapit Sipau,* tumu" migdunut nau diniin. \f When the ceremony was over, Father left again; he went there to the Sicpao* area, and happily I went with him. \p \r 31 \t Kali" ami dateng ditu, mipati"u gupia mesebu"ay, pu" duun pelumi minita"u getaw nda"u pa siben maita"i palasen, pu" mekeputi"i mata nen. \f When we got there, I was immensely surprised, because there were people I saw there that I had never seen the likes of before, because their eyes were pale. \r 32 \t Kali"u pektalu" dig dialem ginau, <> \f Could those be spirits?>>* \p \r 34 \t Laak kali"u pelum saakay ditu nga getaw dangen dia, kali" ilan pektalu", <> daw <> daw <> \f But when I asked the people who lived there about it, they said, <> they said, <> they said; <> \p \r 35 \t Kali"u dayun pektalu", <> \f Even their eyes and their hair are pale,* too.>> \p \r 37 \t Naa sanan ku pelum kitu ditu Sipau, iwitu nu gama"u tugbeng* ditu Mulabi.* \f Well, while I was there in Sicpao, my father took me downriver* there to Molave.* \r 38 \t Bena" minateng ami ditu, mipati"u gupia mendek, pu" maita"u pelum duuni ma"niin palas balay pegligebek, kagina ki trak,* nda"u pa mainsan maita". \f When we got there, I was terribly frightened, because I saw what looked like houses running, since I had never seen a vehicle.* \r 39 \t Kaas minamalu gupia mengaduy. \f So I kept crying hard. \p \r 40 \t Kali" pektalu" si Ama", <> \f Those aren't houses, they're vehicles.>> \p \r 42 \t Iin pa dayun mawa"i gendeku, pu" masi" traki ngalanen itu. \f It wasn't until then that my fear left me, because now I understood that they were, surprisingly, vehicles. \r 43 \t Kaas masi" ki getaw dig buid, melaaten, pu" melauni ndi"en mailala, dayun mendek dun. \f So surprisingly people from upriver are inferior, because there are many things they don't recognize, and so they are afraid of them. \p \r 44 \t Bena" buat ami ditu Mulabi, minuli" ami dayun puli" dini Titik, laak nda" na ami puli" apit ditu Sipau, pu" minayan ami ditu ma Piau, dekag pa ami migdayun gupia ditu Titik. \f After we left Molave, we went home again to Titik, but we didn't stop in Sicpao again, because we passed through Piao before we finally went on to Titik. \p \r 45 \t Duun pelum ig setaun buat tu kedateng nami ditu Titik, si Ama", mipanaw na pelum ditu Sipau, kaas inaan na laaki mibilin mekpetubu" dini Ina" sampay ditu nga ngudan ku, pu" miniben ma gupia si Ama" nda" uli". \f Then a year after our arrival there in Titik, Father went to Sicpao again, so I was the only one left to support Mother and my younger siblings, because Father didn't come home for a very long time. \r 46 \t Midepetan pa puli" telu taun, dekag pasi" minuli". \f It was another three years before he came home. \p \r 47 \t Iin puli" ig bayan keksukatu di ketubu"an nami, menengawu butilya, dayun ku pemutukay, baalen basu, iin dayuni pegbelesu banggala, saging, atawaka pia ta" ginisay dun, basta laak mpia aanen, muka" duun laaki ma"aan nami. \f My next means of providing our living was to look for bottles, which I cut and made into glasses, and then I traded them for cassava, bananas, or anything at all, just so it was edible and we would at least have something to eat. \p \r 48 \t Muka" padun, mengimanu* ngag lebuyu". \f And I also snared* wild chickens. \r 49 \t Su giman ku lebuyu", kali" metaban likpaw,* kali"u pegleketau, iwitu ditu nga Naunggaung, pigbelesu bata" mengud ma"is. \f When a lizard* got caught in my chicken snare, I got an idea, and I took it to Naunggaung's family and traded it for a little young corn. \r 50 \t Iin nai megbatag ia bian keksukatu gaan nami, taman nda" sengku" sug bata" binaalan ku. \f That continued to be my way of providing food for us, until my little field reached harvest. \p \r 51 \t Muka" mibianan ku pa padun, yami nu nga ngudan ku muka" gina"u, saba" nda"idun nai gempia nami aanen, subay mingupu" laak ami tubu" guliktep,* pilutu" nami linamug di gigbug banggala, iini inalap nami lebungan. \f And what I also experienced was that my younger siblings and my mother and I, since we had nothing good to eat, just had to pick |iuliktep|r* mushrooms, which we cooked mixed with cassava soup, and that is what we obtained for our supper. \p \r 52 \t Naa bena" midepet sumingku" na sug binaalan ku, pelai,* tumu" melauni ma"is nami muka" palay. \f Well, when my field reached harvest, |ipelai,|r* happily we had a lot of corn and rice. \p \r 53 \t Naa mendadi, diin pelum kedua" taunen buat di kepanaw ni Ama", tuminaunu pelum ditug Laksa". \f Well then, in the second year after Father left, I made another field at Laksa. \r 54 \t Tumu" nda" na ami gupia gutemay sampay sumingku" puli" sug binaalan ku, pu" melaun ma pa ig daan palay nami. \f Happily we weren't very hungry until my field reached harvest again, because we still had a lot of rice left from before. \p \r 55 \t Bena" diin na ketelu taunen buat di kepanaw ni Ama", nda" tagad metebas, minuli" si Ama". \f Then in the third year after Father left, before harvest was over, Father came home. \r 56 \t Ki kedatengen, sanan sengku" ma"is. \f His arrival was during corn harvest. \p \r 57 \t Naa bena" mitebas na ami, mpuli" na pelum si Ama" ditu Sipau. \f Well, when we finished harvest, Father went back to Sicpao again. \r 58 \t Tinalu"u dun dayun, <> \f Then I said to him, <> \r 59 \t Tumu" nda" pegbelibad si Ama", pidunut dau niin. \f Happily Father didn't refuse, he just let me go with him. \r 60 \t Nda" ami dayun tanan maiben mateng ditu, minginsawa si Ama". \f Not at all long after we got there, Father got married. \p \r 61 \t Bena" midepet pelum dua" bulan ami ditu Sipau, tinalu" ni Ama" muli" daw ami puli" ditu Titik, kaas liliagu gupia. \f When we had spent two months there in Sicpao, Father said that we were going to move home again to Titik, so I was very happy. \r 62 \t Tumu" dig dialem ginaau, masi" mekauli" dau ditug benwau. \f I said to myself that fortunately, I was going to be able to go home to my own place after all. \p \r 63 \t Mendadi, bena" bata" begutaw nau, iini mibianan ku pelum, megdunutu mendagang penepeten ditu ngag Lenaun. \f Now then, when I was almost a young man, what I experienced was that I went with a vendor selling clothing to the Maranao. \r 64 \t Muka" padun pistula nga degangan nami. \f And we also sold pistols. \p \r 65 \t Naa sanan nami mendagang, iin ig bekna mibianan nami, minangay ami mendagang ditug bariu Salug, timpu itu nda" melunsud. \f Well, while we were doing our selling, the first thing that happened to us was that we went to sell in the barrio Salug, which was not yet a city at that time. \p \r 66 \t Bena" minateng ami ditu Salug, dinaap ami pelum nu nga pulis. \f When we got to Salug, surprisingly we were arrested by the police. \r 67 \t Iini puunan dinaap ami dun, masi" duuni migdaaw ditu Salug su gebii kitu. \f How we came to get arrested was that surprisingly, someone had committed a robbery there in Salug that night. \r 68 \t Bena" miksiselem, iin demai kedateng nami. \f And in the morning, we got there. \r 69 \t Mendadi, inaleg dayun nu nga pulisya, yamii tuminulis kitu. \f Well then, the police charged us with the robbery. \r 70 \t Pu" kali" nilan pegbentayay su nga peguiten nami, minita" ma nilan su nga melaun penepeten muka" telu buuk pistula, muka" paat belibad ig bitekel bulawan. \f Because when they looked in our baggage, they saw all the cloth, and three pistols, and four gold necklaces. \r 71 \t Naa kagina midaap ma ami, pitulug ami ditu se gebii tug balay nu tininti kitu. \f Well, after we were arrested, we were made to stay there one night at the house of that barrio lieutenant. \p \r 72 \t Naa bena" miksiselem, iwit ami dayun nu nga pulisya ditug lunsud Sindangan, pu" ditu daw ami gupia pirisuay. \f Well, when morning came, the police took us to the town of Sindangan, because they said that was where we would actually be put in jail. \p \r 73 \t Bena" minateng ami ditu Sindangan, kagina melaun mai mikailala dinaan ditu, kaas mipirisu ami taman da se gebii. \f When we got to Sindangan, since many people there knew me, we were kept in jail only one night. \r 74 \t Naa bena" miksiselem na, pipenengaw dayun dinaan su mayur, pu" su kedateng nami dia, nda" ma nami metaangay, ditu ma iin Dipuleg. \f Well, when morning came, I was told to go and find the mayor, because when we got there, he wasn't there, he was in Dipolog. \p \r 75 \t Tumu" gempia palad, pu" bena" minatengu ditug Dipuleg, mipegita"u da dayun ditu su mayur. \f Happily my luck was good, because when I reached Dipolog, I found the mayor right away. \r 76 \t Kali" dayun pektalu" su mayur, <> \f Then the mayor said, <<|iAa,|r you there, what is your purpose here?>> \p \r 77 \t Kali"u dayun peksembag, <> \f Here I am, in custody.>> \p \r 79 \t Kali" pektalu" su mayur, <> \f The mayor said, <> \p \r 80 \t Kaas nda" da ami medayun pirisuay, pu" su mayur, nda" peliag sa" pirisuun ami, laak piuli" ami niin ditu Titik. \f So that was why we didn't stay in custody, because the mayor didn't allow us to be kept in custody; he just sent us home there to Titik. \p \r 81 \t Bena" minatengu buatu megdedunut di kendagang kitu, nda" maiben, iin na demai kepatay nu gina"u, kaas nda" nau puli" pegdunut mendagang. \f When I got back from accompanying that vendor, not long afterward my mother died, so I didn't go with the vendor any more. \p \r 82 \t Mendadi, bena" midepetan se bulan buat matay si Ina", mipuli" na pelum si Ama" ditu Sipau. \f Well then, one month after Mother died, Father went back again to Sicpao. \p \r 83 \t Bena" midepet ami setaun ditu, iin ig bekna pinginsawau, si Piana. \f A year later, I married my first wife, Piana. \r 84 \t Setaun laak ami meksenglangan, mikegbeleng ami. \f When we had only been married a year, we separated. \p \r 85 \t Dua" taun ami ni Piana buat megbeleng, iin puli"i pinginsawau, si Naya" na. \f Two years after Piana and I separated, I was remarried, to Naya". \r 86 \t Bena" miksenglangan na ami dua", mipati" ami gupia metegelay di kegleketubu" nami. \f After the two of us got married, we had a terribly hard time making our living. \r 87 \t Inaan, sala buuk dai suubu bu selualu. \f I only had one shirt and one pair of trousers. \r 88 \t Bisan si Naya", ma"antu dadema. \f And it was the same even with Naya". \r 89 \t Muka" nda"idun tanani kaldiru nami muka" pinggan nami, pu" meliget gupia su penelapi" nami. \f And we had no pots or dishes at all, because it was very hard for us to obtain cash. \p \r 90 \t Mendadi, midepet pelum pitu taun ami meksenglangan, minuli" ami dayun dinig Dipudian. \f Well, when we had been married seven years, then we moved here to Deporehan. \r 91 \t Su kedateng nami dini, nda"idun tanani sumbalay nami. \f When we got here, we had no neighbors at all. \r 92 \t Tantu ami gupia miglinebu", kaas mipati" ami mpenglaw. \f We were living in a place where no other people lived, so we were terribly lonely. \p \r 93 \t Naa, dini na deli" taman su gukiten ku di kibianan ku. \f Now, let this be the extent of my story of my experiences. \ie \h3 |bCultural and Linguistic Notes on ANSICPON PROMON'S EXPERIENCES|r \no Title: Ansicpon Promon dictated this narrative to Dolino Anulay, his son-in-law, who edited the text. \no 2. A town in Zamboanga del Norte. Except for Sicpao in Sentence 30 and Molave in Sentence 37, all other towns and settlements mentioned in this text are in Zamboanga del Norte. \no 3. |ielut:|r a poisonous tubers of a vine, rendered edible by drying, then soaking in hot water to which salt and ashes have been added, rinsing and cooking. \no 6. A large settlement in Zamboanga del Norte. \no 12. The implication is that he would have no means of repaying what was lent to him. \no 29. |ibeklug:|r the most important sacrificial ceremony of the Subanen, when people fulfill the promises they have made at various times, such as times of illness, to offer sacrifices to the spirits. People who cannot afford to host such a ceremony bring their sacrifices to add to the collective offering. \no 30. A town in Zamboanga del Sur. \no 33. |idiwata|r : any of a number of classes of unseen beings said to possess supernatural power. \no 36. |igemputi"|r : the term may refer to a light shade of any color. \no 37a. |itugbeng|r : the term can also mean to go to a town. \no 37b. A town in Zamboanga del Sur. \no 38. |itrak|r: this borrowing from English is a generic term for vehicles. This incident calls to mind a saying familiar to Subanen: |iGandang na misuunan nu nga mekegulang pu" duuni putaw lumayug dig ditaas, lutaw dig dagat muka" gebek dig lupa"an, |r Some respondents said that the elders also said that when these things occurred, war would come, and even women would be included in the fighting. \no 48. |imengiman:|r the generic term for building and setting any snare for catching game. Jungle fowl are usually hunted with a decoy chicken placed in a |iibay|r a square enclosure formed by tying a rattan line to four small posts so that the rattan is suspended one handspan above the ground. Loops are fashioned in the rattan at close intervals, and the decoy chicken is tethered to a stake in the center of the snare. When a jungle fowl tries to enter the enclosure to attack the decoy chicken inside, a loop tightens around its leg and it is caught. \no 49. |ilikpaw:|r a yellow and grayish-black lizard with white belly and sides and forked tongue. The |ilikpaw|r may reach a girth greater than a man's thigh; it feeds on insects, snakes and plants. \no 51. |iuliktep|r: an edible grayish-white fungus growing on deadwood. \no 52. |ipelai|r: an exclamation of surprise and in this case pleasure, also pronounced |iapelai|r or |iplai.|r