The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-09-13
SOME FILIPINO MYTHS.
Traditions Prevailing Among the
People Of the Archipelago.

( Whatever the difference of external
/ civilization al primitive races have had q
/ tendency to soften facts into symbolic
( persouify. The Fnipinos are no exception
. TO this rule
/ The following. according 10 a recent
I traveller in the islands. are some OF the
I many animal myths prevalent among
! them. Here is their version OF Noah and
/ the flood. a tradition. by the way. which
/ in some form OF other is found in every
I part of the world:
When Noah. his family, and pair Of
/ every species Of animal were safe in THEN
I box. a great rain came on and speedily
/ covered the earth. All low life was de-
stroyed. OF the human race. those who
sought TO escape drowning by fleeing 10
the mountain tops were changed into
monkeys. while those who in despair
threw themselves into The sea became
fish
Another myth is a reading of Darwin
backward II credits the monkey with
once having been a man The special man
who caused the transformation happened
to be very lazy. while his mate was eX-
tremeIy Industrious As ne sat one day
with his face In his hands. idly watching
her plant rice. she became angry. and
catching up "a cudEel threw e at him
Though ne ran quickly away, II struck
him. entered his spine, and became his
tail. result. a monkey.
The dove IS credited with understanding
human speech. According TO tradition
this bird was once a child. who, angry
because its mother refused TO give II
some rice she was pounding for pSnaplS
ran from the house and gain. ring Two
nepa leaves fastened them upon ITS shoul-
ders as wings II then flew into Tree
being transformed during Its night from a
child to dove The dove sim cries I'F
palapig-
but the one they particularly rear IS "a
I9unitan king of bats. il exploring caves
where bats are likely 90 conSrvS@te me
natives speak in most respectful terms OF
this deity They believe that he can near
them and Will whip their eyes out with
his Ieathcrn wings should their speech
But probably their most interesting leg
end is that regarding the bankiya. or jun
gle fowl This bird does not understand
human speech as the dove. but has
power over human kind exercised by no
other animal once year the spirits
grant IL this power OF charming. In order
that the spirits and birds may De re-
VeuEed on men. their constant enemies
on that dav the LUZ0u mothers gather
their little ones about them. for young
ears heed the strange sweet music OF the
fowls voice The grown people cannot
hear il. The bJnkivas choose the largest
and haudSom,st among them 90 lead the
march On the outskirts or the Village
they give their song. and the children.
forgetting their mothers warnings. run
70 listen They find the bouElvaS IN a lit
tie ring. dancing and singing I'm harmony
The little ones also dance and sing. as
the birds lead them deeper and deeper
into the forest Night falls and with
harsh CTy the b8ukIVaS iy away. The
children awake az from sleep. They knew
not where they are Darkness and dan
ger are on every side. AT home their
mothers are weeping Sometimes, but
rarely. a few men and women Of great
age wander back 10 their native village
They are sure they have only left it the
night before. They remember nothing,
except that the hauhivas sang so sweetly
and they followed the lovely music. as
the children OF Hamelin followed the Pied
Fiper.-New York Commercial AdEcr-
tissr.