of shamans and crocodiles

KING LONG Lolong, the longest crocodile in the world

In an effort to squash the recent attacks of the alleged angry crocodiles in Lake Mihaba, Bunawan, Agusan del Sur, Datu Katindugan and Datu Tagbayani, both shamans of the Manobo tribe, performed a peace offering last Saturday in a series of ritual sacrifices to the "engkantos" of the said lake, who were supposed to be the protectors of those wild, untamed creatures of the marsh, including the crocodile who beheaded little Rowena.

Just days after the beheading of Rowena Romana, a resident of San Marcos amid Lake Mihaba, by some wayward crocodile, and after repeated sightings attested by some local folks around the area, the chieftains of the adjoining tribes decided to perform a ritual that would somehow appease the anger and torment of the said beast.

Two shamans from La Paz, a nearby town of the beleaguered lake, were summoned to perform a rite, specifically adressing the need to go back to basics, that is, the return of some age-old practices of traditional values and culture necessary for their unique relationship with nature.

The said event was attended by various tribal chieftains, barangay officials, local government units, including that of the National Commission for Indigenous People (NCIP)-Caraga Region as represented by their Technical Director, Elvira Catuburan; representatives of the Department of Tourism (Comval chapter), The Daily Corridor and some local residents of the said area.

The ritual activities was held at the Floating Center of Lake Mihaba Fishers Association (LAMIFA), a dilapidated floating house which was tied around the trees within the vicinity.

THE HAUNTED

According to Raffy Mendoza, himself a tribe leader as Datu Kalampusan, and was the interpreter of the summoned shamans said that, in recent years, some residents of Lake Mihaba undermined or may have deliberately disregarded the traditional way of dealing with nature, and that the incident involving the decapitation of the little girl's head may have been an indirect result of that repeated neglect.

He further stressed that in ancient times there ancestors had a unique unwritten agreement with the "engkantos" of the said area not to intentionally disturb or in any way disrupt their respective bounderies in order to avoid conflict.

A native of La Paz, a relatively quiet town among the many in Agusan Marsh, firmly stressed, in an interview, the need to bring back the kind of culture that their ancestors had, in which the respect of nature was always in consideration.

La Paz, Mendoza added, is one of the few remining towns around the Marsh who still practices the traditional way of communicating with nature. Bunawan has three major lakes in the area, namely, Kilubihan, Kangno and Mihaba.

There are at least an estimate of 80 families scattered all over the entire Agusan Marsh with farming induced by tangerined roofed water pumps and manual indiscrimate fishing as its major source of income.

"BUNGKATOL HA BULAWAN..."

During the course of the ritual exercises, the shamans, including some of the chieftains of the other tribes, constantly wore some dour, long faces, shedding painful tears and even close to chocking while offering a prayer to the "gods". The shamans, however, who were visibly disturbed by the image of that crocodile could not but feel safe by the mere mention of the name.

In particular, Mariano Dorado, a Butuanon tribe head, who was among the nervous conglomerate of tribal leaders assembled in that floating house, offered a long heartfelt mantra in their water prayer sessions, a series of native unknown tongues, sententious prayers and some personal testimonies to the "engkantos" supposedly causing these giant crocodiles to run amok.

Dressed in their velvety, chaleco-like, hard-pressed clothes with rivets of black, yellow and white; large, intricate beaded necklaces; satin, red-littered bandanas and some rare, homemade native bracelets, the shamans looked more ready in asking their respective netherworldly counterparts to ease out the tension brewing among those gargantuans in the Agusan wild.

"Bungkatol ha bulawan daw naka tad jaw ha lana", a tribal code of conduct which, according to the fundamental beliefs of the tribe was said to be unfairly neglected by many native residents during the course of their individual and collective dealings with the environment, especially in fishing within the Marsh.

Which was what Datu Kalampusan, along with his fellow datus tried to reinstate, since the angry "buagas" ( a local term for crocodiles ) was a sure sign that the "engkantos" were apparently irked by the mere conscious disregard of practically every vestiges of traditional Manobo practices.

The parapernalias of the said ritual would include "Manghun" ( an exotic fruit found in the Mihaba area ), Mallorca ( a local gin ), eggs, candles, softdrinks ( Royal Tru-Orange ), coins, cigarettes, White Rabbits, a red cloth, a native chicken and a pig and a makeshift altar decorated with fresh coconut leaves.

THE "WHITE" CROC

While the shamans were performing their synchopated rituals just before noon, onlookers of the said event, mostly folks from neighboring towns of the Mihaba, feared and began to wonder that the alleged "white" crocodile would somehow make its presence felt if, and when, such neglected practices would continue to thrive.

This was supposed to be the highlight of the said in which the "gods" would reveal through the mouths of the shamans their intention of killing the said girl and why the sightings of such killer crocodiles could be seen among the pathways of the Marsh.

Marlon Bilar, a teenager, and one of the few who remained in the area after the gory incident said, "... daghan na man gud na tulumanon nga wala na natuman," ( ...there are some rules that were no longer followed ), referring, of course, to the traditional practices of fishing in the area.

Bilar also added that some of the fishermen were simply restive in their treatment with the lake, saying, " Saba mangisda, hubog pa gyud," (They were very noisy, and drunk at times. ).

The "white" crocodile was said to be the vanguard of the "engkantos" since their ancestors revealed the mystery some years past, the "gods" emissary when they were trying to instill a message.

This prompted the shamans, particulary Datu Katindugan, while obviously shaken, to throw bits of biscuits in to the tawny waters of the Mihaba to somehow contain the alleged wrath of the "engkantos" towards the village.

The shamans, being the keepers of peace and emissaries to the netherworld, alternated themselves of praying and invoking the spirits of the other side of Mihaba to spare them and their respective tribes of futher killings, as the residents stared in awe and in there sun-drenced skin as the ritual progresses deep in to the still Saturday afternoon.

BY SIN POSSESSED

Datu Katindugan, after a solemn incantation of conjuring the spirit that would supposedly save the fate of the water people of Mihaba, revealed that what really happened to Rowena Romano was an after effect of an utter disregard of the ancient practices being imposed by the flighty spirits of the lake.

In the same vein, but with a completely different feel of the revelation, Datu Tagbagani, muscles a brutish lamentation of his vision as he admonished the predicament of the people of Mihaba into confessing their sins to the nature gods in the hopes of restoring back the once peaceful community being enjoyed by their more faithful ancestors.

This is in keeping with what Raffy Mendoza said in an interview that the shamans would try to extend their utmost abilities in convincing the “engkantos” in to forming a sort of alliance since the shamans are known to have a kind of influence of restoring peace among the outside realm.

The whole ritual proper was smoothly mediated by Datu Kalampusan. Lead shaman Datu Katindugan went on to stand before the short-lived council of tribal heads and calmly narrated the travails of the people of Mihaba before the supposed attack until the day when little Rowena suffered a bloody fate into the incisive pangs of the killer crocodile.

The Mallorca, which resembled the commercial gin, Ginebra, was being passed on to everyone as one of the gestures of innumerable packs done in that day. The women, on the other hand, drank only its lighter counterpart, namely, the soft drinks.

Also in the rites was the piercing of the pig by a sturdy metal javelin and the slashing of the rooster’s neck with all its blood being splashing into the deep waters of the Mihaba.

In a related story, however, further emphasized by the reminder of some mere, insignificant bloodlust, Datu Kalampusan said that the recent crocodile rampage has its roots way back in the 1960’s. According to the Datu, his ancestors apparently witnessed a slaughter of 7 crocodiles by Muslim hunters in Mutong Lake, another body of water in that vast almost deserted marsh.

The datu went on to enumerate at least 6 Muslim hunters, he remembered, and that most of these crocodile merchants suffered a curse, “gaba” in the dialect , and were diagnosed severely in Sabang, a town within the marsh, where they were late to rest.

Datu Kalampusan wanted to share the story with his fellow tribesmen since it was not reported in any agency when the incident occurred.

AT PLAY IN THE FIELDS

The ritual ended with a sobering message from the piercing spirit inhabiting one of the shamans, particularly Datu Tagbagani, in which the spirit revealed the sorry plight of Rowena as a sacrificial lamb in order for his family to go back to their roots.

The spirit also revealed that Rowena’s other relatives, who allegedly dabbled in some other local mystic practices, deliberately conjured an unfriendly presence to those killer beasts to remind the little girl’s family not to dismiss or ignore their chosen brand of belief, which was said to be an alleged dark faith from the underworld.

Datu Katindugan, however, assured the beleaguered residents that peace among the waters of Mihaba will eventually ease the tensions harrowing on their faces. And that he further stressed in making a habit out of performing the necessary rituals, trivial or otherwise, before enjoying the benefits of what the Marsh can offer.

However somber, most of the participants never went empty-handed. Edified NCIP Technical Director, Elvira Catuburan, herself a native of Bunawan said, “ Ang nahitabo nga ritwal didto usa kini ka timaan sa paghatag ug respeto ug pagpukaw sa katilingban nga dili lang kayutaan ang atong taga-an ug pagtagad kon dili apil usab ang katubigan aron malampuson pud ang atong panamuyo diri sa kalibutan.” ( The ritual was an indication that we should always pay respect by making our society aware that, aside from our land concerns, we need to also take care of our waters so we can have a better relationship with our environment ).

The NCIP, moreover, is already making plans of securing land rights to lumads of certain areas in Bunawan, which will culminate in a specific program being planned by the local government.

Ramon Bonzo III, a Department of Tourism representative, corroborated Catuburan’s view when he said that apart from being excited about seeing the crocodile, the residents should always put in priority the preservation of nature from its supposed detractors, and that the tourism industry is intent of supporting any programs that would promote conservation and maintenance of the said cause.

Consequently, in a brief interview of Joe Ramirez, Municipal Tourism Officer of Bunawan, in relation to the state of Lake Mihaba after the bloody incident said that at present the local government is prohibiting any person of visiting the said areas without proper legal pass and that any violation of the said mandate would be immediately apprehended.

The crocodile, however, remained at large as the ritual when to a close. The residents are now in the hopes of restoring their once disturbed existence when all at once a crocodile was summoned to conquer their homes and remind them of where they came from.

(article published in The Daily Corridor, March 2009)