Alben meng manyaman, boy!

June 29, 2007

RocKapampangan teaser

Yes, Kalalangan Kamaru has been secretly conceptualizing a project since kaleldo (summer). But I'm releasing a teaser now anyway. Alben king lalam (watch below).

This is a rehearsal jamming of Mental Floss, one of the bands included in the roster of the RocKapampangan independent rock/alternative album featuring the songs of the master polosador, Totoy Bato.

Did I just say 'roster,' meaning there are a lot of bands? Yes! Eleven to be exact. Hehe.

Anyway, the song [partial only] in the video is titled Lugud Na Ning Indu (Love of a Mother).

Sorry for the poor quality of the audio, as it was just recorded via videophone.

Recording courtesy of Jimmy Patawaran, band manager.




Watch out for the album!

June 26, 2007

Folk song: Maring, Maring

Most Philippine folk songs, Kapampangan or not, are either nonsensical or just too deep and philosophical to fathom. Here is the lyrics to one of these bizarre folk songs, Maring, Maring.

Maring, Maring, migising ka
[Maring, Maring, wake up]
Sangle kang nasing marimla
[And fry the cold rice]
O'rian na ring mariposa
[Here comes the big butterflies]
Sisipsip lang sampagita
[They suck sampaguita nectar]
Sampagitang laput laput
[Sampaguita in accordion]
Sigarilyung pakasinup
[Cigarette kept in place]
Kutang ku pa karing ayup
[Might as well ask the birds]
Ayup, ayup, kuyug, kuyug
[Birds, birds, buddies, buddies]
Kutang ku pa karing asan
[Might as well ask the fish]
Asan, asan, malinamnam
[Fish, fish, so delicious]
Kutang ku pa karing itu
[Might as well ask the catfish]
Itu, itu, palatitu
[Catfish, catfish, platelet]

If you want to have an idea on how this song goes, you may view ArtiSta. Rita's performance of it by going keni. You are also free to interpret it if you desire.

June 23, 2007

Anak ning Kapri poster

Made this poster for my Kapampangan short film.


June 19, 2007

June 15, 1991

Does the date ring a bell? If you were living in the Central Luzon area back in 1991, especially if you're a Kapampangan, it should.

Iniang aldong ini, pepalual ne ning Pinatubu ing kayang mua king balen! [On this date, Mount Pinatubo released his anger on the province!]

Iniang aldo mu namang iti, sinagad ing kalungkutan nang Apo Namalyari (Bulan) king pangamate ning keang anak, i Silimsilim! [On this date also, Apo Namalyari, the moon deity, expressed his grief due to the death of one of her daughters, Nightfall!]

I commemorate the tragic (and soul-awakening) day by listening to this song by ArtiSta. Rita, titled Pinatubo, a really magnificent and ethnic-sounding song in a fusion of Ayta and Kapampangan language.

I don't have the actual lyrics of the Ayta part, but I transcribed what I hear; I'll update this post as soon as I find out the actual lyrics and translation. As far as I know though, the lyrics come from an actual Ayta tribal song or something (the Ayta lyrics are similar to the song sung by Jonalyn Ablong in the Sapang Bato Ayta film, Manoro).

Pinatubo
ArtiSta. Rita

Indu, iri kama ku
Mandakup kung puyu
Aku nara ku
Tinagal kung tau
Bapa, iri kama ku
Mandakup kung puyu
Aku nara ku
Uy ha

Asna kang karatun [You were very peaceful]
Bunduk kang matudtud
[A slumbering mountain]
Alang kamalemale
[Who could have known]
Maskup na ka kilub
[You were already sick inside]
Tangis na ning balen
[The nation grieves]
Taung mengapaburen
[For the neglected ones]
Pait da king pusu
[The bitterness in their hearts]
Mitipun king sepukuan mu
[Filled your core]

Sinapak na ka rugu
[You became fill]
E mu na inagyu
[You couldn't take it]
Daya mung bubukal
[Your blood smoldering]
Indu kang mapagal
[You're an exhausted mother]

Mimua ka, Pinatubu
[You were angry, Pinatubo]
Indu kung Pinatubu
[My Mother Pinatubo]
Silbag mu na ing mua mu
[Then you scattered your anguish]
Mispak ya ing pusu mu
[Your heart was shattered]
Mimua ka, Pinatubu
[You were angry, Pinatubo]
Indu kung Pinatubu
[My Mother Pinatubo]
Silbag mu na ing lua mu
[Then you scattered your anguish]
Pinatubu, aintindian ku
[But, Pinatubo, I understand]

Igaye tana may naimya
Dag-ay Pinatubu
Mikakalaban king kaglaban
Na ing yabe ya yamampan


Minagus ka daya
[Your blood flowed]
Migising la ring sabla
[And the people awoke]Migising mu naman [What was awakened, too]
Lugud ding keraklan
[Was the charity of people]
Aral na ning bulkan
[The teaching of the volcano]
Aral ning ninuman
[The teaching of everyone]
Abitan mo patas para
[Pull them all up so]
Padalang tanara ning Dios
[God will bless them]

Banua na ing milabas [Years have passed]
Makalaue na keng bukas
[Now looking at tomorrow]
Magpiyak na ka't painaua
[Close your eyes now and rest]
Apisan na ka n
ing banua [The heavens will caress you]

Painaua na ka Pinatubu
[Rest now, Pinatubo]
Indung Pinatubu
[Mother Pinatubo]
Kinayap na ing mua mu
[Your anger has subsided]
Sugat king pusu mu
[With the wound in your heart]
Painaua na ka Pinatubu
[ Rest now, Pinatubo]
Indung Pinatubu
[Mother Pinatubo]
Manatili na sa
ing karurukan mu [May your greatness remain]

Indu, iri kama ku
Mandakup kung puyu
Aku nara ku
Tinagal kung tau
Uy ha

How Pampanga got smaller

By Robby Tantingco
Peanut Gallery

As discussed a previous column, the Pampanga Province that Spain created in the early days of colonization occupied practically the entire midsection of Luzon; it was one of the island's first three mega-provinces, the other two being Ilocos (occupying Northern Luzon) and Manila (occupying Southern Luzon, including Bicol).

Much of the huge Pampanga Province was hinterland -- forests and swamplands and rice fields -- with only pockets of settlements along the rivers Rio Grande and Rio Chico, as well as along the ancient roads to Pangasinan.

And not all inhabitants spoke Kapampangan; the Kapampangan- speaking areas were most likely concentrated on the communities on the riverbanks; the rest were tribal groups, including the much-feared headhunters.

Over the years, Pampanga's boundaries expanded and contracted depending on how many haciendas were awarded to Spanish officials, how many encomiendas were assigned for tax collection and how many new missions were created by Spanish missionaries. At one point, the boundaries extended all the way to Palanan, Isabela in the north and to Infanta, Quezon in the south, with the Pacific Ocean on its east side and the China Sea on its west side.

Eventually, the Spaniards realized that it was difficult to govern such a huge province from one provincial capital way down south in Bacolor, and they began cutting it up into commandancias or military outposts which later evolved into new provinces.

First to go was Nueva Ecija. When it was created in 1704 as the Commandancia Politico-Militar de Nueva Ecija (named after the governor general's hometown of Ecija in Andalucia, Spain), it included parts of Bulacan and the Candaba Swamp, Paniqui and Barug (now Gerona), Nueva Vizcaya, Palanan in Isabela, Infanta, the Polillo Islands and Kalilaya (which later became the province of Tayabas, renamed Principe, renamed Quezon, renamed Aurora).

As commandancia, Nueva Ecija remained administratively under Pampanga until it became a province in 1848. By that time, Nueva Ecija had shrunk in size so much that Pampanga had to give up some of its own towns to firm up the new province. These towns were Cabiao, San Antonio, Gapan, San Isidro and Aliaga -- today under the political sphere of Nueva Ecija but still Kapampangan- speaking.

In 1839, it was Nueva Vizcaya's turn to become a commandancia, followed by Principe (Quezon) in 1853, Isabela in 1856 and Tarlac in 1860.

Tarlac initially included Bamban, Capas, Concepcion, O'Donnell, Tarlac and Victoria, as well as Camiling, Gerona, Moncada and Paniqui (which were annexed from Pangasinan, which is why residents in these four towns hardly speak Kapampangan) .

Tarlac also included four towns from Pampanga: Floridablanca, Mabalacat, Magalang and Porac. When Tarlac became a province 13 years later, in 1873, these four towns were reverted to Pampanga.

Meanwhile, Bataan was initially divided into two sections: the towns that were part of Pampanga (Orion, Pilar, Balanga, Abucay, Samal, Orani, Hermosa and Dinalupihan) , and the corregimiento (similar to commandancia) of Mariveles, which included Bagac, Morong and Maragondon (Cavite). Although Bataan became a province early on, in 1754, most of the original Pampanga towns have continued to speak Kapampangan. Bataan's northern neighbor, Zambales, used to be quite accessible from Pampanga through ancient trails and passes cutting through the Zambales Mountain Range.

The town of Botolan was in fact founded by a Kapampangan from Mabalacat in 1819, while the capital town of Iba came from the Kapampangan word iba ("earthenware" ). Bataan's capital town, Balanga, likewise came from a Kapampangan word. The ancient mountain trails were still quite serviceable until 1991, when Mount Pinatubo's eruption buried them. The government today should consider unearthing and rehabilitating these trails to cut down the number of hours it takes to reach the other side.

As for Bulacan, historians disagree on a lot of things. First, they disagree on where the name came from: some say from the Kapampangan word burak, because the place was swampy and muddy, while others say from the word bulak, since the road to the capital town was once upon a time lined with rows of cotton trees.

Second point of disagreement is the year it became a province: one document says 1578, but most other documents say Pampanga covered practically everything between Manila and Ilocos; even Tondo (from the Kapampangan word tundun) inhabitants spoke Kapampangan.

Today, many places in Bulacan bear Kapampangan names. Even Bulaqueños themselves do not understand them, and have sometimes resorted to wild explanations. For example, residents of a barrio called King Kabayo in San Miguel, Bulacan think it has something to do with a royal horse, while those living in Quingua (Plaridel) think it's a Chinese word. (Actually they're both Kapampangan words: king is a preposition that means "in" or "at" while quingua or kingwa is a verb that means "acquired.") Similarly, some folks believe that barrio Batasan on the border with Candaba came from Batasan Pambansa, but it's actually the Kapampangan word for "shortcut."

Other places in Bulacan with Kapampangan names include barrios Kapitangan, Longos, Calumpang and Iba in Hagonoy; Pinaod, Biclat and Makapilapil in San Ildefonso; Mayumu, Ilug Bulo and Cabio in San Miguel; Masukol and Binakod in Paombong; Dalig, Batin and Balagtas in Balagtas town; Penabatan and Inaon in Pulilan; Taliptip and Bambang in Bulacan town; and Talaksan in San Rafael.

Today, all that has remained of Pampanga is the heart-shaped province at the mouth of the Pampanga River near Manila Bay. This is the administrative territory that has been defined by political leaders. But the real Kapampangan- speaking region still encompasses areas beyond the borders, in Tarlac, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Bataan.

To our kabalen living in those provinces: Remember that the only thing that separates you from the rest of us is an imaginary line that is visible only in maps. You are, and will always be, Kapampangans at heart.

June 17, 2007

People's comments on KALAM

As you might have read, I joined the Animax Awards Pan-Asia Competition where people send in stories they wish to be animated. If you win, you get loads of cash which amounts close to P1 million and your material gets animated by Japanese people.

My entry is an action-fantasy one inspired by Kapampangan mythology and, well, developing country issues. The title is Kalam, or "blessing" in English, and is centered on a war between day and night deities, Apung Sinukuan and Apung Namalyari.

In one of the forums where participants share a bit of their stories, I shared mine--and I've gotten the best reviews so far! I'm so excited. I'm not expecting but I am excited. It makes me want to pursue it in comics more.

Here are some comments by otakus (anime fans) from across Asia:

"sisigiman, yours sounds cool and the way you did it. It's really 'philipinish' well whatever I mean"

"now that's a winning entry!!! goodluck!!!... again i feel small"

"very creative!!! THIS STORY WILL SEpARATE GODS FROM MEN...i wanna see your story on screen...i am intrigued...i am fan haha..."

"That's a good piece sisigman. I am a kapampangan too. Mine is a scif-fi set in 6010. Philippines became a First World (URP) and is leading the space age and conquered Ganymede, the largest moon of Jupiter."

(A person talking to another person) "so far "Kalam guy" has the depth im looking for ... GOD-LIKE!!! ... im still a fan haha ... so what's your story about ... does your story has a depth and intellect just like Kalam's ... if so, then im your fan too..."

"The Kalam story kinda reminds me of Mushishi, which btw was never shown on animax (don't expect it to) but its still pretty good nonetheless."
('Mushishi' is an award-winning anime)


Seriously, I think I'm going impatient with my skill development in drawing. Any manga artist there who would want to collaborate?

June 15, 2007

A putrid children's song I know

My cousins, big brother, and I used to sing this when we were young. It's not very polite to sing it while having a meal, because it often mentions taklang tumpuk tumpuka mabuluk (stinking piled up feces). It features a chain of actions starting from a pile of dung being landed on by a fly and ending in a human being kicking a dog.

Dinugpa ya ing lango kng taklang tumpuk-tumpuk a mabuluk! (2x)
Dinugpa, dinugpa, dinugpa, dinugpa
Dinugpa ya ing lango kng taklang tumpuk-tumpuk a mabuluk!

(The fly landed on
The pile of stinking dung)

Pengan ne ning tugak
Ing langong dinugpa kng taklang tumpuk-tumpuk a mabuluk (2x)
Pengan ne, pengan ne, pengan ne, pengan ne
Pengan ne ning tugak
Ing langong dinugpa kng taklang tumpuk-tumpuk a mabuluk

(The frog dined on
The fly that landed on
The pile of stinking dung)

Ginamus ne ning pusa
Itang tugak a mengan
Kng langong dinugpa kng taklang tumpuk-tumpuk a mabuluk (2x)
Ginamus ne, ginamus ne, ginamus ne, ginamus ne
Ginamus ne ning pusa
Itang tugak a mengan
Kng langong dinugpa kng taklang tumpuk-tumpuk a mabuluk

(The cat scratched
The frog that dined on
The fly that landed on
The pile of stinking dung)

Kininis ne ning asu
Itang pusa a mengamus
Kng tugak a mengan
Kng langong dinugpa kng taklang tumpuk-tumpuk a mabuluk (2x)
Kininis ne, kininis ne, kininis ne, kininis ne
Kininis ne ning asu
Itang pusa a mengamus
Kng tugak a mengan
Kng langong dinugpa kng taklang tumpuk-tumpuk a mabuluk

(The dog bit
The cat that scratched
The frog that dined on
The fly that landed on
The pile of stinking dung)

Pildak ne ning tau
Itang asu a menginis
Kng pusa a mengamus
Kng tugak a mengan
Kng langong dinugpa kng taklang tumpuk-tumpuk a mabuluk (2x)
Pildak ne, pildak ne, pildak ne, pildak ne
Pildak ne ning tau
Itang asu a menginis
Kng pusa a mengamus
Kng tugak a mengan
Kng langong dinugpa kng taklang-taklang tumpuk-tumpuk a mabuluk

(The man kicked
The dog that bit
The cat that scratched
The frog that dined on
The fly that landed on
The pile of stinking dung)

June 9, 2007

Ask Mr. Webster for English, ask Fr. Bergano for Kapampangan

The publication next month of the English translation of Fray Diego Bergaño’s twin books Arte de la Lengua Pampanga (Grammar of the Kapampangan Language, published in 1729) and Vocabulario de Pampango (Kapampangan Vocabulary, published in 1732) is a big cultural event that Kapampangans all over are eagerly awaiting.

For the first time, ordinary Kapampangans will have access to the highly regarded documents which previously, only scholars with Spanish proficiency could read.

“The Bergaño books are veritable treasure troves of linguistic and anthropological data,” Robby Tantingco, Director of Holy Angel University’s Center for Kapampangan Studies, says. “You can imagine the impact on Kapampangan scholarship when hundreds of students, teachers and researchers get their hands on these documents for the first time.”

The Center is publishing the books in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). Two Catholic priests in Pampanga, Fr. Venancio Q. Samson and Fr. Edilberto V. Santos, translated the Vocabulario and the Arte, respectively.

The books record the state of the Kapampangan language in the early 1700s before adulteration set in. “These words can be reintroduced today to enrich our language and expand our vocabulary,” Tantingco says.

Examples of words found in the dictionary that have fallen out of usage over the years are:

sipan (toothbrush)
langolango (toilet)
galang (bracelet)
yubyub (barbecue)
carangcarang (baby walker)
amuyam (sponge)
lambangan (rice dispenser)
limpasut (shark)
talangtalang (goldfish)
batanglaua (spiderweb)

...as well as numerals, from isa (one) to lacsa (ten thousand), gatus (one hundred thousand) and sangyuta (one million).

“Our problem today is that we can only speak Kapampangan but can no longer read and write in Kapampangan,” Tantingco says. “Sure, there are still many Kapampangan speakers, but their vocabulary is limited to everyday conversation. When we go into lengthy intellectual discourse, we shift to English or Filipino.”

“To show you how sophisticated our language is, the verb ‘to cross legs’ has a specific term for women (timpo) and for men (sila),” Tantingco points out.

“Same thing for ‘to dance,’ which is indac for women and terac for men. We have words for every animal sound, like:

ngeung (cat’s meow)
kaung (dog’s bark)
gocgoc (pig’s grunt)
gacgac (cow’s bellow)
siac (an insect’s chirp)
siuc (a bird’s chirp)
patoc (hen’s cackle when laying eggs)
cucuc (hen’s cackle after eggs have hatched)

Bergaño’s books contain Kapampangan words in practically all areas of study and human activity, which can help in the campaign to “intellectualize” Kapampangan. In medicine, for example, the following Kapampangan words can be reintroduced:

taguilid (diarrhea)
buclo (goiter)
bugsuc (vitiligo)
mabayag (hernia)
batulalangan (myopia)
bilig (cataract)
culapad (intestinal worm or amoeba)
tuma (pubic lice)
yacyac (swollen spleen)
sigasig (asthma)
bucoco (malignant tumor)
dacclong (bowlegged)
singcul (twisted arm)
simpac (cleft mouth)
gutul (head contusion)

As the 1732 dictionary reveals, Kapampangan is capable of expressing sublime thought and emotion.

The word sap or sapni, for instance, refers to the “camaraderie among friends, even between a slave and a master” and aniani to “the reverence of a subject to a superior as well as reverence of a superior to a subordinate.”

The word lualu means “the virtue of championing the defenseless,” saclong “to take the punishment meant for another or to pay the debt that’s not your own.”

Quaint words like:

payungdaguis (mushroom, but literally, “mouse’s umbrella”)
sulungdaguis (morning star; lit. “mouse’s lamp”)
sabo susu (milk; lit. “soup from the breast”)
bungang tudtud (dream; lit. “fruit of sleep”)
pinanari (rainbow; lit. “king’s loincloth”)
anac sulip (illegitimate child; lit. “child from the basement”)

...show the creative possibilities of the language.

There are also specific and often graphic terms for times of the day, colors, body parts, family ties, flora and fauna, sex and erotica, as well as etymology of common Kapampangan surnames like:

laus (hole)
tayag (to lift)
sagum (to mix drinks)
ibe (to become intoxicated from chewing betel nut)
canlas (to succeed in office)
abad (slight wound)
tulabut (to spurt)
viray (boat)
calma (luck)
suba (to navigate upstream)

...and many more.

“Bergaño’s books can reinvigorate the Kapampangan language by supplying it with thousands of rediscovered words, which is why I consider the translation of these books a real breakthrough in Kapampangan studies ” Tantingco says.

June 6, 2007

Random familiar Kapampangan words

There are certain Kapampangan words which are very familiar to me (and my younger relatives), yet they seldom find their way in our vocabulary. Like for example, when I ask myself, "what's the other Kapampangan word for [word]?" I would say aua ne! (oh yeah!) when I find out the answer.

I'll post some of these words.

tambing - at once

Karatang mu kanan mu nong tambing.
Once you get home, eat them at once.

saglulu - race (as in a competition)

Saglulu katang makapamiblas.
Let's find out who dresses up faster.

sigi - to move

Sigi me pakayli.
Move it to the left.

mipaindatun - to become peaceful; to kill restlessness

Ali ya mipaindatun uling kasal ne bukas.
He is restless because it's his wedding tomorrow.

totek - (informal) having psychiatric problem

Totek ya naman pala ing kayabe yu.
Your housemaid is sort of crazy after all.

bungad - front

Akit me king bungad ning bale.
You'll see it in front of the house.

ngusngus - to swallow, to take in

Ngusngus kang Vitamin C.
Take some Vitamin C.

tunggalan - one each

Tunggalan lang pialungan.
Each of them has one toy.

salingku - to make a turn or curve

Salingku kang kayli bang miras ka bale mi.
Turn left to get to our house.

marirya - jealous

Marirya ya kanaku kasi masalapi ku.
He's jealous of me because I'm wealthy.

tisti - to criticize

Atna kang kapanisti.
You love to criticize.

mangasna - to be full of, to be covered with

Lon me ing malan mu, mengasna yang toyu.
Look at your shirt; it's stained with soysauce.

kasdan - expression, "malay mo" or "who knows?"

Kasdan mu aku pa ing manyambut.
Who knows? I might win in the end.

talip - to peel

Patalip mo ring kamuti kang Ness.
Ask Ness to peel the yam.

ungus - to overtake, to be in a higher level, to be ahead

Buri nang pane ya ing makayungus.
He always wants to be ahead of everyone.

mabaya - aching

Mabaya ku dungus.
My stomach is aching.

tau - to put on fire

Patau na ka mong api mang makanangnang ta na.
Start some fire so we can start grilling.

tuklu - to step on

Ali ke buring tutuklu king sular ku.
I don't want him stepping in my territory.

kabasa - of the same wavelength, person one is chummy with

Ika na mu ing manyad; kabasa mu ne man.
You go and ask him; you're close after all.

salsal - to fall on the butt

Atne karine iniang mengapasalsal ya.
He was humiliated when he fell on his butt.

sumangid - side

Adua pa, misusumangid.
There's still space for two people, one on each side.

misanipan - to cough because of swallowing, wrong breathing, etc.

Ali ku manguku; misanipan ku mu.
I don't have cough; something was just stuck in my chest.

gigut - to nibble, to eat in bits

Sali kang mani bang atin tang gigigutan kabang manenaya.
Buy peanuts so we'll have something to nibble while waiting.

gugu - to apply something on the scalp, like shampoo

Mikatagyauat ku iniang minggugu kung coconut oil.
I got pimples when I shampooed my hair with coconut oil.

More next time.

June 4, 2007

Pop Kapampangan superheroes

I'm making them! A little more practice in drawing and I'll be making my independent comics.





June 2, 2007

The Crocodilian Gripper

More from my digital artwork page!


Click keni to read about this character.

June 1, 2007

Keng Pung Lele

I have created a new blog called Keng Pung Lele (equivalent of Tagalog "sa tabi po" when wanting to step down from a jeep). Unlike this advocacy blog, it's an informal journal about anything in my life (or others' lives according to my perspective) written in Kapampangan.

I am doing this to practice my Kapampangan writing skill. Blogging is one effective contribution to the advancement of my skill in writing essays, especially in conversational style.

However, I started blogging before in - surprise! - Tagalog and English. Now it's time for my Kapampangan to catch up!

Inia magpasyal kayu ketang bayu kung dapat, ne? Ustung e ko minta panyalsal ku da kayu ay!

sisigman.blogspot.com