Lang-ay Music

I finally listened to the CD by Pe Tune. Edwin Abeya of Maryland who recently vacationed in the Philippines sent me one, and I have been listening to it eversince, in the car and in the house. Enjoying it immensely. At first, I was curiuos with how Frieda translated my song "Lang-ay." She did a great job. I wrote the lyrics in the Besao dialect but in order to fit in as a song by the group, my friend Frieda Changat changed some of the words in the Bontoc dialect. The vocalist is awesome as well as the sound sysyem. Great percussion! I am really amazed with the arrangement, the combination of all the instrument, essentially it's rock. I especailly like rock music. And with rock inculcated with the native sound of the gangsa, it's unique. This kind of music if developed shoukld fly high because it's an exclusive style. Listening to them and having the sound fullblast, one can almost feel he/she is at a Fleetwood Mac Concert. I wish more power to this group and may their music reaches the sky.

Other songs in the CD are patriotic and therefore are appropriate to adopt as themesongs for the many various Cordillera gatherings. I will suggest for this group to play at the upcoming IGO IIC in Banaue next year. I bet, the place will rock with them.

Lang-ay 2

Lang-ay is a word that is so broad, and from now on I will use it the way I know how: the way it was used when I was growing up in Besao in the mid 60's. At that time the place was unlighted, and uncemented. For lighting we used red wood - the one that is sappy and the sap makes the wood burns like it was splashed with gasoline. Many times, I look back to those unadulterated period, and I feel good. I feel refreshed each time I'm in the midst of tangles and my mind wanders there. Thanks God, I experienced that kind of life, so rich, and colorful. The following are poems written in the dialect. They are actually adopted made into songs. I have written poems in the Besao Igorot dialect.

Lang-ay

Entako men lang-ay

As nan ba-ey mi

Tay wada san

Nakpit ay obi

Wada abes san

Tengba ay sibo mi

Ay nala-okan

As etag ya gaki

Eng kayo elan

Nan na'y eng nga mi

Ay binmalas san

Tengan di labi

Omyali kay

As san bitoto

Ta wa'y pigwan yo

As isa-a yo

Sa yo an-a-nosan

Nan be'y mi'y kobo

Ngem no as makan

Et ado ado

Et sapay koma

As nan Dios Ama

Ta epey-as na'y

Layad ya kapya!

Bato Ai Nipapatang

No tikidem nan na-ay ginawang

Magapo ka ad guab di Nakawang

Ila-em nan paypayew ay nakgang

Ay mangtatangad as bato ay nipapatang

No dangk'et itokdo as nan na'y bato

Dampai mallos nan agew ad tondo

Ay mekdag as nan tongon do baibai

Et gumadgadangdang ya men pal palai pai

San Bato ay nipapatang

Omeyak ilan

Tai getkek ai wada ka

Sik-a ai wada's nan rikna

Ena ipa nemnem ya san de-ey

Esa'y labi's san kittoy ai ba-ey

Ai kabuanan nan daya et men lalang

Ay k'eg ken sik-a no engka pod pomalang

Lang-ay

By now, Igorots, especially those who hailed from Mountain Province, Philippines and are now living in the far outskirts of Mother Earth know about the Lang-ay as there are a number of Publications about it in email groups and the internet. But for those who have no knowledge about it yet, it's basically a Mountain Province Festival - a week long festivity on the first week of April every year. I had the opportunity of attending the first one - I was there by accident, and did not know what to expect. In the end, I sure felt I was very lucky to be there. The second one, which according to what I read, and perhaps after deriving lessons from the first was even better. I missed this due to it's proximity to the IIC in Melbourn, Australia which occurred on the same month. I wished to have attented the two but financial and time reasons made me unable to.

Lately,in BIBAKNETS and Igorotnet, there were some interesting subjects related to the lang-ay. One of which is the suggestion of a Health Booth to be administered by the Mountain Province-Igorots overseas whom according to what I read are suggestedly will be representing a province to be called the 11th Province. I feel, it really does not matter how we'll be called. What matters to me, is to have a helpful and able-to-carry-our-goals health booth. And it's therefore the essence of this blog- for us to all voice with out trepidation all our great suggestions, with the ultimate goal of us going there and helping as much as we could as much people there'll be. So what say you....Are you there?