THE following is number 18 of 117 stories compiled in “Nabaloi Tales” by Claude Russell Moss, published by the University of California Press in 1924 as Volume 17 of the University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology. The document is now in the public domain.
Very long ago there was no rice in the world. The people gathered fruits and caught fish for their food.
There was an old man, Labangan, who had fished and hunted fruit one day, but had not found anything. He sat down and cried saying, “O, Kabunian, why did you make us to starve? I am weak and old and cannot find my food. Better had I died when a child, because now I will die of hunger.”
Kabunian dropped a rope from the sky, and Labangan made a seat of wood. Kabunian pulled him up to the sky and gave him rice for food. He did not know that rice was good to eat, and did not eat it until Kabunian said that it was his food.
Kabunian gave the bad grains to Labangan to take with him, but he did not accept them. When Kabunian was not looking, Labangan stole a good grain of rice and hid it in his breechcloth. When he was about ready to go, Kabunian searched his body all over, and found the grain of rice.
He waited until Kabunian had turned around, and put rice in his hair; but when he was almost ready to go again, Kabunian searched him and found the rice. Then he put a grain of rice in his mouth, and when Kabunian searched, he made him open his mouth, but Labangan had the rice under his tongue.
Then they planted the rice, and all the people soon had enough.
(The Ibaloy version shows the recurring schwa sound represented by Ëë. Kh also represents the meaningful soft K sound which is different from the gutterak K.)
Nunta ëbayag da pasya, ënchi pagi-pagëy chi dubong. Jët say tuo, inan-anop ni sabosabong tan paidëng ni kënën cha.
Guwaray asësikën ja tuo na si Labangan ja nannigay tan ënganop ni sabosabong ni san-akhëw, nëm ënchi to simsimpol. Timungaw jët nimangis ja to kapan-ikuwan, “O, Kabunian, ngantoy dingkhaan mo son si-khami ni bitil? Ëkhak ëmpusi tëp ëdakayak ma, tan ëkhak mabëdin mënëpol ni kënën ko. Sigëd nëm ëtëyak nunta kanga-ngak ta niman mëtëyak ni aging.”
Si Kabunian inkhas tiy guwanët chi inaykayang, jet si Labangan nandaga ni kiyëw jët timungaw. Si Kabunian innat tod inaykayang, jët in-aknan to ni bëkhas ja kënën to. Ëg to amta ja sigëd suta bëkhas ja mëkan, jët ëg to kinan ingkhëd inkuwan nën Kabunian ja kënën to.
Si Kabunian ngaaw ja tanëm i in-ahan to nën Labangan ja al-ën, nëm ëg to inëbat. Idi aligwën inanchidmang si Kabunian, si Labangan kinibot to i maata ja bëkhas ja maptëng jët inbutong to chi kubal to. Nunta chanchanin ondaw, si Kabunian inënap ton ëmin chi angel to, jët simpol toy maatën bëkhas.
Inuchay nën Labangan i impanbuli-di nën Kabunian, jët inku-jën to i bëkhas chi buwëk to; nëm nunta chnchanin ondaw mowan, si Kabunian inënapto jët simpol toy bëkhas. Jët si Labangan inku-jën toy maatën bëkhas chi bungot to, jët idi inënap nën Kabunian impa-ngat to i bungot to, jët si Labanagn, guwaray bëkhas chi inayduong ni chila to.
Idi intanëm chay bëkhas, ëmin na tuo ina-pëng ira ni bëkhas ni magëno.