kapayvanuvanua

Kapayvanuvanua – March 6 2010
Diura, Mahatao

Kapayvanuvanua is a ritual done by the fishermen of the Fishing Village in Diura, Mahatao. It is practiced every March in the beginning of the Fishing season. They kill a pig and predict the season by interpreting the veins and overall outlook of the liver of the offering. Specifically, the fish that they catch in this part of the province is the durado, a silver big fish in the sea and a beautiful golden one when out of the water. The fish costs around P500.00 per piece when sold dried.

Ryan Donato informed me that tataya owners who lend their fishing boats to the fishermen in the place will only get their share when the season is over (an effect of their belief).

The Ritual as I observed

It wasn’t totally dark at 5am. The moon was already showing half of its face although it was cloudy. Flashlights hit us every now and then as the press people, observers and ritual participants started to gather by the beachfront. Somewhere near the gathering, a pig struggled to free itself from the ropes that tie its feet and mouth.

As the fishermen waited for their leader, they started putting out their cellular phones and texted. Soon, the roll call began. Some of the outsiders paid around 250-300 pesos to be part of the roll call. Before the actual ritual started, a tour guide briefed us, we are not to make jokes and ask questions, not to take pictures at water’s reach and not to engage in small unnecessary talks.
They then went to get the tied pig… carried by 4 men, they laid it about 3 meters near the calmly moving sea. Some fishermen went to get the cogon to burn the offering with. In all these, the interpreter which I assume is also the leader only watched.

When slight light started to brighten the shore, the men tightly held the pig and the leader bore a knife to its neck (neck ba un? hehe). As they did, the leader started talking to the unseen, facing the pig, his back against the sea. Here are some of the lines he chanted… (I wasn’t able to record the whole chant).
… a makayapu du manuma umdinaw am vayavayaten… an mian mangwan a kadwan du lugar aya mana sadiawen na u lugar aya, am an angu angay na parinen, an kapaywuswus na kumaru am mununut siya… nu vatahen nu nanma maytataw am chadima mana chapuhu am mian raherahet na, amna peahen namen ava… (Whoever shall come to the place to own it or do bad things to it, whatever he will do will come back to him)

Then the leader stands up, walks forward, spoke some more and took the first sip of the palek, ivatan wine. When he’s done, his assistant gave everyone a dose of the palek, including children (everyone around must taste).

After this, they burned the pig, cleaned the black stain with sea water and started cutting. The bolo they used was dull, the cutter said bawal ang matalas. They cut the pig very carefully for they must get the whole liver without any cuts to it. The leader then interpreted what the veins and the overall outlook of the liver is saying. everyone listened…
…Ravanchi kayan na as ravanchi kabu na. avavak danan rayon u kavid na. jirad mangamung am mavid ya… (it won’t be plenty yet it won’t be few. The best catch will be by midsummer. For fisher folks, this is a good sign).

After the reading, the pig’s left pata was handed to the old man. He and his right man walked along the shore to the middle of the vanwa. As they reach the center of the vanwa, he raised the meat 4 times while chanting. We weren’t able to hear the chant because we weren’t permitted to come close him anymore. After the fourth raise, he paused and walked towards his right, this time, alone. His right man stayed where he was. As the old man walked, half dragged half carried the meat to where the water barely reaches it as if to tempt the sea with the meat. After a while he raised the meat again, 3 times and chanting still. He went back to his right man, still dragging the meat and together they walked back to us.

The ritual is a whole day affair. As the leader and his right man were doing their ‘thing’, the rest of the fishermen and housewives of the community were already preparing the pork for late breakfast and lunch.

A young carabao was also brought to the shore. They wrestled with it and killed it just like the way they did with the pig.

Conclusion and questions:

It was a pricey ritual. Well I don’t know who donated the pig and the carabao but those could’ve cost around 35,000 and up.

Participants’ texting before the roll call is an eyesore for the ritual. Plus, they themselves were joking as they cut the pig. It’s as if they weren’t serious with the ritual. Hmmm.

During the roll call some of us who weren’t even fishermen were also called out, because they paid 250-300 to the group. Why is that? I wasn’t able to ask at the time because we weren’t permitted to ask just yet.

Since we already left when they started burning the carabao, I don’t know what happened next. Will they interpret its liver again? What if the reading opposes that of the pig?

I wonder what happened to the pata that the leader dragged. Was it his share? Did they also cook it for lunch? Or they threw it to the sea?

Anyway, all in all, it was a nice ritual. The sharing and unity of the people in the small fishing village is remarkable. Everybody was tasked to do something for the affair and they get to bond with one another for a whole day as they look forward to a bountiful fishing season. Now isn’t that wonderful.