 Hinalawon: Reflection

Hinilawod means tales from the Halawod River, it is a Filipino epic poem, one of the oral
epic of the ingenious people inhabiting the Panay Island for century. It is not just a
literary work. It is also the main in information about the religion and rituals of the
ancestor of Panay and Negros. They reveal to us that the ancient people believed in the
word sacred. This epic is chanted when it was performed in 8340 verses.

It would take about three days to perform the epic story to its original form and making it
one of the longest epics in the world it was first found by accident By F.Landa Javano. He
was a Filipino anthropologist that became interested in the native folklore together with
his two colleagues that collect folk songs, stories and riddles it happen during one of
those his trips to the upland barrios of Lambunao, Maasin, Janiuay, and Calinong in Iloilo
that got his attention to a long and known tale called Hinilawod. He recorded a
proportion of the Hinilawod in tape on 1956, then when he returned on 1957 to make a
recording of the whole complete story but Ulang Udig won’t cooperate, he is the old man
that told the story to F. Landa Jacano and to his colleague. As weeks passed by. He met a
mountain singer called Hugan-an, she agreed to tape recorded as she told both her story
and the Hilawod story. It took about three weeks to finish the recording of the 30 hour
epic poem.

My favorite character in the story is Alunsina “the unmarried one” because in the
modern world some girl would want to take pills just to get a slim body, they would wear
clothes that expose too much skin just to get the attention of the boys or to get notice by
others but Alunsina is the definition of Filipino women. It was not said in the story that I
read, but I saw it in the other story of Hinilawod.

The lesson that can be seen in the story is listen to the

advice of our parents it may think that they are wrong but
actually right. This mostly happen to our teenager life and
I know that all of us go through this or you will about to
experience this and the second lesson is do not remove
yourself from the right track. In our life we go through
different challenge that might lost our way to the right
path. This story prove that no matter how hard that
challenge is we must stand in our ground and fight for it
that other lesson that may see or read In the story.
  CHARACTERS OF “HINILAON”

Alunsina - Goddess of the eastern sky

Kaptan - King of the gods

Datu Paubari - A mortal; mighty ruler of halawod

Maklium-sa-twan - God of the plains
Suklang Malayon - Goddess and guardian of happy homes; sister of
Alunsina
Labaw Donggon - Eldest of the three
Angoy Ginbitinan - 1st wife of Labaw Donggon from HANDUG
Manalintad - A monster that was killed by Labaw Donggon as a part of
his dowry
Abyang Durunuun - Sister of sumpoy; lord of underworld, whose
beauty is legendary. 2nd wife of Labaw Donggon, lived in TARAMBANG
BUROK
Sikay Padalogdog - Giant with a hundred arms
Malitong Yawa Sinigmaling Diwata - 3rd prospect of Labaw Donggon
Young bride of Saragnayan
Saragnayan - Lord of the darkness
Aso Mangga - Son of Angoy Ginbitinan
Abyang Baranugon - Son of Abyang Durunuun; he defeated
Saragnayan and won his father's freedom
Humadapnon - 2nd of the triplets; was angry at what happened with
his brother so he wanted to take revenge
Buyong Matanayon - Accompanied Humadapnon; known for his skills in
swordmanship
Piganun - Seductive sorceress
Datu Umbaw Pinaumbaw - Ruler of PINILING TUBIG, he was giving his
daughter for marriage to whoever could remove the huge boulder that
rolled from a mountain into the center of the village
Burigadang Pada Sinaklang Bulawan - Goddess of greed
Duyong Makabigting - Son of the mighty DATU BALAHIDYONG of
PALING BUKID
Dumalapdap - 3rd brother; left for Burutlakan-Ka-Adlaw where the
LUBAT-LUBYOK HANGINUN SI MAHUYOKHUYOKON
Dumasig - The most powerful wrestler