Hudhud hi Aliguyon
(An Ifugao Harvest Song)
Aliguyon, a long time ago, was born in the village of Hannanga. His father was Amtalao; his mother was Dumulao. When he was a little boy, his father used to tell him the stories of his own adventures, in love and in war. His father also taught him the use of the spear and shield. Aliguyon learned quickly.
When he was old enough, his father made him a top. He taught Aliguyon how to spin it, and how to break the tops of his playmates. His father also taught him how to cut "runo" spears and fight with them.
Aliguyon, listening to the war prayers of the tribe, also learned to say the magic words of the native priests and priestesses. In time, he became the undisputed leader of the children of his tribe.
When he reached adolescence, he gathered his comrades and led them in a fight against the enemy of his father, Pangaiwan of Daligdigan. In Daligdigan, however, he faced, not his father’s enemy, but the son. Pumbakhayon was as spirited and lusty as Aliguyon, so the fight lasted three years, with no end in sight or any sign of defeat on the part of either group. Through the protracted warfare, the heroes learned to admire each other’s abilities. Their fight finally ended in a peace pact made in Daligdigan, in the home of Pumbakhayon, and at the instance of old Pangaiwan, Pumbakhayon’s father.
During the conclusion of the peace pact, Aliguyon saw and courted the youngest of the beautiful sisters of Pumbakhayon, Bugan. Aliguyon brought his bride, a mere child, to his home in Hannanga, where Bugan grew up into a beautiful woman. Then Pumbakhayon went to Hannanga to witness his sister’s formal marriage to Aliguyon. Aliguyon and Bugan had many children, and both became prosperous and beloved of the people of Hannanga…
Pumbakhayon, later courted Aliguyon’s sister and brought her to his father’s home in Daligdigan. There they were happily married and became prosperous.
The term "Hudhud" of the Ifugaos, in general, refers to narratives that are chanted or sung by tribal poets of Ifugao on special occasions (that which is sung on the death of a rich or prominent person, that which is sung when the ancestral bones are dug out to be blessed, and that which is sung during the harvest). The harvest songs are woven around a central motif – the life of Aliguyon and Bugan.