The history of mankind has a reportage of floods starting with the biblical deluge. Different indigenous groups in the Philippines and elsewhere have their own charming versions, of which this is one from the Mountain Province.

In the first times the earthworld was entirely flat except for two mountains, one in the east and one in the west. This level country was heavily forested, and all the people lived along a large river that ran through the central plain between the two great mountains.

The period was like a Golden Age. The people were demigods whose lives were happy ones, in a kind of Garden of Eden. To obtain rice, all that they needed was to cut a stalk of bamboo, which was plentiful, and split it open to find that it was filled with hulled rice ready to cook. Stalks of sugarcane were filled with wine, and needed only to be tapped. The river was full of fish, and the forests were filled with deer and wild hogs. The rice grains of that time were larger and more satisfying, and a handful was sufficient to feed a large family.

But this Golden Age did not last.

One year, when the rainy season should have come, it did not. Month after month passed and no rain fell. The large river along which the people lived grew smaller and smaller day-by-day until at last it disappeared entirely. The people began to die, and at last the old men said: “If we do not soon get water, we shall all die. Let us dig down to the grave of the river, for the river is dead and has sunk to its grave. But if we find the soul of the river it will save us from dying.”

The people dug for three days. On the third day the hole had become very large and suddenly they struck a great spring. Water gushed forth. But it came out so fast that some of the people drowned before they could get out of the pit.

Then the people were happy, for there was plenty of water. They brought much food and made a great feast. But while they were feasting it grew dark and began to rain. The river also kept rising until it overflowed its banks.

The people were frightened and they tried to stop up the spring in the river, but they could not do it. The old men said: “We must flee to the mountains, for the river gods are angry and we shall all be drowned.” So the people fled toward the mountains. All but two of them were overtaken by the water and drowned. The two who escaped were a brother and a sister named Wigan and Bugan —Wigan on the mountain in the west and Bugan in the mountain in the east. The water continued to rise until all the earthworld was covered except the peaks of these two mountains.

The water remained on the earth for a whole season or from rice planting to rice harvest. During that time Wigan and Bugan lived on fruits and nuts from the forests that covered the tops of the two mountains. Bugan had fire which at night lit up the peak of the east mountain, and Wigan knew that there was someone else alive besides himself. He had no fire, and suffered much from the cold.

At last the waters receded from the earth and left it covered with rugged mountains and deep valleys that exist today. The solitary brother and sister, looking down from their respective peaks, were filled with wonder at the sight.

III

As soon as the earth was dry, Wigan journeyed to the east mountain where he found his sister Bugan, and their reunion was most joyous. They descended the mountain and wandered about until they came to the beautiful valley. Here Wigan built a house. When the house was finished, Bugan dwelt in the upper part and Wigan slept beneath.

Having provided for the comfort of his sister, Wigan ventured forth to find out if there were no other people left alive in the earthworld. He did this for three days, and then as he was coming back on the third evening, Wigan thought, There are no people left in the world but ourselves, and if the world is to be repopulated it must be through us.

One day, Bugan realized that she was pregnant. She burst into violent weeping, and heaping reproaches on Wigan, ran blindly toward the East, following the course of the river. After travelling a long way, and being overcome with grief and fatigue, Bugan sank down on the bank of the river and lay there trembling and sobbing. After having quieted somewhat, she rose and looked around. To her surprise she saw sitting on a rock, an old man with a long white beard! He approached her and said: “Do not be afraid, daughter! I am Maknongan. I am aware of your trouble, and I have come to tell you that it is all right!”

While he was speaking, Wigan, who had followed his sister, appeared on the scene. Maknongan bestowed the blessing of the gods upon their marriage, assuring the pair that they had done right, and that through them the world must be repeopled. He told them to return to their house, and whenever they were in trouble to offer sacrifices to the gods. When Bugan was convinced, they left Maknongan and returned home.

In time nine children were born to Wigan and Bugan, five sons and four daughters. The four oldest sons married the four daughters, and from them are descended all of the people of the earthworld. The youngest son, who was named Igon, had no wife.

One year the crops failed, there was much sickness, and everything went wrong. Wigan remembered the advice of Maknongan, and told his sons to procure an animal for the sacrifice. They caught a rat and sacrificed it, but the evil conditions were not remedied. Then they went out into the forest and captured a large snake and sacrificed it to the gods, but the disease and crop failure still continued. Then Wigan said: “The sacrifice is not great enough, the gods do not hear! Take your brother Igon, who has no wife, and sacrifice him!”

They bound Igon, and sacrificed him, and called upon the gods. And Maknongan, and all the other great gods, came to the feast. And they took away the sickness and filled the granaries with rice, and increased the chickens, the pigs and the children. Then Maknongan said to the people: “It is well, but you have committed evil in spilling human blood and have thereby brought war and fighting into the world. Now you must separate. Do not live together anymore. Go north, south, east and west. When you have need to sacrifice to the gods, do not offer rats, snakes or your children, but take pigs and chickens only.”

One of the sons of Wigan went to the north, and one to the south, and one to the east, and one to the west. From them are descended the peoples of the earthworld, who fight and kill one another to this day because of the sacrifice of Igon.