A Sama Tale of the Fisherman Bebang and the Celestial Maiden

Bay ma waktu jaman ēꞌ, aniyaꞌ dakayuꞌ lꞌlla niōnan si Bebang. Miskin iya buwat kitam. Sogoꞌ aniyaꞌ garaꞌna amusay ni Tumbagaꞌan, magusaha. Mahēꞌ paꞌin iya ma Tumbagaꞌan, llaw-llaw iya magusaha. Magdaing iya sabab nsaꞌ aniyaꞌ kalluman saddī bang bangsa Sama.

Rainbow going down somewhere in the Philippine islands.
While some cultures look for gold at the end of a rainbow, to the Sama it is a sign of heavenly maidens coming to earth in order to bathe.
 Aniyaꞌ dakayuꞌ llaw, ulan-ulan ma Tumbagaꞌan. Ma diyataꞌ ayan, maggaraꞌ isab tꞌllungan magdanakan, ya niōnan biraddali.

Bilahi sigām pehēꞌ ni dunya, amandi. Sogoꞌ siyali sigām mbal bilahi.
Agsay na iya amūng, “Kakaꞌ” yukna, “mbal aku ameyaꞌ tudju ni dunya sabab buhatan aku.”
Na amūng kakaꞌna, sampay ya pasunuꞌ, yuk-i, “Angay ka buhatan?” yuk sigām.
Yuk siyali, “Basta mbal aku,” yukna.
Sogoꞌ pagga siyaka anganggaraꞌ halam aniyaꞌ tahinang siyali. Bay sigām amaꞌid min mmaꞌ sigām.  Anambuku inaꞌ-mmaꞌ sigām, “Bang kam pehēꞌ ni dunya,” yuk mmaꞌ sigām, “daꞌa bbahinbi danakanbi. Subay kam magbeyaꞌ katꞌllungan.”
Na magbeyaꞌ na sigām katꞌllungan, hinabu ulan-ulan. Patumbuk tudju ni boheꞌ Tumbagaꞌan boꞌ sigām amandi. Niꞌbbahan eꞌ sigām kidjang sigām ma kakayuhan.
Pagꞌndaꞌ si Bebang aniyaꞌ biraddali bay tudju ni boheꞌ, lumꞌngngan iya. Pagsōng si Bebang ni boheꞌ inān, makaꞌnda iya tꞌllungan dꞌnda, alꞌssin makalanduꞌ. Apoteꞌ isab sabab aꞌa min diyataꞌ langit asal. Akōg-daug iya. Aniyaꞌ galakna ma dꞌnda inān, hatina niꞌāꞌ hꞌnda eꞌna. Ahāp sukudna kalabayan eꞌna kidjang sigām ma kakayuhan. Tabāk eꞌna ya kidjang siyali. Pagꞌndaꞌ si Bebang ma siyali ēꞌ, alꞌssin makalanduꞌ, hatina ahāp dꞌnda min katꞌllungan.

A guess at what the appearance of a Biraddali might be like.
Bebang hopes to make the youngest Biraddali his wife.

Yukna ma reyom pikilanna, “Hinangku iya hꞌnda.”  Angkan tinapukan eꞌna kidjang siyali inān.
Agsay na amūng biraddali siyali ni saga siyakana, yukna, “Kakaꞌ, saliꞌ aku makahamut bau aꞌa dunya.”
Agsay na anambung siyakana, yuk-i, “He! Beyaꞌ-beyaꞌta ka! Daꞌa ka ahidjul. Siyakata itu saliꞌ maka aku, mbal makahamut. Na angay kaꞌa,” yukna, “makahamut. Angkanna amandiꞌ ka.”
“Minsan kakaꞌ,” yuk siyali, “Aniyaꞌ, bahonos aꞌa dunya.”
Saltaꞌ, mbal kasandalan eꞌ si Bebang, takohol iya. Pagkohol itu, takale eꞌ siyaka.
“Oy, ahoꞌ,” yukna, “aniyaꞌ aꞌa dunya. Na, sūng kitām asalin.”
Na, dangan maka dangan patudju na ni kidjang sigā, asulug tamongon bahasa asalin.
Agsay na amūng siyali, “Kakaꞌ, kakaꞌ! Ndaꞌun ba ya bay yukku ma kaꞌa. Na nsaꞌ na maitu kidjangku maka sꞌmmekku. Mbal ba ka magsusun ma bay hꞌllingku ma kaꞌa?”
“Arōy,” yuk kasiyakahan sigā, “Bꞌnnal ka!” Yukna lagiꞌ isab, “Mbal manjari bang ka nibbahan sabab bay anambuku inaꞌ maka mmaꞌ subay ka sinohoꞌ binowa.”
Na pagga nsaꞌ na mainaꞌan kidjangna, binowa iya paleyang eꞌ danakanna karuwangan. Mbal iya takoleꞌ binowa eꞌ sigā paleyang. Hal makaꞌangkat sigā saga dandꞌppa, duwandꞌppa, patꞌppak sigām pabīng. Hatina mbal tabowa siyali inān.
Na, agsay amūng ya pasunuꞌ, yukna, “Kakaꞌ, bbahanta na daiꞌ-daiꞌ siyalita mailu. Paleyang kita tudju ni lahattam. Ngaꞌanta iya kidjang.”
Sogōꞌ mbal bilahi siyali eꞌ. Yukna, “Daꞌa aku lꞌbbahinbi. Mattan mbal na aku tandaꞌbi pabīng sabab ilu aniyaꞌ aꞌa dunya maitu.”
Nsaꞌ na aniyaꞌ tahinang saga siyakana. Paleyang na sigā minsan abimbang ma siyali sigā.
Paglaꞌan karuwa siyakana, agsay na paluwaꞌ si Bebang. Niāꞌ eꞌna biraddali kasiyalihan, binowa amoleꞌ boꞌ nihinang hꞌnda eꞌna. Pagbalik saga danakan biraddali inān, nsaꞌ na mainaꞌan siyali sigā. Angkan amoleꞌ na sigā ni inaꞌ-mmaꞌ sigam.
Sakali itu, amoleꞌ isab si Bebang maka biraddali kasiyalihan, boꞌ niāꞌ hꞌnda eꞌna biraddali hēꞌ. Pagpoleꞌ sigā ni lumaꞌ, tinapukan eꞌ si Bebang kidjang biraddali inān ma deyoꞌ lapohan. Bilahi toꞌongan amoleꞌ biraddali inān, sogoꞌ nsaꞌ aniyaꞌ tahinangna sabab alungay kidjangna. Mbal atꞌggol, angiram na biraddali hēꞌ sampay anganak.
Na, llaw-llaw na paꞌin magusaha si Bebang sampay aheya-heya na anak sigā. Sakali itu, aniyaꞌ dakayuꞌ llaw tabāk eꞌ biraddali kidjangna ma deyoꞌ lapohan. Agsay na iya paleyang amoleꞌ, sogoꞌ taꞌentom eꞌna anakna angkan iya pabalik. Sinulayan eꞌna binowa anakna ameyaꞌ ma iya sogoꞌ mbal takoleꞌna.
Palabay paꞌin waktu, angentom na landuꞌ biraddali inān ma saga danakanna lubaꞌ-lagiꞌna na ma inaꞌ-mmaꞌna. Angkan niꞌbbahan eꞌna anakna ma dunya boꞌ iya paleyang tudju ni lahatna ma riyataꞌ ayan.
Pagpoleꞌ si Bebang, halam na mainaꞌan hꞌndana. Halam na isab aniyaꞌ kidjang ma deyoꞌ lapohan. Kinataꞌuwan eꞌna bay na amoleꞌ hꞌndana. Angkan hal iya laꞌa tabbaꞌ angipat anak sigā.
Ma diyataꞌ ayan, magbāk biraddali kasiyalihan maka inaꞌ-mmaꞌna. Alasig sigām. Pangannal sigā alopas na anak sigā sogoꞌ halam tuwiꞌ. Mbal paꞌin atꞌggol, angentom biraddali inān ma anakna maka hꞌllana, si Bebang. Angkan iya amaꞌid min inaꞌ-mmaꞌna bang iya makajari pabalik ni dunya. Pagga tinugutan du iya, pabalik iya ni anak-hꞌllana.
Ma dunya maglahat biraddali inān sogoꞌ sumaꞌan patibaw isab iya ni lahat inaꞌ-mmaꞌna ma diyataꞌ ayan.
Na, ya ilu kissa ma pasalan si Bebang maka hꞌndana Biraddali.
English Synopsis

It is said among the Sama that at the end of the rainbow you can find heavenly maidens who came down to the earth in order to bathe.  The fisherman Bebang follows a rainbow while fishing at Tumbagaꞌan and chances upon 3 biraddali.  Of the three the youngest is the fairest.  He finds their wings which they had removed and left behind in a thicket.  He finds and hides the youngest wings.  When he is discovered the biraddali prepare to flee, but the youngest must be left behind because she has lost her wings.  Her sisters return home for help, but before they can come back Bebang takes the youngest Biraddali home to be his wife.  Not long into their marriage they have a child together.  Then one day the biraddali finds her wings which Bebang had hidden under the stove.  She finds that her wings cannot carry her and her child, so she chooses to leave her child behind and visit her family.  While in her home in the sky she begins to miss her child and her husband Bebang.  So she returns to them, but still makes occasional visits to her home in the heavens.

Sama Cultural Insights

Marriage takes many forms in Sama culture.  It is somewhat common for young lovers to elope together.  Often marriage is arranged between the elders of two families.  Sometimes marriage even starts by a woman being kidnapped.  It is not uncommon for a Sama lady to find herself in a marriage and with child missing her life as she knew it before with  her parents and her siblings.  Many Sama women might try to return to their family and in the process some find that they do indeed love their husband and desire to return and take their place in their own family.

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