The Flood Story

_Igorot_

Once upon a time, when the world was flat and there were no mountains,

there lived two brothers, sons of Lumawig, the Great Spirit. The

brothers were fond of hunting, and since no mountains had formed

there was no good place to catch wild pig and deer, and the older

brother said:

"Let us cause water to flow over all the world and cover it, and then

mountains will rise up." [97]

So they caused water to flow over all the earth, and when it was

covered they took the head-basket [98] of the town and set it for a

trap. The brothers were very much pleased when they went to look at

their trap, for they had caught not only many wild pigs and deer but

also many people.

Now Lumawig looked down from his place in the sky and saw that his

sons had flooded the earth and that in all the world there was just one

spot which was not covered. And he saw that all the people in the world

had been drowned except one brother and sister who lived in Pokis.

Then Lumawig descended, and he called to the boy

and girl, saying:

"Oh, you are still alive."

"Yes," answered the boy, "we are still alive, but we are very cold."

So Lumawig commanded his dog and deer to get fire [99] for the boy

and girl. The dog and the deer swam quickly away, but though Lumawig

waited a long time they did not return, and all the time the boy and

girl were growing colder.

Finally Lumawig himself went after the dog and the deer, and when he

reached them he said:

"Why are you so long in bringing the fire to Pokis? Get ready and

come quickly while I watch you, for the boy and girl are very cold."

Then the dog and the deer took the fire and started to swim through the

flood, but when they had gone only a little way the fire was put out.

Lumawig commanded them to get more fire and they did so, but they

swam only a little way again when that of the deer went out, and

that of the dog would have been extinguished also had not Lumawig

gone quickly to him and taken it.

As soon as Lumawig reached Pokis he built a big fire which warmed the

brother and sister; and the water evaporated so that the world was

as it was before, except that now there were mountains. The brother

and sister married and had children, and thus there came to be many

people on the earth.