Gatan, Gomowad, Gaudan, other ‘beday’

HAPPY WEEKEND

Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province --  Here in this peculiar town, a resident could have three names:one  given via Christian baptism, the cultural  way and another given by locals. One named could either be a bonafide resident in town since birth, a visitor, a non-Sagadian married to a local, or an adopted son  who has come to be accepted by the clan, by the dap-ay (sacred hut) and  by the community.

One could either be ‘magubbawan’ referring to the cultural practice of an elder naming someone complete with a ritual of butchering  chicken to offer to Kabunian or to the ancestral owner of the name.

Or one could be  “mabedayan” referring to one given a name in jest or in sarcasm though toned  in jest  by anyone and does not go through a cultural rite.Doing  “gubbaw”  to an adopted son or daughter of Sagada  is  a formal  act and the one being baptized must  have shown exceptional contribution for the welfare of  Sagada and constituents. 

Former musical director Dennis Faustino with the International School in Manila had  been consistently helping in the  financial  upkeep of  the Anglican mission  school St Mary’s School. He was named Gomowad, a name of one of the clans in Sagada. Faustino currently is the principal of SMS. 

And so with  Palanca awardee writer and playwright  George Hernandez who was named Gaudan. Hernandez has been doing his artistic and writing skills  in support for the  church of St  Mary the  Virgin (CSMV). One memorable contribution of Hernandez is a play on the coming of the   American missionaries in Sagada where he also directed and the play shown a couple of times.

  .Researcher  Joachim Vos who has long  stayed  in Sagada was named  Bandowa by elders of  dap-ay Akikis. Vos had been helping in the material needs of dap-ay Akikis in times when there was a cultural event such as “begnas” (feast offering thanks to the gods for bountiful harvests among others). 

Comes  now Sen.TeofistoGuingona 111 who was given the name Gatan by the Local Government Unit  of Sagada during his recent visit in a thanksgiving ritual called  “apoy di danum.”  He allotted 18 million pesos from his priority development assistance funds(PDAF) for the Boasaw domestic waterworks.

Gatan is not a name belonging to any clan in Sagada much as I know, unless someone else is knowledgeable that it is so, I stand corrected. How Guingona was named Gatan is a most amusing thought.

Gatan is the legendary husband of  Bangan who plants the  first rice seedlings before others follow. In Benguetliteterature  Gatan is the representative of God Lumawig who came down to earth and live among the humans.

So we have  Gatan Club among the Applai tribe referring to men who have their respective wives named  Bangan.And to visitors who visit Sagada, there are some of them who get amusing  names  and named by the locals according to what one does, how he looks or what says.

French baker and Sagada resident Philippe Heyer when he came here years ago was a tall and lanky fellow with long hair.  He resembled  Aklay  Benguet who lives in  La Trinidad  who frequently visits Sagada much as his parents come from here.  Locals fondly called him Aklay. The name stuck until now. Another foreigner who  stayed for quite some time  in town was mostly seen holding  a  cup of what maybe coffee or tea drinking this outside the inn where he stays. He was eventually called ‘sunggup’ meaning to sip.  The name stuck.    

A potter who stayed for sometime in Sagada was called Kulayeng meaning “clay.”

Locals don’t only name visitors. They also name locals according to their own peculiarities in talking, physical looks, what they do or who or what and who their ‘beday’ name is associated to.Makinggak  is a ‘beday’. Makinggak was known for his snappy and forceful statements.

Another is called Ogo because his Igorot name happened to be the name of a person who got the  “beday”Ogo. Ogo means a male pig.

Another was called Manga-ak because he was caught taking  a hen. ‘Manga-ak’ means hen in local dialect.    

My father was named Kunges by his students  because he was always scowling.  Another teacher was named  Oyoy and another female teacher as Chiriribiribin because of the dance she taught the students.

A woman from the lowlands married to one from Sagada was named “Sarap”  because she always says  ‘saraaaap’ when she tastes what she cooks. More “beday” till next story.