There is something special about the stars and the countless heavenly bodies ruling the night sky. Besides their beauty, stars narrate the story of man’s origin and existence since the early age of time through the numerous constellation depicting heroes and monsters from an equally vast number of cultures. Thus we have the constellations like that of the hero Hercules and Draco, the Dragon forever drawn in the night sky.
Stars are also known as manifestations of gods that were worshipped in ancient times, such our very own Tala (star goddess in the Tagalog pantheon), as well as the Tinggian diwata of the stars, Gaygayoma.
Astronomy, the natural science of celestial objects and phenomena, brings another interesting facet of stars as it has provided a methodical observation of the night sky since the beginning of ancient civilization. Constellations and their motions greatly affect the season and time; providing signs that people follow in order to conduct vital activity such as the exact period of harvest, fishing and even hunting.
Unknown to many, Astronomy was widely practiced during the pre-colonial times in the Philippines, wherein most of our ancestor depended on nature as their indicator for the right moment to conduct their rituals and activities. For our ancestors, the relevance of stars doesn’t end in mythical and spiritual purposes, but transcended into their day to day living.
Naming the Stars in our own Tongue
Thanks to Dr. Dante L. Ambrosio – who championed the study of the link between astronomy and ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines (known as Ethnoastronomy) – we have been given an expansive view of how stars also governed the life of our ancestors. It is well recorded that some ancient Filipino studied cloud formations, birds, and the behavior of certain plants that could foretell the changing of seasons and, in some cases, predict incoming weather disturbances. However, Dr. Ambrosio’s work entitled “Balatik: Etnoastronomiya, Kalangitan at Kabihasnang Pilipino” added that our ancestor “read” the stars in the sky as portents that affects their life.
Among the constellations and asterisms that were named by our ancestors, two were given wide recognition among the diverse regions of the Philippine archipelago – Balatik and Moroporo.
Popularly known as the “Tres Marias” (The Three Marias) in Tagalog, Magbangal in Bukidnon, and Seretar in Teduray, Balatik is composed of perfectly aligned and evenly spaced stars which act as the “belt” of the constellation of Orion (the Hunter which is observable in the night sky during the month of October to May). In Palawan and Ibaloi however, Balatik is seen as both the “sword” and “belt” of Orion.
Balatik shares a similarity in figure to a hunting trap of the same name that was used tribal hunters in the Philippines. It was usually used as a sign to foretell the beginning of the Kaingin period, and the time for planting despite the fact that it depicts a hunting trap. According to Fay-Cooper Cole in his study “Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao”, Balatik was also used by the Bagabo Tribe as a reminder of the yearly sacrifice.
“In the month of December a constellation known as Balatik appears in the sky. This has a double significance; first, it is the reminder for the yearly sacrifice; and secondly, it notifies all workers that the tools, which are to be used in making new clearings, shall be placed in readiness.”
The second one, Moroporo, is also known by many names such as “Supot ni Hudas”, Mapolon (Tagalog), San Apon (Ibaloi), and Kufukufu (Teduray). In other parts of the world, it is known as the star cluster Pleiades (Seven Sisters) located in the constellation of Taurus the Bull and appears sometime in the month of January. Unlike the former, Moroporo is viewed differently. Some see it as “Boiling lights, a “flock of birds” (in Leyte), and even “a scale within a group of six scales”. Moroporo is connected to sea navigation but, like Balatik, it was primarily used to signal the beginning of the planting season. The Tagalogs consulted this star cluster to know the shifting of time and season.
Stories Written in the Night Sky
Balatik and Moroporo can be seen in the Cotabato myth of Tiruray, where they represent the six followers of the hero Lagey Lingkuwos who guided the people of Tiruray on when they will conduct their Kaingin and planting of rice. Moreover, the six characters in the story as constellation were also used by the people of Tiruray in their calendar.
The inclusion of both Balatik and Moroporo within stories of various ethnic groups tells the importance of these constellations and asterisms. In Bukidnon, Moroporo is the hunting ground of Magbangal and the constellation Baka (Hyades) is the jaw of the boar he killed. In Teduray, Moroporo is known as Kufukufu; a group of flies hovering above Baka (Hyades) which is also depicted as the jaw of a boar slain by the hunter Seretar (the constellation Orion/Balatik). Tribes in Palawan see Moroporo as a Camote (Sweet Potato), the “Sangat at bjak” (Hyades) is the jaw and fangs of the boar who ate Moroporo, who is also hunted by Binawagan magsasawad (Orion).
In Tawi-Tawi, the stars Thong, Masikla and Mayuyu are actually characters in a story, similar to the tale of Pandora in Greek myth. According to story, Masikla is cooking some grass and tells Mayuyu to take care of it while she goes to look for food at the sea shore. She also reminds Mayuyu to never open the pot while she is gone. Unfortunately, the mischievous and impatient Mayuyu opened the pot. The consequences of this is that man must always plant before they cook the type of grass mentioned in the story. If Mayuyu didn’t open the pot, man would always find the grass in abundance to cook and eat.
Another story features the three stars and why they ended up in the sky. One day Thong went to clear part of the forest (Kaingin). He didn’t realize that Mayuyu followed him. When Thong took a break to play his flute, leaving his Axe and Bolo unattended to do the work, Mayuyu chased him for being lazy. After this, the Axe and the Bolo would not work on their own and needed manpower. An angry Thong blamed Mayuyu – for if she didn’t meddle with what he is doing, man would never have to work again. Due to the incident, Thong – together with Masikla – went to the sky to become stars. Mayuyu followed the two, and the three become the stars that make up the asterism Tanggong.
The star known as Marara in Bukidnon is described as human with only one arm and one foot. She is known as the harbinger of cloudy weather during planting season so that the people would not see her deformities.
Lesser Known Stars (But of Greater Purpose)
Dr. Ambrosio found other constellations used by various ethnic groups. The Tagalogs had a constellation called Talang Batugan (“Lazy”), named for its characteristic of slow motion, large size and low brightness and usually known as a guiding star for shepherds. In Bicol, there are stars such as Pogot (used as a sign for fishing and incoming storms), Soag (four stars that resemble a four sided figure, which signals the beginning of night time), and Torong (three stars that show an approaching storm).
Stars such as Sipat and Tudong are mentioned in a ritual (known as “kentan”) conducted by an ethnic groups in the Cordillera to bless rice seedlings. Binabbais, another star named by the people of Cordillera, is heard in prayers chanted during their ritual sacrifice of chicken.
Stars and Man
History tells us that the people of our ancient past had a very strong connection to all the elements that composed nature; from the movement of animals, changes in the color of the sky, and plants. This gave them an uncanny wisdom to make meaning out of their lives by providing order and understanding in the environment surrounding them. Despite being millions of light years away, stars assisted our ancestors in creating a connection between celestial events and human affairs – helping them become one with nature, and perhaps the universe itself.
Currently collecting books (fiction and non-fiction) involving Philippine mythology and folklore. His favorite lower mythological creature is the Bakunawa because he too is curious what the moon or sun taste like.
