Our ancestors tell of a time, long ago, when people did not know about rice.

They hunted
animals in the forests and gathered fruit and berries and leaves to eat. They had no permanent
homes because they moved to wherever they could find food. One day a group of hunters chased
a wild boar into the foothills of the Cordillera mountains. It was a huge pig, but fast, and it
brought them deep into the dense dark forest. Finally, the wild boar disappeared and they heard
only the sound of its hooves and snorting, the sound of leaves rustling and twigs snapping.
Well never catch it now, one of the hunters said, laying his spear down on the clean damp
earth. We might as well rest here for a while.
The other hunters were tired also, so they set down their spears and the two other deer they had
caught, and rested in the shade. They had not been resting long when one of them said, in a low
voice, People coming. They were hunters, so it was easy for them to sit in the shadows quietly
and watch the group of men come toward them. Those were no ordinary men, the huters noted.
They stood tall and proud, and their skin seemed to glow with the suns warmth, even if but
maybe this was the hunters imagination even if there seemed to blow around them a fresh cool
breeze. The hunters looked at each other in amazement, each one thinking the same, that these
were the gods of the mountain, come down towhat? One of the gods gestured to the servants
that walked beside him. The servants went to a bamboo grove nearby, where there were some
ashes still smoldering. They prepared a low table in the clearing in front of the hunters, laying
banana leaves and the food they had brought with them, roasted meats, cooked vegetables, and
fruits. The gods gestured to the hunters, saying, Come and eat with us.
The hunters came forward from the shadows. Each one bowed in turn, with hands clasped in
front in a gesture of respect. The gods were pleased and motioned for them to sit at the table. The
servants had split the bamboo into sections and were placing soft white bits in small heaps on the
banana leaf. They brought out more bamboo into sections, these filled with a clear white liquid
which the hunters recognized to be wine. They ate the food and drank the wine, but none of the
hunters touched the soft white things.
Then the gods pointed out and said, Try this. The hunters looked at each other to see who
would be brave enough to try. No one did, and after an uneasy moment one of the hunters blurted
out, We do not eat grubs.
The clearing filled with the laughter of the gods, a booming sound like gongs going off at once.
Not grubs but rice, the grain of the rice plant. We grow the crop here in the mountains. Taste the
food of the gods.
The hunters tasted the rice. After the first mouthful they smiled and reached for more. When they
were finished, the hunters thanked the gods for the meal. They offered the two deer they had
slain just that morning. In return, the gods gave each hunter a pot of golden grain.
These grains are called palay, said one of the gods. Pound them to remove the golden husk.
Inside will be the white rice. Wash the rice and place it in bamboo section. Then add some water.
Let the water boil to cook the rice. After you have eaten this food for a few days you will see
how your people will become stronger.
Use the rest of the palay as a seed. Wait for the rains before you plant. Then leave the seed in
the ground and watch the rice grow. When the rains stop and the dry season comes around, your

plants will be ready for harvesting. Share the harvest with your people. Teach them to prepare the
fields and plant the seed. Your lives will become better for knowing how to harvest rice. You will
not move around looking for food. You will be able to build homes.
The hunters did as the gods told them. They learned to plant and raise animals for food. They
learned to build homes. Rice became their staple food. These hunters were our ancestors.
(Locsin 1999, 17-19).