A Little Book of Filipino Riddles Part 1

A Little Book of Filipino Riddles.

by Various.

INTRODUCTION

Although I had already inquired for them from Ilocano boys, my first actual knowledge of Filipino riddles was due to Mr. George T. Shoens, American teacher among the Bisayans. He had made a collection of some fifty Bisayan riddles and presented a brief paper regarding them at the Anthropological Conference held at Baguio, under my direction, on May 12-14, 1908. My own collection was begun among Ilocano of Union Province from whom about two hundred examples were secured. Others were later secured from Pangasinan, Gaddang, Pampangan, Bisayan and Tagal sources. My informants have chiefly been school-boys, who spoke a little English; they wrote the text of riddle and answer in their native tongue and then we went over them carefully together to make an English translation and to get at the meaning. Many Filipinos know how to read and write their native language, although few have had actual instruction in doing so. There is no question that errors and inconsistencies exist in the spelling of these riddles, due to this lack of instruction and to the fact that the texts have been written by many different persons. I am myself not acquainted with any Malay language. I have tried to secure uniformity in spelling within the limits of each language but have no doubt overlooked many inconsistencies. The indulgence of competent critics is asked. It has been our intention throughout to adhere to the _old_ orthography. Thus the initial _qu_ and the final _ao_ have been preferred.

The _word_ for riddle varies with the population. In Ilocano it is _burburtia_, in Pangasinan _boniqueo_, in Tagal _bugtong_, in Gaddang ----, in Pampangan _bugtong_, in Bisayan _tugmahanon_.

Riddles are common to all mankind. They delighted the old Aryans and the ancient Greeks as they do the modern Hindu and the Bantu peoples of darkest Africa. Many writers have defined the riddle. Friedreich in his _Geschichte des Rathsels_, says: "The riddle is an indirect presentation of an unknown object, in order that the ingenuity of the hearer or reader may be exercised in finding it out.... Wolf has given the following definition: the riddle is a play of wit, which endeavors to so present an object, by stating its characteristic features and peculiarities, as to adequately call it before the mind, without, however, actually naming it."

The riddles of various Oriental peoples have already been collected and more or less adequately discussed by authors. Hebrew riddles occur in the Bible, the best known certainly being Samson's:

"Out of the eater came forth meat, And out of the strong came forth sweetness."

Arabic riddles are many and have been considerably studied; Persian riddles are well known; of Indian riddles at least one collection has been printed separately under the name _Lakshminatha upasaru_, a series of Kolarian riddles from Chota Nagpur has been printed as, also, an interesting article upon Behar riddles; Sanskrit riddles are numerous and have called for some attention from scholars; a few Gypsy riddles are known; two recent papers deal with Corean riddles. We know of but two references to Malayan riddles; one is Rizal, _Specimens of Tagal Folk-Lore_, the other is Sibree's paper upon the _Oratory, Songs, Legends, and Folk-Tales of the Malagasy_. This is no doubt an incomplete bibliography but the field has been sadly neglected and even to secure this list has demanded much labor. It suffices to show how deeply the riddle is rooted in Oriental thought and indicates the probability that riddles were used in Malaysia long before European contact.

To what degree Filipino riddles are indigenous and original is an interesting but difficult question. So far as they are of European origin or influenced by European thought, they have come from or been influenced by Spain. Whatever comparison is made should chiefly, and primarily, be with Spanish riddles. But our available sources of information regarding Spanish riddles are not numerous. We have only Demofilo's _Collecion de enigmas y adivinanzas_, printed at Seville in 1880, and a series of five chap-books from Mexico, ent.i.tled _Del Pegueno Adivinadorcito_, and containing a total of three hundred and seven riddles. Filipino riddles deal largely with animals, plants and objects of local character; such must have been made in the Islands even if influenced by Spanish models and ideas. Some depend upon purely local customs and conditions--thus numbers 170, 237, etc., could only originate locally. Some, to which the answers are such words as egg, needle and thread, etc., (answers common to riddles in all European lands), may be due to outside influence and may still have some local or native touch or flavor, in their metaphors; thus No. 102 is actually our "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;" the Mexican form runs:

"Una arquita muy chiquita tan blanca como la cal todo lo saben abrir pero ninguno cerrar."

But the metaphor "the King's limebox" could only occur in a district of betel-chewing and is a native touch. Many of the Filipino riddles introduce the names of saints and, to that degree, evidence foreign influence; but even in such cases there may be local coloring; thus, calling rain-drops falling "rods," "St. Joseph's rods cannot be counted," could hardly be found outside of the tropics. Religious riddles, relating to beads, bells, church, crucifixes, are common enough and are necessarily due to outside influence, but even such sometimes show a non-European att.i.tude of mind, metaphorical expression or form of thought.

Everywhere riddles vary in quality and value. Many are stupid things, crudely conceived and badly expressed. Only the exceptional is fine. Examine any page of one of our own riddle books and you may criticize almost every riddle upon it for view-point, or form, or flavor. We must not demand more from Filipino riddles than from our own. Some knowledge of local products, customs, conditions, is necessary for the understanding of their meaning; when understood, they are fully equal to ours in shrewdness, wit and expression. Krauss emphasizes the fact that everywhere riddles tend to coa.r.s.eness and even to obscenity and discusses the reasons. What is true elsewhere is true here; a considerable number of Filipino riddles are coa.r.s.e; we have introduced them but emphasize the fact that any scientifically formed collection of German or English riddles would contain some quite as bad.

Probably few of our readers have considered the taxonomy of riddles. Friedreich offers a loose and unscientific cla.s.sification as follows:

I. The Question Riddle.

II. The Simple Word Riddle (with seven sub-divisions).

III. The Syllable Riddle or Charade.

IV. The Letter Riddle.

1. With reference to sound.

2. With reference to form.

V. Punctuation Riddles.

VI. The Rebus.

VII. Complex Riddles; combination of two or more simple types.

VIII. Number Riddles.

Several of these forms occur in our collection.

More scientific than Friedreich's work is Petsch's _Studien uber das Volksratsel_. His a.n.a.lysis and dissection of riddle forms best enable us to test the indigenous content of our Filipino riddles. He recognizes two fundamental riddle types. He says: "Two groups of riddles have long been distinguished in the collections, the true rhymed riddles and the short 'catch-questions' expressed in prose. The difference is not only in form but in content. 'True riddles' have as purpose the describing of an object in veiled, thought-arousing, perhaps misleading, poetical clothing, which, from this presentation of its appearance, its source, its utility, etc., shall be recognized by the intelligence, i.e., can and shall be guessed. 'Catch-questions,'

on the contrary, are not to be guessed, the questioner intending himself to give the solution; at their best they are intended to trick the hearer, and since their solution is impossible to the uninitiated are not 'true riddles' but false ones. Since I propose to divide the total riddle material of each single nation between these two great chief groups, may I not somewhat extend the scope of the latter, including some things which are rejected from most collections as having little to do with actual riddles--those questions which are generally insoluble and such tests of wisdom as appeal not to wit and understanding, but to knowledge--which are certainly not true riddles. Thus, in the group here characterized as 'false' different cla.s.ses of things are brought together, the characteristics of which I shall investigate later." It would be interesting to quote the author's discussion further. We can, however, only state that he recognizes three cla.s.ses of "false riddles," to which he gives the names "wisdom tests," "life-ransoming riddles," and "catch-questions."

Of "true riddles" there is a vast variety of form and content. Most typical is the descriptive riddle of a single object to be guessed. In its complete and normal form Petsch claims that such a riddle consists of five elements or parts. 1 Introduction; 2 denominative; 3 descriptive; 4 restraint or contrast; 5 conclusion. 1 and 5 are merely formal, tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs; 2 and 3 are inherent and essential; 4 is common and adds vigor and interest. Such complete and "normal"

riddles are rare in any language. Usually one or more of the five elements are lacking. It is only by such an a.n.a.lysis of riddle forms that a comparative study of riddles can be made. Any single riddle is best understood, by the constant holding before the mind this pattern framework and noting the degree of development of the case in hand.

The Filipinos themselves recognize several cla.s.ses of riddles. An old Tagal lady told us there were three kinds:

1. _Alo-divino_: concerning G.o.d and divine things 2. _Alo-humano_: concerning persons 3. _Parabula_: all others

There is no science in this cla.s.sification, which embodies considerable corrupted Spanish. Another informant recognizes six cla.s.ses:

1. _Alo-divino_ 2. _Historia-vino:_ history of G.o.d and saints 3. _Alo-humano_ 4. _Historia-mano_: history of persons.

5. _Karle-mano_: G.o.d and saints and persons together.

6. _Parabula_ or _biniyabas_.

These names call for little comment and the cla.s.sification they embody is of the loosest. The word _parabula_ is Spanish in source and equivalent to our parable; _biniyabas_ is Tagal.

Some features of our riddles call for comment. Filipino riddles, in whatever language, are likely to be in poetical form. The commonest type is in two well-balanced, rhyming lines. Filipino versification is less exacting in its demand in rhyme than our own; it is sufficient if the final syllables contain the same vowel; thus Rizal says--_ayup_ and _pagud_, _aval_ and _alam_, rhyme. The commonest riddle verse contains five or seven, or six, syllables, thus:

Daluang balon hindi malingon

or

Bahay ni San Gabriel punong puno nang barel.

Just as in European riddles certain set phrases or sentences are found frequently at the beginning or end of the riddle. In Ilocano and Pangasinan a common introductory form is "What creature of G.o.d" or "What thing made by Lord G.o.d," the expression in reality being equivalent to a simple "what." These pious forms do not at all necessarily refer either to animals or natural objects; thus, a boat or a house is just as good a "creature of G.o.d" as a fowl is. A common form of ending is "Tell it and I am yours," "Guess it and I am your man."

Quite a.n.a.logous to calling inanimate or artificial things "creatures of G.o.d" is the personification of all sorts of things, animate and inanimate; thus, a rat is "an old man," a dipper is "a boy." Not infrequently the object or idea thus personified is given a t.i.tle of respect; thus, "Corporal Black" is the night. Akin to personification is bold metaphor and a.s.sociation. In this there may or may not be some evident a.n.a.logy; thus a crawfish is "a bird," the banca or canoe is "rung" (like a bell.) Not uncommonly the word "house" is used of anything thought of as containing something; thus "Santa Ana's house,"

"San Gabriel's house;" this use is particularly used in speaking of fruits. "Santa Ana's house is full of bullets" is rather pretty description for the papaya. The word "work" is often used for a thing made, or a manufactured article.

Saints' names are constantly introduced, generally in the possessive case; examples are "Santa Ana's house," "Santa Maria's umbrella,"

"San Jose's canes." Less commonly the names of other Bible worthies occur; thus "Adam's hair." There is not always any evident fitness in the selection of the Saint in the connection established. San Jose's connection with rain is suitable enough. One would need to know a good deal regarding local and popular hagiography in order to see to what degree the selections are appropriate.

Sometimes words without meaning, or with no significance in the connection where they occur are used. These may serve merely to fill out a line or to meet the demands of metre. Such often appear to be names of the style of "Humpty Dumpty;" these may be phonetically happy, as similar ones often are in European riddles, fitting well with the word or idea to be called up. _Marabotania_ is probably meaningless, merely for euphony. Place names with no real connection with the thought are frequently introduced, as Pantaleon, Mariveles. "_Guering-guering_" and "_Minimin_" are merely for sound.

Particularly interesting and curious are the _historia-vino_ given in numbers 312-317. No doubt there are many such. Those here given were secured from one boy at Malolos. When first examined, I believed the boy had not understood what I was after. He a.s.sured me that they were _bugtong_ and _bugtong_ of the best and finest cla.s.s. The idea in these is to propound a statement in a paradoxical form, which calls for some reference to a bible story or teaching; the answer is not immediately clear and demands a commentary which is quite often subtle and ingenious. Friedreich gives examples of similar expository religious riddles from Europe.

A curious group are the relations.h.i.+p riddles, numbers 286-289, which closely resemble trick questions among ourselves. The evidence of outside influence is here conclusive in the fact that the ideas and terms of relations.h.i.+p in them are purely European, in nowise reflecting the characteristic Malayan system and nomenclature.

Some of the riddles are distinctly stupid. "I let the sun s.h.i.+ne on your father's back" seems to mean no more than that the house roof is exposed to the solar rays. It is doubtful whether this means much even in the original Tagal. Of course many of the riddles demand for their adequate understanding a knowledge of native customs, which the outsider rarely has. Thus, until one knows a common method of punis.h.i.+ng naughty children, the riddle "I have a friend; I do not like to face him" means nothing. Perhaps the most difficult to adequately present are some plays on words. These frequently need a considerable explanation. In some of these the parts of the word to guess are concealed in or are suggested by the form of the statement and one must extract them and combine them; such are "_iscopidor_" and "_sampaloc_." In others the play depends upon h.o.m.ophony, the same sound or word have different meanings. In yet a third cla.s.s the answer is a smart Aleck sort of an affair, "How do you take a deer without net, dogs, spear, or other things for catching?" "Cooked." Most inane of all, but with plenty of a.n.a.logues among ourselves, are those where the answer itself is introduced into the question with the intention to mislead; "Its skin is green and its flesh is red like a watermelon." "Watermelon."

Filipino riddles are mostly given out by young people. When several are gathered together they will question and answer; they are much in vogue when a young gentleman calls upon his sweetheart; among Tagals and Pampangans at least the chief occasion for giving _bugtong_ is when a little group are watching at night beside a corpse. In propounding a riddle it is not uncommon to challenge attention by repeating as witty a rhyme, which is quite as often coa.r.s.e as witty. One Tagal example runs: