looking for a great warrior

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i mentioned to uncle phil that i am eternally grateful for the bangka as it has and continue to be a healing process for me, finding peace. it took sometime for me to accept the responsibility of such a grand endeavor, a novice woodworker, a dreamer. in the process of shaping the bangka dream puzzle together, ‘lolo’ babe, as i call grandpa babe, hands me an article of a story his grandma shared when he was a child. i share with you one of my favorite excerpt from the story, wehelu peacemaker by dr daryl babe wilson. 

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A warrior is strong and he use his strength to care for people.
A warrior is peaceful toward everyone.
A warrior does not wait for peace to come. He take peace and offer it first.
A warrior is a good hunter, tracker, fisher,
he can run over the mountain, run down a deer, carry it in and share it;
he can carry five salmon across valley to feed hungry family.
A warrior always eat last.
A warrior always speak true.
A warrior respect earth and all people.
A warrior sing at dawn for all people who cannot sing for self.
A warrior is responsible.
A warrior never thinks of self first, but others.
A warrior dances for earth and for goodness for people.
A warrior takes children to the flowers on trees and in meadow.
A warrior has good heart, give to people who need.
Above all, warrior respect the “way” and Aponiha (the universal powers:
Great Wonder, Great Spirit, Great Power, Great Mystery).

For my aunties and uncles

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For the first time i wore one of her dresses, my mom took out antique outfits from our aunties who taught dance in alameda’s bohol circle in the late 40’s – early 50’s; the pink and cream flowy dress was handmade by her i assume, as she has passed on when i was in high school and did not know about it and could not ask now. Auntie heidi and her sister auntie matilda are my lola (grandmother) nening’s sisters; they came to the USA in the 1940’s during the time when the manongs could bring back brides from the islands. Mom says that uncle bob, he worked as a janitor and was a boxer, had a thing for my lola nening, who was widowed and left with four children to raise but somehow he ended up marrying my auntie matilda who was still single. Auntie matilda was a teacher and i always remember her staunch warnings, ‘do not waste water’ as i dutifully washed dishes as my house-chore. Auntie heidi travelled via a ship with her first husband who was a cook in the ship that took ~3 months to dock in the sf bay. Auntie heidi was afraid to fly. Her first husband died of cancer i heard and she remarried an irish-american longshoremen, uncle bill. What i remember of auntie heidi is that she loved to dance and loves cheesecake. She introduced me to my first love affair with cheesecake on 12/25/1981; it was her birthday and she puts on a great party with pre-ordered cheesecake from wisconsin? I was 11 years old and fresh off the plane. Today, 10/5/2013, It is a great honor to wear her dancing dress with my nephew ray rizal and friends at san francisco’s asian art museum’s filipino american history month celebration with an opening ritual ceremony, spearheaded by cristy rose and friends of the center for babaylan studies, as we humbly harmonized our version of a lullaby chant among the natives of the Cordillera mountains, salidumay, celebrating farms to table, our manongs, our manangs and the historic passing of AB123 – much mabuhay to assembly member rob bonta. Daghang mabuhay!

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Photo by karen pennrich
Baybayin placards by kristian kabuay:

Panibago
Kagandahan
Ipagbunyi
Mapanlikhai