Why the Sky is High

(Tagalog)

In the early days, when the sky was still low, two brothers named Ingat and

Daskol lived with their parents on earth.

As their names indicate, Ingat was careful in everything he did and was

therefore his father’s right hand man. He was always helping with the work in the field

and his parents were very pleased with him.

On the other hand, Daskol did his work sloppily. In the absence of a daughter in

the family, the housework came to be Daskol’s responsibility. He fetched water,

cleaned the house and did the cooking. He also did the pounding of the palay that his

father and Ingat harvested. Even in the pounding, Daskol lived up to his name. Half of

the grain he pounded scattered and fell to the ground. Being naturally lazy and

impatient, he did not like the work of pounding rice.

One day, Daskol had to pound a greater quantity of palay than usual. He was

irritated because every time he raised the pestle higher, and every time it hit the sky,

the sky would be raised. In his hurry, Daskol did not notice that the sky was rising.

When he finished pounding the rice, he looked up and discovered that the sky had

risen and it is where it is today.

(Iloko)

In the olden days, the only people on earth were a man and a woman. One day,

they ate venison which the man had brought from hunting. But because the bones

were very big and they wanted to eat the marrow, they thought of pounding the bones.

The woman removed her comb and necklace and hang them on the low sky. But

whenever she pounded, she would hit the sky. So, she requested the sky to rise

higher. It thundered and the sky rose higher. Still the pestle hit the sky. So, the
woman again asked the sky to go higher. It thundered and the sky rose higher. Still

the pestle hit the sky. So, the woman again asked the sky to go higher. Again, It

thundered and the sky rose as high as could be. When the woman remembered what

she had hung, It was too late. They became the moon and the stars.

(Hiligaynon)

In the olden days, the sky was so low…so low that it could be reached by a stick

of ordinary length. The people in those days said that God had created the sky in such

a way that he could hear his people when they called to him. In turn, God could send

his blessings to earth as soon as men needed them. Because of this close connection

between God and his subjects, the people were provided for, and they did not need to

work.

Whenever they wanted to eat, they could simply call God. Before their request

was made, almost the food would be on the table. But after the expulsion of Adam and

Eve, God made men work for their living. With this change in their condition, came the

custom of holding feasts, when the men would rest from their labors.

One day, one of the chiefs Abing by name, held a feast. Many people came to

enjoy it. A sayao or native war dance, was given in honor of the men belonging to the

chief and it was acted by men brandishing spears. While acting, one of the actors, who

was drunk, tried to show his skill but forgot that the sky was so low. When he darted

his spear, he happened to pierce the sky, and one of the gods was wounded. This

angered God the father so he raised the sky as we have it today far from the earth.

Think about this

Based on the texts read, compare the lives of the people before and after the sky rose.

Use the organizer below to list down your observation.



BEFORE

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

AFTER

1.

2.

3.

4.

5. ​