Apolaki
The revered sun god as well as patron of the warriors. He is the son of Anagolay and Dumakulem and the brother of Dian Masalanta.
According to a variation myth from Pampanga, Bathala is the father of Apolaki, aside from Mayari and Tala, hence Excluding Hanan. Mayari and Apolaki, both of whom are gifted with bright eyes which serve as a light for the whole world, fought for their sovereignty in the sky.
apolki
Designed by Peonah Terese Repelente
Illustrated by Mica Ellah Tambalong
Introduction - Audio version
Apolaki’s Warning
Apolaki's Warning - Audio version
The leader of the tribe stands tall on the shore, gaze fixed on an incoming ship from the east. Behind the leader are warriors, gripping their bolo, and knives, fearing the possibility of the ship carrying invaders. As the group waits in anticipation, thunder booms and a streak of lightning dots the expanse of the vast sky above them.
When the ship reaches the shore, a plump white man with a long nose bows towards the leader. “Greetings, we are here to find shelter.” He says, “My men and I have been on the water for two months, and our deck is left severely damaged from the last storm. Will you allow us to reside here until it is fixed?”
The tribe leader opens his mouth to speak, but he stops when he hears the wind whisper something in his ear, “Make them leave.”
"Leave?" The tribe leader knits his brows in confusion. He looks at the men in front of him, soaked and dirty from the travel.
“You may stay here for the meantime.” The leader replies, despite the warning.
“These two will lead you to your shelter.” Two warriors step beside the leader, and gestures for the men to follow them.
“You will regret this.” The wind whispers again.
----
The following morning, the foreigners gather in one house to devise their strategy. “Run down to the houses by the beach, tie up whoever’s inside, and loot whatever you can.” ordered the plump man. “You, you, and you.” He points to three burly men. “Prepare the ship and lower the loading deck. We’re getting out of here as soon as we can.”
“We strike at dawn.”
----
The tribe leader sits by the largest window of his hut, seemingly in deep thought. From a distance, the skies are beginning to show early signs of a storm.
His wife peers over at him from their bed. “Yamaon, are you alright?”
Yamaon turns his head to his wife. “Yesterday,” he says slowly, “the wind whispered something in my ear.”
His wife nods, urging him to continue.
“It told me to make the foreigners leave. It did not seem to welcome their presence.”
“Could it be the gods?” His wife asks, hesitation evident in her voice.
“...Could it be Apolaki?” The moment he uttered these words, the wind grew stronger, And stronger,
“Yamaon, what’s happening?” His wife asks worryingly.
And stronger.
“The beach.” The wind whispers.
----
Yamaon calls his warriors, and they assemble in a line on the very edge of the beach, setting a solid barrier between the foreign ship and its crew. Spears and bolo knives raise, they chase the foreigners who are about to enter the huts.
Everything happened quickly. The foreigners, unprepared for the counterattack, are helpless under the ropes of Yamaon’s warriors. One by one, they are dragged back to the ship.
Seething, Yamaon leans down and takes the leader’s face in his hands. “Return to this land once more, and you will not leave alive.”
With one frail foreigner manning the wheel, Yamaon and his warriors send the foreigners off.
The wind whispers one last time. “May this serve a lesson. Never question my authority.”
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