Siuálâ ning Pámangulait: Nínu na Íng Kapampángan King Baiung Panaun?

Isúlat ke iti king amánu da reng dáiû (English). Masakit man para káku na alî king Amánung Sisuan ia misúlat iti.

Atin Ku Pung Singsing

Metung Iang Timpukan

Amana Ke iti King Indung Ibatan

Sangkan Keng Sininup

King Metung a Kaban

Me-alaya iti e ku Amalayan

Pampanga, but it is better to say Indung Kapampangan, has long been established even before the colonizers grabbed our lands, branded us with foreign surnames, baptized us with water, introduce occidental religion, philosophy and life style. Kapampangans are proud race for their arts, culture, language and beliefs. But that is the thing in the past. That was the time when our culture is flourishing, when we were proud to say we are Kapampangans and not Filipinos and when we were still aware of our own identity. But now where are the Kapampangans? Where is the once proud race of this archipelago? Where are we now? Where will we be?

Indung Kapampangan
Photo Courtesy of Kapampangan (Capampangan) Facebook Group

Modernization, colonization, commercialization, veneration has drifted away our inner core. Even our very essence of being Kapampangan has been vanishing. This observation is not a product of a deranged mind but a product of the bitter reality. At present we are very proud to shout and show to the world that we are Filipinos.  Can we take a moment to pause and think what we are doing? Kapampangans are not Filipinos! We were and will never be Filipinos! We are Kapampangans! Kapampangan is our nationality not the foreign word which came from the name of the Spanish King! We are Kapampangans! And Indung Kapampangan is our nation. Colonizers acknowledge that Pampanga is Nacion Pampanga. How about us have we acknowledge that Pampanga is a nation? Have we acknowledged that we are indeed Kapampangans not Filipinos?

Mapa ning Pampanga
Photo Courtesy of Jayvie Aboyme (UrbanKapampangan)

In addition to what has been said, another bitter pill of reality that we are seeing now is the death of our language, our dalit, our basultu, our songs and many more! Let us consider Atin Ku Pung Singsing – the most sacred song of the Kapampangans. When I was a kid my maternal grandmother always sang that to me before I play at Gatpanapun. I can still recall the lyrics taught to me by my grandmother not by the Manila-centric books. Although I know how to sing it back then and I know the lyrics I do not know the meaning of it. At present, children do not know this song! They recognize the hymn because schools require or ask them to dance Atin Ku Pung Singsing. But when I asked if they can sing it to me they cannot do it. They can sing ‘Let it Go’, ‘Pusung Bato’ and many foreign songs but not Atin Ku Pung Singsing. This is disturbing. If they cannot sing Atin Ku Pung Singsing, can they still sing Himno Kapampangan?

Kapampángan, sále ning legwan

Kapampángan, sandalan ning katimawan

Kílub ning púsu mi atin kang dambana

Luid ka! Luid ka!

Palsintan ming Kapampángan!

Another point of concern which I can visibly see is that parents do not teach their children the Kapampangan Language. They teach their children how to speak English and Filipino. These languages of death and slavery are not for us! They will never be for us. There are a lot of Kapampangans who know how to speak Kapampangan but do not speak it. They say that the language is too kanto-like and too ghastly. They prefer the languages of slavery and death rather than the Language of their Soul! Meanwhile, the MLT (Mother Language Tongue) which is being implemented by the DepEd is not effective and will not be effective. Most of the teachers who are in this MLT still use Tagalog!

Atin Ku Pung Singsing in Kulitan
Kulit courtesy of Aljon Medina (Aguman Sulat Kapampangan)

In terms of folklore, mythology and the like, most if not all of the Kapampangans are fascinated by the Greek, Roman and Norse Mythologies. They know Zeus, Hercules, Athena, Jupiter, Mercury, Thor and Loki. But do Kapampangan know Galura the bird sent by Apung Suku to clean the land? Do Kapampangans know Gatpanapun? Do they know Apung Suku?

Apûng Sukû mátas ya pin,

Aslag na mapálî mú rin,

Lub ding táu maláut pin,

Ginung Aldo núnû dá rin.

Dalit ng Sinukuan 6:2

There are a lot more to say but the bottomline will still be the same. Where are we now? Where are the Kapampangans now? Are we like the Jews who are lost and longing for the Promised Land? Where are we headed? Are we taking the path of extinction and after such we will just be the lost people who will be written in the Manila-centric books? We are running out of time to save our identity and our nation Indung Kapampangan. The time for us to act like Kapampangan is now.

Pákantadánan támu  ábe

Alâng masias a tinápe king mapálîng kape!