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Wedding Dance

Amador T. Daguio

SUMMARY
Awiyao and Lumnay are long married couple from the Mountain tribes. Awiyao is
going to marry another woman, Madulimay, because Lumnay cannot give him a child.

Awiyao went back home to see Lumnay because he didn't find her among the
dancers at his wedding. He wanted Lumnay to dance at his wedding for the last time but
she cannot. On their moment, there are many flashbacks about how Lumnay did her best
to have a child, through offering to the god, Kabunyan; and how Awiyao and Lumnay's
love w as as strong as the river; but "it is just that a man must have a child", and he had to
leave her. He promised her that if he fails to have a child with his new wife, he will come
back to her.

She wanted to protest against the written rule that a man can marry another
woman, so Lumnay went to the wedding dance. But while seeing her husband married to
another woman, she could not take it anymore and just went to the mountain to clear
away the beans she had thought about.

And so Lumnay, waiting for Awiyao a long time, thought of Awiyao's promise as she
cleared away the growing bean plants.

INTERPRETATION
Cultural norms have always been used as an excuse to control the behavior of
people. They can be constricting and oppressive though it was probably not initially the
intention of the practices.

To bear children is very important element in creating a family and establishing


better relationship between husband and wife; but it is something which Awiyao and
Lumnay will never achieve. To have a child is a necessity in their tribe, because having
children will preserve their bloodline. Though it was hard and painful, Awiyao wanted to
have children so much that he divorced Lumnay and remarried another Ifugao named
Madulimay. In the old Filipino culture, a man questions another mans masculinity if he
does not have a child.

In the case of Awiyao, though he feels that no one can replace Lumnay as the best
wife, he still feels the need to divorce her just for him to have children who will follow him in
the fields in the future.

MORAL LESSON
The main lesson in this story is that life still goes on. The hearts of the wilting petal
symbolizes Lumnays broken heart. It means that though her heart is broken today, still her
life goes on and there will be a new morning to face.

Her painful experiences from getting out of the desolate memories she had while
reminiscing Awiyaos love will eventually fade and will transform her to a beautiful bean
pod.

Alan Carlo C. Galvez


BSA4-1 ENG203 TF/2:00-3:30

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