from the TREASURE OF A MINORITY
If united we remain
and our bond is strong and pure,
you and I, far as we are,
it's like holding hands again,
it's like sitting side by side.
No siwalo tagduman
Urog kantag saayan
Ud kawo ud ako man
No bilang dis tuwangan
No bilang dis taytayan
Collected and translated by Antoon Postma
The Ambahan is the traditional poetry of the Hanunoo-Mangyans in Oriental Mindoro. It is usually recorded on bamboo by means of the Surat Mangayan, the centuries-old pre-Spanish script. The syllabic script and the Ambahan poetry have complemented each other, thus preventing their becoming extinct and forgotten.
Mangyan Heritage Center
http://www.mangyan.org/
