The Philippines
First transcribed in the Palawan language in 1971. First published in French translation in 1983; in Tagalog in 1991.
Kudaman
The Kudaman narrative is a sung epic linked to the yearly Tämwäy ät Ämpuq ät Paräy (Commemoration of the Master of Paddy Rice0 among the Pala’wan Highlanders in southern Palawan. It is performed by a singer over the course of seven non-consecutive nights that represent the span of seven years, and it is preceded by a long narrated prelude, a tale (sudsugid) amounting to 50 typed pages. The seven nights must be completed.
Usuy, a beloved shaman and admired singer of tales from the Mäkägwaq and Tämlang valleys, sings the epic tale of Kudaman. Bungsud, 1972. Photograph courtesy of Nicole Revel.
The celebration to honor the Master of Paddy Rice is epitomized by the Drinking Feast of rice beer (tinapäy), after its fermentation with a yeast in one, two, or three jars over several weeks. For the Pala’wan people, this feast is a collective expression of respect and attachment to this cultivated plant—the staple food par excellence—and to its Master, who is the very interiority of Paddy Rice.
The reiteration of the feast motif over seven nights is duplicated by the repetition of the voyage motif, in which the hero sets out in search of fine cloths and garments, sold by wealthy Muslim merchants, to please his spouses. A third reiterated motif is the hero’s power of seduction and his quest for wives in a society where bigamy and polygamy were the norm. The correlation among these three motifs constitutes the major ganglia at the core of the dynamics of the long-sung Kudaman narrative.
This triple reiteration of motifs is structured in rings or loops that allow for seven nights of variation on the search for cloths, the quest for new spouses, and the joyful feasts accompanied by gong music—played by men and danced by women—alternating ebriety and delicate assistance, expressed through beauty and grace in forms, appearances, movements, postures, speech, songs, and sentiments, offering a most pleasant entertainment in a highland hamlet.
Altogether, this ritual articulates a model of man as a Pägibutän, “the one to follow,” and a model of woman as puqun, the first wife who accepts ten second spouses (duwäy) as sisters, within the ideal life of a local community (rurungan). During the seven nights of the chant (tultul), various configurations of marital alliance are sung illustrating the Law (Saraq).
However, this harmonious and ideal way of inhabiting the world is repeatedly threatened by chaos and devastation caused by the yearly attacks of merciless pirates who roamed the coastlines of Palawan, the Visayas, and Luzon for centuries, enslaving men, women, and children and selling them far from their homelands. These pirates sailed from the Sulu Sea and Ilana Bay and were therefore called Ilanän by the Pala’wan. Their violent and aggressive ways of being, speaking, and behaving toward both coastal people and highlanders form a dreadful counterpoint to the Pala’wan ethos—its emphasis on self-control, fairness, compassion, and seemliness. These historical facts are evoked in a cyclical manner in order to bring each chant to a crisis, the climax, after which peace and harmony must be restored, primarily through forgiveness and compassion, proper marital alliances, and strict respect for customary law (Adat), as expressed and enforced by the Judge (Ukum). These violent intrusions are referred to in every single night of this tultul and are also the central climax of most sung narratives we have been able to hear, record, transcribe, and translate within Pala’wan culture.
Thus, Pala’wan epic poetry stands as a memory of tragic historical events. It reactivates feelings of empathy and compassion—ingasiq, so dear to the Pala’wan—consoling the people and reminding them of the values of their Adat, in contrast to others. References to these events and values remain meaningful in today’s world.
A striking dimension of this tultul is its reference to all components of the phenomenal world and their respective Ladies, Linamin, who are seduced by the hero as he flies by on his way to the fringes of the world, carried by his golden mount, Linggisan, the “Purple Heron.” The Linamin are beautiful Ladies who symbolize the interiority of a tree (such as the splendid dipterocarp Ginuqu), the Pine trees Lady (Linamin ät Käturabisan), the Emerald Dove Lady (Linamin ät Limukän), the West Wind Lady (Linamin ät Utaraq), the Sandbar Lady (Linamin ät Bälintang), the “Oil-of-the-World Lady ” (Linamin ät Mälana), the Lady of the Void (Linamin ät Kasilagawaqan), as well as Linamin ät Anduwanän, the lady of the abode of Ämpuq, “the Master,” also called Nägsalad, “the One-Who-Has-Woven,” the “Weaver.”
These successive seductions, followed by alliances with several gracious beings of the phenomenal world, allude to an animist ontology and to shamanism. In fact, they contrast with and act as a counterpoint to the successive jural discussions (bisara) that the shaman must undertake with the Evil Doers (Säqitan). During the ultimate healing ritual—the “Voyage” (Ulit) —the shaman attempts to perceive whether the interiority of a person—his or her soul-double (käruduwa)—has been captured by a Säqitan. In the case of a girl or a woman, the Säqitan may wish to take her as a spouse. The discussion between the shaman (bälyan) and the Säqitan concerning the return of the soul-double to the body of the sick person stipulates the payment due.
In this tultul, the hero Kudaman—both a headman and a shaman—also possesses the power to seduce and bring back to the large meeting house (kälang bänwa) several Ladies who are “Good Doers” (Taw Mänunga) in the phenomenal world.
In Chant III, Kudaman, acting as a shaman, sets off toward Ämpuq and asks permission to drink the fermented rice beer from the jar offered to the Master. This is a courteous shamanic Voyage (Ulit), expressing respect for the Weaver, Nägsalad. He is granted the right to drink and is advised to keep away from any form of violence. The main component of the Pala’wan ethos thus emerges as nonviolence, understood as an existential value.
The mutual seduction emphasizes the harmony between the hero and the Ladies, as well as the qualities of their reciprocal attitudes and behaviors: mutual respect, self-restraint, and tenderness. A discreet and calm relationship is the rule within the household, as in social life more broadly, and ponderation prevails in relation to the world they inhabit.
At a symbolic level, this tultul illustrates the ideal behavioral ethos between the model of a man—who is also a shaman—and the True Humans (Taw banar) of his community, particularly in relation to invisible yet omnipresent entities, the “Ladies” (Linamin), who embody the interiority of distinct components of the phenomenal world.
Thus, each of the ten exemplary marital alliances between the hero and the respective anima (the inner and mysterious aspect of a multifaceted phenomenal reality) constitutes the deep message conveyed by this tultul.
Through symbolic representations, this seven-night epic sings of repetitive shamanic Voyages followed by the hero’s marital alliances with Ladies who are Good Doers in the world they all inhabit. His actions stand as a symbolic behavior set in contrast to the threats posed by the Evil Doers (Mäsamang Taw).
The ritual chant thus teaches the Pala’wan principles of nonviolence, compassion, and mutual respect toward all living beings, while revealing to us an “animist ontology,” as defined by Philippe Descola.
Gradually, this worldview emerges through the epic composition sung by Usuy, a beloved shaman and admired singer of tales from the Mäkägwaq and Tämlang valleys, whose artistic mastery transposed the Highlanders’ ontology into fiction. Usuy’s narrative was first transcribed in the Palawan language in 1971 by Nicole Revel and a young singer of tales, Mäsinu Intaräy. The first printed version was Nicole Revel’s French translation (1983). The epic was subsequently translated into Tagalog by Edgar Maranan and Nicole Revel (1991).
Nicole Revel
French National Centre for Scientific Research (emerita)
Works Cited
Descola, Philippe. Par de-là nature et culture. Paris: Gallimard, 2005.
— La composition des mondes: entretiens avec Pierre Charbonnier. Paris: Flammarion, 2014.
Kudaman. Une épopée Palawan chantée par Usuj. Translated by Nicole Revel. La Haye/Paris, Mouton, Les Cahiers de l’Homme, 1983.
Kudaman, Isang Epikong Palawan na Inawit ni Usuy. Translation in Tagalog by E. B. Maranan & N. Revel-Macdonald. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1991.
Resources
Publications on epics by Nicole Revel (from 1971 to 2025)
Books
Nicole REVEL-MACDONALD
1979, Le Palawan. Phonologie, Catégories, Morphologie, Paris, selaf, 280 p., 2 cartes, 10 photos.
1983, Kudaman. Une épopée Palawan chantée par Usuj, La Haye/Paris, Mouton, Les Cahiers de l’Homme, 385 p., 11 illustr. A. Fer, 1 disque flexible.
1991, Kudaman, Isang Epikong Palawan na Inawit ni Usuy, (Translation in Tagalog by E. B. Maranan & N. Revel-Macdonald), Ateneo de Manila University Press, Quezon City, 401 p.
Nicole REVEL
1990-1991-1992, Fleurs de Paroles, Histoire Naturelle Palawan, 3 tomes, Peeters-France/ SELAF, Coll. Ethnosciences (314, 317, 323) :
[tome I : Les Dons de Nägsalad, 1990, 385 p.
tome II : La Maîtrise d’un Savoir et l’Art d’une Relation, 1991, 372 p.
tome III : Chants d’Amour / Chants d’Oiseaux, 1992, 208 p.].
2000, The Quest for a Wife. A Palawan Epic Sung by Mäsinu / La quête en épouse.Une épopée palawan chantée par Mäsinu. Mämiminbin, Paris, Editions UNESCO/Langues & Mondes-L’Asiathèque, 440 p., [édition trilingue palawan-français-anglais], 1 CD, illustrations graphiques, 8 photos de Quincy Castillo.
2005, avec la collaboration de Alain Martenot, Olivier Tourny Gérard Rixhon, Talib Sangogot, Harry Arlo Nimmo: Le Voyage au ciel d’un heros sama / The Voyage to Heaven of a Sama Hero. Silungan Baltapa, Geuthner, Paris, (édition trilingue : Sinama-français-anglais), 370 p., 4 photos noir et blanc, 1 DVDvidéo.(1fichier son : chant en intégrale + 1 fichier 110 photos diaporama avec récit (fr./angl) Réalisation A. Martenot & N. Revel).
2017, Les Arts de la Parole des Montagnards Pala’wan. Une Mémoire vivante en Asie du Sud-Est / Pala’wan Verbal Arts. A Living Memory in South-East Asia, Geuthner, trilingual multimedia book (Pal/Fr/Engl), 316 p., 10 DVDRoms.
2026, (à paraitre), La Nuit, ce jour sans soleil ? Les Montagnards palawan, une manière d’être au monde, Collection Anthropologie de la Nuit, A. Monod ed., Nanterre, 150 p. + Documents multimédia en ligne.
Nicole REVEL Auteur & Éditeur
1992, Chants alternés Asie du Sud-Est, à Jacques Dournes, Dam BO, Sudestasie Bibliothèque, Textes, réunis par Nicole Revel. 13 langues et traduction, 8 illustrations, 265 p.
1993, Pour une Anthropologie des voix, N. Revel et D. Rey-Hulman (eds.), inalco-L’Harmattan, Paris, 375 p.
1993, « Épopées », Cahiers de Littérature Orale, CLO 32, Inalco , Mars, Paris, 205p.
1993-1994, Interaction oral-écrit : modes de composition ; modes de transmission lors de la performance ; modes de transcription, Centre de Recherche sur l’Oralité, Inalco, livret de 87p. (en collaboration avec C. Servan-Schreiber).
1994-1995, Épopées et Récits de Fondation, Paris, Centre de Recherche sur l’Oralité, inalco, livret de 102 p. (en collaboration avec C. Servan-Schreiber)
1995-1996-1997 (en collaboration avec C. Servan-Schreiber), Épopées orales, semi-littéraires et littéraires : Les représentations des héros. Images poétiques, images graphiques, formules mélodiques et rythmiques, Paris, Centre de Recherche sur l’Oralité, Inalco, livret double, 134p.
1998, « Épopées. Littératures de la voix », Diogène, Revue internationale des Sciences Humaines, n°181, Janvier-Mars, 136 p.
Nicole REVEL, Author & Guest Editor
1998, Diogenes, “Epics Literatures of Voice”, Number 181, vol. 46/, Bergham Books, New York. Oxford, 159 p.
1998, Diogenes, “Epics Literatures of Voice”, Number 181, vol. 46/, Bergham Books, New York. Oxford, 159 p.
2005, Literature of Voice: Epics in the Philippines. [Proceedings of the 2000 Conference in Ateneo de Manila University], N Revel, ed., Office of the President Publication, 236 p., 32 photos,1 video-disk of the performances.
2006, On Memory: Processes and supports (A thematic issue of Indian Folklife (IFL) on Indianologist Research in France, 7 articles), Indian Folklore Support Centre, Madras, 23p.
2013, Songs of Memory in Islands of Southeast Asia, N. Revel ed. Cambridge Scholars Publishing Ltd, 345p. + eBook available for contributors and libraries only.
Articles on Epics
1974, « La tradition orale des Palawan : enquête sur le terrain, esquisse d’une définition des genres », ASEMI, V. 4, pp. 67-79.
1975, “ Oral literature among the Palawan of the Mäkägwaq Valley”, Dialogue for Development, F. Demetrio, S.J. (ed,) Xavier University, Cagayan de Oro, pp. 441-453.
1976, « Un exemple de poésie lyrique palawan : Kulilal ät Taw ät Suluk », L’Homme, XVI/2-3 (avril-septembre), pp. 129-150.
1977, « Les épopées palawan : fonction sociale et contenu culturel », ASEMI, VI/1, pp. 45-57 [Communication au Congrès des Orientalistes, México, 1976].
1987, 1991, [en collaboration avec Dr. José Maceda] Philippines Palawan Highlands Music/ Musique des Hautes-Terres palawan, Collection CNRS/Musée de l’Homme, 1 disque 33 t, 1 livret 8 p., 11 illustrations, éd. bilingue Français/English [2e éd. sur CD].
1990, [en collaboration avec J. Dournes] « Asie du Sud-Est », Le Grand Atlas des Littératures, Encyclopædia Universalis, section“ Les Littératures de la Voix ”, Paris, pp. 98‑103.`
1993, « Problématique de l’épopée. Routes terrestres et maritimes », Les Routes de la Soie. Patrimoine commun, identités plurielles, unesco, Collection Mémoire des Peuples, pp. 99-109. [Colloque : “Les Routes de la Soie : Problèmes scientifiques et culturels”, Fondation Singer-Polignac, 13 mai 1992].
1993, « Épopées », Cahiers de Littérature Orale (CLO) N°32 N. Revel (éd.), inalco, mars 1993 Éditorial sur « Les Epopées » pp. 7-13.
Compte rendu de l’ouvrage de R. N. Hamayon: La chasse à l’âme. Esquisse d’une théorie du chamanisme sibérien, pp. 181-185.
1993, « Épopée » (N. Revel et al.) Encyclopaedia universalis, Nouvelle édition pour DVDrom & édition imprimée, pp. 574-581.
1993, Pour une Anthropologie des Voix, N. Revel & D. Rey-Hulman (éds.), inalco-L’Harmattan, Paris, 375 p. In memoriam : Jacques Dournes. p. 8; Avant-propos pp. 11-13; « Esthétique des voix épiques, Palawan, Philippines », pp. 109- 134.
1996b, “ Kudaman. Oral Epic in the Palawan Highlands”, Oral Tradition 11/1 (octobre 1996) (L. Honko special ed.) “Epics Along the Silk Roads“, [Mental Text and the notion of Multiple Draft (Original title), A Unesco Workshop in Turku, Finland], pp. 108-132.
1998, « C’est comme dans un rêve… Épopées et chamanisme de chasse. Île de Palawan, Philippines », in Diogène, numéro thématique : “Les Épopées, Littératures de la Voix“, N. Revel éditeur invité, n° 181, pp. 7-21.
“ As if in a Dream… : Epics and Shamanism among Hunters. Palawan Island, the Philippines” Diogenes, “Epics : Literatures of Voice“,N. Revel (ed.), Number 181, vol. 46/1, 159p. Berghahn Books, New York-Oxford, pp. 7-30.
1998, “ Epics along the Maritime Routes of Silk Roads”, Kinaadman (Wisdom), A Journal of the Southern Philippines,Vol. XX, N° 1-4, Miguel A. Bernad S.J.(ed.), Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan, Cagayan de Oro, pp. 101-112.
1998, “The Present Day Importance of Oral Traditions: Their Preservation and Publication”, in R. Schott and W. Heissig (eds.),Oral Traditions.Their Preservation, Publication and Indexing, Abhandlungen der Nordrhein-Westfälischen Akademie der Wissenschaffen 22p.
1998,” Cognitive Anthropology, Folk Knowledge and Oral Literature”. Annex: Oral Epics in the Philippines, a Research Seminar’ in Dialog Prancis – Nusantara. Aneka ragam pendekatan dalan Penalitian ilmu-ilmu sosial dan budaya tentang Asia tengara maritim. Dialogue France-Insulinde. Diversités des approches dans la recherche en sciences sociales et humaines sur l’Asie du Sud-Est maritime ». [Colloque sur la recherche française en Indonésie, CEDUST, Jakarta, 17-20 novembre 1993] C. Pelras éd., CNRS-LASEMA/Yayasan OBOR Indonesia, Jakarta, pp. 119-121 ; pp. 121-123.
2000, “Epic Singing in Palawan Highlands (Philippines), Vocal and Musical Styles”, Inter-cultural Music Studies, vol. 11, K. Reilch (ed.), [International Wokshop on “Epics: Performance and Music”, 7-10 Septembre 1997], Berlin, pp. 191-210, 10 illus.
2000, “The Teaching of the Ancestors”, [Keynote Lecture at the Conference Literature of Voice: Epics in the Philippines, 29 -30 Juin 2000], Budhi pp. 100-110.
2001, “The Teaching of the Ancestors”, Philippines Studies, vol. 49, 3rd Quarter, 2001, Ateneo University Press, pp. 417-428.
2001, « Épopées orales, Littératures orales et Écritures dans l’archipel à l’époque du contact et de nos jours », [Colloque : L’Espagne et le Pacifique, Madrid, 15-19 Novembre 1999], Imperios y Naciones en el Pacífico. La formación de una colonia: Filipinas, Vol 1; Colonialismo e identidad nacional en Filipinas y Micronesia, Vol 2. M. D. Elizalde, J. M. Fradera, L. A. eds., Biblioteca de Historia, 43, CSIC- AEEP, pp. 251-278. (2 vol).
2001, “Palawan Epics”, Mining the Riches of Philippine Life and Culture. A Festchrift in honor of Dr. William Henry Scott, Jesus Peralta ed., Quezon City, Ateneo University Press, pp.133-152.
2001, “The World of Orality’ Chanted Narratives The Living ‘Katha Vachana’ Tradition”, Molly Kaushal ed., [International Workshop under the auspices of UNESCO, 3-7 February 1997] Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New-Delhi, pp. 27-37.
2002, “From singing an epic to a published manuscript”, [Acts of the Panel on Epics, Conference of Borneanists in Brunei,1997],Clifford Sather (ed.), Dayak Studies, UNIMAS, Kota Semarang, Sarawak,12 p.
2003c, (in collaboration with O. Tourny), “A Poetic and Musical Approach to Sung Narratives. A Comparison between Ifugao hudhud and Sama Dilaut kata-kata ofTawi-Tawi (Philippines)”, [Acts of the International Symposium on A search in Asia for a New Theory of Music 15-21 February, 2002, Quezon City] José Buenconsejo (ed). University of the Philippines Center for Ethnomusicology publication, Quezon City, pp. 271-290.
2003d, “How to Project Time in Space in an Oral Composition; Introduction to a Tala-andig Bukidnon epic: Ulaging: Tumulin ku Kayamag ‘Strong Wind’ », Kinaadman “Wisdom”, Silver Jubilee Issue, Vol XXV,n° 2, , pp 1-15.
2004b, « Epics: Literature of Voice / Épopées: Littératures de la Voix ». [Colloque International, Cutural Diversity and Indigenous Identity. Oral, Written Expressions and New Technologies. IdeUnesco, Decade of the World Autochtonous People, D. Stanton & B. Glowczewski Barker (eds.), CDRom + on line.
2005, “Safeguarding an Intangible Heritage in the Philippines”, pp. XVII-XIX. ‘The Teaching of the Ancestors’ in:Literature of Voice: Epics in the Philippines N Revel, ed., Office of the President Publication, 236 p., 32 photos, 1 video-disk, pp.1-21.
2005, « Preamble / Préambule », pp. 13-21. « Music, Ritual Action and Felicity», pp.231-233. « La musique, l’action rituelle, la félicité pp. 179-182. (En collaboration avec Olivier Tourny).
« Le récit, la musique, les paroles », in Le Voyage au ciel d’un héros Sama, Geuthner, Paris, (édition trilingue : sinama, français, english),370p, 4 photos noir et blanc, 1 DVDvidéo. pp. 125-148.
2005f, “Literature of Voice: Epics in the Philippines”. [Proceedings of the 2000 Conference in Ateneo de Manila University], N Revel, ed., Office of the President Publication, 236 p., 32 photos,1 video-disk of the performances.
2006a, “Memory of Voice”, [selected papers from the 10-ICAL (Part 1), Keynote lecture”, published by The Linguistic Society of the Philippines], Philippine Journal of Linguistics, Vol. 37, N°1(June Issue) Manila, pp.1-33. On line: http://www.sil.org/asia/philippines/ical.htm]
2007, “Singing Hudhud, the Words and the Music”, Hudhud and Noh. A Dialogue of Cultures, Colloquia and Performances, Amparo Adelina C. Umali, Naohiko Umewaka & Sario del Rosario (eds.), University of the Philippines Center for International Studies, Japan Foundation, Manila, pp. 52-61.
2008, « Safeguarding » The Manual on Oral Traditions and Expressions », Ch. 6, sous la direction de Dr. Ricks Smeets, Directeur du Patrimoine Immatériel, Unesco, Paris, (25p).
2009, “Heroic Characters in Philippines Oral Epics as Models of Leadership”, Indonesians and their Neighbors. Festschrift in Honor of Helena Revunenkova and Alexander Ogloblin, Maria Stanyukovich ed. & compiler, MAE, Kunstkamera, Saint Petersburg, pp. 196-208.
2011, « Le chant de la mémoire », sous la direction de C. Jacob, Lieux de savoirs 2, Les mains de l’intellect, Albin Michel, Paris, pp.472- 493.
2011, « L’expérience sensible et son devenir abstrait. Comment deux amis ont lié d’amitié deux disciplines », [Keynote lecture, Claude Lévi-Strauss hier et aujourd’hui, Intersection, vol 30, n°1, Sophie Stévance éd., Toronto, pp. 29-64.
2013, « La nature et l’inspiration créatrice. Résonnances » / “Nature and Creative Inspiration. Reverberation », Philippines, Archipel des Echanges / Philippines, an Archipelago of Exchange, Catalogue de l’exposition au Musée du quai Branly, (ed. Fr.); (ed. Eng.), Actes Sud, Arles, pp.25-35.
2013, “The Philippine Epics and Ballads MultimediaArchive”, Oral Tradition, Volume 28, N°2, pp.371-378,+ eCompanion.
http://journal.oralTradition.org/issues/28ii/revel#my Gallery-pictures(5)
2013c, “Gong Ensembles and Rituals around South China Sea”, selected papers of the 1rst International Gongs and Bamboo Music Festival, Verne de la Peña ed, MUSIKA JORNAL 9, pp. 2-48.
2015 « La littérature orale et la vie. Don et don en retour », La « Méthode Condo » Héritages et actualités de l’expérience ethnographique, J-M. de Grave & G. Gallenga (éds.), Paris, les Indes savantes, pp.197-213.
2015, (On line), “Intangible Heritage and Digital Humanities. The realms of Music and Literature of the Voice”, [2ndSingapour Heritage Science Conference], February 15-16, Chairs. Andrea Nanetti & Cheong Siew Ann, Nangnyang Technological University (NTU), Singapour. (48min.18 vidéo of the lecture with PTTprojection) www.paralimes.ntu.edu.sg/newevents/HeritageandtheCreativeIndustry/Pages/Videos.aspx
2015, “From Vivid to Virtual Memory, an Example of Documentary Linguistics: The Philippine Epics and Ballads Multimedia Archive: A new Website”, (12–ICAL), Asia Pacific Linguistics, I Wayan Arka, Ni Luh Nyoman Seri Malini, Ida Ayu Made Puspani(eds), ANU, Camberra, 7, pp.127-133. http://pacling.anu.edu.au/materials/SAL/APL019-SAL005.pdf
2017, “Digital Humanities for the Sama Dilaut. A Joint Venture,” Perspectives on Bajau/Sama Diaspora, Mohd. Anis Md Nor (ed.), [International Conference and Lepa Festival], Tun Sakaran Museum, Sabah Museum Monograph Volume 13, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, Ch 3., pp. 25-36., 4 graphs.
2017, “How Can an Epic Be Reliable for the Historian?” “Mindanao History in the Context of National History”, Journal of History LXIII January-December 2017, Philippine National Historical Society, Inc., edited by Rolando O. Borrinaga (Issue Editor) and Bernardita Reyes Churchill (Executive Editor), pp. 109-132.
2017, “Mäsinu Intaräy”, (the life of a Pala’wan Singer of Tales, Gawad Manglilikha ng Bayan, (National Living Treasure 1993), Corazon Alvina (ed.), National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Intramuros, Manila,12p., (unpublished).
2021, « Un aède en devenir. Immersion Mimèsis, Travail, Inspiration », SAVOIRS, éd. Christian Jacob, éd., pp. 472- 493 ;
Humanités numériques, OpenEdition et les Éditions de l’EHESS, Paris, 21p.
https-//savoirs.app/en/articles/le-chant-de-la-mémoire
2021, en collaboration avec Deirdre Bolger, « L’art vocal de deux aèdes pala’wan en Asie du sud-Est insulaire. Contextes relationnels, intentionnalités et expressions artistiques ». Dossier Couleurs sonores, coordonné par Luc Charles-Dominique, Cahiers d’Ethnomusicologie, 34, Genève, pp.137-157. <www.adem.ch/ce34>
2022, in collaboration with D. Bolger, “Ulit, a Shamanic Healing Ritual following the Commemoration of the Master of Flowers Tamwäy ät Ämpuq ät Burak in Palawan Highlands. Dialogism, Poly-glossy, Pluri-vocality, Spectral analysis”, Verne de la Peña & Ramón Santos (eds.), Musika Jornal15, UP. College of Music, Quezon City, pp.103-140. For 18 figures and related sounds: https://musikajornal.upethnom.com/ulit-revel/
2024, “Word Music. Ilanän Raiding and Oral Memory in Pala’wan Highland Culture”, The Sulu Zone: Maritime Heritages and Present-day Cultural Complexity. Essays in Honor of Ricardo D. Trimillos, Desiree Quintero, Wayland Quintero, and Mayco Santaella Convenors & Editors. Malaysia, pp.283-314.
2025-1994, “Palawan”, CCP Encyclopaedia of Philippine Art, Volume II: Peoples of the Philippines, Nicanor Tiongson, editor-in-chief, new augmented edition, Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Manila, E-publication. https://epa.culturalcenter.gov.ph/encyclopedia/
2025, “A Night-Long-Lasting Song among two Sulu Cultures. Highlanders of Southern Palawan & Sea Nomads of Tawi-Tawi (Insular Southeast Asia)” Leonard Muellner ed., Classical continuum Harvard University
https://continuum.fas.harvard.edu/a-night-long-lasting-song-among-two-sulu-cultures/.
2017, Chapiter 2 on TULTUL ( Epics) Pala’wan Verbal Arts. A Living Memory in South-East Asia Les Arts de la Parole des Montagnards Pala’wan. Une Mémoire vivante en Asie du Sud-Est /,Geuthner, Ouvrage multimédia trilingue (Pal/Fr/Engl), 316 p., 10 DVDRoms.
2026, (à paraitre), Chapitre IV « La Nuit chante » in : La Nuit, ce jour sans soleil… ? Les Montagnards palawan, une manière d’être au monde, Collection Anthropologie de la Nuit, A. Monod ed. , Société d’Ethnologie, Université Paris-Nanterre, 150 p. + Vidéo de 1h 30, Nuit 3 de la performance de l’épopée : Datuq ät Pänärangsangan « Le Datuq-du-Couchant » chantée par Buntäli (en ligne) et sur le site web BOX 15 Nuit 3 15. 3 Pal-Engl.
Disk:
1987, [en collaboration avec J. Maceda ] Philippines Musique des Hautes-Terres palawan / Palawan Highland Music, Collection CNRS/Musée de l’Homme,(Livret. Pal./Fr./Engl)
1991, 2e éd.augmentée (CD + livret.)
Multimedia
2004, Le chant d’une épopée palawan: Littératures de la voix 1. MämiminbinCDRom synchronisant 45’ de chant, la transcription en Palawan et deux traductions (Fr./ Engl.) + un hypertexte ((Fr./ Engl.)
2005, The Voyage to Heaven of a Sama Hero / Le Voyage au ciel d’un héros sama. Silungan Baltapa. (trilingue): 1 DVDrom: The Epic: Total sound file in Sinama. – Sea Voyage: Slideshaw with a narrative (Engl./Fr.), in collaboration with Alain Martenot . (Voice in English: H. A. Nimmo; Voix en Français: A. Martenot).
2005, “Literature of Voice: Epics in the Philippines”. [Conference, Ateneo de Manila University], N Revel, (ed.)1 video-disc of the performances on June 29 2000. (Video disk).
2008, « Chanter l’épopée. Témoignage de Mäsinu Intaräy, barde palawan / Epic Singing, in the Words of a Pala’wan Singer of Tales, Mäsinu Intaräy (Philippines) » Film 22’, (in Palawan, sous-titres en Fr. & Engl.).Auteur scientifique & Réalisateur : N. Revel.Images & Animations : Arghiro Paouri, Production LMS, CNRS, Villejuif.
2017, Pala’wan Verbal Arts. A Living Memory in South-East Asia / Les Arts de la Parole des Montagnards Pala’wan. Une Mémoire vivante en Asie du Sud-Est., Geuthner, Ouvrage multimédia (trilingue: Pal./Franç./Engl.), 316p., 10DVDRoms (compressed in
Digital Humanities
2011-2025, Multimedia Collection of Philippines Epics and Ballads
The safeguarding of an intangible heritage of epics / ballads among 16 National Cultural Communities in the archipelago, housed at the Pardo de Tavera Special Collections, Rizal Library, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City. 8091 p. printed in 34 volumes, 2028 photographs, 240 audio-recordings, 74 articles, 54 videos; 240 cassettes, 53 optical discs, 8 external hard drive with the original website digital collection and raw audio files + 3 back-up copies of the site on SSDs and copies of the texts, songs, articles, photos & videos related to respective 16 ethnolinguistic groups) on DVDRoms. A specific server and a website monitored at the Rizal library of Ateneo de Manila University, on line from 2011 to 2019. Restored and enriched in 2023-2024: https://epics.ateneo.edu
1995-2015, Other originals and digitized copies deposited for safeguarding at the Département audiovisuel de la Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), Tolbiac, Paris.
2015, Fonds Nicole Revel-Macdonald au CREM, Enregistrements inédits et édités effectués par ou en collaboration avec N. Revel en Asie du sud-est insulaire, principalement aux Philippines (auprès des Pala’wan) ainsi qu’en Indonésie (sur l’ile de Bornéo-Kalimantan Est Populations Kenya, Kayan et Modang) de 1970 à 1984. http://archives.crem-cnrs.fr/archives/fonds/CNRSMH_Revel/
2024, Fonds Nicole Revel-Macdonald in The PRATINADA Website, Sonic and Musical Collections from Southeast Asia (648 items) /https://pratinada.net/ Recordings on Philippines (Maceda, Revel, Macdonald, Rosario Lorrin): 501 items
Bibliography supplied by Nicole Revel, French National Centre for Scientific Research (emerita).
The six nights of songs were recorded (and corresponding synopses prepared) by Nicole Revel-Macdonald and Charles Macdonald in 1972 during a year of fieldwork in the Highlands. The recording of the second night, along with the transcription, translation, and twenty related articles, can be accessed at the Multimedia Collection of Philippine Epics and Ballads Ateneo de Manila University website: http://epics.ateneo.edu.. Sixteen Palawan epics are in Box 15. See 15.10 for the Kudaman narrated prelude and 15.11 for the second night of the epic song. It is possible to listen to the sung performance and read the transcription and/or translation simultaneously.
Screenshots from the website:
Further information:
15.10
Ling. Group PALAWAN Tamlang-Mangkungän
Genre’s Name TULTUL
Title Kudaman (narrated prelude to the epic)
Chanter(s) Usuy
Recorder(s) Nicole Revel-Macdonald and Charles Macdonald
Filmer(s)
Transcriber Nicole Revel and Josê Rilla
Translator(s) Nicole Revel
Location Tabud Date 1971
Audio Tapes 1 digitized tape (19’ 52”)
Video Tapes Palawan Culture, an Overview by N. Revel
Mss Prelude 10p. in Palawan; 11p. in French; 20 articles
Album 379 digitized photos by N. Revel, C. Macdonald
Coordinator(s) Nicole Revel, CNRS
15.11
Ling. Group PALAWAN Tamlang-Mangkungän
Genre’s Name TULTUL
Title Kudaman Une épopée palawan chantée par Usuy (French edition 1983, EHESS, Paris)
“Isang Epikong Palawan na inawit ni Usuy” (Tagalog edition 1991, 1994 Ateneo Univ. Press
Chanter(s) Usuy
Recorder(s) Nicole Revel-Macdonald and Charles Macdonald
Filmer(s)
Transcriber Nicole Revel and Mäsinu Intaräy
Translator(s) to French: Nicole Revel-Macdonald; to Tagalog: Edgar B. Maranan and Nicole Revel
Location Tabud Date 1971
Audio Tapes 1 DVD of the 2nd night (7 hours)
Video Tapes Palawan Culture, an Overview by N. Revel
Mss 91p. in Palawan; 87p. in French; 85p. in Tagalog; 401p. (published); 21p. notes; 12 articles
Album 379 digitized photos by N. Revel, C. Macdonald
Coordinator(s) Nicole Revel, CNRS
Synopsis by Nicole Revel (French National Centre for Scientific Research, emerita) of the Kudaman tultul as sung by Usuy, a beloved shaman and admired singer of tales from the Mäkägwaq and Tämlang valleys.
Narrated Prelude
As the narrative begins, two cousins go to the river to fish. One of them, Tuwan Putliq, disappears; she will become the heroine of the epic.
Tuwan Putliq’s father, Muq‑Mutaq, is deeply worried and asks her husband, Mutaq‑Mutaq, to search for her. The latter, however, makes no move to do so.
A message is therefore sent to Känakän ät Inarak (Young‑Man‑of‑Cumulus‑Clouds), who immediately goes to the pool of water. He notices a crocodile scale and finally succeeds in retrieving a tiny fingernail of the young woman, grasping it from between the deepest teeth of the leader of the crocodiles, Pägibutän ät Bwaya.
The girl’s father had promised Känakän ät Inarak that he would give him his daughter if he took these risks; he therefore allows the young man to take the nail back to his home.
The young woman has been placed inside a quid box, where she is suffocating. She opens it with a sound like crackling bamboo and reappears; the house glitters like the rising sun.
Chant I
Tuwan Putliq thus becomes the wife of the Young‑Man‑of‑Cumulus‑Clouds, as she owes her life to him. This theme is immediately followed by the attempted seduction of the Young‑Man‑of‑Cumulus‑Clouds by Linamin ät Säqitan Dagat (Lady‑Spirits‑of‑the‑Sea), even though she is the spouse of Kudaman. Here, the hero appears for the first time.
Confronted with this act of adultery, Tuwan Putliq leaves the Young‑Man‑of‑Cumulus‑Clouds. Meanwhile, Kudaman sends Linamin ät Säqitan Dagat back to her father, Surutan Tamparan (the Sultan‑of‑the‑Shore), without comment—a repudiation.
As Kudaman departs, he meets Tuwan Putliq and offers her a quid to chew. This gesture symbolizes attraction and implies a request for marriage. When she accepts the quid, her consent is made clear, and she becomes his first wife.
When Surutan Tamparan discovers his daughter’s transgression, he threatens to cut off her head at the Scissors‑of‑the‑World. She submits to the punishment but emerges from the ordeal more glamorous than ever and eager to meet Kudaman again.
A new episode presents Mutaq‑Mutaq visiting Kudaman to propose sealing a blood pact (sangduguq). To ritually establish their brotherhood (mägtipusäd), they exchange gifts and are henceforth able to live under the same roof.
Kudaman convenes a meeting to prepare a rice‑beer drinking feast. He prepares 180 jars, and gongs are played to invite people from all around.
Before the feast takes place, the Sultan‑of‑the‑Shore pronounces judgment on the abduction of his daughter. The fine is set at 180 plates. He reinforces this ruling with an additional judgment to prevent any conflict between Kudaman and Mutaq‑Mutaq, now blood‑brothers.
Kudaman then leaves on a journey to another world in search of beautiful clothes. He rides Linggisan, the Purple Heron, his pet and alter ego. As he will be absent for seven years, he entrusts his wife to Mutaq‑Mutaq, her former husband.
Linamin ät Limukän (Lady‑Emerald‑Dove) sees Kudaman as he flies on his bird carriage, and feels seduced. On his return, Kudaman stops and carries her away in his quid box.
Welcomed by Tuwan Putliq, he is informed that Linamin ät Säqitan Dagat, his former wife, has returned and, through a pact, has become Tuwan Putliq’s sister. Kudaman then introduces Lady‑Emerald‑Dove. The three women become sisters and exchange rings.
The hero departs once more, entrusting his two new wives (duwäy) to his first wife (puqun), the eldest among them.
During this voyage, Linamin ät Käturabisan (Lady‑Pine‑Trees) is struck by the beauty of the bird and, by extension, its master. Upon his return, Kudaman stops, takes her as his fourth wife, and the young women treat one another as sisters.
Chant II
This chant is introduced, annotated, and translated into French by Nicole Revel-Macdonald (1983), and translated into Tagalog by Edgar Maranan and Nicole Revel‑Macdonald (1991).
To celebrate the rice‑beer drinking ceremony, the community collectively agrees to build a large meeting house (kälang bänwa). Gongs are played, joyfully inviting people from all around. With his hands pressed together, the hero magically fills the jars with rice beer.
A sudden dream interrupts the feast, revealing the imminent arrival of threatening pirates intent on capturing Kudaman’s four ravishing wives. Kudaman, a man of wisdom, seeks to avoid conflict, knowing that violence would constitute a moral failing toward Ämpuq, the Master.
When the Ilanän arrive in great numbers, Kudaman and his household are ready to face them. Their courtesy and refined peaceful manners contrast sharply with the outsiders’ brutality and vulgar violence.
Violence nonetheless erupts when Mutaq‑Mutaq, unable to restrain himself despite his magical devices, enters the fight. He is followed by the brave the Young‑Man‑of‑Cumulus‑Clouds (Känakän ät Inarak). Finally, Kudaman himself will join the battle to save them. Before taking leave of his four wives, he gives them a basil flower as a token: if it withers, their husband has perished; if it blooms, he lives.
The combat becomes a magical contest between a violent foreign chief and a wise autochthonous headman, ending with Kudaman’s victory and the Ilanän’s death.
Harmony is restored and life resumes. On the return journey, they visit Limbuhanän, Kudaman’s first cousin, who recently married Lady‑Pine‑Trees. After seven years, when the party arrives home, the wives’ welcome of the hero exemplifies decorum—calm, dignity, and subtle tenderness.
Before the drinking feast can resume, a jural discussion (bisara) concerning Limbuhanän’s marriage must be held. Advice to the young couple (usyat) is reiterated according to the code of proper conduct between husband and wife (Adat ät mägäsawa). Duties toward the affines and the main principles of the Law (Saraq) are restated.
The music of gongs resumes, and the women dance the taräk. After three nights, the jars are opened and the “Custom of the jar” (Adat ät siburan), accompanied by jar songs, is performed.
The Sultan‑of‑the‑Shore, his seven wives, and numerous followers are present. As Kudaman’s father‑in‑law, Surutan Tamparan is invited to drink first, in respect for elders and affines. Each participant drinks in turn, experiences a state of ebriety, and is carefully attended during the trance.
Kudaman drinks last, under the care of Linamin ät Bungkanak (Lady‑Hooks). Seduced by her beauty and delicacy, Kudaman plans to take her as another duwäy.
Out of compassion, Kudaman restores the Ilanän to life by spitting a quid, repeating a mythical gesture associated with the creation of the world. This time, the blood pact consists in laying down arms.
Following a decision by the Supreme Judge, Tuwan Putliq must be cut into two halves, yet she emerges from the ordeal as beautiful as ever. Radja takes leave, followed by Känakän ät Inarak and all the guests, who hope for another feast in the near future.
Chant III
This feast is to take place at the Sultan-of-Another-World’s. Kudaman invites his four wives to comb their hair beautifully and accompany him to the feast. The five of them are carried on their flying mount, Linggisan.
At the feast, they meet once again the Ilanän and their people, who declare they have no aggressive intentions. By turns, the guests become inebriated, and each trip into intoxication is described with its peculiar intensity. However, Limbuhanän asks that the gongs be stopped, for excess could offend Nägsalad, the Weaver.
Then Kudaman undertakes the “Voyage” (Ulit), a shamanic journey to the seventh level of the world, to ask permission from the “Weaver” to drink from the jars.
Ämpuq warns him against any act of violence.
After a general leave-taking, all return to their respective homes.
Chant IV
Before departing to a new world—a new quest for a spouse—Kudaman once more entrusts his secondary wives to Tuwan Putliq, his first wife. She feels sorrowful and begs him not to leave. Despite Mutaq Mutaq’s opposition, Kudaman neither cancels his plans nor restrains his desires.
The hero departs for seven years, offering the basil flower as a sign of his life: if it withers, he is dead; if it blooms, he lives.
A rich merchant welcomes him courteously and presents him with magnificent gold rings with a delicate flower motif. Offered a stay, he declines and takes off to return to his household.
As Kudaman refuses to chew a betel quid, his wives carry him in their arms, shaped like a pillow… but suddenly, he disappears. The four search for him, projecting themselves into the middle space, mingling with stars.
The brave Linamin ät Käginuqan (Lady-Ginuqu-Tree) wishes to reach Nägsalad’s abode to understand and begs him to send the scale.
Kudaman’s magical power is revealed to her by the Weaver. She shares this knowledge with her sisters, and together they approach him and bring him back home.
Upon his return, Kudaman wishes to offer another feast and to invite the Sultan and Säwragar. Linggisan, the flying mount, is sent to fetch them.
During this fourth night of rice wine drinking, Kudaman escapes the vigilance of his four wives and absorbs 180 jars, then sucks the entire stock of sugar cane as an antidote. He turns into a cloud, with Limbuhanän assisting in his “trip.” This time, he falls to the very center of the earth.
Lady-of-Young-Men seizes him in her hand and cures him, wiping his face with a scarf to soothe him and restore consciousness. She offers him a quid. As they are attracted to each other, he decides to bring her back with him in his turban. He introduces her to his four wives, who rejoice: now they are five sisters.
After all the guests have departed, the house turns silent—they are alone.
Chant V
As in the past, and for seven years, Kudaman departs once more to reach the ends of the earth in search of beautiful clothes for his spouses. They are sorrowful and fear the possible arrival of Evil Doers.
Passing through the sky, Linggisan carries his master between its wings and attracts the attention of Linamin ät Balintang, the very beautiful Lady-Sandbar. She is already engaged, however. On his way back, sensitive to her beauty, Kudaman makes her his wife. A gigantic sugar cane with golden leaves, her pet, reminds her of her prior commitment, yet she cannot resist this new attraction.
Kudaman entrusts the sugar cane to deliver the message to the abandoned groom. This abduction of a fiancée (agäw ät tunang) is a transgression that the Customary Law will have to resolve.
Later, Linamin ät Balintang is introduced to the other duwäy as a new spouse; hence they become seven “sisters.”
As the marriage is celebrated and the rice beer feast takes place, Linamin ät Anduwanän (Lady-Ether of Ämpuq’s Abode) falls in love with the bird and its master. During the feast, Limbuhanän and Kudaman refrain from drinking. Kudaman asks his first cousin to fill the jars in the future to ensure the continuity of the ritual commemorating the Master of Paddy Rice.
Chant VI
Mutaq Mutaq is sent to Limbuhanän’s hamlet to organize the next feast. The latter has not forgotten his promise and is already preparing the yeast and jars.
As the celebration begins, the Supreme Judge and the Sultan, together with his seven daughters, attend.
Kudaman, however, decides to depart for an unknown world. Along the way, he captures the love of Linamin ät Mälana(Lady-Oil-of-the-World) and, farther afield, the Lady-of-the-Void.
Upon returning, he introduces these two ladies to the others, and all become sisters.
Once the marriage is celebrated, the rice beer feast is held again. Hawks-Lady attends Kudaman in his inebriated state. By mutual agreement, and in gratitude, he takes her as his tenth wife—a lady with no dowry, as she has no relatives.
Meanwhile, Känakän ät Inarak marries the seventh daughter of the Sultan. For dowry, he gives a river flowing from the sky to the Sultan’s residence, while a Syzygium tree and a grapefruit tree bear the most delicious fruit year-round.
Works Cited
Kudaman. Une épopée Palawan chantée par Usuj. Translated by Nicole Revel. La Haye/Paris, Mouton, Les Cahiers de l’Homme, 1983.
Kudaman, Isang Epikong Palawan na Inawit ni Usuy. Translation in Tagalog by E. B. Maranan & N. Revel-Macdonald. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1991