Why Some are Pagans and some are Christians

A good many years before Christianity came to Sagada, there lived in Tanulong two brothers. They were called Abaya and Dina-ongan. Abaya was the older and Dina-ongan was his young brother. At that time, people inhabiting that place were very few.

One bright morning they had started out for a place they thought would be better. That place was called Candang (which is at present called Candon) in the province of Ilocos Sur. So they set out on their journey. According to the story, they travelled for many days and finally reached the place where they were bound. But before they reached that place, they had to encounter difficulties on the way. At that time, there were no roads or any modern means of travel. However, that was fate so it did not matter to them. They didn't give up the journey. In spite of their difficulty and the heat of the sun, they pushed forward.

After a perilous journey, they saw many people busy tilling the soil of the mountains. Some were planting rice and some were plowing. The women in that province wore loose strips of cloth which hung down from the waistline to the foot, with another piece of cloth for the top. The lower piece was called pan de ling in the olden times. The men wore pants with their shirts not tucked in.

Upon arriving at that place, they had to make acquaintance for they knew nobody there. The people who knew Christianity invited them to their house. After staying there for some time, these Cambaba (or Christian people) began to ask for information about them. Upon learning that these two brothers were pagans, they began to talk of how to convert them to Christianity. The two brothers didn't know what was going to happen to them. However, the found out later. But on learning of the people's plans, they ran away for fear of God of whom they had never heard before. They had a god called Lumaig, too, but they worshipped in an entirely different way.

But the two brothers were followed by these Cambaba for the sake of making them believe and worship their God in their way. Still, they refused to be converted for fear of the Cambaba's God. So they were still followed. They were followed until they reached Kitang (a mountain just above Tanulong) and there they were caught. The Cambaba people got hold of Abaya, the elder, while Dina-ongan escaped and went back to his town and remained a pagan. But his elder brother was taken back to Candang and baptized. Thus some people came to follow Abaya, a Christian, and some followed Dina-ongan, the pagan.

(As told by Paulina Malugdas)