Myth and Legends

The Rice

This legend is often narrated by the old folks living in the town of Mambajao in the island of Camiguin. According to them, during early Chinese times, many merchandises flowing into the country were brought in by the huge galleons coming all the way from China. On their return voyage to China, they would in turn ship out locally made goods such as spices, tobacco and copra out of the country. One time, one of these galleons carried sacks of rice from Mindanao and was to make a stopover in Cagayan before heading north all the way to China.

As the ship passed by the turbulent waters surrounding Camiguin to reach Cagayan, a strong typhoon caught up with it. The ship, with all it’s men and crew and the cargo of rice capsized and fell into the bottom of the sea. As time passed by the whole incident was forgotten by everybody. But there came a time when the village folks of Mambajao experienced famine in their lands. The locust destroyed all their crops that left them with no rice to harvest upon which they depended on their daily sustenance. Thus, the people, led by the parish priest, thought of conducting a prayer vigil.

They brought out their patron saint and carried the statue around their village. Whenever they went the folks and other bystanders would bow down and pray. Early the next morning, the people were awakened by gusty wind and raging rain. Those living close by the seashore had shut off their windows. Peeping out once or so from their windows, they were also the first to notice the sudden change in the colour of the sea. The waters turned black and even the once white sandy beaches also became black in colour. When the storm subsided many of them proceeded to the shore to have a closer look.

They were surprised to see piles of small hills of what appeared to be black sands. When they examined it, they found out they weren’t exactly sands after all. They were much larger in size, elongated and resembled rice grains more than anything else they could think of but for the black coating. One of them tried tasting it as popped a few beads into her mouth while everyone watched. “It’s rice!” she exclaimed as she was followed still by another of the elders who confirmed her finding. Soon word got around and when everyone learned it was rice grains.

Many of the men folks came running with their bamboo sieves and filled them up with the dark rice grains they gathered by handfuls. Then they brought it home to strain and filter off the sands that mixed with the grains. Some who remained doubtful took a bite of the grains themselves before cooking them. Black Rice! God heard their call and helped. God sent them help and did not abandon the village. Thus the faith people of Mambajao grew deeper. Why the rice turned black remains a mystery to them, but that there was a rice when they needed it most was held as a miracle.

Up to now, if one where to go to Mambajao, Camiguin one could still gather some of this black rice along the shore which tastes sweeter and yummier than the ordinary white rice.