Tree Spirits of Patpatayin

History and Legends
Like many of the other traditions of Timanduk, it is believed that the cultivation of a patpatayin was taught to them by the great Lumawig. When he married the human Fucan, he honored their union by planting a pine cone near their home. “Let us not be selfish,” he told his wife, “and give thanks to the spirits who approve of our union.” From there a pine tree grew, and it is from here that the demigod communed with his fellow spirits.

Each village has a patpatayin. It is a grove of trees, usually pine, although this varies by altitude. All trees that have been planted in the patpatayin were done as part of a couple’s marriage ceremonies. These marriage trees thus represent the collective spirit of the village. And so the grove is sacred to its people: all oaths uttered here bear divine weight.

Relationship with People of the Island
Patpatayin literally means “place of slaughter.” This name was given to these man-made groves for one reason: all sacred activities performed here must involve an animal offering. Sometimes, for the smallest of oaths, a simple gift of preserved strips of pork is sufficient. But any issue of passing significance involves the sacrifice of a live chicken. The most important of ceremonies, such as weddings that are not presided over by volcano priests, will involve the sacrifice of a carabao.

If the tree spirits accept the sacrifice, they will manifest and join the ceremony. Usually, this is the spirit of the oath maker’s marriage tree, or that of their parents or grandparents, and most commonly manifest in one of two forms: The first one is a bitnayan, or python spirit. It slithers slowly from a marriage tree, enormous, constricting, but non-threatening. The second one is an ambaboy, a lord of pigs. It is larger than a typical wild boar, but is regal instead of temperamental. Neither form means anything that the other does not—no babaylan has yet determined if one omen is better.

Important Festivals
No festivals are held to specifically honor the tree spirits of patpatayin. Rather, they are invoked to witness the oaths of the people of Timanduk, as they deal with spirits and each other. If a ceremony is required, and it is outside the domain of Nulkab, it is a ceremony that will be witnessed by the tree spirits. On the other hand, marriages are important festivals for the growth of a patpatayin. During these momentous occasions, a new tree is planted onto the grove, effectively adding a new spirit to the community.

But what about divorces? Their tree remains, for even in its end, the time the couple shared is valued by the spirits.