The Story of the Skulls

By You Jin

Bong Amarillo is a small remote village in the mountainous northern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. A sculptor lived there like a hermit.

Filled with burning curiosity about his life and living conditions, I ventured to his house. I was in shock and awe at everything I observed while walking through. Moreover,the sight of four human skulls hanging in his Nipa hut proved to be a disturbing and unnerving experience.

In the past, the aboriginals of Ifugao Province lived on the kill of their hunt. They often hung animal skulls and bones outside their houses to flaunt their hunting skills and their families’wealth. This tradition of hanging animal bones has been kept alive even till today. Some skulls have become dirty and yellowed. The aboriginals of Ifugao Province have also kept their tradition of hanging their ancestors’ skulls.They carefully wrap the skulls with colorful cloth and store them away with reverence. Seldom is there anyone who hangs the skulls outside the house uncovered. Yet,even with the reverence for dearly departed loved ones, a sense of creeping death was hung around the house, freaking people out.

While we were staring at the skulls with horror, the sculptor came and said, “Japanese…” then abruptly blurted out, “World War Two.”

He did not speak English well, so we could only guess the meaning from his simple words. I thought it was during the Second World War that the aboriginals killed the four Japanese invaders.But I still didn’t understand why the Japanese would go to great lengths to invade this small and peaceful village. What had this village gone through during the war?

The answer surprised all of us.

A villager who could speak good English told us that they were four Japanese deserters.They were not willing to be part of the war but they could not revolt. Therefore, they fled to the small village and lived here.They worked hard and helped the people with reclamation and farming, establishing great relationships with the inhabitants here. After the war, they died during an epidemic.

The father of the sculptor was a good friend of the four, so he hung the skulls outside his house in memory of their enduring friendship.

“They were not bloody invaders. They were good friends who helped our fathers in difficult times.”

It turned out that the horrifying skulls simply signified people’s longing for peace and the value of friendship.

(From The Heaven that Is Forgotten, Haitian Publishing House. Translation: Yu Lan)

頭顱骨的故事

文/尤今

呂宋島 Luzon Island

高腳屋 The Nipa hut

伊富高土著 The aboriginals of Ifugao Province

黃村是呂宋島北部山區一個名不見經傳的小村落，有位雕塑家隱姓埋名，隱居于此。

我好奇，也來觀賞他的隱所，走著，看著，驚艷著，贊嘆著。在他居住的高腳木屋外，我赫然看到高高懸掛著的頭顱骨。一共四顆，全是人的頭顱骨。

過去，以狩獵為生的伊富高土著，常常把獸骨掛在屋外，展現自己的狩獵本領，也炫耀自家生活安定富足。如今這種傳統依然沿襲，有些獸骨已經灰黑發黃了。伊富高土著也有保留祖先頭顱骨的風俗，他們慎重地用彩布裹好，虔誠地收藏起來。像眼前這樣毫無遮擋地把頭顱骨懸掛于屋外的，前所未見。一種陰陰纏繞著的死亡氣息，讓人毛骨悚然。

在我們驚駭的注視里，雕塑家走了過來，淡淡地說道：“日本人……”接著又說：“第二次世界大戰……”

他英語不靈光，無法清楚交代。我推測，興許是二戰時期，村人合力殺了這四個人。但心里還是不解，這些日本人為什么要翻山越嶺闖入這個深山野嶺的小村莊呢？這個宛若世外桃源的山村，當時是不是也受到戰火的殘酷蹂躪？

答案最終是個令人錯愕的驚嘆號。

英語好一點的村民告訴我，當年闖入山村的，其實是四個日本逃兵。他們不滿侵略戰爭，但又無法起義。登陸后，他們便遠遠地逃到這里，隱居于這塊凈土。他們孜孜不倦地幫助村民墾荒、耕作，篳路藍縷，和村民建立了和諧的關系。戰后，他們繼續留居，并死于一場流行病。

雕塑家的父親和他們感情很好，特地將他們的頭顱骨懸掛于屋外，以此當作“世世代代的友情紀念”。

村民說：“他們不是手沾鮮血的侵略者，他們是我們父輩相濡以沫的好友。”

森森白骨，別樣地記錄了人們對和平的向往和對友情的珍重！