bolalangaw n. [Old Boie’nen]
1. Rainbow: The multicolored arc appearing after rain, regarded as a celestial being or bridge.
“Maoyay a bolalangaw sa langtad.”
“The rainbow over the lowlands is beautiful.”
2. Agent of transformation: In Boie’nen cosmology, the bolalangaw is a living arc that descends to drink from lakes, rivers, and even fruits. It is credited with both blessings and theft — it leaves binolalangaw coconuts full of meat but emptied of water, and is said to siphon color into flowers and minerals.
Etymology: Proto-Central-Philippine balangaw “rainbow”, with Boie’nen o > u shift and insertion of -la- as ritual intensifier. Lit. “the one that bends the light.”
Cultural note: Pointing at bolalangaw was taboo; one’s finger might rot or be “drunk” by it. Children were told to bite their finger if they pointed accidentally. Offerings were left after storms to appease it. The parakpakan ruins are sometimes called tinogpa’an nin bolalangaw “where the rainbow perched,” explaining missing bell.