SIDAY OF GANDARA: RETRIEVAL AND TRANSLATION

Abstract

This study documented, retrieved, translated, and analyzed the siday of Gandara, Samar, to preserve an important form of Waray-Waray oral literature and promote its cultural significance. Employing an ethnolinguistic qualitative research design, the study combined field retrieval, translation, and literary analysis using the New Critical Approach and Reader-Response Approach. Nine recognized paragsiday (poets) from selected barangays of Gandara were identified through purposive field survey and interviews. Their performances were audio- and video-recorded, transcribed, translated from Waray-Waray into English using communicative, lexical borrowing, expansion, and free translation techniques, and subjected to textual analysis. The findings revealed that the collected siday embody the cultural identity, traditions, values, beliefs, and lived experiences of the Gandaranon people. Dominant themes included love, courtship, marriage, perseverance, family, morality, social relationships, and community life, while the poems demonstrated rich use of metaphors, symbolism, imagery, and other poetic devices that reflected indigenous perspectives and collective wisdom. The study also highlighted the declining number of traditional paragsiday and the limited documentation of local literary heritage, emphasizing the urgency of cultural preservation. By translating these literary works into English, the research expands their accessibility to wider audiences while maintaining their cultural authenticity. The study contributes to the preservation of Philippine indigenous literature by providing a documented collection of Gandara siday that can serve as instructional material for literature and language education, a reference for cultural researchers, and a foundation for future studies on regional oral traditions, translation, folklore, and literary heritage. Ultimately, the research reinforces the importance of safeguarding local literary traditions as valuable cultural resources for education, scholarship, and national identity.