in.ko.loh
/en-ku-luh/
verb
*to make the water flow / to drain the water through a canal
If you read my previous blogs, i already shared about the folklores of the first two lakes among the 4 lakes in Barangay Ballay in Kabayan, Benguet.
Among these lakes is Inkoloh lake, a.k.a Incolos lake. Our dialect is kalanguya, therefore we will follow what our ancestors named the place, inkoloh.
According to tales, there were set of friends who went hunting, and had to rest by the lake to cook and eat. These hunters were able to catch a mak-wah (deer) and butchered it. One of the hunters went to the lake to wash the intestines. As he cleaned and washed the intestines, he noticed that there were less and less of the intestines left. He then saw that a gigantic animal ate the intestines.
This certain hunter went back to where his friends were and told them what happened. His friends didn’t believed him and thought he hid the intestines for himself. To prove his innocense and what he told them was true, he challenged his friends to go back to the lake so he can show them which really ate the intestines.
The group went back and they dug a canal to drain the water from the lake. As different species of fish swam in the canal, the hunter shook his head saying those were nit what he saw. Until the biggest scaled animal came out (probably a crocodile of some sort), and at last he nodded his head. The said hunters aimed and threw their spears to the said animal. Blood splattered and everything it touched died, including the hunters who killed the animal. As per the story, the only survivor was the hunter who was accused of hiding the intestines.
So, the named ‘Inkoloh’ came from what the hunters did to drain the water from the lake.
Now, when you visit this place, do not look for the lake because all you see is a grassland. The lake is beneath the grassland. Just be careful because it’s more like a quicksand, when you step on it and it cant carry your weight, then you will find yourself beneath it.
Inkoloh lake is just at the base of a mountain called Junior Pulag. From this lake, you can trek for few minutes and you will be on the 4th lake, Latep Ngapoh. I will talk about it in my next blog.
Bevz' Tidbits 