By: Gian Paolo Carantes-San Juan
My Great Grandmother Martina Salming was a beauty of her own back in her day, her exotic looks were almost universal, she could be mistaken for an Indian, a Cherokee Indian an Arabian or a typical dusky brown Filipina beauty. Her beauty was a prime asset aside from her Rich Ibaloi heritage. Although unaware of her beauty, her wide eyes, aquiline nose and full lips were enough to guarantee her the title of Baguio Carnival Queen of 1923.
Martina Salming or Lola Tinang as my mother and her siblings fondly called her was born to Ibaloi Baknangs Salming Piraso and Sabina Carino in 1902. She was said to be by my Lolo Andy her firstborn, that she was one of the first students of the CICM missionaries before they set up the Famous Saint Louis University Schools in Baguio City, she was lucky to be at least educated a little, for her parents Salming Piraso and Sabina Carino were illiterates.
Orphaned at an early age, Martina grew up under the wing of her aunt Josefa Carino, she was given work in Josefa’s household and farm for some years but was eventually adopted by her uncle Dr. Carino which gave her a taste of the good life and treated her like his own daughter, she lived a privileged life under her uncle.
My lolo Bigong remembers that Martina while lving under the wing of Dr Carino saved him from a legal suit. It was when one of the house helper’s long hair accidentally caught fire from the firewood stove and died from the accident. The parents of the Ilocano house help filed a suit against Dr. Carino but Martina testified that when she saw that the poor woman was on fire and screaming, Martina ran towards the constabulary for help and when they reached the house it was already too late. Martina’s Testimony resulted in Dr Carino’s acquittal.
IBALOI BEAUTY QUEEN
My Lolo Bigong recalls that it was the decision of the Ibaloi clans of the Carinos and the Carantes to make Martina a candidate for the Baguio Carinival Queen pageant. For the pageant she used two costumes, a livit (native ibaloi womans costume) and a gown, her jewelry was borrowed because she did not bother to own jewelry nor did she fancy wearing one since she always thought of herself as a farmer, it was her passion planting different farm stocks.
In any case, she had to wear jewelry since it was a trend among carnival queens to symbolize sophistication and aristocracy. Martina’s escort was also recommended by her uncle, the dashing Dr. Klapp who was a U.S educated Doctor just like Dr. Carino. Dr. Klapp was popular and was a close colleague and a family friend of Dr. Carino
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
Martina met her soon to be husband Juan Carantes another Ibaloi-baknang, just after she won the Baguio Carnival queen title. It was a traditional ibaloi marriage among relatives to preserve the wealth in the family and to carry the belief that one can always expect total and absolute protection from a relative-spouse. They married in the early 30’s, her firstborn Andres “Bigong” a “carbon copy” of his father Juan, was born in 1933 and soon enough their first daughter Mercedes “Piting” (d.2005) was followed by five more siblings namely Jacinta, Alejo “Alex”, Urbano(d.2002), Florita“Warling”-(who was born during the war which explains her nickname) then Inocencia “Sweet” (d.1990).
Early in their marriage Martina and her husband lived briefly with her grandfather “Kiddit” who was married to Samay Piraso but In 1936, the couple eventually built and settled in a two story house in Camp 7 built on one of the earliest torrens titled ancestral lands of the Carino’s directly transferred to Martina and her siblings inherited from their late mother Sabina Carino. To this day, there are still bullet holes fired by the Japanese in one of the posts inside the house. The property is located just across Kennon road, it still stands to this day and can be seen from the road just above the only remaining large farm spreads that you see along Kennon Rd. just after the bridge and after the road going up Loakan. Martina’s daughters Florita and Jacinta still live in the house and around it are the houses of Inocencia and Florita’s children. My mother and her siblings tell stories of their childhood snacking on the numerous fruit trees that Juan Carantes whom they called granddad, who planted the farm with Spanish guava, persimmon, Japanese cherries, “lukuat,” passion fruit or “masaplora”, sweet oranges and gigantic jackfruits. They even remember running for their life from wild and huge mother chickens chasing after them like wild dogs. The saddest memory my mother relates is the death of the last line of their farm dogs some years back, they were their most wonderful companions and playmates who were as big as my mother and her siblings and so keenly intelligent, my mother thought they were human friends.
GOLDEN YEARS
Martina in her later years lived a fruitful life tending to her gardens and farm, taking care of her “apo’s”. Aside from being a doting grandmother and a green thumb, she was a firm believer of the Ibaloi Customs and rituals, just like her other Ibaloi contemporaries and other relatives she always performed a canao for her ancestors. My mother recalls that Martina related to her that she almost became a “mambunong” as she was born in the breech position. Hence, Martina would constantly dream about her ancestors.
My other aunts also remember that Martina also danced the “tayao” gracefully and my Lolo Bigong recounts that while dancing our ancestors would possess her body and her eyes would turn red and her voice changed depending on which ancestor was in her body. However, before Martina died she advised my lolo Bigong to stop holding the rituals for the reason that when canaos are started our ancestors will always expect it.
On September 1, 1975 Martina along with other Baguio Old timers, was awarded for her outstanding contribution to the development and growth of the City of Baguio as the summer capital of the Philippines, she was recognized for her very active participation in several civic organizations around Baguio plus the fact that she was once a reigning beauty-made her a living legend, a living witness of the development of Baguio City. Martina was looked up to as a leader in the small community of Camp 7 and Loakan area since she was elected as barangay captain. In fact during her last moments at the Notre Dame hospital, my mother at her young age wondered at the number of people holding vigil outside and in the corridors of the hospital.
Martina remained beautiful in her golden years, she carried her wrinkles and lines like battle scars which showed her wisdom and her will to survive all the trials that she had gone through. As Martina approached her late 70’s, she began to suffer from various ailments only to find out that she was suffering from colon cancer, although still treatable, weak but still strong willed, Martina chose not to have operated on because she knew she was already too old and it was time for her to go. Her health deteriorated rapidly until she died peacefully, in Notre Dame Hospital in 1979, and was buried beside the house that she and her husband built in Camp 7.
(I am a great grandson of ibaloi-kankanaey-pangasinense lineage uneducated in the ibaloi language and customs hoping to rediscover my roots by listening to stories of my Lolo Bigong and Lola Sipin who are both nearing 76).
