Saturday, October 2, 2010
WHY GAKI
Ever since i was a small child, I was wondering when I hear the word "Gaki" In those days, the people of Piddig were synonymous to Gaki and many among us wondered what does gaki means. Gaki is not an ilokano word, not even English or Spanish. Where did it came from?
For the rest of you there particularly those younger than I am here is the story. Long before the war, a well known pianist use to stage piano concerts in a makeshift stage in that park where the Gaki Theater stands today. This guy, known as Prof.Luis Castueras used to wear khakhi clothes. When people ask what is the name of those clothes he would reply "gaki". Maybe he can't pronounce or maybe he loved to say it that way. So people used to call him "gaki", until that place was soon called gaki.
Here's a tribute to the man who created Gaki.
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I have some misgivings about this version of how the word "Gaki" came to be. As mentioned in this article, "the people of Piddig were synonymous to Gaki". Yes, indeed. In his poem "Ladaoan ti Piddig", Don Guillermo Flores wrote: "Piddig, ili a nataraqui / Annacmo't nagnaganenda't "gaqui"..." I believe Castueras adopted the name Gaki from that generic label for Piddiguenos to show that he is truly and proud to be a Piddigueno. I just can't imagine how Piddiguenos were lumped all in one generalized label as Gaki just because a famous musician such as Castueras assumed the name Gaki. There is, in fact, a Japanese word "gaki" which mean either "brat", "kids" and "ghoul". Gaki was also the pen name of Japanese writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1 March 1892 - 24 July 1927).
ReplyDeleteI have some misgivings about this version of how the word "Gaki" came to be. As mentioned in this article, "the people of Piddig were synonymous to Gaki". Yes, indeed. In his poem "Ladaoan ti Piddig", Don Guillermo Flores wrote: "Piddig, ili a nataraqui / Annacmo't nagnaganenda't "gaqui"..." I believe Castueras adopted the name Gaki from that generic label for Piddiguenos to show that he is truly and proud to be a Piddigueno. I just can't imagine how Piddiguenos were lumped all in one generalized label as Gaki just because a famous musician such as Castueras assumed the name Gaki. There is, in fact, a Japanese word "gaki" which mean either "brat", "kids" and "ghoul". Gaki was also the pen name of Japanese writer Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1 March 1892 - 24 July 1927).
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