Earth was created. Animals and humans lived in harmony, no fear among them. Day fill of warm and light, and life was lived. Night brought cold and dark, and human and animals hid in fear.
From folktales and legends around the world, stories that tel...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
A very long time ago in the jungles, the rain forests of Brazil, a young Hunter searched for food. He wandered further and further into the thick brush, lost. Before evening and the darkness came, the Hunter looked for a place to hide. He was in grave danger from the cold dampness. When deep in the trees, the Hunter observes a sparkling light. Walking to the sparkling light, he entered a camp of Monkeys, who sat around the sparkling, flashing colors.
The Monkeys held sticks where yams hung just reaching flicker flame. The Hunter smelled the sweetness and felt the heat, the warmth from the dancing light.
One Monkey stood and greeted the young Hunter, "Come, join us by our FIRE; you must be hungry and cold."
Other Monkeys greeted with a smile and waved their hands to motioned the Hunter to sit by the FIRE.
Finally, taking his eyes from the dancing lights, the Hunter moved to FIRE, "Thank you, I'm cold. I saw the sparkling. The smell of yams." Hunter stared into FIRE. "The dance of the light is dazzling."
The Monkeys offered the Hunter a yam to eat. As he pulled it from the stick, he noticed it burned his fingers. As he tasted roasted yam, how delicious the cooked yam taste. The taste burst into his mouth, and as he chewed, the yam was smooth. He was stunned, surprised, and entranced by FIRE's power; the warning of God Kaang forgotten with the possibilities of FIRE.
"From where does the dancing lights come, the sun?"
"FIRE is in the trees, they are the Holders, and they give us FIRE."
The Hunter could ask no more questions. He sat in front of the dancing flames that flickered, popped, and crackled to reach into the sky. After a while, his eyes tired, and he fell asleep. In the morning, the Monkey led him out of the thick jungle with a basket of cooked yams wrapped in big leaves from the trees.
He walked back to Hunters' camp. He shared the roasted yams with everyone. They could not believe the taste and how easy the yam was to cut and chew. The whole day the young Hunter thought about FIRE. He saw it flicker, reach, dance, and glow in reds and oranges and sometimes blues and greens. Hunter longed for the roasted yams and the warmth on his skin. He desired FIRE'S magic. He wanted to show the whole camp FIRE, how to feed FIRE, and how to cook fish, yams, and squash.
So that afternoon, he found his way back to the Monkeys through the thick jungle trees. The Monkeys greeted him with kindness and respect. The one who spoke to him the night before said, "We are happy to see you. How may we help you?"
"FIRE with the dancing light is enchanting, it's warm, and the roasted yams were delicious. Can I watch how you feed FIRE and how you cook on the yams."
Hunter not as tired this time and carefully watch dried wood gathered from the trees and sat in the center of smoldering ambers. The Monkeys laid other wood in a pile. He observed how they push long green branches carved with sharp points into the yams. The Monkeys held the sticks in their hands over FIRE, who reached up.
The Monkey, who greeted him, said, "FIRE with has a furious appetite we must keep it away for the yams just close enough to its heat to roast. FIRE eats everything."
The Hunter ate roasted yams, squash, and insects the Monkeys dug up or caught. He watched FIRE reaching, popping, and crackle while watching the Monkeys feed FIRE more dried wood. Just before night touched the edge of the trees, the Hunter thanked the Monkeys and walked home with a basket of roasted vegetables.
The Hunter desired FIRE for his camp. He knew everything about FIRE, only how to start it. He figured the monkeys did not tell him because they wanted to keep the secret from the humans. Stealing FIRE was the only way he could have what the Monkeys had, FIRE'S power. For the third time, he went back to the Monkeys' camp and again greeted with kindness and respect.
The Monkey, who greeted him before, asked, "Why do you wear the Birchbark?"
The devious Hunter said, "The warmth is hot, and I use this bark as protection. May I sit and watch the magic of FIRE?"
The Monkey said, "Wood feeds FIRE, be careful not to let a spark land on the Birch." The devious Hunter sat as close as he could and waited for a spark to land on his Birch armor. When the spark started a small glow, the Hunter stood up and ran. The Monkeys ran after him yelling, "Hunter, FIRE will eat you. Take off the Birchbark."
The devious Hunter ran to his camp, the other Hunters heard the warning from the Monkeys as loud chatter and rushed out with sticks to beat the Monkeys. Disappointed, the Monkeys ran back into the deep thicket trees.
Ripping the burning Birch from his body, he tossed the stolen FIRE into a massive pile of old dried wood gathered by the other Hunters. Hunter understood FIRE he stole would start another FIRE. He never asked so know that rubbing two wooden sticks together caused the wooden Holders of FIRE to release flames. ~~~~~ From that time, the Monkeys never spoke or shared anything with the humans, least of ever becoming friends, preferably they chatter insult and run for shelter. Hunter could have asked for the FIRE; he had mocked them.
Therefore, God Kaang's warning not heeded caused hostility between Humans and the Monkeys. The worst was about to fall on selfish, devious Hunter, who thought he deservedFIRE'S powers.
