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aCTIvITy 1.15
continued
but his parents noticed the dwindling supply of milk. Curious, Huveane’s father followed him one day and saw the child. Taking it in his arms, he hid it beneath the house with the firewood. That evening Huveane discovered that his precious creation was missing; distraught, he slumped glumly with his parents at the fire. Distressed by his low spirits, his mother asked him to fetch some logs, whereupon he discovered the unharmed baby and capered with joy. His parents were so pleased to see him happy again that they allowed him to keep it.
“Mbombo”
3 The Kuba, who live in the abundant rainforest of Central Africa, call their creator god Mbombo and picture creation as a sudden eruption from his mouth. Once, according to their account, nothing existed but restless water lost in darkness — and Mbombo, a spirit who moved over the water. Then in the deep, dark hours of the first day, Mbombo was stricken by a sharp stomach pain and vomited, producing the sun, moon, and a stream of bright stars. Light fell all around him. As the sun shone, the ocean became clouds and the water level fell, revealing hills and plains. Again Mbombo‘s stomach convulsed, this time sending forth a wonderful and various stream of life: the tall sky, the sharp-forked lightning, deep-rooted trees, animals in all their lithe power and the first man and woman.
INdepeNdeNT
readING LINk
Read and Connect
As you come to the conclusion of your independent reading, think about an overarching theme that covers many of the myths or folktales you have read on your own. How well does this theme apply to the myths you have read in the unit, such as “Arachne” and “The Burro and the Fox”? Explain your response in
a short paragraph in your Independent Reading Log.
My Notes
AbouT The AuThor
Donna Rosenberg has written several books on world mythology. She specializes in retelling myths and other stories in vivid prose that appeals to readers. Her writing is known for excellent translations that preserve the character and style of the original.
Myth
Raven and the Sources of Light by Donna Rosenberg
1 Long ago when the world was young, the earth and all living creatures were shrouded in the darkness of an eternal night, for neither the sun nor the moon shone in the sky. It was said that a great chief who lived at the headwaters of the Nass River was keeping all this light for himself, but no one was certain, for the light was so carefully hidden that no one had ever actually seen it. The chief knew that his people were suffering, but he was a selfish man and did not care.
2 Raven was sad for his people, for he knew that without the sun the earth would not bring forth the food the Haida1 needed to survive, and without the moon his people could not see to catch fish at night. Raven decided to rescue the light. He knew that the way from the Queen Charlotte Islands to the source of the Nass River was very long, so he collected a group of pebbles. As he flew, whenever he became tired he dropped a pebble into the sea. It immediately formed an island where Raven could alight on solid land and rest for a while.
1 Haida: A Northwest/Alaskan Indian tribe
Unit 1
• The Choices We Make 71
lithe: slender and graceful
shrouded: covered, concealed
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