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Tucumim
was a
little
native
indian
who was
very
liked
all over
the
forest.
He liked
to run,
play
with the
animals
and to
fish. He
would
only
hunt
when he
was very
hungry
because
he tried
to avoid
causing
any
suffering
to the
other
beings
of
Creation.
He would
usually
eat
roots,
herbs or
wild
fruits
that he
found in
the
woods.
He loved
the sun,
the
moon,
the
wind,
the
rain,
but
especially
other
creatures.
Whenever
he found
a
wounded
animal,
he would
not rest
until he
saw it
healed.
One day,
returning
from a
stroll
through
the
forest,
Tucumim
saw a
little
bird
caught
in a
trap
with a
broken
wing. He
freed
the bird
from the
trap and
improvised
a small
splint,
which
was tied
with
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vegetable
fibre,
to
immobilise
the
wing. A
few days
later
the
bird,
now
healed,
left and
thanked
him with
some
beautiful
trills
for the
joy of
being
able to
fly
again. |
That same day,
looking for
edible roots,
Tucumim came
upon his friend
the rabbit also
in a trap with a
bruised paw. He
applied a paste
made of herbs on
the wound, as
his grandfather
had taught him,
and soon the
bunny could leap
around. Before
the bunny went
into the forest,
he turned around
as if to say:
- Thank you,
Tucumim. You're
a good friend!
The next
morning, when he
went fishing,
Tucumim heard
moans of pain.
It was a leopard
that had fallen
into a pit that
had been
prepared to be a
trap, and had
been injured in
the fall.
Tirelessly,
Tucumim bandaged
the wound and
soon the leopard
ran happily
through the
forest, very
grateful for the
help.
Tucumim,
however, was
worried. Who
could be setting
up those traps
in the forest
and taking away
the peace of its
inhabitants? He
was afraid. His
grandfather had
always told him
that he must be
very careful of
the white man,
who was evil and
would kill
without mercy,
for the pleasure
of killing.
For that reason,
Tucumim was very
afraid of white
men. In fact, he
had never seen a
white man. He
imagined them
gigantic and
frightening and
terrifying. So,
finding strange
footprints on
the ground, he
concluded that
they could only
be of white men
and became
terrified.
He told the
village what was
happening and
all the other
indians became
frightened too.
They decided to
go out and look
for this evil
creature that
was putting the
inhabitants of
the woods in a
panic.
They searched
all around.
They were tired
of walking when
they heard a
voice shouting:
- Help! Help!
Get me out of
here!
Following the
sound of the
voice, they came
to the edge of a
large hole and
looking at the
bottom they saw
a man groaning
in pain.
Though
frightened, the
natives with
their bows and
arrows in hand,
shouted with
satisfaction:
- We got him! We
got him! Let's
get it over
with!
But Tucumim, who
possessed a kind
and sensitive
heart, watched
that creature
groaning in pain
and taking pity,
thought: “But he
does not have
the terrible and
frightening
appearance I
imagined. He's
just like us.
Only his clothes
are different."
Turning to his
brothers of the
tribe, he said:
- We cannot kill
him. Don’t you
see that he is a
creature like us
who suffers and
weeps? Come on,
help me get him
out of the hole.
He's hurt and in
need of help.
With the aid of
a vine, they
carefully
removed the
hunter, placing
him on the grass
under the shade
of a tree.
Deeply moved,
the hunter could
not stop
thanking them:
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- If it
were not
you, I'd
probably
die in
that
hole. I
cannot
thank
you
enough.
I
realise
now the
evil I
did by
putting
all
those
traps in
the
woods. I
ended up
falling
in one
of them
and
thank
God you
saved
me. How
can I
repay
the good
that you
have
done to
me?
Tucumin,
the
spokesman
for the
whole
tribe,
replied:
- It is
easy. Do
not put
more
traps in
the
forest.
Leave
the
animals
alone. |
The hunter,
ashamed, agreed:
- I’ll never do
that again, I
promise. Now I
know I got what
I deserved. Each
one is
responsible for
everything he
does, and I
deserved that
lesson. Forgive
me. I would like
us to be
friends.
Perceiving the
man’s sincerity,
the tribe
extended their
hands to him in
friendship and
then took him to
their taba1.
That day they
prepared a great
party to
celebrate the
event.
After all, we
are all
brothers!
AUNT CELIA
1 - A Taba, from
the Tupi-Guarani
language, is the
word used to
name the village
where the
members of the
tribe live. This
term is mostly
used by tribes
from the Amazon
region. It can
also be used to
name a small
tent-like house.
