The Worthless Man
There was a village deep in the jungle in which some families were richer than others. No one was starving, but some families had more than one house, while others had only a hut to protect them from the rain and wind. No matter how little a family had, the members knew that they were better off than the one they called "The Worthless Man". This man had no wife or children. He had no house or garden, or even a stick to work a garden with. His only clothing was something he wore around his waist that was made from rat skins. He did have a bird trap, which he used to catch birds for food. Even though he had so little, he was happy unless he was in the village. Then some men and women would laugh at him. Children would call him names and throw dirt clods at him. The days came when the whole village was making fun of him whenever he was near. He grew tired of it. The next day he caught some birds and brought them as a present to a wise woman who lived by herself in the jungle. He told her how poor he was and how the whole village mocked him each day. Then he asked for her help. "Two tests I shall give you," she said. "If your heart is strong enough to pass both of them, then you will become the chief of your village, and they will honor you each day." "What are these tests?" he asked. "I shall only tell you of the first test for now. Go back to your village and work harder than before. Build ten houses in which to live. In the houses, make a chest to hold money. Next to each house, build a goat pen. Next to each pen, build a chicken house. Do this before the rainy season comes. When the rains begin, bring me a chicken and tell me how you have done. Then I shall give you the second test." The Worthless Man had never before had reason to work so hard. Filled with hope, he returned to his village and ignored the taunts of the women and the children. He borrowed a knife from his brother. Then the next morning he went into the jungle and began cutting sticks. Each day, as long as the light lasted, he cut more sticks and hauled them back to the edge of the village. He cleared bushes and grasses away and made room for ten houses. Again and again he went to the streams and rivers to gather mud to mix with his sticks. The laughter of the villagers grew quiet as they watched the walls of ten houses slowly grow. When the walls were high enough, he made roofs for them out of sticks and palm fronds. By the time he began building the goat pens and chicken houses, some families were inviting the hard-working man to their fires to share their meals. No one made fun of him. He finished his work as the dry season ended. Returning the knife to his brother, he asked for a chicken and took it to the wise woman of the forest. "Here is the chicken you asked for. Come and see for yourself. I have done all you said. Already I am being invited to homes to share a meal, and no one makes fun of me any more." "I know that you have done well, O Man," she answered. "But you are still no better than a small child. Who would honor a man for doing what he wants to do? Even children do what they want to do. Now you know how to become rich, but only he whose heart is strong enough to pass the second test can be chief and keep his possessions." "What is the second test? Why is it so hard?" asked the man. "The first test was to do a hard thing that you wanted to do. The second test is the keep from doing an easy thing that you want to do. Go back home to your ten houses. You will find a wife in every home, chickens in every chicken house, goats in every pen, and much money in every chest. Take everything for yourself and take care of it all. But one thing you must not do: never, never go to a funeral and sing the song of death with the others, even if it is for someone you love." "That is easy," said the man. "There is no work to the second test. I shall tell the people that funerals are my taboo, and they will understand. Thank you, O wise woman. A long and happy life to you." He ran back to his homes and found everything was as she had told him. The wives were already making gardens. Soon he had more food than his families could eat, and he shared generously with the rest of the village. He was asked to come to the meetings of the important men in the village, and there was talk that someday he would be chief. Wherever he went, people greeted him warmly and the children respectfully said, "A long and happy life to you." There were times when someone would die, but he remembered the words of the second test and never went to a funeral. The people did not mind, for they understood that this was his taboo. One day the father of his favorite wife died. He had been the chief of a village that was three days' walk away. The dead chief's village sent a messenger asking that she and her husband come to the funeral and sing the death song with the others. "No!" said the man who had been The Worthless Man. "The death song of a funeral is my taboo. I am greatly sorry about your father, but I cannot go. And I do not want you traveling alone for three days and two nights in the jungle." For the messenger had already left. His wife quietly replied, "I understand that you are forbidden to sing the death song. I shall stay with you as you say, though it is hard for me." But that night she could not stop thinking about how she wanted to be with her family. She quietly gathered what she needed for the journey and slipped away as her husband slept. When he awoke the next morning and discovered what she had done, he was angry. He thought about the taboo. He knew that he was supposed to never sing the death song at a funeral. He had always stayed away from funerals in order to make sure that he would not be tempted to sing the death song, but the taboo did not keep him from going to a funeral to get his wife back. He started down the path that his wife had taken. He was not able to catch up with her. As he approached her village, he could hear the death song for the chief who had died. There was a new part to the death song: it was about a daughter of the chief who had married a Worthless Man who was so poor that he only had rat skins to wear. It was about a man who was so cruel that he would not even go to the funeral of his wife's father and sing the death song with her. His heart grew hot with fury as he listened to the song. His wife was teaching the whole village to sing the names that people had once called him, and to make fun of him. To prove them wrong, he ran into the center of the village and began singing the part of the death song that honored the dead chief. He sang more loudly than all the others. The villagers shouted their approval and sang with him. They stopped singing the new part of the song, and his wife was proud to sing by his side. They sang far into the night and drank much palm wine. He had forgotten all about the taboo, and only thought of proving the people wrong who had been singing the lies about him. He awoke the next morning in the village street. His fine clothes were gone. He was only wearing a garment around his waist made from rat skins. His wife was working in the garden of the new village chief. He asked her to come home with him, but she made fun of him and called him the names people had used to call him. The new chief came and chased him away. For three days and two nights he walked back home. He arrived to find his homes, his money chests, his other wives, the goats and chickens and gardens, all gone. The village children ...
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