July 18. Story of the Day: Munia and Dove

A Lushai folktale from The Lakhers by N. E. Parry. The Lushai people, also known as the Mizo, live in northeastern India, and also in neighboring regions in Burma and Bangladesh. You can read more about them at Wikipedia.

This is classified as ATU 2042. Chain of Accidents. It is also an aetiological story that explains a "why" the munia's crop is backwards. There are many species of munia birds, and I have not been able to find one that has a backwards crop, so perhaps someone who knows more about birds can enlighten me about that! You can read more about munia birds (Lonchura family) at Wikipedia.

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RITA NATA VACHHU 

The Munia-Bird and the Dove

(munia bird)

Long, long ago, Munia and Dove made each other beaks.

Dove, having finished Munia's beak first and made it very beautifully and ornamented it with brass, said to Munia, "Now you must make me a beak."

Munia set to work and made Dove a beak and covered it with beeswax.

Dove said, "This is a very bad beak; it is much too soft."

Munia said, "Well, if you do not like the beak, you need not have it."

At this Dove grew very angry and said, "I made you a beautiful brass beak, and now you will not take the trouble to make me a proper beak," and the two birds fell a fighting in the tree top.

In the course of the fight a small twig was broken and fell onto a jungle fowl. The jungle fowl started to run and scratched up a large ant. The ant ran off and bit a wild boar in the testicles. The wild boar rushed away and knocked over a wild plantain tree. As the plantain fell, a bat who lived in its leaves flew out and flew into an elephant's ear. The elephant became angry and stamped on a white ants' nest. The white ants came out and ate the ladder leading up to a widow's house. The widow's daughter came out to draw water and stepped on to the ladder. The ladder broke, the widow's daughter fell to the ground, and the widow in a rage shouted out, "Ladder, why did you break?"

The ladder replied, "Because the white ants ate me."

So the widow said, "White Ants, why did you eat the ladder?"

And the white ants replied, "Because the elephant stamped on us."

So the widow said, "Elephant, why did you stamp on the white ants?"

And the elephant replied, "Because the bat flew into my ear."

So the widow said, "Bat, why did you fly into the elephant's ear?"

And the bat replied, "Because the wild plantain tree I lived in fell down."

So the widow said, "Plantain, why did you fall down?"

And the plantain replied, "I was knocked down by the wild boar."

So the widow said, "Wild boar, why did you knock down the plantain?"

And the wild boar replied, "Because the ant bit me in the testicles."

So the widow said, "Ant, why did you bite the wild boar in the testicles?"

And the ant replied, "Because the jungle fowl scratched me up."

So the widow said, "Jungle fowl, why did you scratch up the ant?"

And the jungle fowl replied, "Because a twig fell onto me."

So the widow said, "Twig, why did you fall on to the jungle fowl?"

And the twig replied, "Because Munia and Dove knocked me down while fighting about the beaks they had made each other."

So the widow said, "Munia and Dove, why did you knock down the twig?"

Dove replied, "I made Munia a beautiful brass beak, and he only made me one out of beeswax, and I do not want it."

So the widow said, "Munia, you are a very wicked bird. Why did you not make Dove a proper beak ? Henceforth you shall wear your crop at the back of your neck."

And this is why Munia's crop is to this day at the back of his neck.