African Legend
The Hare and the Hyena
The tale reveals why hyenas have back stripes on their backs, and teaches that real friends should be honest with each other.
A very long time ago, before there was day and night, people lived in absolute darkness.
Their only source of light was from the small, tidy fires they kept burning in special nooks in their caves. The sparkles of the flames filled
The caves the people lived in were very cold and damp, because water from the bubbling mountain streams high above them seeped deep through the layers of rock
One day, a hunter picked up a hot ember which flamed up and settled right inside the palm of his hand. When he opened his fingers,, the buried ember started shining
After that, the hunter with the shining ember in his palm always walked first to show the others the way. Wherever he was, there was brilliant warmth and light, but everywhere else was still scary, dark
One fateful day, the hunter climbed up a high hill and opened his palm