Week 5 Storytelling: How the Dog Came to Live with Man

How the Dog Came to Live with Man

Many years ago, the forest was a peaceful place for all of the animals. The animals held many celebrations during this time of peace, however the biggest and most important of all was the "Ka lew Luri Lura" (The Fair of Luri Lura). Occurring every few years, every animal was forced to attend and to bring something to sell. In order to ensure every animal attended with something to sell, the tiger, U Khla was put in charge. 

Although not very successful at the time, Man hunted the animals, therefore they were banned from these celebrations. The animals of the forest never dared to leave their home and touch the land of Man, for fear of certain death. This all changed when the dog decided to leave and serve Man. 

U Ksew, the dog, was having no luck finding something to sell at the fair. He searched the entire forest, but could find nothing. The dog wanted nothing more than to find something worthy to sell at the fair, so he did the unthinkable and went to the village of Man. 

The dog was different from the other animals, in that he was fluffy, loyal, loving, and pleasant-looking. Due to these qualities, the dog was approached and rubbed by multiple children upon entering the village. This was a delightful surprise for him, and found that he enjoyed the affection and attention. He was so happy that he had completely forgot why he was there, until he smelled the most intriguing odor.

Curious to know what was producing the peculiar smell, U Ksew followed the scent, bringing him to the home of Man and his family. Man quickly invited the dog inside to join them for dinner. Abiding, he entered the home.

Excited to see a dog in his house, Man asked, "What brings you to our village? I have never seen your kind out of the forest." The dog responded:

"Fearing that I wouldn't have anything to sell for the upcoming festival, I had no other choice but to try my luck here. Just when I thought I would leave empty handed, I smelled something unique and followed it to your home. May I ask what it is?"

The scent was coming from fermented Khasi beans, otherwise known as ktung rymbai. Despite the smell, the man promised that it tasted wonderfully. U Ksew immediately fell in love with the taste and requested a jar to sell at the festival.

After receiving the jar of ktung rymbai, he headed back to the forest with a smile on his face. The dog made sure to get to the fair early and get a good spot because he was certain that his item would be the talk of the fair.

So the fair came and U Ksew could hardly contain his excitement. He told everyone how great his item was, consequently leading to all of the animals at the fair to gather around his table. They all wanted to know what was in the jar and demanded he show them. Breaking the seal, the dog opened the jar and out poured the concentrated stench of the fermented Khasi beans.

The animals were caught off guard by the different smell and shouted "Gross, close the jar before we all get sick and die!" U Khla, the tiger then proclaimed,  "This is the worst item ever brought to the Ka lew Luri Lura and I ban you from ever attending this fair again!" U Ksew promised that the contents of the jar were the best tasting food he has ever tasted, but nobody would listen.

Now depressed, U Ksew thought of how he was treated by the people of the village. They kindly gave him food and displayed kindness, so he decided to go back to Man's home, forever. U Ksew had no allegiance to the animals of the forest after what had happened at the Luri Lura. He knew he could use his knowledge of the forest, speed, strength, and nose to help with the hunting troubles of Man. By offering his assistance, U Ksew could be fed and loved for the rest of his life.

Confident in his plan, the dog told Man his offer. Man was ecstatic and quickly accepted. Their mutually beneficial friendship was everything they could have hoped for. Man's hunting problems disappeared and the dog was happy for the rest of his life. That is the story of how the dog came to live with Man.

(Evolution of Man and Dog)

Author's Note

In the original version of the story, the dog is lazy and decides to look for something to sell in the village. There is no worry in the dog when he enters the village and openly talks to the people. After receiving the jar of ktung rymbai, the dog boasted and bragged about his item to all the animals at the fair. The dog cursed the animals and promised to make them pay after being humiliated. Once the dog arrived at the man's house, he was put to work with a pig. The dog was lazy and just ran back and forth all day, leaving all the work for the pig. Angry, the pig told the man. The man didn't believe the pig so he checked the pin in which they were put to work, and noticed all of the footprints of the dog. Convinced the pig was lying to him, the man brought the dog inside and sentenced the pig to live outside in filth. The main goal of my story was to make the dog seem better because I am a huge dog person. To do this, I eliminated the cursing of the animals and the story of the pig.

Bibliography

Book: Folk-Tales of the Khasis
Author: Mrs. Rafty
Year Published: 1920
Web Source: Mythology and Folklore Un-Textbook

Extra Reading Diary: Khasi Folktales

Khasi Folktales

Since I really enjoy folktales involving animals, I wanted to choose another unit that had stories about them. The Khasi Folktales unit appealed most to me because in addition to having stories about animals, it had stories about their creations as well. All of the stories in the first half were great and here are a few of my favorites:

The Tiger and the Monkeys: 

Tigers are fascinating animals, so this story instantly appealed to me. In this story, the Tiger is like a lot of rulers over the years, in that he only cares about himself and does not take the time to get to know his people. The other animals put elected him because of his strength and ability to break up quarrels between animals. However, the monkeys made a dumb mistake and claimed one of their sisters to be the source of the beautiful singing when it wasn't. They understood how little he actually knew about his people and knew they could take advantage of him. I always thought of monkeys as cunning animals and this story used that theme. 

Hunting the Stag Lapalang:

I really liked this story. It made me think of the saying "Mother's know best" because despite all of the mother's warnings to the Stag Lapalang would not listen. The Stag Lapalang is similar to a teenager, where they refuse to listen to their parents. He has been treated very well his whole life and it was sad to see him ignore his mother's requests. Although the Stag Lapalang would learn his lesson to always listen to his mother, it was too late and killed him. Not everyone in life gets second chances, so it is always best to listen to the advice of those who love you. In the end, the hunters learn the power of a mother's love.

How the Dog Came to live with Man:

This is the first origin story of how dogs became Man's best friend that I have read and it was definitely my favorite in this unit. Dogs are my favorite animals so I knew I would probably like this story. To no surprise, the man feels sorry for the dog and takes him in. I mean, who can resist the cuteness of a dog? Little did I know, this story would also explain how the pig was (unfairly) given its current role in society. Overall, the story shows how the relationship between man and dog are mutually beneficial, just like they are today.

(Evolution of Man and Dog)

Reading Diary A: Santal Folktales

Santal Folktales

I have found myself to really enjoy animal stories and knew that tigers were prominent in Indian culture, so choosing this unit was a no-brainer. The stories in this unit were great and had a good assortment of plots. Almost all of the stories had satisfying endings and noticed that karma was a common theme. I enjoyed all of the stories, but here are a few of my favorites:

Ledha and the Leopard:

Poor Ledha was a nice boy, but got tricked by the Leopard into making a promise he couldn't keep. Knowing he would tell someone the story of how he had to remove a lizard from the Leopard, the Leopard waited outside of his house, listening for him to reveal the secret. While taking the boy to his doom, he woke up and climbed up a tree. The Leopard soon realized and convinced him to come down, but Ledha's wit saved him. He was grateful for being able to live and served buffaloes for the rest of his life, even after marrying rich. I really enjoyed this happy ending.

Ramai and the Animals: 

This was my favorite story of these three.  Ramai was different from his brothers. When his father gave him and his four brothers one hundred rupees to buy whatever animals they wanted, Ramai's brothers chose common animals, such as, horses, buffaloes, and cattle. Ramai, on the other hand, chose to save the lives of a cat, dog, otter, and a snake. His father was greatly disappointed and vowed to kill them, and then the snake promised to give Ramai his father's magical ring in exchange for him to be brought home. Abiding, Ramai brought him home and got the ring. The ring could grant any wish, but his father had killed the other animals by the time he got home. His father thought the animals were useless, however Ramai did not and showed his father using the ring. I thought this story did a good job of showing karma and how perspective can change the value of anything. 

(The Jungle Book)

This story reminded me of the Jungle Book so that is why I chose this picture.

The Jackal and the Crow:

I thought this story was interesting and taught a few lessons. Starting out as friends who benefitted from each other during rough times, the Jackal soon became tired of his relationship with the Crow. The Crow fed him well with mice, but it was not enough and the Jackal ate the Crow. Despite being completely full, the Jackal continued on bragging about all that he had eaten that night and devouring everything in his path. Soon enough, his gluttony would prove to be his downfall. Fattened and weighed down, the fox tried to jump over a fence and fell on the tip of a stake, killing him. Although the Crow died, I felt satisfied with the fact that the Jackal got what he deserved.