A mother took her children to dye cloth near a mud hole, where she used leaves and shell spoons in her process. When hot water splashed and burned her hand, her children’s laughter magically transformed them into monkeys, with their tails forming from the spoons. Their nails remain black, a reminder of their role in helping dye the cloth.
Source
Philippine Folk Tales
compiled and annotated by
Mabel Cook Cole
A.C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1916
► Themes of the story
Transformation: The children undergo a physical change into monkeys as a consequence of their actions.
Cultural Heroes: The mother serves as a central figure whose experience conveys cultural values and teachings.
Origin of Things: The tale provides an explanation for why monkeys have black nails, linking it to the children’s involvement in dyeing cloth.
► From the same Region or People
Learn more about Philippines peoples
One day a mother took her two children with her when she went to color cloth. Not far from her home was a mud hole where the carabao liked to wallow, and to this hole she carried her cloth, some dye pots, and two shell spoons.
After she had put the cloth into the mud to let it take up the dark color, she built a fire and put over it a pot containing water and the leaves used for dyeing.
Then she sat down to wait for the water to boil, while the children played near by.
► Continue reading…
By and by when she went to stir the leaves with a shell spoon, some of the water splashed up and burned her hand, so that she jumped and cried out. This amused the children and their laughter changed them into monkeys, and the spoons became their tails.
The nails of the monkeys are still black, because while they were children they had helped their mother dye the cloth.
Running and expanding this site requires resources: from maintaining our digital platform to sourcing and curating new content. With your help, we can grow our collection, improve accessibility, and bring these incredible narratives to an even wider audience. Your sponsorship enables us to keep the world’s stories alive and thriving. ♦ Visit our Support page
Dreamtime Whispers 