Tuvan storyteller Dagby Bolat, tells "The Camel"

Tuvan epic tale THE CAMEL
Told by Dabgy Salchak-oolovna Bolat. In Kyzyl-Dag village, Republic of Tuva. 2003.

Once upon a time, at the beginning of the beginning, behind the past, when the horns of the bull used to break off and fall, that's the time when it happened, so they say.

When Milk Lake used to be just a puddle, when Sumber-Ula Mountain used to be just a hill, when the horns of a camel used to scrape the sky, when the horns of a camel used to grow down to the ground, that time it happened, so they say.

Long ago the camel used to be the most beautiful among all the creatures of the forest.


Once while the camel was drinking water from a river a deer ran up to him and said: "My dear elder brother, can you lend me your horns, I'd like to attend a celebration", he kept barking at him.

The poor camel could do nothing but say: "Okay, take them, but you bring them back immediately after the celebration", he said and gave his horns to the deer, so they say.

And what happened next? The camel was drinking water from the river, waiting for his horns, so they say.

Just a short time later a panting horse run up to him and said: "Dear brother, I'd like to attend a celebration, can you lend me your tail, I'll bring it back later", he said.


"Sure!", the camel said, "Okay, and you bring it back right here", he said and lent the horse his tail.

And after that a poor camel kept waiting for the deer, kept waiting for the horse.

That is the reason why the camel always looks like it is waiting a long time for something.

"When will the deer bring back my horns, when will the horse bring back my tail", he thinks.

That's why the camel can go such a long time without drinking water, he's hardy, he keeps waiting for something, keeps waiting for his tail, keeps waiting for his horns, that's the reason, and that's the way it is.

And also, since the horns of the deer are not its own they fall off every year.


And since the horse cheated the camel out of its tail, the horse is always frightened of the camel and runs away.


Since that time, the camel lost its beauty, giving its horns to the deer and its tail to the horse.

From that time on the camel is not beautiful and has been living like this ever since, and that's the way it is. The end.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Enduring Voices Project
• Teve
• Tuvan
• language endangerment
• Russia
• healing
• meditation
• spirituality

[lamanjello]

wonderful tapestry

[mathiaslevi]

ok