A Zulu tale tells the story of a hunter from a village deep in the hills of the Zulu Kingdom. He was not as skilled at hunting as the other hunters and soon became very lazy. But instead of working harder for his quarry, he devised an evil plan…
The Lazy Hunter’s Deceit
One day, while resting under a big Naboom tree on the plains, the hunter observed a mother cheetah hunting an impala. As she hunted, her cubs were hidden, watching their mother to learn the skills they would need to become successful hunters. Thanks to her incredible speed, the mother cheetah caught the buck with ease and called her cubs, who came running for a bite of the tasty impala.
Seeing this as an opportunity, the lazy hunter thought that if he could steal the cheetah cubs, he could train them to hunt for him, allowing him to spend more time sleeping under his favorite Naboom tree. After the exhausting hunt and eating her share, the mother cheetah went for a drink at a nearby stream. Seizing the moment, the hunter snatched all three cubs and hid them, before running to the village with the impala kill to claim he was the greatest hunter of all time.
The Mother Cheetah’s Sorrow
When the mother cheetah returned to where she had left her cubs, she found them missing. She cried and cried, her tears mixing with the dust on the ground, staining her face as she searched for days, looking for her babies.
The Village Elder’s Wisdom
One day, a village elder went for a walk, seeking clarity on a problem he had been struggling with. As he walked toward the great plains, he came across the lazy hunter sleeping under the Naboom tree, with the three cheetah cubs tied up nearby. Instantly realizing the hunter’s deceit, the elder set the cubs free, waking the hunter with a kick and shaming him for his wicked act.
The cubs found their way back to their mother, who was overjoyed to be reunited with them. That night, the village elder called a meeting around the fire and told all the hunters that the traditional way of hunting is the only and most honorable way.
The Legend of the Cheetah’s Tears
And so the story goes, as a reminder of the lazy hunter’s deed, the cheetah’s tears will never be washed away by the rain.
