The Ancient World (HUM 124 - UNC Asheville)/The Chameleon Finds - Kendall Byers

Background/Culture The Yao people which are part of the Bantu tribe live on the shores of Lake Nyasa in Northern Mozambique. The majority of Yao people are fishermen or farmers. They are predominantly Muslim people (about 2 million) and are spread across roughly three countries.

The Chameleon Finds The Chameleon Finds is an ancient cosmology myth that originated from the Yao people of China. The Yao people believe they were born from a hole in the ground, or in this case the water. They strongly believe that the Gods should be in control, when the people take control it is frowned upon and seen as cruel and destructive. The story begins with no people, just Mulunga (a god) and the beasts. The story switches gears, Chameleon, set a fish-trap and is surprised when he finds it full of fish the next morning. He keeps setting the trap and finds he got bad luck, but is persistent and keeps trying. One day something special happened, a man and woman were found in the trap, never had he seen creatures like this before. Chameleon proudly shows his findings to Mulungu, in order for them to grow they must be put on the ground. The man and woman grew in size, and they began doing things that angered Mulungu. The story ends with the animals distancing themselves and Mulunga leaving the ground and going to the sky.
 * Mulungu - God
 * Chameleon - Son of Mulungu
 * Beasts - Animals on the Earth