The Hare and the Baboons' Beans

uNogwaja the Hare saw a troop of Baboons harvesting a large field of delicious beans. He wanted the beans but knew he could not take them by force. He went to the chief of the Baboons and said, "I see you are harvesting! It is a sacred custom that before the first bean is eaten, a great dance must be performed to thank the ancestors." The Baboons, being very traditional, were intrigued. "Show us this dance," they said. uNogwaja began to perform a wild, complicated dance, full of leaps and spins. "You must all join in!" he shouted. "And you must close your eyes to feel the rhythm!" The entire troop of baboons joined the frantic dance, with their eyes tightly shut. While they were all busy dancing and tumbling over each other, uNogwaja's own family, who had been hiding nearby, quickly gathered up all the harvested beans and carried them away. When the baboons finally finished the dance, exhausted and dizzy, they found the Hare—and all their beans—were gone.