The Kite That Sent Her Child on an Errand

The mother Kite had a daughter. One day, she sent her daughter to bring back some food. "Go to the market," she said, "but whatever you do, do not steal from the stall of the old woman who sells dried fish." The daughter, being young and rebellious, flew directly to the old woman's stall and snatched a fish. But the old woman was a powerful sorceress. She placed a curse on the young kite. The daughter returned to her mother, but she could not let go of the fish; it was magically stuck to her talons. The mother Kite knew immediately what her daughter had done. "You have disobeyed me and broken a taboo," she said. "Now you must carry the mark of your theft forever." To this day, when a kite catches its prey, it cannot eat it in the air but must carry it back to its nest. This is the curse of the first kite who stole from the wrong person. The story is a lesson about the importance of obedience and respecting the wisdom and warnings of one's elders.