Legend of the Wise Hummingbirds
Our story begins in the immense Amazon forest, somewhere at the bend of a river.
In this wild Nature, lives a tribe of animals, insects, mammals, birds of various shapes and colors. Lying on a long branch, Jaguar observes. With an imposing appearance, Anaconda is recognized as master of the place. Winding through the murky waters and trees, he is respected by all for his skill and courage.
Around him, his companions from the Forest are busy:
Anteater sneaks his trunk into the anthills for his midday meal, while the Merry Coati crosses paths with Armadillo, solitary, armored like a knight. At the top of the majestic trees, perched on branches, Ara and Toucan sing. While Capuchin swings on his tail and wakes Sloth from his long nap.
Far away, near the river, there is Hummingbird. All day long, suspended in long motionless flights, he sucks with his long beak the Nectar of the most beautiful flowers of the Forest. He is so small and seems so agitated, that sometimes the other animals make fun of him.
In the Jungle, everything seems so peaceful but in the sky, big black clouds arrive from the horizon. Pushed by the wind, they soon cover the entire Forest. A terrible storm is brewing. Suddenly, a lightning bolt bigger than all the others, strikes a dead tree. Struck down, cut in two, the tree immediately catches fire.
The flames multiply and spread to the other trees, then the Forest bursts into flames, causing a great fire!
All the terrified animals leave the Forest and take refuge in a clearing by the water. Isolated, stunned, they observe the spectacle and helplessly watch the disappearance of their Forest.
All except the Hummingbird!
With his beak, he takes a few drops of water from the river and flies away to pour them into the flames. Then, he returns to the river, takes some water and leaves again and again, going back and forth as fast as he can.
Jaguar, annoyed to see him running around, interrupts him: “Hummingbird, aren’t you crazy? Do you really think that with these few drops, you’ll be able to put out the fire?”
Hummingbird stops his flight for a moment, looks at them all and answers:
“I know I can't do it alone, but I'm doing my part.”
Without further ado, he heads back towards the flames. The animals look at each other in astonishment...
Toucan wakes up and says, “I’m going too. I have a big beak and I can fly!”
Then Ara cries out: “Wait, I'm coming with you!”
Finally, all concerned, they fill their beaks, snouts, trunks, legs with water, and thus rush towards the fire.
The story does not tell whether they succeeded; but since that day, something has changed and the animals feel united by a New Force.
And Hummingbird became a Great Symbol of the Union of the Forest People.
