the gods of light #ReadCash
Hundreds of years ago, in the south of Chile, lived the indigenous people known as Mapuches. The members of these tribes took refuge in caves, did not know fire and survived thanks to what nature gave them.
Every day they went out to hunt an animal to eat and collected all the fruits they could to feed their families. If they wanted to carry out all these tasks, they had to get up very early and make the most of daylight, because one of their greatest fears was facing darkness. They never left the village when the sun went down!
One night, a Mapuche man named Caleu sat at the entrance of his cave to contemplate the moon. His family slept inside and silence invaded everything. Suddenly, he saw a huge star with a long golden tail streaking across the sky. A glare blinded his eyes and momentarily illuminated the entire valley.
Caleu was so scared because he had no idea what that was! In a hurry and shaking like a custard, he entered the cavern and huddled in a corner. He stayed awake until dawn and, although he was dying to tell everyone what he had seen, he decided not to say anything to anyone so that fear would not spread through the village. Yes, he would keep the secret.
That morning as soon as the sun rose, his wife and daughter went in search of food. Accompanied by other women and children from the village, they climbed the nearest mountain and for hours, they were busy stocking up on groceries to get through the winter, which was already just around the corner.
Everyone worked with such dedication that the night caught them off guard. They quickly gathered their baskets and tried to get down the mountain as fast as they could, but without light they had to give up. It was impossible to navigate through the darkness to find the way back to the village. Luckily, they discovered an abandoned grotto and took refuge in it while waiting for the new day.
Fue entonces cuando, en medio de la oscuridad, vieron pasar la enorme estrella de cola dorada que Caleu había visto la noche anterior, y que por segunda vez atravesaba el cielo a gran velocidad. A su paso, una lluvia comenzó a caer haciendo sonar un gran estruendo. Pero no, no era de agua, sino de piedras que se estrellaron sobre la montaña y rodaron sobre la ladera, provocando multitud chispas al chocar contra el suelo de roca.
One of those sparks landed on a tree and the trunk began to burn, illuminating everything around it. When the torrent of stones stopped, the women approached the burning tree with the frightened children clinging to their legs and discovered that, thanks to the fire, they could see each other in the shadows. They also noticed that next to the burning tree, their bodies became warm and it was a very pleasant sensation. That was truly magical!
The men of the village, attracted by the light, went out to see what it was all about and found their families sitting around the huge fire. They were happy and everyone got together to share such a special moment, singing songs and clapping their hands.
Dawn began to dawn and it was time for everyone to return home. Caleu picked up a branch that was on the ground and brought it closer to the tree's fire. He was fascinated to see that the flames moved from one place to another with ease. All the men did the same and made their way home carrying large torches. During the return trip, the women told them that they had seen that when some stones collided with each other, sparks were produced, and that these, on contact with the wood, turned into flames.
This is how the Mapuches discovered fire. From that day on, they lost their fear of the dark, they were able to keep warm during the harsh winters and they added the delicious meat cooked on the coals to their daily menu.