Before death came, the world was so full of people that there was not enough land to give them food, and they were hungry and unhappy. Most miserable of all were the old: they became dry as sticks, there was no blood in them, they had nothing to do for they got older and older and could not die.

In those days the world was ruled by Raja Kachu. He was a good man and when he saw the distress of his people he was sad. One day he said to himself, ‘If I die, I won’t have to see this misery and hunger any longer.’ He went away secretly to the forest and dug a deep pit. He went into it and pulled the earth down with his own hands. Tei-Pakupi the hornet helped him. In this way he buried himself alive and died.

After a time, the Raja’s subjects began to wonder what had happened and they deputed Abo-Teni to go and find him. Abo-Teni travelled over the hills and through dense forest. One day, as he went, he heard the sound of weeping. It was the bird Echi-Tongu mourning for the Raja’s death. ‘Why are you making such a noise?’ asked Abo-Teni. ‘Because the Raja is dead,’ replied the bird. ‘How can he be dead?’ said Abo-Teni. ‘There is no such thing as death.’ ‘No,’ said the bird. ‘All the same, the Raja really is dead.’

When Abo-Teni realized this, he also wept.

Now when the bird wept, tears fell from her eyes, but when Abo-Teni wept he shed no tears and his weeping was like laughter rather than mourning, and the bird said to him, ‘This is no time for laughter. Why aren’t you weeping for the Raja?’ ‘But I am weeping,’ said Abo-Teni. ‘Look at your eyes,’ said the bird, ‘and then look at mine.’ ‘It is true,’ said Abo-Teni, ‘that your eyes are wet and mine are dry. Put the water from your eyes into mine.’

Then they went to the grave and found Tei-Pakupi the hornet smoothing the soil above it and weeping. He gave Abo-Teni some of the earth to take home and show the Raja’s subjects.

Abo-Teni returned and told the people what had happened. He gave them the gift of tears and shared with them the earth of the Raja’s grave. After that the old began to die and the young buried them with tears.

A folk story from Arunachal Pradesh, sourced from ‘Myths of the North Easertn Frontier of India.‘

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