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Kamaisani, the Stingy One

This legend was translated into English from this site: http://celia.cnrs.fr/FichExt/Am/A_18_04.pdf
by Andrea López Delgado.

In ancient times Kamaisani, the bright star, was a woman.

One day her brother told his children, "Go over there where your aunt lives, and ask her for some chicha for me."

"Very well," they said. They went to her and said "Aunt, our father would like some chicha. Will you send him some?"

They watched and waited, but she did not prepare any chicha for them. That woman had a bad character, she was too stingy. So the children had to leave.

They went back to their father and told him what happened. "She did not want to give you anything. She is in a bad mood."

"Then let's go on without it, and leave that stingy woman behind," he said.

"Yes, let's," they replied.

He told them to gather capi, which are vines that cause hallucinations when you chew on them. They gathered it. Then they shot into the eye of the sky until the sky descended towards them, close to the earth. They all jumped on top of it and brought all their things with them. All their chickens, their kitchen utensils, their dogs and everything. And then they went away.

Later, Kamaisani went back to the place they used to live. She was bringing a little glass of chicha for her brother. But the house was empty. Agitated, she looked around the empty house and cried "They left without me! They left me behind."

She searched around for the capi and soon found some that was left over. She chewed it too and shot into the eye of the sky just as her family had done it before her. Again the sky descended towards the earth, and she followed them onto it.

But they did not let her live with them in the same place, because she was stingy. They sent her to live on the other side of the river.

That is why the star Kamaisani is far away from the other stars.

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Kamaisani, the Stingy One

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