About Us 0716601907

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Childcraft

The How and Why Volume 8

About Us World Book,

Inc.

a Scott Fetzer company

Chicago London Sydney Toronto

Library

Childcraft (Reg, 'c

us

— The

Pat

OH

How and Why

Library

)

1990 World Book,

Inc

reserved. This

All rights

volume may not be reproduced

in

whole or

in part in

any

form vwithout pnor written permission from the publisher

World Book.

Inc

525 West Monroe Chicago. IL 60606 «'

1989. 1987. 1986. 1985 by World Book. Inc

1980. 1979

U

c

1982. 1981,

S,A- by World Book-Childcraft International. Inc.

©

1976, 1974. 1973. 1971. 1970. 1969. 1968. 1965. 1964 U.S.A. by Field

Enterpnses Educational Corporation

International Copyright

c.

International Copyright

c

1987. 1986. 1985 by World Book.

Inc.

1982, 1981, 1980, 1979 by World Book-

Childcraft international, Inc, International Copyright *' 1976, 1974, 1973, 1971, 1970, 1969,

1968, 1965, 1964 by Field Enterprises Educational Corporation.

ISBN 0-7166-0190-7 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 90-70174 Printed

in

the United States of

Amenca

B/IJ

Acknowledgments The publishers of Childcratt— The How and Why Library gratefully acknowledge the courtesy of the following publishers, persons, and organizations for permission to use copynghted illustrations appeanng in this volume. Full illustration acknowledgments appear on pages 280-281,

Page 217:

Illustration

by

N C Wyeth

edited by Sidney Lanier;

c

from The

Boys King

Charles Scnbners Sons (from the collection of

Jack Webb)

Page 271 Page 272

:

Eliot Elisofon.

Bill

Ule

s

Time

Ray. Ule Magazine

't,

Arthur

1917. renewed 1945 by

Inc

Time

Inc,

Volume 8

About Us Contents Who

We?

Are

We

5

are the world's people, all alike

We Come

Where Did

and

all

different

From?

17

Nine stories about the creation of the world and the

first

people

Brothers and Sisters, Moms and Dads We all five in groups called families

47

Fingers and Forks

71

What we

eat

Go

My

Let's

We

to

and the ways we eat 93

House

live in caves, houses, tents,

and boats

The Ways We Work Some of the man\- ways we work

Time

for

We

Ill to get the things

we need and want

Fun

127

ways

find different

to

amuse and entertain ourselves and others 151

Living Together

We all make We Believe

rules

and laws that help us faiths tell

185

communicate our thoughts and words

We

about some of their beliefs

Tell

We

How Do

along together

165

Children of nine religious

Show and

to get

feelings with gestures, signs,

and

You Know?

203

learn our group's

way

of

life

through our family, friends, and

teachers

Our

Stories, Songs,

We

The Way

We

all

Living in

We

See

231

It

— past and present —

253 to learn

about ourselves

Two Worlds

are always adapting to changing ways of

New Words Illustration

Index

215

.

enjoy and want to create beautiful things

People Watchers We study people

We

and Sayings

learn our group's beliefs, values, and ideals through folklore

Acknowledgments

265 life

276 280 282

Who We're

We

Are We?

live

everywhere

We

towns.

green

the people in the world.

all

and on islands

We

in

crowded

cities

and tiny

on white, frozen plains and

live

forests.

—

We

live in deserts,

in hot,

on mountainsides,

in the seas.

many

Some of us have warm, tan skins hke sunlight on sand. Some of us have deep brown skins, Hke rich chocolate. Some of us have rosy come

in

colors.

pink skins, the color of the sky at dawn.

And some

of

us have skins that are touched with the red glint of

copper or the tawny gleam of gold.

and

colors,

all

We

come

many

in

the colors are beautiful.

Our eyes and hair are different colors, too. We have blue eyes or brown eyes or gray eyes or green eyes. Our hair may be blonde or brown or red or black. It

may be

straight or

We

in

come

of us are thin and

We

tall

many

may be

curly.

different sizes

and some of us are

some of us are

We

foods.

happy.

Some

and customs.

much

have

We

all

alike in

food.

We

of us are

stout.

We

life.

We

have many

like different

build our houses in different ways.

we're very all

and shapes. Some

short.

have many different ways of

different beliefs

must

it

kinds of

But

We

many important ways.

all

want

to be comfortable

need love and friendship.

We

and

all like

beautiful things.

We

belong to

many

and nations. But

human all

we

different families, groups, tribes,

all

belong to one big family

more than five have the same ancestors. family of

billion

people

— the people of the planet Earth.

We're us

—

— the

for

we

About Us

6

--^

I

a house

We

in

the United States

need shelter

to protect

us from the weather.

We

need

to eat in order to stay alive.

eating a meal in Tunisia

Navajo Indian children

We

To

wear some kind

stay alive

Food, clothing, and shelter are three of our most

important needs. But kinds of food. clothes.

We

us do not eat the same

do not wear the same kinds

Nor do we

You'll find out

all of

live in the

same kinds

more about these things

of

of houses.

in this book.

of clothing.

8

1

About Us

To get the things we need We

we need. Some of us grow our own food and make our own clothes. Some of us work for money to buy these things. In this book, you will discover some of the ways we earn a living.

We

work

to get

gathering seaweed

all

in

all

the things Japan

work

we

to get the things

need,

WTio Are

We?

9

Alaskan Eskimo children

We

To enjoy

We all

all

find

ways

to

have fun and enjoy

life

take time out to have fun.

We know

that

work and no play makes a dull life. This book tells about the games we play and some of the many other ways we find to enjoy ourselves. all

life.

About Us

10 I

To

live together

We

all live in families.

And everywhere

the same way. it

easier to live

book you will find

will

live in

groups called

all

families.

families live in

there are rules to

and work and play together. In

read about different families.

out about the kinds of rules

a Lapp family

We

But not

we

make

this

And you

live by.

Who

playing a

We

game

have to

in

live

India

and play by

rules.

Are We?

]

11

a classroom

We

in

Peru

learn from our families, friends,

and teachers.

a telephone booth

in

Spain

Talking to others on the telephone is

one way people communicate.

To know about our world

We world

all

have to learn about the

we

And we have to learn we need for our way of life. live in.

the

skills

We

learn from oui' family, finends, and

teachers.

by

We

listening

We

read.

get and give infoiTnation

and

We

talking.

We

write.

communicate.

As you read this book, you will find out how we learn the many things we need to know. You will find out how we communicate with other people.

To make

We

life

tiy to

beautiful.

donkey

We

ways

find

cart

to

decorate the things

worth living

make

We

a Sicilian

cm-selves and the world around us

pray for the help

we need

to love

and be

kind to one another. In this book you will leani about

some

We a

of the

find

Roman

ways

many ways we do

to

these things.

express our deepest

Catholic Easter

Sunday Mass

beliefs.

we

use.

About Us

14 I

Botswana

Kwi

lives in a hot desert,

so he doesn't wear clothes.

He has no house

—

his

family travels from place to place to find food.

— Who

Are We?

United Slates

Danny

lives in a

his family.

house

He goes

witii

to

school. His father works for

money

to

buy food and other

things the family needs.

and dances that are important to Bushmen. He never go to school nor learn

Danny

learns

many

how

will

to read or write.

things from his parents, too.

But

he also learns things at church and school. His religion, his

things

games

— even his ways of thinking about

—are not the same as Kwi's.

Kwi and Danny

look very different. But

it

isn't

the

color of their skin or hair, or the things they wear,

that makes them different.

—that

their culture

culture

is

a learned

really

way

It's their

way

makes them

of

of life

different.

And

life.

Danny had been brought up by Kwi's family, he would have learned to live the way Bushmen live. He would like the foods they hke. He would do the things they do. He would believe what they believe. If Kwi had been brought up by Danny's family, he would have learned to live the way Danny's family lives. He would like their foods. He would do the things they do. He would believe what they believe. If

People aren't different. different.

We

learn our

from the people with

It's

way

ways

of life

whom we

of life that are

—our culture

live

and grow up.

I

15

Earth, as photographed from the Apollo 17 spacecraft.

17

Where Did We Come From? How

Where

did the world begin?

did

we come from?

People have been puzzling over questions

like these

for thousands of years.

The

Bible

in the

Book

tells of

the Creation of the world

of Genesis. It tells

the world and

all living

other stories about

how

things.

how God

created

But there are

the world began that

have been told by people from many lands and with

many very

who

These

different beliefs.

old, tell first

told

stories,

which are

us a great deal about the people

them and the

places where these

people hved.

There

is

also a

new

different lands are

still

Some people do not story.

But most

story that scientists from

trying to put together.

agree with this scientific

scientists think it is true. It,

too, tries to explain the things that people

have

always wondered about.

An

illustration

Jicarilla

from the

Apache

story of

the creation of the world.

God

created Heaven, Earth, and the Seas.

The seven days "What

is

the very oldest story you know?" Jane

asked her grandmother.

Her grandmother thought must be the story

"How

old

is

for

a moment. "I guess

of the Creation,

it?"

it

from the Bible."

Jane wanted to know.

"Why, many people think it was first told more than three thousand years ago by a man named Moses," said her grandmother. "Moses was a great Jewish leader who freed the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. The Bibhcal story of the Creation is called Genesis, which is a word that means beginning." Jane sat down on the floor beside her grandmother's chair

and crossed her

legs.

"Tell

me

about

it."

"Before the beginning of things," said her

grandmother, "there was no earth and no sky. There

was only a great dark emptiness and a great dark ocean of water. God gazed upon the water and thought.

Where Did

"Then God

said, 'Let there

be

light!'

Hght. It pushed back the darkness

the water.

God

Night. That first

day

"On

first

is

there was

and shone upon

Day and

the darkness

time of light and darkness was the

of the world.

the second day,

sky. Let

water

called the light

And

it

God

said, 'Let there

some

divide the waters so that

above

it

and some below

it.'

God

be a great

of the

called the

sky Heaven.

"On

the third day,

God

said, 'Let all the

water

beneath the sky come together in one place. Let the dry

The water rushed together and the land appeared, with mountains and valleys. God land appear.'

the dry land Earth.

God

And

the waters

created plants, the sun, and the moon.

He

called

called Seas.

We Come

From?

I

19

About Us

20 I

" 'Let the earth grow grass, and plants, and trees,

with seeds and

said God.

fruit,'

The

earth turned

green with growing things.

"On

the fourth day,

and the moon. He

set

God made them

in the

the stars, the sun,

sky to separate

the day from the night, and to be signs for the seasons and the years.

"On

the

live in the

fifth

day.

water and

He made all

all

the creatures that

the birds that

fly in

the

He made all the animals that live on the land. Finally, God made a man and a woman in His likeness. 'Have many children and fill the earth with people,' He told them. 'I have sky. Then, on the sixth day.

made you

"Now

to be the rulers of the earth.'

the world was finished. God's work was

He was pleased day, He rested."

done and seventh

with

it.

So,

on the

Grandmother looked down at Jane. "And oldest story I

as

God

it's

know

—the story

created birds,

fish,

beasts, and

that's the

of the Creation

told in the Bible."

man and woman.

all

Where Did

Frost and

A

giants and gods

fire;

white cover of snow hid the ground. It lay on the

and

roofs of the houses

dark-green branches of the

cheeks tingled in the icy breath between his

lips

on the

sat in great gobs fir

air.

trees.

Sven's nose and

He blew

and watched

a puff of

it

turn to steam.

His grandfather smiled at him. "Are you trying to

make another Ymir?" he

asked.

"Who's Ymir?" Sven wanted to know. "Well, Ymir was a giant, and the first

living thing in

the world," said grandfather. "He's in a story our ancestors used to

tell

We

it

don't believe

—a story of how the world began.

any more,

but this

of course,

story,

and others

of our

customs come from these old Norse

of

like

it, is still

part of our

lives.

Many

stories

gods and heroes and giants. Why, the days Tuesday,

Wednesday, and Thursday are named gods,

and Friday

"Tell

me

is

named

after a

after

Norse

Norse goddess."

about Ymir," Sven begged.

He

loved his

They were one reason he

grandfather's stories.

liked to visit his grandparents in the northern part of

is

Sweden.

"Long agp," the old man began, "where the world now, there was only a great yawning opening

called

Ginnungagap.

"South

of

glowed with

•

Ginnungagap was a world light.

of

Heat shimmered over

fire.

it.

It

Sparks of

up from it and drifted through the air. "North of Ginnungagap was a world of mist. In its center was a well. Twelve rivers flowed out of the well and ran toward Ginnungagap. The farther they fire

rose

ran, the colder they grew, until finally they turned

to

ice.

The

ice fell into

Ginnungagap with a noise

We Come

From?

21

like the roar of endless thunder. Slowlj^ filled

up with

ice

and

frost

and

'Then, from the world of

Ginnungagap

cold, cold mist.

came floating sparks and hot winds. The breath of heat met the cold mists and made steam just as your warm breath makes steam on a cold day such as this. Out of the warm steam was formed a giant, whose name was Ymir, and a cow, called Audhumla. They were the first fire

—

hving things." "^\^lat did they live on?" interinipted Sven.

was nothing but

ice

and snow."

"There

Where Did

"Ymii' lived on the milk that

Audhumla

lived

on the

salt

We Come

From?

23

Audhumla gave, and

she licked out of the ice,"

gi'andfather explained \\ith a smile.

"Was Ymii- one

of the

Norse gods?" asked Sven.

"No." Grandfather shook his head. "Ymii- was the first

Frost Giant.

wanted the world let

me

He was

evil, for

for themselves

the Frost Giants

and hated men. But

finish.

down to sleep. Out of his body came a woman. They had many children, and these man and a children were the Frost Giants. "Then, one day as Audhumla was HcMng the ice, a man's body came out of it! His name was Bmi and he created a son, named Bor. Bor manied a Frost Giant woman and they had three sons, named Vili, Ve, and Odin. And these thi-ee were the fii'st gods. "Odin and his brothel's saw at once that Ymii- was evil, so they fought him and killed him. Then, from his body they made this world we live on. "The land was made from his flesh. The mountains were made fi-om his bones. The sea was made from his blood. From his skull they made the sky. They filled it with spai'ks fi-om the fii-e world, to make the sun, "Ymii- lay

moon, and

stai-s.

"As soon as the sun began to bui-st

up out of the

eailh.

shine, grass

Then Odin and

and trees

his brothers

made the fii-st man. Ask, out of an ash tree, and the fu'st woman, Embla, out of an elm tree. And Ask and Embla were the father and mother of all the people in the world.

"So that's

how om- Norse

ancestors believed the

world began," said gi-andfather. "Now,

let's

the house and ask gi-andma to give us

some

cookies!"

get back in coffee

and

24

I

About Us

Light and

life

"Aunt Maude, who

are the Aborigines?"

Mark

asked.

Mark was from

He and his parents were Austraha. Mark had heard some

America.

visiting relatives in

Australians talking about people called Aborigines.

He wondered who "Why," first

people

were the

his

aunt

who

first

these people could be. said,

"the Aborigines are the

lived here, just as the Indians

people to live in your country.

European explorers discovered

many

When

Australia, they found

tribes of dark-skinned people already here.

The

them Aborigines, which means 'first.' " "Did they live like the Indians?" asked Mark. "A bit," Aunt Maude said. "They had only stone tools and weapons, and no houses. They hunted and fished and gathered wild plants for food. At night, they often sat around a campfire and told stories. I know one of their stories. Would you like to hear it?" "Sure!" said Mark. His aunt sat down and made herself comfortable. explorers called

"It's

one

tribe's story of

how

the world began. It

goes Hke this:

"Before the beginning of things, there was darkness and silence everywhere. The world was a place of bare rock. Nothing grew anywhere, nothing

moved, and no sound was heard. But, deep icy caverns lay the creatures of the world.

were not yet

alive.

They

darkness, waiting for

in

dark and

They

lay sleeping in the cold

fife.

"In the great darkness beyond the earth, Yhi the sun floated. She, too, was sleeping. She, too, was waiting.

Where Did

"Then, the waiting ended. Through the vast darkness came the voice of Baime, the Great Power of

Thought. 'Awake,' he whispered.

From them, golden hght Yhi sped downward until she

"Yhi's eyes flew open. flowed over the world.

walked upon the earth. Wherever her

feet

touched the

ground, plants sprang up, called forth by the brightness of her light. North, south, east, and west,

Yhi walked,

world.

Now

until she

trees, flowers,

had covered the whole

and grass grew

everywhere.

"Once again, Yhi heard the voice is

good,' he said. 'But

of

Baime. 'This

you have only begun. Now,

take your light into the dark places of the world

and

call forth

what you

find there.'

W^

We Come From?

I

25

wumAi

.-i>lllUftl.ti

"Yhi went down into a cavern beneath the ground.

As her blazing

light reached into the darkness,

Wings fluttered the creatures came

countless tiny shapes began to

and thin

legs scuttled as

joyfully out of the darkness left

and into the

light.

Yhi

the cavern, followed by milHons of insects.

They swarmed out and

stir.

into the world

among

the grass

trees.

"Yhi went up into the mountains. There she found a cave of ice, frozen hard as a rock, and filled with darkness. In the warmth of Yhi's glow, the ice

began to melt. As shapes appeared

it

—

turned into water, swimming

The the cavern and poured down the

fish, frogs,

water rushed out of

and

reptiles.

mountainside. Soon there were rivers and lakes, filled

with

"From

all

life.

other caves in the mountains, the light of

Yhi brought forth birds and furry animals. They scattered out into the world to learn their

ways

of

life.

"With her work done, Yhi soared up into the sky and became a bright ball of light. Then, Baime drew together bits of dust, air, and the power of thought.

From

walked upon two

"Man was

he formed a creature that

these,

legs. It

was Man.

delighted with the plants, animals, and

the whole world. But, after a time, he grew lonely.

Only

and

he,

talk.

"Yhi flowers

among

all of

He needed

Baime's creatures, could think

a companion.

down upon a stalk of growing on a tree. As Man watched, the let

her light pour

—a creature

flowers changed into another creature like himself. It

was Woman.

hands and went

down upon

off together.

the earth."

Man

and

The

light of

Woman

joined

Yhi smiled

About Us

28 I

A

green sprout and a rainbow It

was springtime

The cherry filled

trees

were in bloom and the

with their fragrance. It really

thought Sayuri, in the spring. I

been

Japan, and Sayuri was glad.

in

this

how

warm

air

was

wonderful,

is

everything seems to come to

wonder how

way, or was

it

it

happens? Has

it

life

always

different once?

"Has the world always been here?" she asked her mother.

Her mother smiled and shook her head. "No, not always. At one time, long ago, there was no earth, there

was no heaven.

mixed together

All things were

in

a great cloud. Slowly, the clear, light parts of the

The heavy parts of the cloud sank down and became a lump of muddy water. That was the beginning of the world." "Where did all the people come from?" asked Sayuri. cloud rose up and became heaven.

"Between earth and heaven, a pale green sprout,

like

a young bamboo plant, began to grow," said her mother. "It grew swiftly and was very, very strong.

When

its

flower burst open,

it

was the

First

God, the

One Who Made All Things That Last Forever. "The First God stretched out his hands and created the first man, Izanagi, and the first woman, Izanami. He gave them a jeweled spear and said, 'Go now, and finish making the world.' "The man and woman stepped upon the rainbow, the floating bridge of heaven that hung above the earth. Izanagi reached out and dipped the spear into the

muddy

water.

Then he

raised

it

high.

that had stuck to the spear dropped

shooting star it

it fell

struck the water,

A

off".

bit of

As

back toward the water. it

became an

island.

mud

swiftly as a

When

"Izanagi and Izanami went built a house.

made

There they

who

lived,

the islands of Japan.

gods and goddesses and, lived

upon the

"But where did

down

also

the

made

first

all

the

people

islands."

all

the animals

come from?" Sayuri

asked.

Her mother

and

and together they

They

later,

to the island

smiled. "That's another story."

Clouds, winds, and the songs of birds Storytelling time!

Everyone

in

the class was excited, because today

it

was the new boy's turn to tell a story. The new boy was an Indian a real Apache Indian Surely

—

he would have a wonderful story to

!

tell

Even the teacher was curious. "What kind of story do you have for us, Billy?" she asked, when he came up to the front of the room.

He

"A very old story that I heard from a very old man named Pesh-Coo. It Jicarilla Apache story of how the world began." grinned shyly.

is

the

The teacher and the other listen,,

children settled back to

and he began.

"Once, there was no world. There was nothing

but darkness,, water, and the mo\ing wind. Nothing

They had always been alive. "The Spirits had great power. They could do anything. They made the earth, who is the mother of all people, animals, and plants. And they made the sky,

was

alive but the Spirits.

who is their father. "The greatest of the

Spirits

was Black

mixed a raindrop ^ith earth and made a

mud. From the mud he made that live upon the earth.

all

Spirit.

He

bit of

the birds and animals

About Us

32 I

"The birds and animals gathered around him. 'Will you always be with us?' they asked. " 'No,' answered Black Spirit. 'Some day I must go away and you will never see me again.' " 'Then make someone like you, who will always be with

us,'

they pleaded.

them to go to all the places where the wind blew and bring back all the things they could find. They brought pollen, red earth, white stones, blue turquoise, and many other things. Black Spirit took these things and made them into a man. The pollen was the man's flesh, the red earth was his blood, the turquoise became his veins, the white stones were his bones. His hair was made from a black cloud, but when a man grows old, his hair "So Black

Spirit told

becomes a white cloud.

"When

man was

the

complete. Black Spirit sent a

whirlwind into him. The wind whirled through the

man's body and brought him to whirlwind,

we have

little

life.

Because of that

whirls on our fingertips.

" 'He will be lonely,' said the animals.

make a companion "So Black

Spirit

of the kind of

that a

'You should

for him.'

put the

man

to sleep, to dream

companion he wanted. The man dreamed

woman was

sitting beside him.

When

he

awoke, his dream had come true. " 'Let us walk,' said the

man

to the

woman, and

they walked together. " 'Let us run,' said the man, and they ran together.

"Then the man and woman laughed together, because they were happy. The birds were happy, so they burst into song.

the birds

still

And

in

memory

too,

of that time,

burst into song each day at dawn."

Where Did

The sky

shell

and the octopus

"Papa," said Claudine, "what's this?" She was holding the Httle wooden statue that had stood on a

room

shelf in their living

for as long as she

could remember.

"That came from the

island of Tahiti, in the South

Pacific Ocean," her father told her. "I used to

work

there, before

you were born.

It's

a statue of the

ancient Tahitian god Ta'aroa. According to an old stor>^,

he made the world out of a

"How

shell."

did he do that?" asked Claudine, her eyes

round with wonder. "Let

me

see

if I

remember the

story."

Her father

We Come

From?

|

33

About Us

34

rubbed

his chin thoughtfully. "It

old, old

man. As

I

remember,

was

went

it

me by an

told to

like this:

"Once, there was no sky, no land, no sea, no sun, no

moon, and no

stars.

There was only emptiness. In

the middle of the emptiness was a

shell.

Inside

the shell was Ta'aroa.

"For many ages Ta'aroa sat

Once he left was nothing

his shell

a

Then he

ages.

new felt

shell

is

not good,' said Ta'aroa.

and sat

in it for

make

filled

with a wish to

new

shell

he had made and turned

it

He made

trees,

fell

He

things. So he took the it

into the

the old shell into the sky and set

upon the world. He shook

feathers

a few more

a stirring within himself.

was

world.

and thought.

and looked about, but there

to see. 'This

"He made

in his shell

his feather cape so that

onto the earth. They became grass,

clumps

of bananas,

and other growing

"Then Ta'aroa made the other around, but they couldn't see

things.

The gods looked anything. This was gods.

because Tumu-ra-i-feuna, the great spotted octopus,

was holding the sky

tightly against the earth

with his eight arms. The world was like the inside of a closed clamshell.

"So the god Rua

killed the

octopus with magic. But

even though he was dead, Tumu-ra-i-feuna did not let

go

loose

of the sky.

tried to

went to

pry his arms

was no use. Tane, who was the greatest

and push the sky up, but

"Finally, they of all

The gods

it

gods except for Ta'aroa. With his great ax,

Tane cut down huge trees and pushed them between the earth and the sky. Then he tugged and heaved on the trees. At last the sky broke free and light came into the world. "Then Tane decorated the sky with stars and set the

%

sun and

moon on

their paths.

From

everything on earth.

and whales swam sky,

and people

He gave

a place to

that time on,

fish, turtles,

in the ocean, birds flew in

lived

the

on the land."

After he finished, Claudine was silent for a time.

Then she see with

said, "I guess the

—but

I feel

gods needed light to

sorry for the octopus!"

Blood and bones "Tomas?" Juanita poked her nose into her big brother's room.

"Tomas," she asked,

"is it true that

no one but

Indians used to live here in Mexico City?" Her brother

was studying the history of Mexico in college. She knew he would be able to tell her. Tomas grinned. "That's right. Mexico City was once the capital of the Aztec Empire."

"What were "Very

the Aztecs like?" asked Juanita.

different

from us," Tomas told

one thing, they used to

"Why

kill

her.

"For

people on special days."

did they do that?" Juanita gasped.

"Well, to understand why, you have to

Aztec story

of

how

know the

the world began," said Tomas.

"The Aztecs believed that long, long ago, when there was nothing but darkness, there was one great god named Ometeotl, who was all alone. But then Ometeotl gave birth to four other gods, and they made the world." "Did they make people?" Juanita asked. "Not right away," answered Tomas. "First they got into a fight that lasted a long time. The god named Tezcatlipoca had made himself into the sun. He was ruling the world, which was filled with giants that the gods had made. But the god Quetzalcoatl hit Tezcatlipoca with a club and knocked him into the ocean In anger, Tezcatlipoca turned himself into !

a jaguar and ate

all

the giants!

"Then Quetzalcoatl turned himself into the sun, made people, and began to rule the world. But

38

About Us

Tezcatlipoca, the jaguar, struck Quetzalcoatl with his

paw and knocked him

out of the sky. Then a great

wind blew across the world. killed

most

It tore

up

of the people, except for a

all

the trees and

few who

were turned into monkeys. That's how monkeys came to be.

"Next, the god Tlaloc became the sun. But

down upon the earth. All the people that Tlaloc had made were killed or turned into birds. That's how birds came to be. "Then the goddess Chalchiuhtlicue became the sun. But Tezcatlipoca made it rain so hard that the sky, which was made of water, fell down and covered Quetzalcoatl sent a rain of

fire

the earth. All the people either drowned or became fish.

That's

"Now

how

there

came

fish

was no

to be.

land. There were no people.

The

sky covered everything. So Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl stopped their quarrel and lifted the

sky back into place.

"Then Quetzalcoatl went where the bones

of

many

to the land of the dead,

people lay.

He

tricked

Mictlantecuhtli, the god of the dead, into letting

take some of the bones back into the world.

took blood from his bones.

own body and

The bones became to

the stars and

how

god.

And

He

let it drip

onto the

live people, the Aztecs.

"Quetzalcoatl taught the Aztecs

com and how

him

how

to

grow

weave cotton. He taught them about to

tell

time.

He was

their favorite

because he had shed his blood to

them life, the Aztecs believed in giving blood back to him to show their gratitude. That's why they give

killed people

on those special days."

Juanita nodded. "I understand," she said. "But don't think

it

was very

nice of them!"

I

—

*^%v

The chain from heaven Afunjo knew that his father was an anthropologist but he didn't know what that was. his father spent lots of time at the

town

of Ife.

And he knew

He knew museum,

his father often

that in the

went to the

villages near the forest to talk with old people

whose skins were as wrinkled as

raisins.

But why?

Finally, Afunjo's curiosity got the best of him.

40

About Us

"What," he asked, "does an anthropologist do?"

"An

anthropologist studies the

father told him. beliefs

and the

doing right

"The

they

tell.

and

That's what I'm

—collecting stories."

of stories?"

stories of our

own

asked Afunjo. people, the Yoruba,

live here in Nigeria," his father said.

stories

people live," his

studies their customs

stories

now

"What kind

"He

way

"Many

who

of the old

have been forgotten by everyone but our

The museum wants to be sure that the stories are written down and kept, so that

old people. all

none

will

"Tell

be

me

lost."

one of the stories," said Afunjo.

His father chuckled. "All right.

I'll tell

you the

Yoruba story of how the world began. "Long ago, there was nothing but a great, silent ocean that filled the sky. Above the ocean, the Great God, the Chief of Heaven, sat and thought about things.

God reached into himself and brought out a son whose name was Odudua. 'Go down "Finally, the Great

to the ocean that

upon

it,'

fills

the sky and put a world

God

the Great

said to his son.

"Odudua fastened a chain to heaven, and let it hang down so that its end reached to the ocean. Carrying a bowl of sand and a chicken, he climbed down the chain. He poured the sand out of the bowl onto the water. Lo instead of sinking, the sand made a pile upon the water "Odudua placed the chicken upon the pile of sand. The chicken began to scratch the sand with its feet, spreading the sand out upon the water. Odudua covered the sand with trees and grass, and there was the world, all new and shining.

>fl

r

!

U.

i

I

/

many

families use

houseboats as vacation cottages. Others

live in

year round. For them, riding the waves

is

y

fun.

them

all

France

Barge families have very

Even a simple is

hard when there is

living

space.

i\

such as washing dishes,

job,

least the family

little

is

not

much room. But

always together.

at

,/ 1

This ancient Egyptian tomb painting shows farmers at work more than 3,000 years ago.

Ill

The Ways We Work The sun

is

shinmg on our

In town, we

shall be

That was a song

backs.

paid fish for our barley.

Egyptian farmers, more than

of

3,000 years ago. Wall paintings in ancient these farmers at

work

tombs show

in their fields.

People have always had to work for a living. At they learned to first they hunted and fished. Later,

They made most of their own clothes, tools, and they made, fm-niture. They traded some of the things

farm.

needed. or grew, or caught, for other things they Then money was invented. As people began to work

money, they used it to buy things. Some of us still farm and fish. But we sell much of what we grow or catch. Some of us have jobs making factory goods for others to buy. We are craftsmen and

for

workers.

Some

of us

have jobs helping

others.

We

are

teachers, scientists, policemen, doctors.

Year

As a

after year,

result,

we

we

learn,

we

are always finding

kinds of work to do.

Workers

in

discover,

a Japanese electronics factory,

we

more and

invent. different

About Us

112

The good earth Kazino had

He had

set out early that morning.

driven the cattle for an hour

before finding enough grass for

Now

feed on. flies

around

them

to

he brushed away the

his eyes

and squinted at

the sun. It was time to round up the herd.

In the distance, he could see wild

He

animals.

gripped his long-bladed spear

would be wise to get home

tightly. It

before dark.

At

night, the wild animals

might attack the

Kazino

a Masai.

is

He

lives

with his

a village on a reservation

tribe in in

cattle.

Kenya, Africa. In the center

village there

is

of the

a pen where the

cattle are kept at night.

Kazino's people do not hunt animals or

grow crops

They

for food.

live

meat, milk, and blood from their

Without starve.

grass, the cattle

Without

starve. In this

also

would

way, the Masai depend living.

oil drillers,

and lumbermen

depend on the land for a

In Israel,

money

cattle.

the Masai would

cattle,

on the land for a Farmers,

on

many workers

living.

earn

growing, picking, and packing

oranges. In Wales, miners dig for coal.

In every country in the world, people

work with the in the

riches that are found

good earth.

The Masai of Kenya, Africa, depend on cattle for food. The herder's job is important.

x

!••

Wales

Digging coal out of the ground

and

dirty worl

A game of marbles is fun. The one who shoots the most marbles out

of the ring, wins.

^-/--y'-,-«t;;

/^TT*T

\

^

Taiwan

Chinese children play me, catch me" game

tsoo, fsoo, like

a "find

blindman's

buff.

Soviet Union

Kindergarten children stay their

places while they act

out a "find me, catch

They are pretending for

in

someone who

is

me" game. to look

hiding.

.;v^*

Time

131

for P^un

Find me, catch me! It's Alfredo's

big, red

turn to be "blind hen." Pedro ties a

handkerchief over Alfredo's eyes. Then Pedro,

Inez, Maria,

and Juan form a

circle

around Alfredo.

them begin to chant, "Blind hen, blind hen, what have you lost?" "I've lost a thimble and a needle," Alfredo replies. "Where have you lost them?" ask the others.

The

"In a haystack," says Alfredo.

ih-

1 ./'

four of

Inez steps into the

circle.

three times and steps back.

They run up

tease Alfredo.

She turns Alfredo around

Now to

the children begin to

him and

shout, "Blind

hen, blind hen."

Alfredo reaches out to catch them. But he

from being turned around.

It is as

is

dizzy

black as night

behind the blindfold. Besides, the children are careful

move away whenever Alfredo's hands come close to them. Then Juan gets careless. Alfredo grabs Juan's

to

poncho.

Now

it is

Juan's turn to be "blind hen."

Alfredo and his friends live in Peru. But "find me,

catch

me" games

like blind

hen are played

in other

parts of the world.

When Roman

children played this

years ago, they called children

know

it

call it tsoo, tsoo.

And

in the

it

2,000

murinda. Nowadays, Italian

as mo8(ia cieca. Chinese children

German

childi-en call it blindekuh.

United States, children

buff.

What do you

game about

call it?

call it

bhndman's

132

About Us

Three cheers for our side People are crowding into the Olympic

Rome. Banners are flying. Flags are waving. Everyone is talking at once. "Come sta?" ("How are you?") "Mi Stadium

in

tanto piacere vederla!" ("I'm so pleased to see you!")

The

calcio champions from

Rome and

Milan are about to meet. Calcio Italian

name

for soccer.

the

is

Eveiy Sunday,

from October to May, teams from the big Italian cities play

one another.

"Evviva!" ("HmTah!")

A great roar game

echoes through the stadium as the

begins. Suddenly, the Milan fans start to whistle.

They are angiy. They think the

referee has been unfair.

But the Rome fans Italy

Italian

soccer fans get very

yell

They wave

flags

and

deafening cheers when

their favorite

team scores.

They are

happy with the

referee's decision.

are always fans

who

unhappy with the

There

are happy or

referee!

Eveiy country has one or more

excited about their "national sport."

hiss.

favorite sports. In Japan, people enjoy volleyball

and baseball, games that were

invented in the United States. But soccer is

probably the most popular sport

world. It

is

the "national game" in

in

many

countries in Em'ope, South America,

and Asia.

the

**««..«**

Japan

The Japanese women's volleyball team plays in an Olympic game.

134

About Us

United States

The United States and

the

Czechoslovak hockey teams play in an Olympic game.

..;#£

M

*

'"

§!*

•'

:^w

»

*".;'t'

•i;?^^'"'

I

United States

Rodeos are popular

in

the United States and

Canada. This broncobuster hangs on event at the Roundup

in

in

an

Pendleton, Oregon.

England

Cricket

is

England's favorite

summer

sport.

popular

game

West

It

in

is

also a

Australia, the

Indies, Pakistan,

and

other places where the English

have introduced

it.

136

About Us

Vacation time

A It's

vacation

is

a time to forget work and worries.

a time to have fun, or a time to

rest. It's

a

time for families to do things together.

Some

families like to take trips to faraway places.

Other families villages. If

may

decide to explore nearby towns and

people live in the city, they

going to the country.

may want Most

If

may

enjoy

they live on a farm, they

to have fun in a big city.

families take vacations in the

summer. But

winter vacations are becoming very popular. Japanese

They may go to the mountains Honshu or Hokkaido. There they

families enjoy skiing.

on the islands race

of

down the snow-covered

slopes in the crisp, cold air.

Camping for

is

a fun

way

French families to

spend a summer vacation.

Time

Many They

French families enjoy summer camping

trips.

pitch their tents in thousands of campsites

operated by the government. These families have fun outdoors. far

They enjoy

quiet, green forests

from crowded, noisy

and parks

city streets.

In the United States and Canada, some families take vacations at Christmastime, If

when

schools are closed.

they want to get away from the cold, they

may go

to Florida. There they can skim over the surface of

a lake on water

skis.

They can

swimming. Or they can just

No

matter where

in the

sail

lie in

boats or go

the hot sun.

world families

live,

they

need a change from doing everyday things. That's what vacations are

for.

Where would you

like to

go on

your next vacation?

Japan

Skiing in

is

a favorite winter sport

the mountains of Japan.

for

Fun

137

138

About Us

United States

These Eskimo children

in

Alasl

'^.

Living Together

People must often work together to get a job done. If it is

to do

a big job, they will meet to talk about

it.

how

Usually, they appoint or elect a leader.

Then they make a plan and discuss how to carry it out. They make up rules and agree to follow them. The leader directs the work of the group. He or she sees to

it

that each person does his part.

This

is

the

way a team

plays a game. This

people govern a town or a country. things done,

we have

If

to pull together.

is

we want

the

way

to get

157

158

About Us

United States

This

girl is

asl