There was a time when all tribes spoke the same language. Even strangers understood each other, and no one stumbled over unfamiliar words, no one was considered stupid, as they do now, if a person cannot explain himself to another person and both are silent.
There were many tribes, but they all spoke the same language, and therefore people easily shared their wisdom with each other and all the tribes lived in friendship.
But marriage laws forbade men of one tribe to marry women of another tribe, and people were dissatisfied with such orders, and therefore the old men of all tribes gathered and decided that everyone could marry whomever he wanted. A man from the Dingo tribe can marry a woman from the Lizard tribe, a Kangaroo woman can marry an Emu man - this is what was decided for all tribes.
But there were tribes that did not like the new law. They sharpened their spears and agreed to stand their ground.
And the most angry tribes were the Turtle, Frog and Crow.
Then the old men called all the tribes together to resolve this dispute.
The tribes who supported the new law did not believe that the dispute could be resolved peacefully. They were afraid that the Turtle, Frog and Crow tribes would attack them - these were too warlike tribes. Therefore, everyone took boomerangs and spears with them and began to wait to see what would happen.
But the warriors of Turtle, Frog and Crow understood that there were more other tribes, and they figured out how to quarrel those who liked the new law, so that they would fight and kill each other.
When on the appointed day all the people gathered together, the Turtle, Frog and Crow tribes began to dance and sing. As soon as someone got tired, someone else immediately took his place. They stamped and shouted and did not stop even when, according to custom, everyone sat down to eat.
And other tribes stood around and looked at them. But they were not supposed to leave during singing and dancing: this would bring misfortune and disaster to the tribe.
So the people stood and watched the dancing, and hunger tormented them more and more, and their legs gave way, and their eyes closed from fatigue.
For three days the Turtle, Crow and Frog tribes danced and sang, and on the third day, from hunger and fatigue, the people of the other tribes were seized with anger, and their speech became impudent and offensive. Everyone was angry and pushing each other.
And since all the tribes spoke the same language, everyone understood that his neighbor was insulting him, and the people became so furious that they jumped to their feet and began to fight.
A fight between friends is worse than a fight between enemies. Many fell in this battle, and the tribes dispersed in hatred.
Since then, each tribe has decided to speak differently from the way other tribes speak. Each tribe invented its own language so that only fellow tribesmen could understand each other.
That's how it is now.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru