Story of the Humming bird
This is a story by Wangari Maathai shared with Ron Moffatt in Montreal for NAFSA’s 58th annual conference.
I first read this in 2010 and it made a difference to me, I shared the story with my Munay Ki firends and family during the gifting of our rites at Hill Top farm just out of Perth, One night during our shared moments around a table with a talking stick sacred emotions were shared and things about ourselves were offered freely that we wouldnt not have normally felt able to share. This story towards the end of the night I shared and it summarised what we all can do and the possibilities are not bounded.. once we have faith in ourselves and become aware that others share that faith.
Whitefeather
From Ron Moffatt’s Opening Address “I first heard this story last May when I enjoyed the good fortune of introducing Wangari Maathai to the thousands of NAFSAns who had gathered in Montreal for our annual conference. I’m sure many of you know Professor Maathai as the recipient of the 2004 Noble Peace Prize for her contributions to sustainable development, democracy and peace. She was honored for her work as founder of the Greenbelt Movement, an organization that has planted over 30 million trees across Kenya through a community network connecting over 600 local nurseries.
It’s interesting to note that the very first tree Wangari Maathai planted was in Tumutumu in 1977, just a few steps from the classroom path that launched my journey just a few years earlier. Here is the story she shared with us in Montreal”
Ron Moffatt
The Story of the Humming bird
One day a terrible fire broke out in a forest – a huge woodlands was suddenly engulfed by a raging
wild fire. Frightened, all the animals fled their homes and ran out of the forest. As they came to the
edge of a stream they stopped to watch the fire and they were feeling very discouraged and
powerless. They were all bemoaning the destruction of their homes. Every one of them thought
there was nothing they could do about the fire, except for one little hummingbird.
This particular hummingbird decided it would do something. It swooped into the stream and picked
up a few drops of water and went into the forest and put them on the fire. Then it went back to the
stream and did it again, and it kept going back, again and again and again. All the other animals
watched in disbelief; some tried to discourage the hummingbird with comments like, “Don’t bother,
it is too much, you are too little, your wings will burn, your beak is too tiny, it’s only a drop, you
can’t put out this fire.”
And as the animals stood around disparaging the little bird’s efforts, the bird noticed how hopeless
and forlorn they looked. Then one of the animals shouted out and challenged the hummingbird in a
mocking voice, “What do you think you are doing?” And the hummingbird, without wasting time or
losing a beat, looked back and said, “I am doing what I can.”
“Like the hummingbird, we each must do what we can.
Imagine if Poverty Alleviation Through Education, and other like-minded, open-hearted, and common-spirited organizations, put 6 billion drops of water on the fire every minute of every day.
Imagine what we could do to build that better world we all dream about.”
Ron Moffatt
Gift to the Hummingbird
A Mayan Legend
Tzunuum, the hummingbird, was created by the Great Spirit as a tiny, delicate bird with extraordinary flying ability. She was the only bird in the kingdom who could fly backwards and who could hover in one spot for several seconds. The hummingbird was very plain. Her feathers had no bright colors, yet she didn’t mind. Tzunuum took pride in her flying skill and was happy with her life despite her looks.
When it came time to be married, Tzunuum found that she had neither a wedding gown nor a necklace. She was so disappointed and sad that some of her best friends decided to create a wedding dress and jewelry as a surprise.
Ya, the vermilion-crowned flycatcher wore a gay crimson ring of feathers around his throat in those days. He decided to use it as his gift. So he tucked a few red plumes in his crown and gave the rest to the hummingbird for her necklace. Uchilchil, the bluebird, generously donated several blue feathers for her gown. The vain motmot, not to be outdone, offered more turquoise blue and emerald green. The cardinal, likewise, gave some red ones.
Then, Yuyum, the oriole, who was an excellent tailor as well as an engineer, sewed up all the plumage into an exquisite wedding gown for the little hummingbird. Ah-leum, the spider, crept up with a fragile web woven of shiny gossamer threads for her veil. She helped Mrs. Yuyum weave intricate designs into the dress. Canac, the honeybee, heard about the wedding and told all his friends who knew and liked the hummingbird. They brought much honey and nectar for the reception and hundreds of blossoms that were Tzunuum’s favorites.
Then the Azar tree dropped a carpet of petals over the ground where the ceremony would take place. She offered to let Tzunuum and her groom spend their honeymoon in her branches. Pakal, the orange tree, put out sweet-smelling blossoms, as did Nicte, the plumeria vine. Haaz (the banana bush), Op the custard apple tree) and Pichi and Put (the guava and papaya bushes) made certain that their fruits were ripe so the wedding guests would find delicious refreshments. And, finally, a large band of butterflies in all colors arrived to dance and flutter gaily around the hummingbird’s wedding site.
When the wedding day arrived, Tzunuum was so surprised, happy and grateful that she could barely twitter her vows. The Great Spirit so admired her humble, honest soul that he sent word down with his messenger, Cozumel, the swallow, that the hummingbird could wear her wedding gown for the rest of her life. And, to this day, she has. How did the humility of one long-ago hummingbird cause its descendants to sport brilliant colors?
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