The Children of the Sun: An Inca Legend

**Lisa Bueno** (0:00)
Okay, our friends. So we have started reading a series of books that tell us the stories of the world. You know, all over the world, there are folk tales and mythologies and all kinds of stories about people and about nature and about life itself. And so yesterday we read about a story from Japan. Today we're going to jump the planet and go to the other side of the planet. And we're going to read a story that comes to us from South America, specifically in the Andes Mountains, right? In that area of the Western Hemisphere. And these are where we will find the Incan people. This is the Incan civilization that was a very big civilization a long time ago. And the people from that civilization still keep this story alive. In fact, it's often told still in schools in Peru and Ecuador, Bolivia. That's where these mountains are, okay? And so my friends, I am excited to share this story with you today to help us understand a little bit about the people who live in that part of the world and the things that they grew up learning about.
And this is a great piece of mythology from them. It is called The Children of the Sun. And this is an Incan legend. And this story was written by Michaela Cherif. This is her adaptation of that famous story. And Juan Pualamino. And it is, it's been translated by a man named Lawrence Schimmel. Because this story was not originally written in the language in which I will read it to you. And it, there's lots of different languages that the story has been written in, actually. It's been translated into lots of things. It was originally written in the language, the family of languages that were spoken in the Incan Empire, which would be Quechua. Yeah, Quechua.
And so, all that to say, today's story is read by Mommy and... Philip. Philip, my main man. Are you ready to learn a little bit today? Shall we? Let's do it.
At first, when the world was still new, without even a scratch on it, people didn't know how to get dressed, comb their hair, or greet one another with a good morning, nor had they learned how to heat, water, cook potatoes, or ears of corn. No one had ever thought of dancing or telling a story. There were no houses because no one had any idea how to build walls, or put in windows, much less how to sew blankets, or craft beds, or chairs, or spoons. People walked naked and shoveled, eating wild plants or raw meat, and at night they saw shelter in caves. And that's how life was.
And in those times, the sun was not merely a star, he was a god. And as is often the case with gods, there were days when he behaved ruthlessly. So one needed to be wary because he didn't hesitate to heat the earth so fiercely that plants and animals died from thirst, and sometimes even people too. And other days, though, the sun was calm and generous that one could watch him leaping in the air as if he were a bird.
One clear morning, the sun god saw himself reflected in the waters of Lake Titicaca. He was curious and wanted to see the details of his round face. He leaned down and saw his dark freckles, large yellow forehead, and shining eyes looking up at him from below. The sun came so close to his reflection that a spark of his flame fell into the lake and disturbed its waters. The flame made a white foam in the water and from it, a young man and young woman were born. They were smiling and clean and dressed and styled as if for a day of celebration. The sun called them Manko Kapak and Mama Okya. As if they had always done so, Manko Kapak and Mama Okya walked across the waters of the lake until they set foot on land for the first time. They marveled at everything. The blue of the sky, the smell of the grass, the green and yellow fields, the changing shapes of the clouds, the sound of the wind, and of course, the animals. And do you know what animals there are in South America?
Well, there are guinea pigs, vishkachas, foxes, pumas.
The guñas, the guñas, and condors. Condors, of course, are those really, really big words.
And as soon as he saw them, the sun liked his daughter's sharp gaze and his son's generous smile. And both were handsome and strong and cheerful. And since he was in a very good mood, the sun decided to entrust them with a task to found the very first city. How will we know where to build it? Mama Aukhya asked. That's simple, the sun replied, handing them a long stick.