Into the Jungle

**inside front cover**

Into

the Jungle

The Adventures of Tama

Copyright: Andrew Holland 2017
Imagination Creation Publications ©

Story by Andrew Holland
Artwork inspired by George Fuimaono

Into
the Jungle

The Adventures of Tama

Tama looked out across the Santo village, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Storm rain
had destroyed their crops; their corn was crushed, lettuces were shredded, and the
ripe, yellow bananas that he loved so much were splattered like a squishy, brown
mess on the ground.

“Why has this happened to us?!” Tama’s mother sobbed as she leaned against the
family hut. “Not even our animals have enough food.” Scrawny chickens scratched
on the ground for what little corn they could find. The goats had long, sad faces as
they chewed the squishy, brown bananas.

“You should get some rest, Mum,” Tama said to his mother. All the people in Santo
had fallen sick after the storm. Luckily, the sickness had not reached Tama.



“Someone must go to the other villages for help,” Argom, the village chief, said
with a great cough.

“It has to be Tama,” Tama’s father said with a wheeze. “He is the only one who is
not sick and able to make the journey.”

Tama gulped. “I can’t do it, no one will listen to me if I go!” he cried.

“Yes, Tama should go,” Argom said, obviously not listening to him. “He has turned
twelve, has he not?”

“I’ve only just turned twelve,” Tama cried, hoping his father would hear him.

“He is twelve,” Tama’s father said. “It is decided, you must go for help, Tama. The
other villages are sheltered by the great mountains, they would not have had this
storm. Go now, your mother and I believe in you.”



So, Tama was forced to set off on this adventure into the jungle. The jungle covered
mountain after mountain like a lush green ocean. Santo was a small village hidden
in this jungle and as Tama walked along the dirt path leading out of his village, he
started to feel small, as well. Small and foolish. For he had never been outside his
village alone before.

What if no one listens to me? he thought. Tama saw monkeys swinging in the trees,
moving from vine to vine with ease. They pointed at him chattering and screeching.

It’s almost like they are laughing at me, Tama thought, but he kept on walking. He
knew he must find someone to help him save his village.





Tama travelled far and long through the thick jungle to reach another village.
Around Tama’s neck he wore a Tonga. A Tonga was a pendant made from a white
rock found only in the highest mountains of the jungle. It looked like a panther’s claw,
long and smooth and pointy at one end.

Every child in the jungle was given a Tonga when they were born. On the year they
turned twelve, they gave their Tonga to another person and became their helper to
learn skills from them. They might learn how to hunt, how to grow crops; anything
and everything. In the jungle, people would only help once you gave them your
Tonga. All the kids feared that their Tonga would not be received.

I’ll give my Tonga to someone and learn how to save my village, Tama thought. I’m
sure someone will receive it. I hope...

As Tama got close to the Nawek village, he could smell yummy food cooking. In
Nawek, there were many great hunters.

Maybe I can learn how to hunt from one of the men, then I could hunt for food for
my village, Tama thought. He was not sure what would happen, because in the jungle
where he lived people had a choice if they would receive a Tonga or not. But surely,
they would receive his Tonga.

Finally, Tama arrived at the Nawek village and he saw food everywhere! Snake
sausages spat over wood fires, pickled pork poached in pots, and lovely fruit bats
baked over hot coals. All the jungle’s best food! Hunters stood by impatiently watching
their food cook. Their huge muscles flexed as they gripped their bows and spears.
They all had many Tongas on their necks from the children they were teaching. One
great hunter had five Tongas!



The Nawek village people could surely help his village, but as Tama talked to them,
no one would take his Tonga.

“You are too skinny,” they said. “If you were stronger, maybe we could teach you
to be a hunter. We can do nothing for you.” The big hunters looked down at Tama as
if they were angry that he was even asking them. Tama’s knees were shaking,

“I just want to help my village,” he said.

“We don’t have time for skinny little boys like you, now get out of here!” said the
man with five Tongas.



With sadness, Tama left the Nawek village.

If only I was stronger, he thought. But he knew there was nothing he could do, they
had the choice to receive his Tonga or not. He walked on and passed through the
great tunnel that led to the Diamante village. This village had many great miners, who
mined for diamonds in the earth.

Maybe they will receive my Tonga, and teach me how to mine for diamonds, Tama
thought to himself.





Tama arrived at Diamante and saw there were so many diamonds that the kids
were using them to play marbles! Just one of those diamonds could be traded to
get enough food for the whole of Tama’s village. Tama wondered why there weren’t
any diamonds like that in Santo. But, then he looked around and saw all the mining
equipment that his village didn’t have – spades made of stone and wood for digging
tunnels into the earth, picks of crystal for breaking the rocks, and coconut torches so
the miners could see in the dark. And look — a group of monkeys were carrying rocks
out of a mine!

“Would you teach me how to mine?” Tama asked, as he offered up his Tonga to
the miners. Their faces were smudged with black soot from working in the mines.

“Ha-ha, of course not!” one of the miners said laughing. “You need mining tools.
We cannot teach someone who does not have mining tools. What are you going to
do, dig with your hands?”

The other miners laughed along with him.

“Could I… use yours?” Tama said.

The miners burst into laughter again.

“A miner’s tools are very precious, they are passed down from parent to child,”
another miner said.

“But, I need help for my village,” Tama reasoned with them.

“We cannot help someone without mining tools. It’s time for you to leave.”



Tama walked away.

I’m not good enough for anyone, he thought, the miner’s laughter still ringing in
his ears. How am I going to get help for my village? Tama knew of one more village
in the jungle, the Cantar village. Would they receive his Tonga and help?

Before Tama reached Cantar, he could hear their music. The Cantar village had the
best musicians, the best singers and the best dancers in the jungle!



When Tama arrived in the village, he was surrounded by people. They were wearing
brightly coloured clothes – reds and oranges, greens and yellows. The people had
long feathers in their hair and woven flax on their ankles. Their cloaks were made
of fine bird feathers, each garment looked like it would take weeks to make. The
musicians played on jungle drums, bamboo flutes, and vine-stringed guitars. As they
did, the other villagers danced and sang around him.

“Dance in the jungle, dance all day long,

Dance in the jungle, dance to your very best song.”

There was great happiness on everyone’s faces as they sang and played. Tama had
never learnt to sing, but he tried to join in:

“Daaaance in theee juuuungleee”





“What was that?!” the people cried.

They all stopped singing and dancing and playing and looked at Tama.

“Sounds like the screech of a parrot,” a nearby singer said.

“Or the squealing of a pig that’s got stuck in the vines,” a dancer cried.

“C-Can you teach me how to dance and sing like you?” Tama said to them, thinking
people might give him diamonds to hear him sing.

“Oh, a goat would have better chance of learning to sing than you!” the dancer
replied.

“But my village is in trouble, it could help if I could dance or sing for diamonds,”
Tama said.

“We cannot teach someone as bad as you,” the singer said.

“But our village really needs help! Everyone is sick and the rain has destroyed our
crops.” Tama pleaded.

“We cannot help - you don’t even have dance clothes,” the dancer said pointing
to the great feather cloak that he was wearing. “You don’t belong in our village, you
belong in Santo.” He said this as if there was something wrong with being from Santo.

Tama knew he didn’t have the right clothes, no one in his village did. He began to
feel great sorrow. He had come to the last village, and they too were not willing to
help him. There was nothing he could do if they would not take his Tonga.



With his head hung low Tama left the Cantar village and started his journey back
home.

What are the villagers going to say when they see my Tonga still around my neck?
Tama thought. I have failed the villagers and my parents too.





It was a sad, lonely walk home, but as Tama approached Santo he had a thought.

Maybe if I hide my Tonga, I can tell my village I learnt from someone. Maybe I can
pretend I have learned to hunt, or to mine, or to dance. Wouldn’t that be better than
telling them I failed? Wouldn’t they at least be happy with me for a time?

Outside Tama’s village was a great waterfall. As Tama approached it, he watched
the water rush off the high cliff and crash into the pool below. He heard the rumbling
of the water and felt the cool mist that hung eerily all around him.

I will throw my Tonga into the waterfall, Tama thought. Then no one will find it. It’s
not like anyone is going to want my Tonga anyway.





Tama stood at the edge of the waterfall and lifted his Tonga high above his head.
Suddenly, he saw a man dressed in white coming towards him. Tama did not recognise
him from any of the villages in the jungle. His clothes sparkled and his face shone like
the sun. He had a gold belt around his waist. Tama noticed the Tongas on the man’s
neck. He had more Tongas than Tama had ever seen! Far too many to count!

The man greeted Tama with a warm wave. Tama wondered what village he was
from.

“Hello, I am from the village in the clouds,” the man said, pointing at the clouds
high above a mountain behind him. “Why do you still have your Tonga, Tama?”

Tama stood amazed.

How does this man know my name? he thought. And the ‘village in the clouds’?
I’ve never heard of this!

“No one wanted to take my Tonga from me,” Tama replied.

Somehow, standing here with the man from the clouds, Tama felt safe and full of
hope.

Would this man help my village? Tama wondered. But how could I give him my
Tonga? I don’t even know what I could learn from him.





“I have seen from the clouds that you want to help your village. But first, let me help
you,” the man offered, stretching out his hand. Suddenly, Tama started to sparkle, he
was made clean, and his clothes became new! Tama was amazed.

How is he able to do his? And why would this man help me? Tama thought, as he
hadn’t given his Tonga to him. No one in the jungle had ever done that!

Suddenly, Tama gave his Tonga to the man. His heart felt warm as he stood there
with this man from the clouds.

“Thank you, Tama. This is the first Tonga I have received in a long time,” the man
said as he put Tama’s Tonga carefully around his neck. Tama could not believe it -
someone had finally received his Tonga!

“Well, I wanted to give it to you because you were kind,” Tama said. “No one in
the jungle has ever helped without receiving a Tonga first.”





“Yes, in the jungle that is how it is done. But from the beginning it was never like
that,” the man said with sorrow. “You see, my father from the village in the clouds
is the creator of all people and wants to help everyone. From the beginning, the
villagers gave their Tongas to us.”

“Any time you ask, Tama, I will come and help you. I know that your village needs
help. I have seen the people’s tears. I will help you and your village. Will you do
something for me, Tama?” the man asked.

“Yes,” Tama said, nodding. Tama couldn’t possibly think what he could do to help
him.

“I want you to tell the people in the other villages about me. But, first go to your
village and tell them you have met the man from the clouds,” the man said.

“But the other village people have everything! There is nothing that they need,”
Tama replied.

“You will see in time,” the man said. “Now, go to your village, and see the great
things I have done there.”



As the man turned to go back to the village in the clouds, he said to Tama,

“Remember, anytime you need help, ask me, and I will come and help you.”

“Wait! I don’t know what to do to help my village,” Tama cried.

“I must go now Tama, I will teach you many things in time,” the man replies. “Now,
go to your village and see what I have done there.”

Tama didn’t want the man to leave, but he thought of his village back home and of
his mum and dad. He turned around and started to run home.

“That was amazing! I can’t wait to tell the village people about the man from the
clouds,” Tama said.

I wonder what he has done there.