Before the Fire

THE CHAKO WAY In the steamy Ocqueoke live the Chako, a primitive people that look like brightly colored tree frogs. They believe there is power in the number seven and their most sacred lore consists of seven tales that teach their young the importance of their seven sacred rules. Any Chako traveling out beyond the village tree wears a Kermy belt which has attached to it several pouches and sheathes holding a variety of useful things. This belt is named for their greatest legendary hero, Kermy Topwater, and it is through the telling of his journey that these sacred rules are taught. One such rule regards how to safely light a fire.

Put your ear to the ground before lighting the fire, or its to the snakes with you!

— recounting an incident when aChako hunter to a young hunter who laid down his spear to light the sog-leaf fire

The Chako use fire for crafting, shaman's reading light, and most importantly, the making of hot sog-leaf, a strong brew of blended leaves. No day can end without the drinking of sog-leaf. Putting an ear to the ground where a fire is to be lit is one such sacred rule. It comes from the first journey of their beloved legendary hero, Kermy Topwater.

Long, long ago Kermy Topwater went deep into the Ocqueoke so no other males could hear his new croak and steal it. There he reached the Hidden Deep. With no other Chako tad about, he practiced his croak. It had to be perfect for the Moonfull Sing if he ever wanted a tad-lass of his own. Not until evening did he feel his croak was right. By then, it was time to have his hot sog-leaf.
Kermy swam out across the Hidden Deep to a bare island that was perfect for building a little fire. From one of the watertight pouches on his trusty belt, he took out a charwood brick and some tinder. He then unlooped his firestarter, a piece of rough metal with a chink of flint wrapped about it with a bit of vine. Unraveling the two, he struck to flint to the metal, creating sparks until there were tiny flames. In moments, the charwood caught fire and there were flames big enough to heat a tin cup of water.
Before he could take out his cup, the island heaved and bucked beneath him then began to rise!
As it rose, so did seven great heads of the hydra he had just started his fire on. The heads bellowed and snapped their long-tooth filled jaws at him, and each other. He hopped about madly, avoiding them as he also tried to escape into the water.
Then, one of those terrible jaws caught Kermy by his belt and flung him away.
He landed far away in a very tall tree that was filled by the Chako's most hated enemy ... snakes! How he escaped the tree of snakes is another tale.

— recounting the tales told by the Chako mothers, Chapter One