The First Baboon

There was a woman who lived with her children in a village. The chief of that village killed one of her children. 

The mother grieved for her child, but she would not shave her head in mourning.

"Shave your head!" the people told her.

But she refused.

"Shave your head!" the chief commanded.

But she refused.

Then hair started to grow all over her body, everywhere.

She ran off into the wilderness.

That woman was the first baboon.

That is where baboons come from: the woman who refused to shave her head in mourning when the chief killed her child.

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Inspired by: A story told in passing by Alice Werner in The Natives of British Central Africa, 1906.
Notes: You can read the original story online. I will update this post if/when I find out more about Werner's source. This is a legend of the Yao people; you can find out more at Wikipedia.

(hippopx)