THINGS TO THINK ABOUT Why do you think the Tree-dwellers liked their brave men best? How do you think they helped them to become more brave? Can you think why people had not yet learned to wear clothing? Why would they care more for ornaments at first? Have you ever heard any one speak of "a feather in one's cap"? Can you tell what is meant by it? What kind of ornaments do you like to wear? Do you know how to make them? Can you make such ornaments as the Tree-dwellers wore? Why People Began to Wear Ornaments The fire clan played a hunting dance each night. They hunted every day. They began to attack the larger animals. Brave men were needed to do this. Men liked to show that they were brave. So they kept trophies of their conflicts with the wild beasts. These trophies were sometimes teeth and claws. Sometimes they were beautiful skins and feathers. When men found the time they worked upon them. They made them into curious ornaments. It was hard work to bore holes through the teeth and claws. But they learned to do it. They strung them on sinews and hung them about their necks. Sometimes they wore them on their arms and wrists. Sometimes they wore them on their ankles and knees. They made head-dresses of the feathers. They covered their shoulders with the skins. Men did not wear skins to keep themselves warm. They wore them to show that they were brave. Such trophies were worn by all the brave men. These men were the leaders in time of danger. When they were successful in the hunt, the people praised them. When they failed, the people mocked them. So they tried to do their work well. They tried to find the best stones for tools and weapons. They worked until they made them sharp and strong. They studied the animals until they learned their ways. They taught the people the hunting dance. They kept the trophies of their brave deeds. They were brave men. All the people praised them. THINGS TO DO Tell a story of how Bodo earned a trophy. Find ornaments that you think the leaders might have worn. Dress some dolls the way you think that the leaders dressed. Perhaps you would like to string seeds and make a necklace.