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The first monkey, ( Maranao version )

Long ago in a thick forest, a young girl lived under the care of the goddess of weaving. Here shelived happily and without care, for everything that she wanted to eat was provided for her by herpatroness.One day the goddess said to the girl, "Take this cotton, clean it, and make out a dress for yourselfout of it." Now, the girl knew nothing about making cloth and weaving it, so she said to the goddess,"When the cotton is cleaned, is it ready for use?" "No," answered the guardian, "after it is cleaned, itmust be beaten.""Well, after it is beaten, is it ready for use?" said the lazy girl. The goddess said that before it couldbe used, it would have to be spun. "Well, after it is spun, " persisted the saucy maiden, "is it ready foruse?""No, it must next be woven into cloth, cut, and sewn," answered the patient goddess."Oh!" said, the girl, "it will take a long time and much hard work to make clothes that way. Thisleather hide which you have given me to beat the cotton on, will make me better clothing, because itwill wear longer." So she covered herself with the leather. The goddess was so angry at the girl forher laziness that she decided that the leather should not only be her dress but also her very skin.Then the goddess took the stick for beating the cotton and thrusting it between the maiden'sbuttocks said to her, "This stick will become part of your body, and you will use it for climbingpurposes. As a penalty for laziness, henceforth you shall live in trees in the forest, and there you willfind your fruit."Thus, that's how originated the first monkey with a coat of leather and a tail.