Folklore

The Moa

A long while ago, when the earth had just been created, the people of the Marwakii tribe never had to live in fear of earthquakes, for there were none. The Marwakii always lived in peaceful happiness.

Now it just so happens that a group of moa* (large, flightless birds) had just moved into the Marwakii’s territory. The Marwakii noticed this and started hunting moas for their feathers. This was brought to the moa leader the Great Moa’s attention. So the Great Moa called upon God, asking for help. God came down to earth to speak with the Great Moa.

“I have heard the struggles of your kind.” He said in a mighty voice, “and I can offer you some help. I can put you and all the other moas in a beautiful field in the middle of the earth. I must warn you though, once I place you there, you will not be able to come back out.”

Despite the odds, the Great Moa took the offer and God put all the moas in a lush, green field in the center of the earth. Every so often, the moas fell a great longing to be on top of the earth once again. In times like this, they push against the walls of the earth creating a violent shaking above.

This is why earthquakes happen, and also why the moa is extinct.

*NOTE: Moas were real. They became extinct around 1600.

By Katelyn Jones
3.11.09

Note: This is for Katelyn's Science class. They're studying earthquakes and she needed to write a folklore about where earthquakes began.