Long, long ago, the plants and animals had language and could talk to one another. In those days, a Hmong farmer went out to clear land to make a field for planting rice and vegetables.

As he cleared the land, the bamboo and trees wept without stopping. When he had finished cutting down the plants growing where he wanted his field, he set fire to them and burned them. The fire spread over the whole field. Then the Hmong farmer planted rice and corn seeds in the field.

Some time after the planting was done, the seeds sprouted, all together at once, and began to grow. But oh! When the little plants were as big as the curved feathers of a rooster's tail, the wild plants began to grow again, too! The weeds and natural vegetation began to beat the rice and corn plants, breaking them down.

So the rice and corn plants walked to the farmer's house. "Mr. Hmong Farmer," they said, "you went out and planted us in the heart of the forest, now the big old bamboo groves and trees that were growing there are beating us. They're breaking off our hands and feet. Why did you plant us there? If you don't help us, we won't be able to live."

The farmer answered, "Oh my dear plants, go and wait in the field, in seven days I will come. Tell the weeds, trees, and bamboo not to hurt you any more."

Later that day, when the rice and corn plants got returned to the field, they said to the wild plants, "You had better quit beating us with your branches and stalks because we have a chief who's going to come see us. Do you hear? The next time he comes, he'll make trouble for you! There's no telling what he will do to you!

The bamboo and trees answered "Well, if that's so, tell us what your chief looks like."

"Our chief is a man who wears a broad- brimmed hat and black clothes. He carries a machete in his hand. And he'll be puffing on a pipe. Just keep watching, when you see a man like that, you'll know that he's the one."

But the next day, only a tiger passed through the field. The bamboo, trees, vines, bushes, weeds and grass started hitting the rice and corn and asked them, is this your chief?"

"No, it isn't," answered the rice and corn. "Not this one."

The second day, a bobcat came by. While this wildcat was passing by, the wild plants began hitting the rice and corn plants again, and asked "Is he the one?" "No, he's not the one, either, but please don't hit us like that. It hurts!"

The third day, a rat scurried through the field, pushing his way through the leaves. The mean, wild plants laughed and said "Ha! Is this little creature your chief?"

"No, he's not!" answered the rice and corn.

"Because if he is, he's so little we could just fall on him and crush him."

"Well, he's not the one we told you about," the rice and corn replied.

During the fourth day, a bull came through the field. He was going to eat the weeds but they were tough and had thorns on them that hurt his mouth, so he couldn't eat them. The plants asked, "Is this one your chief?"

"No, not this one either."

The fifth day arrived and a wolf came. When he did, the wild plants asked, "Is it that one, or not?"

"No, he's not the one either."

The sixth day, a chicken flew through the field. "Is that him? Ha! Ha!"

"No! It's not!"

At last, the seventh day arrived. The Hmong farmer set out on his way to the field. It took half a day for him to walk to the field. When he arrived the weeds, trees and bamboo asked the corn and rice plants, "Is this your chief, your leader and protector?"

The rice and corn yelled, "Yes! This very one that you see before you! Take a good look at him!"

The farmer began chopping the weeds, trees and bamboo with his machete. The were terrified and began to wail at once. The farmer sliced the plants' heads off until he had cleared enough space for the rice and corn to grow tall and ripen.

The rice and corn plants thanked the man, "Ah, Mr. Hmong Farmer, you have saved us. Now you can go home and relax. You only had to come and plant us, and take care of us. Now you can stay home. But there is one more thing you must do, make a granary for us to live in. And also, you can build yourself a new house. When we are full-grown, we will come to you all on our own."

So the farmer went home. He went straight to bed. He stayed in bed a long time, until his ear was flat and stuck to his head. When the rice and corn were full-grown, they came to the farmer's house like a stream of water. But there was no granary for them to live in. They had to stay outside. But the rain would rot them . The rice and corn said to the farmer, "We have come to you, and you do not have our house ready. We will go back to the field, and whenever you get hungry for something to eat, you can come bring us in."

And so the rice and corn plants went back out into the field, in the middle of the forest, and stayed there until the farmer came to get them.

This is why, even today, Hmong farmers have to carry their harvests in from the field on their backs, not only rice and corn, but vegetables too. It's all because of this.