Stories Our Parents Told Us
W
ide-eyed children around the world lessons crafted by ancestors that many Asian absorb their heritage through stories Americans still hold close to their hearts. At the passed down from their parents. These University of Florida, students shared stories from tales are especially important for the children of their culture, continuing the age-old tradition of immigrants, who may scarcely remember their oral history. homeland. Fables, legends and epics provide
Juan, believing he is incredibly clever, decides not to jump for the fruit, but to wait until it falls into his mouth. This way, he reasons, he doesn’t have to use his hands to eat the fruit. He makes himself comfortable by the base of the tree and waits day in and day out for the guava to fall. After many days of waiting for his guava to fall, Juan Tamad felt something dripping on his face. He looked up to see a gleeful bat perched on the tree branch enjoying what was supposed to be Juan Tamad’s guava fruit. Defeated, Juan Tamad returns home with an empty stomach. This cautionary tale warns listeners to act rather than wait. There are multiple versions of the folktale, but most maintain the same basic premise of a lazy boy who ultimately fails as a result of choosing the easy way out. In a more extreme version of the story, Juan Tamad actually starves to death as a result of his stubborn ways. Juan Tamad’s foolery continues in additional folklore such as “Juan Tamad and the Mud Crabs” and “Juan Tamad Takes A Bride.”
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design/ Sumin Shim
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In the Philippines, the story of “Juan Tamad” — or “Lazy John” as it translates in English — is well known among Filipino children. As his name suggests, Juan was an exceptionally lazy boy who always sought to find the quickest and easiest way to accomplish a task. In the original version of the tale, Juan Tamad comes across a guava tree and spots a shiny, ripe fruit hanging from a low branch, just barely out of reach.
photography/ Kylee Gates Do
JUAN TAMAD
by Eileen Calub & Mumtaz Abdulhussein
Tales from the Homeland
