THE BLIND MAN CATCHES THE BIRD
(excerpts from posts)
(If you want to retell any of the stories listed below, be sure to obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain)

1) Here are the bare bones of the story:
A blind man marries into a family and to get to know his new brother-in-law better, the blind man spends time going hunting with him. The brother-in-law is impressed with the skill of the blind man. He is able to tune into so much in the jungle and gathers information from his other senses that the brother-in-law cannot. They both set traps. The brother-in-law catches a bird, but the blind man catches a rare and beautiful bird. The brother-in-law switches the birds thinking that the man will never know. On the way home, they have a conversation and the brother-in-law asks why men fight or what starts war between people. The blind man answers "By men doing to each other what you have just done to me." The brother-in-law is shamed and admits to his deception. They switch birds and the brother-in-law asks, "How can men heal their contentions?" and the blind man says, "By doing to others what you have just done to me."

2) Here's Mary Carter Smith's version of it. She says it's African but doesn't list a source.
http://www.epfl.net/kids/estories/ESTORIES_Tale.cfm?ID=43
Jackie

3) According to two websites, the first being Milbre Burch's, and one that carries a book on stories of conflict resolution, they both state that A Blind Man Catches a Bird is a Ndebele Tale from Zimbabwe. I am not sure if this is the exact same story that you seek. I can't find the story on line but it is in this book.
Using Stories to Prevent Violence - School Mediation Center - peer
mediation, restorative justice, conflict resolution, bully..
http://www.schoolmediationcenter.org/products/Stories.htm
Karen

4) I did a bit more searching and came up with this online version. It is done in script format. The website is referenced at the end. As an aside for all of you on Storytell, the site looks like a wonderful resource for stories, prayers
Karen

A Blind Man Catches a Bird

Narrator 1 (Andisa): A young man married a woman whose brother was blind. The young man was eager to get to know his new brother-in-law, so he invited him to go hunting.

Brother-in-law (Ian): “You are welcome to join me.”

Blind Man (Adam): “I cannot see, remember? (pausing) But if you will help me see, I would enjoy the time together.”

Narrator: The young man led the blind man into the bush. At first they followed a path that the man knew. Here, it was easy for the blind man to tag on behind the other. After a while, though, the brush got thicker, the trees grew closely together, and there were many places for animals to hide.The blind man now held on to the arm of his sighted brother-in-law. He told him many things about the sounds they heard around them. Because he had no sight, he had a great ability to interpret the noises made by animals in the bush.

Blind Man: “There are warthogs nearby. I can hear their noises over there.” (pointing in direction of noise, taking a few steps, then pointing in another direction) “There! That bird is preparing to fly. Listen to the sound of its wings unfolding.”

Brother-in-law: “These sounds are meaningless to me. You have an ability to understand the bush which is beyond me!”

Blind Man: (urging him on) “Let us set our traps.”

Narrator 1: They walked on for several hours until they to came water.

Brother-in-law: “You can put your trap here.” (stops the blind man, helping him set his trap down) “The birds will come for water here.”

Narrator 1: The man put his trap a short distance away, taking care to disguise it so that no bird would know that it was there. He did not bother to disguise the blind man’s trap, as it was hot and he was eager to get home to his new wife. Any bird could tell that there was a trap there.

When the young man urged the blind man to follow, the blind man came willingl, believing his brother-in-law had disguised his trap. They returned home to their wives.

Narrator 2 (Jade): The next day, the pair returned to their hunting place. The blind man was excited at the prospect of having caught something. The younger man had to tell him to keep quiet or he would scare the animals away. Even before they reached the traps, the blind man could tell they had caught something.

Blind Man: “I can hear birds! There are birds in the traps.”

Narrator 2: When he reached his trap, the young man saw that he had caught a small grey bird. He took it out of the trap and put it in a pouch that he had brought with him. Then the two of them walked towards the blind man’s trap.

Brother-in-law: “There’s a bird in it. You have caught a bird too.”

Narrator 2: As he spoke, he felt himself filling with jealousy. The blind man’s bird was marvelously colored, as if it had flown through a rainbow and been stained by the colors. The feathers from a bird would make a fine present for his new wife.

Brother-in-law: (Young man bends down and takes the blind man’s bird from the trap, switching them) “Here is your bird. You may put it in your pouch.”

Narrator 2: The blind man felt the bird for a moment, his fingers passing over the wings and the breast. Then, without saying anything, he put the bird into his pouch. The two began the trip home. They talked of many hours, of many things, stopped for a rest under a broad tree.

Brother-in-law: “You are so wise. You know so many things even though you can see nothing at all. There is a question that has always troubled me. Can you tell me, why do people fight with one another?”

Blind Man: (taking his time, then looking up at the young man as if he could see him) “Men fight because they do to each other what you have just done to me.”

(Ashamed, the young man rises to his feet. Fetches his pouch, taking out the brightly colored bird, he gives it back to the blind man.)

Blind Man: (feels bird with his fingers, then smiles) “Do you have any other questions for me?”

Brother-in-law: “Yes. How do men become friends after they have fought?”

Blind Man (Smiling) : “They do what you have just done. That’s how they become friends again.”
Seeds of Peace....stories, prayers, & songs
http://www.dreamschool.org/dome/PeaceMaking/lessons/seedsPlay.html

5) Just for curiosity after I read your post I put "blind man and the hunter" (no 'the' - adding that will bring you to a different page) into google and found a couple of pages of references about it. At the first site, which is a sermon by Presbyterian minister Holly Spencer Fuqua, there is a written version of the story, near the bottom of the page. She says it is from West Africa. I think I like this version best, because of the subtle difference from the ones posted this morning. I will put it at the end here.

I also found a book of wisdom/wonder tales that lists it, couldnt see all of that version.
TALES OF WISDOM AND WONDER (1998)
Hugh Lupton, Storyteller
Niamh Sharkey, Illustrator

This Amazon url will get you to the page http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1841484016/qid=1103609315/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-1431177-8907201?v=glance&s=books
Kathy

6) I just read this same story in Alexander McCall Smith's new book, The Girl Who Married a lion. This book is a collection of stories told in Botswana and Zimbabwe. The author lived there for many years and collected them there. He wrote the very popular fiction series, The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency.
Helene

7) I think this is in Margaret Read MacDonald's book of Peace Tales.
Yvonne Y.

(This web page updated 12/22/04)