ONE HAND

This is a story about an extraordinary woman who faces adversity in prehistoric times. Her courage and resilience inspire us all

ONE HAND

Jebel Irhoud

Morocco

Around 300000 BC

The air condensed the lights of the sun, when it circulated

between the petals of the flowers. A melody of perfumes

spread across the region.

The butterflies collected the nectar while the ladybirds

explored the myriads of possibilities that the terrain

offered them. Gradually, the colours faded in the sky

letting the first constellations of stars shined in a beaming

glow. It was at this precise moment that Hina was born.

Her mother wept when she first saw her because of her

congenital malformation; Hina had no right hand, and

only four fingers on the left one.

In this harsh climate, a disabled girl from birth would

struggle to survive. The temperature differences between

day and night were so drastic that only the fittest were

capable of handling these conditions.

Hina would need all her abilities to gather the fruits and

help the community with the necessary labour required of

her.

Jinna her mother told her father Omma that Hina was

sick, and would probably die soon. Since the first months

of her pregnancy, Jinna had not been in a very good

health. She felt early on that something was wrong. The

birth of her daughter confirmed her worst premonitions.

Jinna thought that Hina could be a burden, and she

would probably be ostracized in the tribe.

Jinna felt so desperate by the situation that she decided

to go to the nearby river with the intention of drowning her

baby and telling afterwards that it was an accident.

But something in Hina sensed that her life was in danger,

and she cried and screamed so vigorously that Jinna had

remorse about what she initially wanted to do.

A feeling of compassion and love for her baby timidly

emerged like a gentle spirit who was watching over her.

From now on, she would protect her child the best she

could. There was something special that she could not

explain which emanated from Hina that had a fierce

appetite to live.

Each step of growing up for Hina was a challenge.

It started by the other women in the tribe who complained

that she was too slow, and she was not a real help for

them.

Jinna always replied that she would work twice as hard to

compensate what Hina could not contribute. Jinna was in

constant fear for her. She always used to tell Hina to stay

where she could see her.

In this network of caves tightly embedded in the hills, you

had to be extra vigilant.

The life in the tribe was hard, you had to move often to

avoid predators like snakes and leopards.

You also had to be very wary of the other tribes in the

area who never missed an occasion to attack to either

steal your food or to assert their predominance.

Two people in the tribe were always assigned to give the

alert if something threatened the integrity of the clan. It

was not rare that the tribe had to mourn the loss of three

to five warriors per year.

Somehow, with discipline and repetition, Hina managed

to develop a dexterity to pick up fruits.

But it had been an upheaval battle. Climbing between the

branches was particularly tricky for her.

In the beginning, the other children use to mock and bully

her because she was different.

Her only friend was her cousin Hine, he was kind and

supportive.

He helped her to develop unique skills to gather what the

tribe needed. After years of practice and determination,

Hina became the best girl to collect fruits. Everybody was

amazed by her achievement.

Jinna was more confident about the future of her unique

child. Maybe she could make it after all.

One year a locust swarm devastated the region.

The tribe had less to rely on.

Hina decided against her mother orders to venture further

that the group of women used to go without being seen.

When she was exploring the wilderness around the cave,

she came face to face with a leopard.

The beast stared at her, but something told her to remain

calm, and she had the presence of mind to grab a rock

and to throw at the leopard’s head.

After that she ran to rejoin the cave. When she told her

story, her mother was very angry because she

disobeyed, but many people in the tribe thought that she

made it up, and they laughed at her.

Hina was the source of constant jokes. They teased her

every day.

Jinna was ashamed and told her to never tell this story

again. Hina did not care that nobody believed her, she

used that as confirmation that she was more courageous

than most people. Leopard attacks were what people

feared the most.

Hina continued to secretly explore the area near the

caves. Jinna kept calling for her to know where she was.

Hina always had an excuse ready to give her mother.

During her excursions, Hina learned about different

aspects of the surroundings.

She was also very observant of was going on in the tribe.

Even though it was unusual for a girl, she asked her

father Omma how he fabricated spears, and how to

select the best rocks to do it.

When she was around ten year old, she asked her cousin

Hine to show her how to hunt preys.

“I can’t show you that, it’s only for the men, you know

that.” said Hine.

But every time she could, from a distance, she liked to

see how the hunters ran long distances to make their

prey tired and finally exhausted before they killed them.

During these hunts you had to be very careful to avoid

the lions, they could launch a surprise attack at any time.

Recently, one man died like this.

Hina reached adolescence, it was time for her to marry.

Her uncle Jime who was the tribal chief had to select the

best suitor for her.

But unexpectedly, something strange happened before

she could marry.

Without understanding why, people in the tribe started to

fall ill. Maybe it was something in the food they ate. But

one by one they felt weak.

The symptoms of the disease ranged from severe

rashes, vomiting or other intestinal problems followed by

enormous fatigue and the need to sleep long hours. The

healer of the tribe used medicinal plants that he knew

could alleviate the pain.

Both of Hina’s parents suffered from the disease but by

miracle she did not get it. She was very worried for them.

She accompanied the healer to collect the plants. He

taught her the best to use. Because the healer was so

busy, Hina became his assistant.

After a massive fever some people died of the disease.

Most of the men were affected by the sickness.

What was unimaginable before became a reality.

Because so few men could hunt, it had been decided that

Hine would show Hina how to hunt in order to provide

more food for the recovery of those who were not in the

condition to attend their duties.

Hina was now one of the few able bodies capable of

performing what was necessary to bring meat to the tribe.

But even diminished, many men protested against the

idea of incorporating Hina in a hunt. They said that it

would bring more bad luck, the gods were already angry

against them.

Jime the chief stood firm, and he said to them that there

was no choice if the tribe wanted to survive.

The first hunts, Hina was tentative. She did not master

the right timing to throw the spears at the preys.

But Hine always encouraged her, and after many

attempts she managed to kill a prey. She was totally

elated.

Her mother’s health did not improve. Jinna passed away

few weeks after she had the first symptoms. Hina and her

father were totally heartbroken and inconsolable.

After three months, new calamities afflicted the tribe. It

was the beginning of the most severe drought that they

had known for years. The main sources of water

diminished in size to become small pounds.

The tribe had to move to find a more a welcoming place.

Jime decided to send Hina and Hine to prospect the area

to find somewhere they could use to build a settlement

around it.

It was an arduous mission because of the scarcity of food

and water, but they were now the only two people who

had the fortitude to do it.

Hina remembered that her mother always told her to

follow her intuition, so they headed west.

They walked for days but could not find any large source

of water.

During their search, they ran across two men from a rival

tribe who tried to attack them and to rape Hina. Like

possessed by the devil, Hine and Hina managed to

severely injured the men, and they fled the fastest they

could.

Two days after, a huge desert storm appeared.

Hina and Hine had to stay under a rock to wait that it

passed. They kept walking to the west. After one more

day of marching, they finally saw something they had

never seen before, it was like an infinite river. They tasted

the water, it was a strange sensation, they did not like it

when they tried to drink it. They roamed around the

shore.

They found a river and also a large lake.

Hina and Hine were so happy, this place was perfect to

establish a new settlement. They admired the warmth of

the colours on the horizon above the waves just before

sunset.

Because Hine was an expert to follow animal tracks, he

had an exceptional sense of orientation and a very good

memory. They rested two days to regenerate. They

started their journey back to the tribe.

After one week, against all odds, they reached their

destination.

When they arrived and announced that they had found

the best place to settle, it was an immense celebration.

The tribe started their long march to reach their new

homeland.

They established a new community near the sea.

They learned how to collect the seashells and the difficult

art of fishing.

Hina married a strong and courageous man.

She became a mother then a grandmother.

She had a long and happy life. She was the matriarch of

the tribe. At night, around the fire, she told the story of

her life to the children.

She always finished her stories by saying:” Follow your

heart, it’s the best guide you will ever have.”