In the very first days of mankind, when people were learning about life, there was a very shy boy named Kuko. He was very much in love with the daughter of the chief of his tribe, but was too shy to say anything to her. Instead, he would leave a flower at her door each morning and then walk pass her house later to see if his gift had been accepted. Every day, his heart rose when he saw that the flower no longer lay on the doorstep. Then, one day, a delegation of strangers came to the village. It was an offering of marriage from the son of a neighboring chieftain. He sent donkeys laden with gold and precious gems, and baskets filled with grains, vegetables and fruits. Poor Kuko! All he had to offer was the simple flower. In fact, as the delegation entered the home of the chief, their heavy boots trampled his offering into the dust...
Kuko could not imagine that the girl would prefer him to the son of a chief. He was a poor shepherd boy, who owned only a couple of sheep. In despair that night, he went to the Lake of Goddess to think. It was a favorite spot of his, a place he often went when life appeared darkest. That night, though, a beautiful blue bird appeared, circling over his head three times, and then dropping a long blue feather into his laps. Kuko was startled, but even more amazed when the bird spoke to him.
"I am the Naminoto bird, who makes her nest in the very laps of the Goddess", sang the bird. "She bids me tell you to take heart. Give this feather to the girl you love and if her heart beats true for you, she will be yours." Kuko went home with the feather in hand, and laid it on the doorstep. He could not sleep, however, and was there at dawn to see if the feather remained where he had left it. The feather was gone! As he stood there, the Chief, his daughter, and the entire delegation of strangers came out, and the village cryer began to ring the bell that signified a village meeting. All of the villagers came out of their houses, and pressed forward to hear what the chief had to say. Poor Kuko was afraid that it would be an announcement that the Chief's daughter was to accept the offer from the neigboring Chief's son.
Instead, he beheld his lady love stepping forward, the Blue Feather braided into her golden hair. She said, "I will marry only the man who can tell me where the bird to which this feather belongs lives." Her father then spoke, "Three days from now we will have another meeting and at that time, we will hear the answer to my daughter's question." Kuko realized that the Chief was intending to give the neighboring Chief's son a chance to find out the answer to the question... And so, the next three days passed very slowly for Kuko, who knew the answer but did not know if the Chief's son would be able to stand forth and give the answer as well...
In three days, the delegation returned, and this time the Chief's son was with them. He was a handsome lad, but arrogance was stamped in his visage and his bearing denoted one accustomed to getting his own way in everything. He stepped forward and said, "Here is my answer to your question: I have sent men to every corner of our land, and no one has seen a bird with feathers like this. I therefore declare that the bird is a foreign one, from a land very far away." "Yes", said the Chief, "That must be so." "And yet", said the girl, "That is no answer at all. It does not tell me where to find the bird!" Kuko stepped forward then. Much to his surprise, when he spoke he did not stutter as usual. His voice was firm and melodious.
"I have seen the bird you seek", he said. "This bird will not be found anywhere in our land or any other, for she makes her nest in the very lap of the Goddess." The villagers were amazed, as was the Chief. "How did you know this?" the Chief asked. "The bird gave me the feather", said Kuko. "It is a symbol of true love, for the man who offers this feather to a girl is saying, 'My heart flies to you, even as a bird flies to its nest. I wish to dwell in your heart forever." Everyone was captivated with the boy's explanation and the Chief's daughter immediately declared her intention of giving her hand in marriage to Kuko.
"I always loved you", she confessed. "I would watch from my window each morning, as you brought a beautiful flower to my door. I always hoped you would speak to me, one day, of your love."
