The origin of laughter. A friendly bat, unable to speak but wishing to communicate, caressed a man with its cold hands and long nails. Tickled, the man laughed, and this was the first laughter heard in the world.
Noisy vegetables. From their hunting camp the people sent a messenger back to the village to see if the vegetables were ripe. As the messenger approached, he heard shouts. Potatoes, watermelon, squash, and yams were holding a festival. He stayed to watch and learned the games and songs.
Nighthawk's wings. Dying of thirst, a woman held prisoner by her cruel husband magically detached her head from her body and flew off in search of water, using her hair as wings. Unable to find her body again, she became the nighthawk, whose wings flutter and tremble like hair ruffled by the wind.
From The Mythology of South America, by John Bierhorst, pp 95-96.