Hullo! Ok, I was sittin' and musing, when I suddenly remembered this story I once heard. This is TRUE as well, so bear with me, ok?
I worked at a bookstore many moons ago, and I was told this story by woman who was looking for a going away gift for her friend. Seems this woman's friend (Call her Mary for convenience) had gone on a safari type vacation in Africa, by herself. This safari was hosted by an actual tribe in the bush, and instead of going out to kill the animals in a truck, you were brought up close on foot with cameras.
There was Mary, alone in her own bungalow, and she was noticed by the chief of the tribe. They couldn’t speak the same language, but he was the one who took her out and showed her the REAL Africa, he took her all over, and showed her where the animals drank, and where they slept, and showed her how to survive on her own. Since most everyone else in the tribe were guiding people around, this didn't seem odd to Mary at all.
However she noticed that they had some kind of connection right away. They communicated without speaking the same language. They could sit all day and not speak at all, just do things in harmony. She LIKED him a lot, and disliked coming back to the village for dinner; she enjoyed his company so much. He seemed to realize this quickly, and they stayed out and ate alone after that. Only the last night did they come back for this "Ceremony" of goodbye.
The next day, as the visitors were packing up in the trucks to leave, this Tribal Leader came up to Mary and looked at her significantly. She couldn't tell what he was saying, but EVERYONE froze and stared at them. Then he took off this beautiful necklace he wore; she said they'd gone swimming and he'd not even taken it off then. But he took it off and gave it to her. The look in his eyes told her what the language barrier was preventing him from saying, and she felt the same way for him, but couldn't tell him either. Then he bowed to her, and turned away, disappearing into the bush.
Everyone of the villagers went nuts. Seems that that necklace was the symbol of his status in the tribe, and his name, his very persona. Without it, he was NO ONE. He had no name, and the tribe had no leader. They were in a panic, but no one dared to take it back from her. She came back to the states with it (And paid huge Custom fees for it too, darn governments!) And immediately sold everything she owned.
She went back to Africa to find him… and that's all I know!
So, I hope you all enjoy my efforts to write a story as good as this true tale. Let me know if I succeeded!