One of the tribe's favoured policies was that leadership was given to the one who was able to make fire. Therefore this ability was a closely guarded secret, and passed only from father to son. However, the last firemaker was killed in a hunting accident before he taught the secret of firemaking to his son Za. Therefore the tribe was freezing during the winter and unable to cook their food, which included tiger and bear. Some of the tribal elders however shunned fire altogether, with one woman stating, "There were leaders before there was fire; fire will kill us all in the end."