The Tortoise and the Elephant

The Tortoise and the Elephant

There was a great King who ruled in the village of Gbogan a long long time ago at a time when animals could talk. The King took very ill for a long period of time and was at the point of death. After several attempts by medicine men from within the kingdom to heal the king failed, “Ikumejakako”, the dreaded herbalist who dwelt in the evil forest was consulted. He examining the king and pronounced that the king would have to take a special brew made of elephant body parts or die within seven days.
The King and his chiefs wondered how they would capture a big and dangerous animal like an elephant. The king after consultation with his chiefs made an announcement throughout the kingdom that anyone who would capture an elephant within seven days would get half of the kingdom and his beautiful daughter as a bride.
The tortoise came forward to accept the challenge. He made a request of the King, that a very deep pit be dug and that the pit should be concealed with raffia and mats and that a throne fit for a king should be set on top of the pit. The tortoise made some “akara” balls (bean cakes) and set out into the forest in search of an elephant. The wandered through the forest making enquiries of his fellow animals until the third day when he stumbled on an elephant resting under a tree…….
Tortoise: Elephant, what are you doing here…haven’t you heard the news?
Elephant: What news? Do not disturb my siesta tortoise, I do not like gossip
Tortoise: I don’t believe my eyes, a whole King, resting in the forest under a shade!!
Elephant: A King, what King?
Tortoise: YOU!! The king is dead and the elders have decided to make you king over the people.
Elephant: (roars with laughter)….you must be a joker tortoise, who would want to make an old ugly elephant like me a king?
Tortoise: There is no time for explanations, preparations are already at an advanced stage in the kingdom for your coronation, we must make haste, see, I have proof (he brought out one of the “akara” balls and handed one over to the elephant) This akara is only a small part of the delicacies being prepared for your coronation.
Elephant: (putting the akara into his mouth) Hmmmmm….this is delicious…really delicious it must be true, lets make haste.
And so the tortoise led the elephant all the way to the village handing out the akara balls to him at intervals and singing popular coronation songs to him all the way.
As the tortoise and the elephant approached the palace, news of the capture of the elephant spread like wild fire, everybody came out of their houses and started following the duo to the palace joyous and joining in tortoise’s songs. This all created an atmosphere of festivities reinforcing the belief in the elephant’s mind that he was to be made king.
Elephant: Your story must be true…the people are really joyous to see me.
Tortoise: You know I wouldn’t lie to you, can’t you see them singing that your reign shall be long?
As the throne finally came into sight, the elephant lumbered into it majestically amidst dancing and singing. He sat on the throne and instantly the ground gave way beneath him and he fell into the pit. The king’s warriors immediately descended upon him with spears and clubs and butchered him. Once the king had taken a sip of the elephant broth made for him, he became instantly well and fulfilled his promise towards the tortoise.

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears

If you live in the rain forest climates of West Africa, you will be very familiar with the buzz of the mosquito in your ears on hot humid evenings. Even if there’s only one mosquito and only one person in an area as large as a football field, the mosquito always seems to find that person’s ear and buzz in it. If you’ve slapped yourself in the face because of a mosquito, you know what I’m talking about. Here’s the story that explains the mosquito’s attraction to the ear.
A very long time ago when Ear was a beautiful woman and ready for marriage, there were several suitors wooing her. There were big creatures, there were small creatures. There were fast and sleek creatures and there were slow ones. But they all professed their love for Ear and demonstrated their skills – and there was such an impressive array of skills that Ear had a difficult time making a decision. Then along came mosquito.
“I would like you to be my wife”, proposed Mosquito.
Ear was so offended by this affront. “Look around you!” she cried. “Of all the people and creatures in the whole world, what makes you think I can entertain such a thought?” Ear was distressed. “Marry you?!!” she continued. “You will be dead before the week is over. You’re not strong, you’re weak and I will never marry you!”
Ear was exhausted from this tirade and she fell into her seat, fanning herself vigorously like she was trying to get any image of Mosquito out of her head. Meanwhile, Mosquito was really hurt by all that Ear said. It was very embarrassing to be talked to like that in front of all the other creatures who were whispering to each other and giggling. Apparently, they all agreed with Ear. “Dead before the week is over,” thought Mosquito as he slunk away. “We’ll see about that.”
And from that day forward, whenever Mosquito sees Ear, he flies up to her and says“Emi re, mi o tiku”, which in English means “Here I am, I am not dead.”
But who did Mosquito eventually marry? And how did she get attached to either side of Head? That’s another story I would like to hear.

The Dog Hides His Mother

There was a famine in the animal kingdom. This famine had lasted so long that any existing source of food had been completely depleted. The animals knew they had to do something real quick or they would all die off one by one. They called a meeting where every animal was in attendance and they determined that they had to do something drastic. It was decided that the mothers would be sacrificed to ensure the continuation of the animal races. They would eat their mothers.
The dog who had been at the meeting decided to hide his mother. He was not going to sacrifice his mother, so he hid her in the sky. Everyday, he would go to a particular spot where he sang a song asking his mother to drop a rope.
Dog would sing:
Mother Mother send down your rope
All have killed and eaten their mothers
Dog has taken his mother to the sky
Mother Mother send down your rope
His mother would drop a rope and the dog would climb to the sky where his mother would have a feast waiting for him.One day as the dog was singing for his mother to drop the rope, the tortoise was passing by and he hid himself to observe what was going on. He heard the song dog was singing, then he saw a rope being dropped from the sky with which the dog climbed to the sky.
The following day, the tortoise went to the same spot and disguising his voice like the dog’s, he sang the song he had heard the dog sing the day before. A rope dropped from the sky and the tortoise began to climb this rope. At this same time, the dog was just approaching the same spot and he saw the tortoise climbing to the sky. The dog immediately started to sing to his mother. This time, he sang that he was not the one climbing the rope and his mother should cut the rope. Dog’s mother got a pair of scissors and cut the rope sending the tortoise crashing to the ground. This caused tortoise shell to break into several pieces. He managed to glue these pieces together but that is how the tortoise ended up with the rough shell we know today.
The Spider and the Honey Tree (Liberia)
There was once a young girl from a village far way who had a special talent for finding the very best foods in the bush. Her oranges were just a little sweeter, her plums just a little larger, and her bananas had just a little more flavor. Everyone wondered where she located such delicious fruits. But, nobody ever asked the girl. That is, nobody asked her after they heard the story about Spider and this young girl.
One day Spider asked this young girl to help him look for food. He was too lazy to work for himself and was sure he could trick this girl into sharing her secrets. He didn't know how clever this girl could be.
"Little girl, nobody finds fruits as sweet as yours," cooed the spider. "Will you please take me with you when you go looking in the bush?"
"I've never done that before," replied the girl.
"It would mean so much if you could do it one time," pleaded Spider.
"Well, I suppose I can do it just once," agreed the girl. "Do you promise to keep my secrets?"
"You can trust me," promised the lazy spider.
"What do you like to eat?"
"Well, I like plums and bananas, of course, but I especially love honey."
"I think I can help you," grinned the girl.
Spider couldn't believe his luck.
The girl led Spider along the path into the bush. She took him down trails into areas where people rarely ever go. Spider grinned because he knew he was about to learn her secret places for finding the very best food. After learning this, he would never again have to work hard for good food.
"This plum tree," explained the girl, "does not have much fruit so most people ignore it, but its plums are the sweetest ones in the entire bush."
Now Spider was just as greedy as he was lazy. As soon as the young girl showed him the secret plums, his eyes became wide and his mouth began to water. Then, Spider shoved the little girl into the bushes. He rushed past her and climbed up into the tree. Then, he ate every single one of the plums. He didn't even leave one plum for the little girl. And, he didn't even say thank you!
After his feast, Spider rubbed his very full belly and thought, "This is the best day of my life! What a great idea! I can't believe she showed me where her plums are found. I wonder if she will take me to any bananas? She must be very foolish."
Spider looked down at the girl with his biggest smile and she asked politely, "Do you want any of my special bananas?"
He raced down out of the tree before the girl could change her mind.
The girl continued down the path showing Spider her secrets of the bush. They walked further down the trail into areas where people rarely ever go. "Over here is a small patch of the very best bananas," declared the young girl. Again, as soon as Spider learned the secret, his eyes became wide and his mouth began to water. Again, he shoved the little girl into the bushes. He rushed past her and climbed the banana plants. He ate every single one of the ripe bananas. Again, he left the young girl with nothing -- not even one banana. And once again, he didn't even say thank you!
His belly was so full, but Spider was not satisfied. He wanted to learn more of the secret places of the bush. He thought to himself, "This girl is really foolish. But, as long as she guides me, I will continue to eat all of her food."
Again, Spider looked down at the little girl and smiled. Once again, the young girl looked up at Spider and politely asked, "Are you too full or would you like to find some honey?"
One more time, Spider rushed out of the tree and followed the girl down the trail before she had a chance to change her mind.
The young girl guided Spider deeper and deeper into the bush where people rarely ever go. "Over here," she instructed, "is a very special tree. Deep inside a small hole is the most delicious honey in the entire bush."
Now this girl was not nearly as foolish as Spider thought. She had a plan to teach this greedy spider a lesson. She remembered that Spider loved honey and was not surprised at all when his eyes became wide and his mouth started to water. She also wasn't surprised when he shoved her into the bushes, ran past her, climbed up the tree, and squeezed into the hole. Again, he ate all of the sweet golden honey, sharing nothing with the young girl. He didn't even share one drop. And once again, he didn't even say thank you.
When Spider had eaten his fill, he tried to climb out of the tree but he couldn't get out the hole. His stomach had grown too large. He was stuck!
"Help me, young girl," cried the spider. "I cannot get out of the tree!"
"You wouldn't be stuck if you hadn't been so selfish," scolded the girl.
"I'm sorry for what I did! Please call for help," cried Spider.
"I am not as foolish as you think. You aren't sorry for what you did. You are only sorry you are caught in the tree."
"No, you're wrong," lied the spider but in his heart he knew she was right. He had enjoyed every minute, every bite of food, as long as he thought he was tricking the young girl. He never expected his idea to turn into such a problem for him. "Please call for help! I am trapped!"
Finally, a smile crossed over the little girl's face and she said she would do as the spider asked. She cried for help -- as softly as she could, "Help! Help! The foolish spider is caught inside the honey tree. Help! Somebody come and help this greedy spider!" Of course, nobody could hear her whispers for help. And, nobody could hear Spider's cries from deep inside the tree. They were too far into the bush where people rarely ever go.
Finally, the little girl looked up at Spider with a clever grin. "Good bye, Spider, I am going to get some huge oranges for my family. If you want to eat some, just follow me there." She waved to him as she left to go down the trail.
The Chief Who was No Fool (Liberia)
"Help me," the old man begged. "My neighbor has stolen from me."
The paramount chief gladly listened. It pleased him that others recognized his wisdom. "What exactly is the problem?" questioned the chief.
"My neighbor stole my goats. I'm a poor man, too poor to replace them."
"And what do you have to say?" the chief asked the man's neighbor.
"I don't know what he is talking about," answered the neighbor. "I have many goats but none of them belong to this man."
This would not be an easy problem to settle. The paramount chief would have to rely on his wisdom. It was the kind of problem he enjoyed the most.
"I have a test for you," announced the chief. "Whoever passes the test will own the goats. Go home until you can answer this for me. I want to know what is the fastest thing in the world. Do not return until you have my answer."
The two men left shaking their heads. Who could answer that question?
The old man repeated the question to his daughter, Ziah. She was as beautiful as she was wise. Right away, she whispered the answer that would please the chief. The old man returned to the chief the following morning.
The chief was surprised. "You already have an answer for my question?"
"Yes," replied the old man, "it was not difficult."
"And what is the fastest thing in the world?"
"Time," answered the old man. "We never have enough of it. It always goes too fast. There is never enough time to do all that we want to do."
The answer amazed the paramount chief. He wasn't sure if he himself could have answered the question as well. "Who helped you? Who gave you these words?" demanded the chief.
"They are my own words, my own thoughts," lied the old man. "There is no one else who helped me."
"If you are not telling the truth, I will punish you," warned the chief.
The old man was too afraid to continue the lie. "It was my daughter, Ziah, who gave me the words," he confessed. "She is a very wise woman."