The eastern part of Nigeria,
largely occupied by the Ibo tribe, is rich in culture, customs and
traditions and one of the tenets that has survived the rage of
civilization and modernization is the art of storytelling. Interesting
and educative folktales which have been passed down from generations to
generations from the ‘ancestors’ are told to children in the bid to
preserve the norms and culture of the tribe, imbibe good morals and
instill the spirit of communal love amongst members of their society.
These
Igbo folktales which paints colourful pictures of spiritual life and
traditional aspirations are regarded as fictitious, incredible, mythical
and totally removed from real life situations. However, with regards to
their functionality, these folktales exhibit elements of truth that
translate into realism.
Obaledo
Usually
accompanied with a song, this folktale tells of a young pretty girl who
meets a great misfortune due to her defiance and decision to disobey her
parents.
Set in a
time when demons and spirits roamed around villages, the girl called
“obaledo” was instructed by her parent before embarking on their trip,
to remain within the confines of their home and eat just yam and snail
when hungry. The parents asked that she roast the yam first before the
snail, as the snail would eventually quench the fire. Unfortunately, the
girl, being greedy and having a strong lust for meat, roasted the snail
first and fire went off. Still hungry, she set out of her home, in
disobedience to her parents, to get a matchstick from neighbors. On her
way, she encounters a demon that steals her beauty and leaves her with
his own ugliness.
The King’s Drum
This
story tells about a greedy tortoise who ends up trapping himself in his
own greed. The tortoise, envious of a rich king who had a drum that
would produce food and great wealth each time it was beaten, set a trap
for the king’s wife, and when she fell for it, he demanded the drum as
his only compensation.
Unknown
to him however, the drum only produced the luxury he has seen on certain
conditions and was bound by a juju. Eventually, the tortoise and his
children break the juju that was bound to the drum and instead of food
and riches, each time he beat the drum, some men will emerge and whip
him thoroughly. Defeated, the tortoise and his family made their home
underneath the prickly tree, and according to the tale, that is the
reason tortoises are always found living under the prickly tie-tie palm,
as they have nowhere else to go to for food.
The disobedient daughter who married a skull
This
tale narrates the story of a maiden who was so pretty she had suitor
from around the world. Unfortunately, she was very picky and was never
satisfied with any of the offers. A demon from the spirit world in the
form of a skull , fell in love with her and was determined to marry her.
He went round villages collecting body parts and became extraordinary
handsome.
As
expected, the maiden fell in love with him once she set her eyes on him
and agreed to marry him. After the marriage, the demon took the maiden
to the spirit world where she suffered. She was however very nice and
helpful to the demon’s mother and in appreciation of her acts of
kindness, the demon’s mother helped her escape and sent her back to her
parents. On getting to her parents’ home, the father asked her to marry a
friend of his, and she willingly consented, and lived with him for many
years, and had many children.
Why a Hawk kills Chickens
More of a
fable than a story, this tale tries to justify or give reason to why
the hawk always attacks the chicken or steals the hen’s chicks. The
story tells of a love story between the hawk and a pretty hen which was
aborted by a desperate cock who was in love with the hen. After the hawk
had paid the bride price of the hen, married her and taken her to the
land of the Hawks, a desperate cock who encountered her fell in love
with her and crowed beautifully when he accosted her.
Unable
to resist the sweet sound of the crow, she absconds her husband’s house
and returns to the land of fowls with the cock. Angry and feeling
cheated, the hawk demanded for a return of his dowry as it was the
custom, but since the hen’s parents nor the cock could pay him back,
they took the case to the king of animals who then decreed that the hawk
could kill and eat any of the cock’s children whenever and wherever he
found them as payment of his dowry, and, if the cock made any complaint,
the king would not listen to him. And so from that time until now,
whenever, a hawk sees a chicken he swoops down and carries it off in
part-payment of his dowry.
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