Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria

by Elphinstone Dayrell

The eagle was elected king of the birds because he lived higher up in the air than any of the other birds, and could thus direct them better. One day the eagle went to the antelope and challenged him to play at a game of hiding between the birds and animals. He chose the hawk to represent the birds, and the antelope selected the bush cow on the animals’ side. They arranged that one should hide himself in the bush and the other should try to find him, but that if he failed to do so, the one hiding would be considered the winner and the loser would have to pay a large number of rods as a forfeit.

The first day the hawk was told to hide in the forest and the bush cow had to find him. So in the early morning the hawk flew off to where he knew there was a very tall tree covered with creepers. He then hid himself in the densest part and went to sleep. All day long the bush cow wandered about trying to find the hawk, but without success, and when the evening came he was quite tired and went home and reported his bad luck to the antelope. Later in the evening the eagle took the hawk to the antelope’s house and said that as the bush cow had been unable to find him, he was the winner, to which the antelope agreed and paid over the rods to the eagle. The antelope was not satisfied, so they arranged to have another match; but the same thing happened and the antelope had to pay again.

On the third day the antelope said to the eagle, “It seems to be very easy to hide; let the bush cow go and hide and the hawk look for him.” The eagle agreed to this, and the match was for the same number of rods. As soon as it was light enough to see, the bush cow went off into the forest until he came to a favourite swamp of his where he lay down and wallowed in the mud, leaving only a little of his head and back exposed to view. The hawk circled round and round and, knowing the habits of the bush cow and having very sharp sight, he very soon caught sight of the bush cow, so he swooped down and took a mouthful of hair and flew back to the eagle and reported that he had found the bush cow, and produced the hair as proof. That night the antelope had to pay again, and by this time he had lost quite a lot of money, so he arranged with the eagle that the hawk should hide the next day and the bush cow should try again. When the eagle had gone, the antelope told the bush cow that he was very angry indeed with him, and that if he failed to find the hawk again he would make him repay all the money he had lost to the eagle. The hawk flew off the next morning, and very shortly afterwards the bush cow dashed off into the forest to look for him. As the hawk had always won so easily, he thought he would have some fun with the bush cow, so he left the shelter of his tree and circled up high in the air. The hawk very soon caught sight of the bush cow rushing about through the forest, so he flew down very quietly behind the bush cow and perched himself on the horns of the bush cow quite softly. For some time the bush cow ran about in all directions searching for the hawk, until at last, as he could not find him, he thought the hawk must have gone home, so he charged back again through the bush to the hawk’s house and at times the hawk had to follow him by flying as the bush was so thick, but when the country was open he quickly settled quite softly on the bush cow’s horns again. As the bush cow went through the town he saw several different birds, and asked each of them as he passed whether they had seen the hawk about anywhere, but although they could all see the hawk perched on the bush cow’s horns, no one answered him. When he reached the hawk’s house, the bush cow searched everywhere for him, but finding he was not there, he rushed out again and went round another part of the town to see if he could find him. On his way he passed several cocks and hens, and asked them where the hawk was, but they only laughed at him. The bush cow then asked them again, but they continued to laugh. At last he became so angry that he threatened to trample on them if they did not tell him. So the cock said, “What you are looking for is sitting on your head; if you wave one of your arms over your head you will find what you want.” The bush cow would not believe the cow at first, and all the birds continued to laugh at him. At last, however, the bush cow did as the cock suggested, to find out if what he had said was true, and at once the hawk flew up and was seen by the bush cow who at once galloped off and told the antelope that he had found the hawk and had very nearly caught him with his hoof. The eagle was then sent for, and, although he grumbled very much, had to pay the amount of the bet.

That night the hawk told the eagle that it was the cock and hens who told the bush cow to wave his arm over his horns, otherwise he never would have been found. So the eagle sent for them and said, “It was you who told the bush cow where the hawk was hiding and in consequence I have had to pay a large amount to the antelope as a punishment; for the future I shall allow the hawk to always kill your children whenever he can catch them.” Now at this time the cocks and hens, who were related to the bush fowls, used to live with them in the same place, and when the eagle told them that the hawk would kill their chickens, they made up their minds to go and live with the men. When the bush fowls heard this they begged the cock and hen not to do so, and told them that the men would kill and eat them, but the cocks and hens replied that they would rather take their chance with the men than have their chickens killed by the hawk in the bush. The following morning, therefore, the cocks and hens set off with their children, carrying a piece of bark with them and told the other people they were going to get some fire. When they got to the men’s houses they looked about and found that there was so much to eat and they were so comfortable that they at once decided to stay, and have lived with the men ever since, while their cousins the bush fowls live in the bush. The hawks still continue to kill the chickens, but the cocks and hens always run and take shelter when they see the hawk coming. In the early morning before the sun rises you can always hear the bush fowls calling to the cocks and hens to come back and live with them, and shortly afterwards you can hear the cocks answering them, saying that they prefer to live in safety with the men.

Told by Abassi of Inkum.—[E.D., 4.1.11.]

XXXI.—Chief Kekong’s Daughter ’Ndere who Married a Python.

Chief Kekong was a very rich Okuni chief. He lived many years ago at the time when the Okuni people never eat the cat-fish, as they thought it was a part of the water ju-ju, having such a smooth skin.

Chief Kekong had a wife named Nyam, who was a fine woman, and they had a daughter called ’Ndere, who was much sought after by the Okuni chiefs and other rich men in marriage, partly on account of her beauty, and partly for her father’s wealth. ’Ndere was very vain of her personal appearance, and although her parents frequently tried to get her to marry, she always refused.

About this time a python lived at Okuni. He was a very fine fellow, and wanted to marry ’Ndere so that he might inherit her father’s property, but having no hands and feet he knew he would stand no chance of winning a girl who had refused so many offers. He therefore consulted another python, who advised him to go into a far country and try to borrow from different men a head, feet and hands, white teeth, and a fine face and nose, but that he should keep his own eyes. The friendly python told him that if he did this and returned to Okuni and asked ’Ndere to marry him, it was very likely that she would do so.

The next day the python set off to a distant country, where he was unknown, and went to a chief called Kaku. The python said that, although he was a stranger, he hoped the chief would help him as far as he could. Then Chief Kaku asked the python what he wanted and how he could assist him. So the python said, “I want to marry ’Ndere, the daughter of Chief Kekong of Okuni, but, as I have no hands or feet, she will not look at me. I therefore want you to lend me a face, teeth, arms and legs, so that I would appear to her as a stranger, and she would then marry me.”