Told by Ennenni, an Okuni woman.—[E.D., 5.1.11.]
XXXII.—How Agbor Adam broke the Hunting Law of Okuni, and How
He was Punished.
In the dry season, many years ago, Chief Akum Alobi of Okuni ordered all his people to go out hunting. They were to surround a certain portion of the forest and set fire to the bush, then, as the animals came out, they were killed. At the same time, the women were sent to bale out the pools in the streams and to catch the fish.
The hunting law was that, during the hunting time, the men might eat the meat of the animals they killed, but they were not allowed to eat any fish, and the women might eat fish only, and not eat any meat from animals killed hunting.
While the hunting was going on, a man called Agbor Adam went to his wife, Iza Kakem, and asked her to give him some fish to eat, as he was tired of nothing but meat. The woman refused to do so, saying that the hunting law was so strong that, if they broke it, they would certainly be killed. But Agbor Adam, seeing that there was no one within sight, told his wife that it would be quite safe, as no one would know, and that, if she gave him some of her fish, he would give her one of the animals he had killed. The woman then gave her husband a fish, and he told her to go to the place where he kept the animals he had killed and take whichever she fancied. So Iza Kakem, having looked over all the animals, selected a monkey, and took it to the bush shelter where she was sleeping, and cooked and eat it. Her husband also eat the fish.
Now, all that had passed between these two people had been observed by a bird called Aictor, who was sitting in a tree and could see everything that happened.
Aictor was a native of the Ingor country, and could not speak the Okuni language, and, at that time, the Okuni people could not understand Ingor, as they were not on friendly terms with them, so that, when the bird sang in the Ingor language, no one could understand what he said.
After Agbor Adam had eaten the fish, he returned to the hunting shelter, where the men were all sitting down, not noticing that the bird had been following him all the time.
Aictor then perched himself on the chief’s shoulder, and called out in the Ingor language, “Agbor Adam, Agbor Adam, you have broken the law made by Chief Akum Alobi between hunting-men and fishing-women, and you know that whoever breaks this law will be killed.”
Aictor shouted so loud that the men, who had never heard a bird talking in their hunting camp before, began to ask among themselves what he was saying, but as they did not understand Ingor, they could not tell one another. They could only hear Agbor Adam’s name being called out. They therefore went to the chief and asked him to tell them what the bird was saying, but even the chief himself was unable to explain, and told the men not to trouble about what the bird said, but to continue with their hunting, and that when they returned to the town he would call upon the lot caster for an explanation.