Ikom folk stories from Southern Nigeria

In the days when the elephant was king over all the beasts of the forest, it was the custom for all the animals to go once a year and make the elephant’s farm for him. They cleared all the bush and planted his yams and plantains. On these occasions the elephant always entertained the animals, and when the work was finished the elephant gave them food. Now, although the python never did any work on the farm, he always attended the feasts and, being very greedy, eat more than his share of the food. This annoyed the tortoise so much that he stood up at the feast and abused the python before all the people, saying that he did not work, and then came and eat a large quantity of the food which had been provided by the king for the people who made his farm and planted his yams. The python was therefore compelled to leave the food and go home as he was unable to work, but he made a vow to revenge himself upon all the people. When the next season arrived and it was time for the farms to be made, all the people went as usual to make the elephant’s farm and plant his yams, &c., but as the elephant had had such a very bad crop the previous year, he told the people he was very sorry, but that he was unable to supply them with food that year as he had no yams or plantains to give them. But in the evening, when the work was done, he gave them tombo to drink, and then told them to go. When the python heard this he said, “Now the time is come when I can revenge myself upon the tortoise and the other people who would not let me eat the king’s food last year.” So he went off into the bush, taking his wife with him, and together they gathered large numbers of soft palm nuts. They also collected other nuts and fruit and made them into heaps by the wayside where they knew all the people would pass on their way home from working on the elephant’s farm. Just before it got dark the animals began to arrive at the spot where the python had collected his nuts and fruit, and, being very hungry, they asked the python to allow them to eat some of his palm nuts. The python said, “Certainly, you can help yourselves, but remember if you do, when I am hungry I shall follow you and swallow you up when I catch you.” When the animals heard this they were frightened, and although they were very hungry, they passed on and left the fruit untouched. The tortoise was the last to arrive, and when he saw the palm nuts he shouted out, “Hallo, python, I am hungry, may I have some of your fruit?” The python then reminded him how he had been insulted at the king’s feast, but added, “If you are hungry you may take some palm nuts, but when I am hungry I shall swallow you.”

So the tortoise, not liking the idea of being swallowed by the python, passed along as the other animals had done. But he had not gone far when his hunger tempted him to return and eat the fruit. When he saw the python the tortoise said, “I want to eat the fruit as I am hungry, but, if you swallow me, my body is small and mostly shell so that your hunger will not be satisfied. If you will give me the palm nuts I will allow you to eat all the other animals except our king the elephant.” So the python replied, “How can you give me all the animals for food, seeing that they do not belong to you?” The tortoise then told the python that he would go and stay with the different animals, and he would expect him every morning after rain had fallen during the night; he would then go off into the bush, so that when the python came to swallow him he would not be there, and he could satisfy his hunger with the animal he, the tortoise, had been staying with. The python agreed to this arrangement and allowed the tortoise to eat the palm nuts. When he had satisfied his appetite, the tortoise told the python he was going to stay the night with his friend the bush buck, and then went away. That night there was heavy rain. So in the morning the tortoise went off into the bush, leaving the bush buck to be eaten by the python. After this the tortoise went from one animal to another, and many of them were swallowed by the python, but the tortoise always escaped. And that is why pythons do not eat tortoises now.

Told by Abassi of Inkum.—[E.D., 11.8.10.]