FOLKLORES - A SURVEY

1.0. INTRODUCTION

This unit presents some examples of folklores drawn from some geopolitical zones in Nigeria to enhance students’ understanding of folklores.

2.0. OBJECTIVES

1. At the end of this unit of study, should be able to: Have a better understanding of folklores across Nigerian geopolitical zones 
2. Learn lessons from the folklores surveyed

3.0 MAIN CONTENT

3.1 Some Examples of Folklores

This unit presents some folklores drawn mainly from Nigeria. Examples of folktale motifs are stories depicting history, genealogy and tribal links, etc. 

a) Tortoise and Crocodile

Once upon a time, Tortoise went on a stroll by a river bank. There he saw a Crocodile. After the Crocodile had shaken his head, he told the tortoise that he sympathised with him, because he (Crocodile) was very small. Tortoise said to Crocodile: “Size of body is not the end of everything”. Crocodile asked Tortoise what he could do to prove that size was not the end of everything. Tortoise told Crocodile that in seven days’ time he should come out from his hole so that he would show it.

Tortoise went home. At home he told his friends what had happened. He told them that he would need their help. He showed them where they would stay and what they would do.
On the seventh day Tortoise and his friends went out. Tortoise threw one end of a rope into the water. He stretched out the other end of the rope and gave it to his friends in the bush and he kept hold of the middle of the rope. Crocodile thought that Tortoise alone was holding the other end of the rope. They started to pull the rope. Because of Tortoise friends’ help in pulling the rope they drew the Crocodile out of the water on to the land.Then after the Tortoise had laughed heartily, he told Crocodile that what he said at first that he was still saying it again: “Size is not the end of everything”.

b) The Race between the Tortoise and Antelope

Once upon a time, there was an Antelope who boosted to Tortoise that he could beat him in running, because Tortoise’s legs were very short. Tortoise retorted to Antelope: “Slow and steady wins the race”, and said he could surely beat him in a race. As they continued to argue, each of them boasted about the race, and they also agreed on the distance to be covered. After they had agreed, they started the race.  Antelope ran a little and decided that it would rest a little, because Tortoise could not run fast. As Antelope was resting, he fell asleep. Meanwhile, Tortoise came up and ran past him and arrived at the place they agreed. When Antelope awoke from sleep he started to run, but before he arrived at the place that was agreed, Tortoise had already arrived. So Tortoise reminded the Antelope of what he had told him: ‘Slow and steady wins the race”. So Antelope begged him and told him that another time he would not boast to him.

c) Why the Fowl Scratches the Ground

Here we are! So, it was in the Idu (Benin) Kingdom. The animal kingdom planned some communal labour. They went to this labour and realised One Hundred Pounds Sterling. Tortoise was elected to keep the money because he was the oldest of all. They all agreed. When the animals wanted that money, Tortoise brought out only fifty Pounds Sterling. They all grew annoyed. Fowl volunteered to keep the money. He went and dug the ground and buried the money.

When he was burying the money, Tortoise saw it. As soon as the Fowl went away, Tortoise went and carried away the money. As fast as I can tell it, Tortoise summoned a meeting of all the animals and asked Fowl to produce the money. Fowl went to the spot he buried the money, but could not find it. The animals pursued Fowl and said they would kill him. The Fowl flew up and pleaded that he should be allowed to look for the money.

Fowl started scratching everywhere in search of the money. That is why the Fowl scratches the ground. So I have gone and come back.

Chorus: Welcome!

d) It is not good to do Evil

There was a certain blind man. He begged for money that he used to food. There was a certain rich man who had only one son. He lived with his father in their quarters. One day, the blind man went to beg for money from the rich man. At a certain period, the rich man became angry because of the troubles that the blind man was giving him. He then wanted to get rid of the blind man and his troubles.

One fine morning, that same blind man went into the house of that rich man. That rich man then went and caught a snake, put it in a bag, and gave it to the blind man. The rich man told him that he should not untie it until he reached home. The blind man took hold of the bag and went away. He had not gone far when the son of that rich man saw him, and told him to bring the bag so that he would see what his father gave him. The boy put his hand inside the bag. That snake bit him. The child fell down and died. They cried out to the father. He began to cry but what would happen had already happened.This shows that it is not good to do evils.

e) Why the Cock Crows Early in the Morning

In the early days of our forefathers in the animal kingdom, dignity and discipline were very important. One day, before sunset the king of all animal kingdom, the Lion, called for the meeting of all animals in his kingdom including the Elephant. Some of the animals who attended the meeting include, tortoise, all the birds, rabbits, snakes, dogs, goats and even the reptiles were in attendance.

The lion who was their host opened the discussion by stating the reason for such an important meeting. According to him the reason for the gathering was to inform all the animal of new development of appointing or awarding the most disciplined in the kingdom. In his word “from now on, am announcing to you that we shall be monitoring time in everything we do and one out of all of us will be chosen for the award,” the lion said. With that, the meeting was concluded and the entire animal returned to their homes.

The next morning every animal woke up with various identities to indicate to others that they are already awake. While the fishes in the water were jumping excitedly, the rats were screaming, the birds were singing and flying all around, the cocks were crowing very loudly and their voices were also waking most of the animals.

In the next meeting the award was given to the cocks since they were always the first to be heard. And since then, cocks took it as their duty to wake animals and human beings in the morning and the interval in which they crow determines the time of the day. And till date, the crowing of cocks is used in our villages to wake and determine the time of the day.

f) Why the Robin Bird Has Red Chest

A long time ago, when spirits moved about on earth and interacted with humans, there lived a woman of much riches. She had everything she needed except a child. Her name was Ama. Ama was a very kind woman who was generous to both the spirits and human alike. Ama traded in mmanu ofo (red palm oil). Everyday she went to her igbe, a special pot of palm oil of the smoothest and finest variety. She prayed to the spirits to grant her a daughter with qualities like the palm oil whom she would cherish and love.

One day, Ama hurryed up to meet the canoe that would take her to the neighboring weekly market, Ama left her house with the chores undone. Coming back later that night, she found out that the chores had been done and wood chopped down for her. Surprised Ama entered the house first pouring a libation to the gods for their help. Each day for the next days she went to the big market, Ama would come and find her house clean and tidy. Curiosity took hold of her one day and she decided to pretend to leave home and go through the bush to see what happened in her absence.

That particular morning, she left home and went to her prepared spot in the bush to see what happened. As she watched, she noticed the oil in her igbe flow out to form a very beautiful girl with shin as smooth as her oil in her igbe and hair flowing like the palm oil being poured out. As the girl formed from the oil she started singing; Mother mother I will do anything for you 

Nne nne a mee meloo obi Uma bu kee di mbge afu nwoke 

I will be better than a son

Nne, nne, a fu n’anya mu

Mother mother I love you so much and will stay

 

Ike kwe fu ni anya muIf

 only you will accept me as I am

Futa abugbo futa na nya aka nne 

Come out maidens come out and help my mother

Suo akwa suo eferi zaa uluo pee 

Wash the clothes wash the plates sweep the house chop chop the wood

Nye nne akaa tepu nne lotaa
Help mother out before she returns


At these words, seven other girls jumped out of the pot and started doing all that the girl had said in her song. When they finished their work, they entered back into the pot. Ama was surprised and then decided to watch them for sometime. After three days of her watching them, she decided to catch one of them. On that day, as the girls were working Ama sprang out of her hiding place and grabbed one of them. As she did so, the rest of the girls returned to the pot. Surprisingly, she had grabbed their leader. Ama pleaded with her to stay. The girl agreed under one condition: that she would never ask her to go near the fire. Ama agreed and named the girl Ayanate, meaning “I have got my heart’s desire”.

Ama and her daughter lived together happily for a very long time. To make sure her daughter never went near the fireplace, Ama brought a house slave by the name Fefaa to do the cooking. Fefaa was very jealous of Ayanate and always taunted her about her inability to cook. Ayanate never minded as she got satisfaction from always pleasing her mother in other ways around the house.

Time came round again for the weekly market and Ama had to travel for a week. After biding her daughter farewell and warning Fefaa not to let her daughter near fire, Ama left. As the week ran by, it was suddenly time for Ama to return. Fefaa, planning to know the reason why Ayanate was not allowed near the fire told her lies that her mother did not love her because she had never cooked for her. Ayanate felt bad and decided to surprise her mother. Not knowing how to start a fire, she used some wet wood Fefaa had purposely left lying around. As she blew on the wood, smoke entered her eyes and she unknowingly came closer to the fire. Suddenly, the wood burst into flames and caught her. As she started melting, because she was made of oil she spotted a little white chested bird. She then started to sing:

Little bird tell my mother
Anya nnunu gwa nne

Afu a jie laa

Tell her that I have gone back

Gua nne zie tua oma

Tell her that just to please her

A nwaa oku

I dared the fire and broke our promise

Kwaa mee nne kwe gi

Little bird to make her believe you

Abuba gii ngidi na ofe igbo na zi 

Dip your chest into the oil and show her the nne proof

With this word she melted, caught fire and burnt down the house with Fefaa in it. The little bird dipped his chest in the oil and flew off to fine Ama. Meanwhile, Ama was resting in the forest under a mangrove tree when she noticed a bird singing. The song sounded so beautiful and sad that she went closer to listen. On her getting closer, she heard these words:

At this point Ama started crying for her lost daughter. To always keep her daughter in human memory she told the bird, “eri okpu gig a buo iu debe oru nwanyi nceta” meaning” from this day to time immemorial, you will carry this mark on your chest to keep my daughter alive.” At these words Ama entered the bush and was never seen or heard from again. That is why the robin bird has a red chest and is not afraid of humans, but wakes us up with that beautiful song about Ama’s daughter, Ayanate.

g) The Cunning Leopard (from Itsekiri, Delta State)

In Itsekiri land the story is told of a leopard that is very cunning in nature. It deceives little children from their homes by being friendly with them and lead them into a false sense of security before eating them up. So it is said that a leopard does not change its spot, as an analogy children are warned against a bad friendly personality.

Self Assessment Exercise

i. Write down the lessons learnt from two folklore presented in this unit.

6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT

i. Drawing from your culture, write two folklores
ii. What are the lessons in two folklores you have written?