Back when the earth was young
The eagle, King of the birds, built his castle in heaven.
He celebrates his feed fat ceremony one a year.
The party is in heaven so only a bird could go.
But the tortoise was very determined to go.
So he went to the birds with a weird request.
Just give me one feather and that will be all.
At the end he was more colorful than all the
Birds.
The eagle has a rule for all his guests, don’t come to my palace with a commoner’s name.
A special name you have to take.
So the peacock called himself the stunning glory
The hawk said from now he is swifty the fast.
One by one, every bird took a kingly name
Cunning tortoise opted for “all of you”.
‘Why the weird alias’, wondered adaka the cuckoo.
‘Because I have a feather from each of you’, replied tortoise with a hidden smirk.
They sang as they go as birds are wont to do.
Anyi jega n’umu igwe orima do ri ma ri ma do rima
We are going to heaven
Anu nwere nku ya puta ije, do ri ma ri ma do ri ma
If you have a wing join us
Anu enweghi nku ya nodu ala, do ri ma ri ma do ri ma
If you don’t have a wing stay back.
They got to the ceremony in high spirits
The elephant has prepared a feast fit for a king.
All the food and drinks is for ‘all of you’
‘All of you’ please enjoy yourselves
‘Well’ , tortoise said ‘I am all of you’.
No one touches a morsel or a drop of wine.
He ate and ate and drank and drank .
Leaving behind a bunch of angry birds
Whose feathers are his bus fare home.
The birds left angry , everyone taking his borrowed feather with him.
Leaving cunning tortoise in heaven without a wing.
Hawk who was the angriest gave him a favor.
I will take a message to your wife he said with a smirk.
To bring out your fishing net to catch you when you jump.
Tortoise saw his wife bring things out of the house.
But he was too far away to know for sure.
At her signal he let go and tumbled down to earth.
Too late, he landed on the hardest objects in his house.
Broken bottles, a pestle and even his canoe.
Evidently the hawk has ‘forgotten’ to mention the net.
So tortoise cracked his shell in tiny pieces.
Njoku the snail put him together again.
But his shell was never the same again.
And that is why tortoise has a cracked shell to this day.
Igbo Folklore.
