Long ago, Ijapa, the tortoise, and Obo, the monkey, were good friends. The friends would spend hours talking and playing games. But, because Obo was stubborn, and Ijapa was greedy, their games often ended in an argument.
One day as the friends were playing a game of Aayo, they saw a herd of buffalo racing towards them. Obo quickly climbed the nearest tree, but Ijapa’s arms and legs were too short, so he couldn’t climb. Instead, he hid inside his shell. The herd kicked and stomped on Ijapa as they passed. Thankfully, Ijapa’s shell kept him safe, although he was bruised and achy.
Once the herd had gone, Obo climbed down to check on Ijapa, who said a prayer, “May the Almighty keep us from suffering we don’t deserve”. Obo didn’t respond to Ijapa’s prayer. Thinking his friend didn’t hear him, Ijapa repeated it. Still, there was no response from Obo. Ijapa, upset, asked, “Why didn’t you say ami when I prayed?” Obo responded, “I didn’t say Ami because it was a stupid prayer. If you don’t deserve to be punished, you won’t be”. This made Ijapa angry and he decided to teach Obo a lesson.
The next day, Ijapa made the most delicious Akara (bean cakes) and dipped them in honey, making sure they were extra tasty. When he finished cooking, he put all of it in a bag and went to find Kinihun, the lion. As he approached Kinihun’s house, Ijapa started to eat the Akara loudly “Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmm”. The smell of the Akara and Ijapa’s noises soon caught Kinihun’s attention. “Haba Ijapa! Are you really going to pass my house without saying hello?” Kinihun called. “Oh Kinihun, I’m sorry I didn’t realise I was near your house. I was just really enjoying this food”. “Let me taste some of this food that is so delicious, you forgot where you were,” the lion said, extending his paw. Ijapa shared his remaining Akara with Kinihun, who polished them off quickly.
“These really are very tasty. I have to have some more,” Kinihun declared. “Where can I get more?” he asked Ijapa. “Oh, I can’t tell you that. It’s a secret. Besides, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you” Ijapa replied. “You have to tell me,” Kinihun begged, “I promise to keep the secret”. Ijapa pretended to think about it for a minute. Then he moved close to Kinihun and whispered in his ear “I got them from Obo. It’s actually his poo”. “Poo?!” The lion roared, surprised. “Are you sure?” “I promise you it’s true” Ijapa lied. “The only thing is that Obo doesn’t like to give away his sweet poo. So when you ask him, he would probably lie about it.” “How do I make sure he gives me some of his sweet poo?” Kinihun asked. “If he refuses to give you his poo, you’ll need to punch him hard in his tummy until he does” Ijapa advised the lion. Kinihun thanked the tortoise and went to find Obo.
Shortly after setting off, Kinihun ran into Obo sitting under a tree. “Obo, I had some of your delicious poo earlier today. Please can I have some more?” he asked nicely. Obo, understandably confused, answered, “delicious poo? What are you talking about?”. “I knew you’d deny it, but don’t worry, I promise to keep your secret”. Kinihun assured him. But the monkey, irritated, started walking away “My poos aren’t sweet and even if they were, I don’t need to poop, so leave me alone,” he hissed. This upset Kinihun so he grabbed the monkey and started punching his tummy shouting “su’mi didun kin buje, su’mi didun kin buje” (“give me sweet poop to eat”).
The beating went on for hours but every time Obo pooped, it smelled terrible. They were nothing like the tasty treat Ijapa had given Kinihun earlier. Eventually, Kinihun gave up “No food is worth this much work” he thought to himself as he flung Obo to the floor and walked away. With Kinihun gone, Ijapa climbed hurriedly to the top of the nearest tree as fast as he could. He was so sore that he laid in the tree for days while he recovered. A few days later, Obo felt hungry and went to the market to buy some food. He climbed down the tree carefully, making sure Kinihun was not nearby. As he paid for his food, Ijapa walked up to him and offered the same prayer “may God keep us from trouble we don’t deserve.” Immediately Obo responded, “Ami, ami, ami!!”
To this day, monkeys hardly ever come down from the treetops because they still fear the lion. And when they see animals or people nearby, they start screaming “Ami, ami, ami!” just in case they are saying a prayer.
The Morale of the Story:
The story teaches us the importance of respecting our friends.
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