Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
THE STORY OF THE DOMESTICATION OF THE COCKEREL
This story was told to us 50 years ago!!
I can vividly remember i was about 5 years old.
I was in the village in Hoima, Bunyoro in Uganda
This story is part of many we were told at the fire place after evening meals when the weather permitted and it had not rained when we would sing folklore songs.
It was our time of socialising and how we enjoyed it!!
Before the story, i need to give you our background.Not very rosy but very happy.
We were a family of over 30 people, grandpa and grandma were well in their 80s and loved us children.My late father had two brothers still alive but very old now and two sisters. He had three wives, one of them my mother. No kidding!! Polygamy in Africa was there since time immemorial and it is part of our culture. It may be dying off because of economic hardships. We also had extended family of relatives,and a number of other people staying with us who had no home and would help on the farm to earn their keep.Every one as must had to go cultivate everyday at 5 am to 3pm except Sundays. My father had acres and acres of farmland under cassava, maize, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, millet, sesame, beans, bananas and name it. There were granaries and cribs of stored food to last a number of years in the homestead and people were industrious and enjoyed farming. For cash crops, he grew tobacco, cotton and coffee, the seasons were regular, the rainfall reliable and the harvests were bumper year in year out.He had cows and goats from which we got milk and a chicken run for eggs. Women were not allowed by culture to eat fish, chicken and eggs then. Unfair, is not it? Try stopping them today!!
There were fruits such as mangoes, pineapples,guava and bananas, so we were never short. There was banana juice every week which we would enjoy before they added sorghum to make TONTO brew.
The weekly hunt for wild game would bring in antelope, bush buck, pig, rabbit, wildebeest and kob meat. There was fresh or smoked meat in the home.
My father also had a shotgun which he used to hunt guinea fowl, partridge and so on.We were a family with plenty of food!!
I one day overheard him tell a colleague that wealth starts with having enough to feed your home.
Let me tell you about the eating habits.
Lunch was always eaten while cultivating but it was the evening meal that was important. Every one had to be there at that time and if you dared miss it, you have spent yourself a hungry night. Besides it was sign of bad behavior and would earn you some caning!!
The evening meal was always served at 6.30 pm in the courtyard. The food was served on banana leaves and we would sit in circle with the young ones in the inner circle and the adults behind watching us.We were not allowed to talk while eating, not to eat with greed and to pick food nearest to you. Even when you were done, you had to sit and wait until everybody had finished.
This informally inculcated in us discipline, respect for others, politeness, humbleness, honesty and generosity which in later years have helped us become what we are.
Today, i am 56 years and have a family of six. I work and i also find time for cultivation for the food crops we consume at home. Talk of old habits dying hard!!
But many other people are food insecure. Many people shun agriculture that it is an occupation for poor peasants.
Digressed?
So after the evening meal and before bedtime at 9 pm was story time and singing and the story i am about to tell was narrated as follows
Once upon a time, the Cockerel used to stay in the wild with other animals.
To protect itself and its family, it had to adopt fierceness and used to threaten other animals that he had fire on his head and would not hesitate to burn anybody that crossed his path or disturbed his family.
All the animals took the threat seriously and left the Cockerel in peace but the Hare knew better but kept the secret of his friend. The Hare and Cockerel would privately joke about it that if one day the animals found out the truth, the C
Cockerel would become somebody's breakfast and they would hunt all his family to extinction.
One day, the Leopard wanted to make a fire to burn the bush so that he could trap the warthog whom he wanted for dinner.
So he sent one of cubs to go and request Cockerel for fire. The cub found Cockerel deep asleep and could not wake him up. The cub went back to report to the Leopard. The Leopard was hungry and desperate and told the cub- here take this dry straw and put it on the head of the Cockerel. It will catch fire which you will bring here as soon as you can.The cub went back to the Cockerel and put the dry straw on his head. Alas! there was no fire catching the straw. Tried again and again without success. The cub went back to report failure.
This time the Leopard was livid with anger. He shouted you stupid cub you will never be anything. Let me go get it myself.
As he reached Cockerels home, he called out.
Hey my friend! Why are you sleeping at this hour of the day? Please wake up and give me fire.
The Cockerel continued snoring and could not wake up.
The Leopard decided to put the straw on Cockerels head to get fire but the straw would not ignite. Puzzled, he decided to stealthily touch the head.
To his amazement,the head was very cold. He shouted on top of his voice.
Cockerel you have been fibbing us. You have no fire. I will have you for dinner instead of Warthog!!
Cockerel woke up suddenly and was very afraid that the Leopard had found out his secret.
He gathered his courage and started crowing very hard to warn his family it was time to flee.
His bluff had been called.
When he was sure his family was out of immediate danger and some distance to safety, he jumped into the air and started flying to catch up with his family whom he told that the safest place to go was to Man who would provide protection.
Cockerel arrived with his family to Man and asked him for protection from the wrath of Leopard.
Man looked at Cockerel and his family and had mercy and accepted to give protection on two conditions
One that he would have the right to the eggs for his consumption
Two he would allow the Cockerel family to reproduce so that once in while, he could eat some chicken.
The Cockerel accepted saying after all his family would not become extinct.
That is how Cockerel was domesticated.
He swore never ever to fall asleep
Guess what this story taught us as children
I can vividly remember i was about 5 years old.
I was in the village in Hoima, Bunyoro in Uganda
This story is part of many we were told at the fire place after evening meals when the weather permitted and it had not rained when we would sing folklore songs.
It was our time of socialising and how we enjoyed it!!
Before the story, i need to give you our background.Not very rosy but very happy.
We were a family of over 30 people, grandpa and grandma were well in their 80s and loved us children.My late father had two brothers still alive but very old now and two sisters. He had three wives, one of them my mother. No kidding!! Polygamy in Africa was there since time immemorial and it is part of our culture. It may be dying off because of economic hardships. We also had extended family of relatives,and a number of other people staying with us who had no home and would help on the farm to earn their keep.Every one as must had to go cultivate everyday at 5 am to 3pm except Sundays. My father had acres and acres of farmland under cassava, maize, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, millet, sesame, beans, bananas and name it. There were granaries and cribs of stored food to last a number of years in the homestead and people were industrious and enjoyed farming. For cash crops, he grew tobacco, cotton and coffee, the seasons were regular, the rainfall reliable and the harvests were bumper year in year out.He had cows and goats from which we got milk and a chicken run for eggs. Women were not allowed by culture to eat fish, chicken and eggs then. Unfair, is not it? Try stopping them today!!
There were fruits such as mangoes, pineapples,guava and bananas, so we were never short. There was banana juice every week which we would enjoy before they added sorghum to make TONTO brew.
The weekly hunt for wild game would bring in antelope, bush buck, pig, rabbit, wildebeest and kob meat. There was fresh or smoked meat in the home.
My father also had a shotgun which he used to hunt guinea fowl, partridge and so on.We were a family with plenty of food!!
I one day overheard him tell a colleague that wealth starts with having enough to feed your home.
Let me tell you about the eating habits.
Lunch was always eaten while cultivating but it was the evening meal that was important. Every one had to be there at that time and if you dared miss it, you have spent yourself a hungry night. Besides it was sign of bad behavior and would earn you some caning!!
The evening meal was always served at 6.30 pm in the courtyard. The food was served on banana leaves and we would sit in circle with the young ones in the inner circle and the adults behind watching us.We were not allowed to talk while eating, not to eat with greed and to pick food nearest to you. Even when you were done, you had to sit and wait until everybody had finished.
This informally inculcated in us discipline, respect for others, politeness, humbleness, honesty and generosity which in later years have helped us become what we are.
Today, i am 56 years and have a family of six. I work and i also find time for cultivation for the food crops we consume at home. Talk of old habits dying hard!!
But many other people are food insecure. Many people shun agriculture that it is an occupation for poor peasants.
Digressed?
So after the evening meal and before bedtime at 9 pm was story time and singing and the story i am about to tell was narrated as follows
Once upon a time, the Cockerel used to stay in the wild with other animals.
To protect itself and its family, it had to adopt fierceness and used to threaten other animals that he had fire on his head and would not hesitate to burn anybody that crossed his path or disturbed his family.
All the animals took the threat seriously and left the Cockerel in peace but the Hare knew better but kept the secret of his friend. The Hare and Cockerel would privately joke about it that if one day the animals found out the truth, the C
Cockerel would become somebody's breakfast and they would hunt all his family to extinction.
One day, the Leopard wanted to make a fire to burn the bush so that he could trap the warthog whom he wanted for dinner.
So he sent one of cubs to go and request Cockerel for fire. The cub found Cockerel deep asleep and could not wake him up. The cub went back to report to the Leopard. The Leopard was hungry and desperate and told the cub- here take this dry straw and put it on the head of the Cockerel. It will catch fire which you will bring here as soon as you can.The cub went back to the Cockerel and put the dry straw on his head. Alas! there was no fire catching the straw. Tried again and again without success. The cub went back to report failure.
This time the Leopard was livid with anger. He shouted you stupid cub you will never be anything. Let me go get it myself.
As he reached Cockerels home, he called out.
Hey my friend! Why are you sleeping at this hour of the day? Please wake up and give me fire.
The Cockerel continued snoring and could not wake up.
The Leopard decided to put the straw on Cockerels head to get fire but the straw would not ignite. Puzzled, he decided to stealthily touch the head.
To his amazement,the head was very cold. He shouted on top of his voice.
Cockerel you have been fibbing us. You have no fire. I will have you for dinner instead of Warthog!!
Cockerel woke up suddenly and was very afraid that the Leopard had found out his secret.
He gathered his courage and started crowing very hard to warn his family it was time to flee.
His bluff had been called.
When he was sure his family was out of immediate danger and some distance to safety, he jumped into the air and started flying to catch up with his family whom he told that the safest place to go was to Man who would provide protection.
Cockerel arrived with his family to Man and asked him for protection from the wrath of Leopard.
Man looked at Cockerel and his family and had mercy and accepted to give protection on two conditions
One that he would have the right to the eggs for his consumption
Two he would allow the Cockerel family to reproduce so that once in while, he could eat some chicken.
The Cockerel accepted saying after all his family would not become extinct.
That is how Cockerel was domesticated.
He swore never ever to fall asleep
Guess what this story taught us as children
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