Tortoise and the Igbako (wooden turning spoon)

Once upon a time, there was a famine in the land, and every animal was starving except for Bird. Tortoise noticed that Bird looked better than every other animal, she had flesh under her wings. So one day Tortoise stopped Bird as she was in flight and asked her where she got her food from. "I am starving, like everyone else," replied Bird. "If you are starving, how come you look better than everyone else?" insisted Tortoise. "If i show you where I get my food from you cannot reveal it to anyone." "I promise," Tortoise replied.



Bird gave Tortoise some of her wings, and they started flying together. Tortoise was afraid in the beginning because he thought he would fall, but Bird held onto his wings and they both flew together.



They flew over land and sea to a very far, far, far place and they went under the ocean and the met the Water Goddess. The Water Goddess asked Tortoise what he wanted and Tortoise told her that his family was starving. She gave him Igbako and instructed him to use it only for his family and not to reveal its secret. Tortoise thanked her as she disappeared."Igbako, what do you do?" asked Tortoise. Igbako responded in a song:



I make huge iyan

I make huge eba

So much that everyone has leftovers.



Before he finished the singing, lots of food appeared. Tortoise started to eat. He ate as much as he could, took Igbako and flew back home.



When he arrived home, he gathered all his family and asked Igbako in the presence of everyone, "Igbako, what can you do?" Igbako repeated the song, and plenty of food appeared again. All his family ate all they could and still had leftovers. Tortoise was so proud of himself and he thought of how much power he would have with Igbako if he could feed all the animals.



Tortoise went to King Lion and summoned all the animals, he asked Igbako, "What can you do?" and Igbako responded in the song again. Plenty of food appeared and everyone ate and had leftovers. All the animals started singing, "Who says we do not have a father? Stop it, we do! Tortoise is our father." After feeding everyone for two days, Igbako broke. Everyone got angry at Tortoise when they were hungry.



Tortoise went back to the Water Goddess and she gave him another Igbako, but a smaller one that made only small food, Tortoise went back again to his family and fed them with the small food from the small Igbako. They complained that it was not enough. The rest of the animals also complained when Tortoise tried to feed them with the small Igbako, like he did before. "The food is too small!" they chanted. After two more days Igbako broke again. All the animals grew angry at Tortoise and told him to go get another Igbako. So Tortoise went back to the Water Goddess and requested for another Igbako.



The Water Goddess asked Tortoise, "Are you feeding only your family?" He responded, "Yes, I am." "Hmmmmmm," she said, "Did you reveal the secret of Igbako to everyone?" "No," Tortoise responded. The Water Goddess gave Tortoise a rod this time and told him, "This will not break," and she disappered. Tortoise was so happy and he asked the rod, "What do you do?" and the rod responded in a song:



I whip disobedience

I whip greed

Till their skin turns white with pain.



As soon as the song was over, the rod started whipping Tortoise, who tried to get away from it. When it stopped, Tortoise took the rod with him back to his family who were anxiously awaiting his arrival. He gathered everyone and asked the rod in their presence, "Rod, what do you do?" The rod responded with the song again:



I whip disobedience

I whip greed

Till their skin turns white with pain.



All members of his family ran away as Rod started to whip everyone, The King and all the other animals summoned Tortoise to the King's palace because they were hungry. Tortoise arrived with Rod and asked the rod before everyone, "Rod, what can you do?" and the rod responded with the song, and whipped every animal that was present.



THE END.