Ethiopian Folktales

Narrated by Yirga Ejigu

Once one of the sons of the hyenas died and all the hyenas were gathered for mourning.

The news came to the ears of the donkey and the donkey said, “Why don’t we go and join them? If we do, they will stop eating us.”

The others said, “It’s a good occasion to make friends, so let’s go.”

They all agreed and went to the hyena’s house.

The hyenas saw the donkeys from a distance and said, “Who are these animals coming to us?”

The other replied, “I think they are donkeys. How dare they come to our house?”

All were surprised and the donkeys came right into the house and the leader said, “Even if you eat something black, the hyena’s shit is white. What has touched the son of my lord?”

The hyena replied, “Whatever you may say will not come into my heart. What shall hyenas eat now when they are hungry?”

And all the donkeys were worried and started looking at each other.

One whispered, “We’d better run away.”

The other replied, “No, we’re already in their hands.”

“So what shall we do?”

“Let’s give them our lips and let them eat that.”

They agreed, and their leader reported this to the hyenas. The hyenas all jumped on to the donkeys and tore away their lips, so they faced each other in two lines.

Therefore the donkeys were lipless and looked as if they were smiling and a hyena said, “How can you laugh at us now that our son is dead? You came to mock us.”

So they jumped on the donkeys and ate them.

So from that time on it was said, “Ai-ya Hyena, (Father Hyena), please eat me," when stating false reasons.