Ethiopian Folktales

Narrated by Abebe Kebede

In one country there was one king. And the King, like he always does, went out for a meeting of a tribunal. A tribunal is where the King gives his verdict in public in a meeting. He went to the tribunal and spent the day there, and when he was coming back, before he reached his house, it began to rain.

Now when it began to rain there are two twin trees and because these trees have a lot of leaves they act as shelters. On that road frequently when it rained this sort of rain, people used to shelter under them. They were famous trees. And the King sheltered under the trees.

When the King was there, it rained and rained and rained, and there was a strong wind, and the rain and the strong wind together made one of the trees fall upon the other. It pinned the King to the other tree. When it pinned him it didn’t kill him, but he can’t escape and just go. While he was in this position he was by himself, without anybody, and he didn’t know what to do.

It was becoming dark. After that, a crow came and perched on the fallen tree.

He sees him and says, “Up there, who’s that, sitting on the King’s tree?”

“It’s me, the crow.”

“Will you take a message for me?” said the King.

“My master, how won’t I take a message for the King? I will take a message.”

“What are you going to say as you take the message?”

The crow croaked, “Caw, caw, this is how I will take the message.”

“Let the ‘caw caw’ of your father disappear and get lost.”

Now he leaves. He left him and went.

Another bird comes. Now, when he comes, he sits down.

“Who’s that sitting on the king’s tree? Who is it? Who is it?” the King says.

“I am a bird.”

“Shall I send you on a message?”

“Yes, send me.”

“What are you going to say as you transmit the message?”

“Chirrup, chirrup, nichicha cho, nichacha choo.”

“Let the ‘nichicha choo’ of your fathers disappear.”

Another bird, called the wonji, arrives.

The King as usual said, “Who’s that sitting on the King’s tree?”

“It’s me, wonji, the bird.”

“Shall I send you on a message?”

“Yes, I’ll take the message.”

“What are you going to say as you take the message?”

“ I’ll give the message in such a manner (song/poem):
The King has gone to a meeting.
The King has gone out on a tribunal.
As he was going to the tribunal it drizzled.
As he was coming back it drizzled as before.
He’s taken shelter between two kaga trees.
The trees fell and have pinned him down.
From the big house a big piece of metal.
From the small house a small piece of metal.”

This means that the King has two wives, a head wife and a second wife and he wants a big axe from the big house and a small axe from the small house.

“From the big house a big bull,
From the small house a small bull,
Buy them and come."

“Very good, go and give the message.”

And fluttering, she flew to his house. She comes to the King’s back yard, the back of the house where the women sit and work.

And from under some bushes she says, “Kulu, kulu, kulu.” (The sound of her voice, but “kulu” in Sidamo means, “Shall I tell? Shall I tell?”)

“Let the ‘kulu’ of your father disappear,” the women say.

So she flew away and then came back and repeats the cry.

“What’s wrong with this bird?”

(They’re afraid of her because such a bird is supposed to prophesy what is coming. She is respected and feared.)

They chase her away because they’re afraid she’s brought bad news.

But when she keeps coming, “OK, tell us,” they said.

“The King has gone out to the tribunal
As he was going it began to drizzle.
As he was returning it also drizzled.
He’s taken shelter under two kaga trees.
The trees have fallen and pinned him down.
From the big house a big metal.
From the small house a small metal.
From the big house a big bull.
From the small house a small bull.

Bring these and come, he has said.”

The people were afraid. They took what was requested and went. The metal was for cutting the tree and the people around were all cooperating to take out the King. And the oxen are to spill blood for the evil spirit which, it is traditionally believed, exists in such accidents.

Then the King returns home without being harmed and he brings the bird home. Now he comes and because as a king he has many granaries he puts her into one. So being there she eats the grain and she lives there.

When he goes to the tribunal and comes back, as soon as he comes into the compound he says in a certain voice:
“During my hard times, you have saved
Me from my troubles.
You saved me from my suffering.
My bird, are you there for me?”

“The grain is finished, otherwise, here I am,” she responds.

Then he takes her out of that granary and puts her into another one.

Now as that happens and happens and happens, after a long time passed as each time he goes out and comes in and she responds, one day as he goes to the tribunal, there are a lot of arguments there and things don’t finish on time. He stays out longer than the day he had said he’d come home.

Since he stayed away, the grain is finished. The bird comes out of the granary and starts eating grains in the house.

She goes to where the King’s wife is squashing something, and the King’s wife says, “Hey, you bird, stop disturbing, otherwise I’ll hit you.”

“I am the child of the King. Try hitting me and see what happens.”

And she continues picking up grain.

She bothered the Queen.

“So if you’re the King’s child, do you think I’m going to spare you?”

And she hit her once and the bird died.

Now when she died the Queen became afraid. She didn’t know what to do. And the King comes back and in his usual tone he calls, but no one responds.

He calls, but there is no sound.

He made the children go from granary to granary but they couldn’t find her.

The King says, “I’m not willing to live in that house where my saviour bird doesn’t live,” and he hangs himself.

Then the eldest son says, “I’m not willing to live in the house where my father doesn’t exist,” and he hangs himself.

And the King’s mother says, “I’m not willing to live in the house where my son and my grandson do not live,” and she hangs herself.

So everyone says they won’t live where someone else doesn’t live, and they all died.

Thank you.