The Sacred Door and Other Stories: Cameroon Folktales of the Beba

Tiger Kills His Mother

Tiger Kills His Mother Ndafo-the-Tiger and Torokee-the-Tortoise were once very good friends. Their friendship had survived the year of the locusts, and it seemed it would survive the famine that was currently ravaging their land. It had happened unexpectedly. The rains had suddenly ceased. One would think adequate sacrifices had not been offered to the gods. There was even talk that some elders had forsaken the libations due their ancestors. It was thus a time of starvation and the animals roamed the forest foraging for the little food they could find. Sometimes it took days to find something to eat. Some simply collapsed and died. As the drought dragged on, the animals grew leaner and leaner. Their bones began to show through their skin. It was clear that if the rains did not return sometime soon, the animals would turn on each other. And so, Tortoise went to bed each night and toyed with an idea. He was going to propose to Tiger that they kill and eat their mothers. He had expected Tiger’s support but was surprised when his friend vehemently protested. “But they’re both very old. They don’t have much time left anyway,” Tortoise argued. “No, that’s an abomination. Not even a prolonged drought warrants the death of our mothers. I will spill my mother’s blood over my dead body.” “They are old. Would you rather we died? They have lived long, fruitful lives. Why should we leave this world before them?” 34 You are reading copyrighted material published by Ohio University Press/Swallow Press. Unauthorized posting, copying, or distributing of this work except as permitted under U.S. copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. “You have a point,” Tiger ventured. Tiger loved his mother, but when he looked at his emaciated body the hunger devoured his desire to protect her. “I have a plan,” Tortoise explained. “We will go to the river. I will take my mother upstream and you will take yours downstream . I will kill my mother. When you see the water red with her blood, only then should you kill your mother. Remember, you must wait until the river is red with my mother’s blood.” The friends took the path leading to the river. They arrived at the pool at that time of day when the animals used to sunbathe when life was bountiful. Here they parted ways. Tortoise walked upstream and Tiger walked downstream. Tortoise harvested some baanjob, ground the leaves on a stone and squeezed its red juices into a bowl; you know, the type of juices from baanjob that women use to dye cloth and whose flowers teenage girls use to paint their lips and color their palms. He carried the bowl and emptied its contents into the river. When Tiger saw the water, red with Mother Tortoise’s blood, he picked up his cutlass and with one blow chopped off his mother’s head. The deed done, Ndafo whistled and Torokee joined him. Thanks to all the fallen trees and broken branches littering the forest, the two friends easily gathered a bundle of firewood. Tortoise offered Tiger the bag of cocoyams he had brought along for their meal. Tiger gladly peeled and cooked a delicious pot of cocoyam porridge. “This meat is a bit tough,” Tortoise commented through mouthfuls. The two friends were eating in silence, watching the river flowing down into the valley. “I told you they were old enough,” Tortoise again broke the silence. Tiger simply nodded and kept on eating. The next day, it was Tortoise’s turn to provide a meal. Tiger gave him some plantain, which Tortoise used to cook sese. Tiger sat down with his friend and enjoyed a sumptuous plantain porridge meal. “Your mother tastes quite soft, the old hag,” Tiger Tiger Kills His Mother / 35 You are reading copyrighted material published by Ohio University Press/Swallow Press. Unauthorized posting, copying, or distributing of this work except as permitted under U.S. copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher. commented through mouthfuls. “Yes, but I spent a lot more time cooking her than you did your mother.” What Tiger did not know was that Tortoise had caught some squirrels the day before. He had kept them hidden in the bush before making the deal with Tiger. He had also hid his mother in the abandoned ntso1 palm bush close to the river. Tiger ate quietly, watching...