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Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Back to the Stem We hate it when Sun’s rays burn hot on our skin. We complain when Sun hides his warmth in the folds of his face. No matter what we say, think, or do, Sun will always be a part of our lives. That’s probably why Sun married one of our daughters, some say, to compensate for all the demands and anguish we’ve put Sun through. This happened a long time ago. A group of women go to prepare their farms for the planting season. With the farms all cleaned up and ready for the tilling, the women sow large amounts of pumpkin seeds. They are all busy planting except one, Majieno. She spends the day roasting and eating all the pumpkin seeds she has taken to her farm. Unbeknownst to her, Mashii-the-Bird picks up some of the seeds and plants them. Moons pass and the women decide to go on what is known as the tasting of the pumpkins. They are excited because of the thrill of sampling the first crop and the hope for signs of a good harvest. The group jokes and tells stories and laughs heartily as the women walk to their farms, but Majieno is silent throughout the trip. “Aweh,1 why are you so quiet? Why aren’t you chatting and laughing with us?” they tease her; they poke her ribs. 158 1 Friendly form of address; also, an affectionate form of address used by spouses. 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. “I am not feeling fine,” she lies. The women slowly ascend the last hill until they get to the flat top of the butte. From that vantage point they can all look across and see their farms on the other side. Majieno’s gaze surveys her farm and it is filled with pumpkins. She suddenly whistles and laughs heartily with her friends. “Why the sudden outburst? What tickles you so?” her friends inquire, puzzled furrows on their brows. “The sun has touched my face at the top of this hill and I am feeling much better,” she lies again. The women each go to their respective farms. The other women busily walk around their farms and selectively pick some pumpkins. But Majieno is confronted with an inexplicable challenge. Each time she picks one pumpkin and puts it in her neshre, Mashii, the rightful planter, appears and commands: Tinke bo’ Tinke bo’ Tinke tinke bo’ Back to the stem, pumpkin Back to the stem, pumpkin Back to the back to the stem, pumpkin The pumpkin falls out of her neshre and clings to the stem. This goes on all day. In the evening the others call to her. “Majieno, it’s time to go home. Come, let’s go home.” “Please come over here,” Majieno beckons. “There’s a bird here. When I pick a pumpkin, Mashii says, ‘Back to your stem.’ As you can see, the pumpkin falls out of my neshre and clings to the stem. All the pumpkins I’ve harvested today are hanging right back on the exact stems where I picked them.” “Don’t worry,” the women console her. Though puzzled, they quickly contribute some pumpkins and give them to Majieno. These are the pumpkins she takes Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Back to the Stem / 159 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. home that day. She tells her mother what has happened in the farm and her mother proposes going with her the next day. That day, they decide on weeding instead of harvesting. When they stop and sit down to eat, Mashii flies down from the tree to eat with them. Mashii pecks on a piece of cocoyam and they offer some soup. Soon, Mashii’s beak is going from cocoyam to soup, from soup to cocoyam. At the end of the meal they ask Mashii to eat the last piece of cocoyam lying in the basket. Mashii flies right in and down goes his beak on the last piece. Majieno’s mother quickly turns the basket’s mouth upside down and Mashii is now their captive. “Don’t kill...

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