BBPP: Bubi Tribe: Folklore

Bubi folklore consists of stories of the animals in the jungle that are delightful entertainment as well as interesting records of the animals that lived on the island and the Bubi's impressions of their personalities and habits. Other folk stories tell of sorcerer mischief and of witches trying to snatch children. Still others explain everyday things people might wonder about.

The first story, "The Snake and the Crab," was recorded by Father Aymemi. The next three stories: "Why Monkeys Don't Have Houses," "Why the Dog Eats Bones," and "How the Thumb Came to be Separated from the Other Fingers" are from a marvelous book (in Spanish) called "Cuentos Bubis de Guinea Ecuatorial" written by Jacint Creus, Antonia Brunat and Pilar Carulla working with the Hispanic-Guinea Cultural Center in Malabo. It was printed in 1992, the culmination of six years work.

The Snake and the Crab

Once upon a time the neighbors in the jungle were suffering from a harsh food shortage. So severe was their hunger that they began to attack and devour one another.

There were two neighbors, a black snake, named Mappa, and a river crab, named Iteke. One day Mappa said to Iteke: "In spite of the hunger that is ruining our country and the fact that our companions are eating one another and that I, if I wanted to, could eat you, I don't want to hurt you. We have always been good neighbors and lived in peace and friendship. I only want to propose a method where neither of us will die, and that will serve to prolong our lives."

"Very good!" said Iteke. "Explain it to me."

Mappa continued: "You, Iteke, have many legs and without much trouble you can detach them and let them serve us as food during these critical times."

Iteke, fearing reprisal, accepted this proposal. So it was that daily Mappa would cut off one of Iteke's legs, season it, and both would eat it. This continued until Iteke noticed that he had been deprived of all his small legs, and that only a few large ones were left. He mentioned this, meekly, to Mappa and suggested that Mappa loan a bit of his large tail to their food intake.

Replied Mappa: "I cannot loan any of my tail. On the contrary, to do so would kill me."

Iteke did not believe this, so when Mappa was sleeping, Iteke cut a piece off the tail and prepared it. Later, Iteke invited Mappa to eat.

Mappa replied: "Friend, I can't. I feel indisposed."

Iteke said to him: "You ate all my feet, and with only a little piece of your tail cut off, you feel sick?"

Mappa replied: "Friend, I cannot move."

Iteke left Mappa's house to get some firewood. When he returned to the house, he called out to Mappa: "Friend, help me unload." Mappa did not answer. Iteke threw his bundle of wood on the ground and began to move things around, uncovering the pots, but could not find Mappa. Then he found him, dead, behind a pillar.

At that moment he began to sing: "Ah, Mappa, Mappa! You ate all of my legs, I gave your tail a little cut, and you died in just a little time."

Then Iteke returned to his old home in the river.

Why Monkeys Don't Have Houses

The monkeys of the forest went to a town to see how the people lived. When they saw that men lived in houses they said: "We must also build houses to shelter us and cover us." And so they cut sticks and wove fronds, but then the rainy season arrived and they had to stop their work.

When the dry season returned the sun was shining, its rays penetrating the forest and restoring the vivid colors of the forest and the delicious colors of the fruits. The monkeys, then, began to eat and forgot about building their houses. When the rain returned it reminded them of their work, and they said: "As soon as the dry season returns, we'll finish the construction."

Nevertheless, again it was the fruits that attracted them more. When the dry season next returned they remained with their arms crossed, saying: "Why do we want houses, if the trees give us abundant fruit and we are covered by the night?" And they abandoned their work.

So it is that the monkeys don't live in houses, and when it's night, or it rains, they group in the big trees of the forest that protect them.

Why The Dog Eats Bones

(Note: A pangolin is a toothless, scaly mammal found in Asia and Africa, that feeds on ants and termites and is able to roll itself into a ball when attacked.)

All of the animals lived in the same village and considered the pangolin their father. He lived in a ranchhouse and each day, two animals went to bring him his food.

One day it was the turn of the dog and the goat to bring the food. As the dog was much faster, he went far ahead. Then he hid and, taking advantage of being alone, ate all of the food he had carried. Only the bones were left. When the old goat arrived, the dog smeared oil on her beard, so it would appear as though she were the one guilty of this outrage.

They arrived at the ranchhouse and delivered the food to the pangolin, telling him they had only been able to find bones. The pangolin did not want to protest, and began to eat the bones. Their hardness made him lose some teeth, but still he was solicitous. The following day the dog and the goat returned to attend to him, and, again, they brought only bones.

And so this went, history repeating itself each day and another until the pangolin had no teeth left. Then he was very angry and called the entire village together to address the animals:

"One of you has been tricking me all of these days! I want you to get in a line and all of you to walk over this trap, so that I can find the guilty party."

One by one, all of the animals did as the pangolin said, beginning to sing a song as they did so. The goat, the main suspect, was the first in line. But the dog managed to position himself as the last in line. So it was when he passed over the pangolin's mysterious trap that he was discovered.

The animals were very angry with him, and decided at that moment he could only eat bones. And so it was the rest of his life.

How The Thumb Came to be Separated From The Other Fingers

Five friends were walking, as they always did, meandering up and down, going from one place to the other.

One day the youngest proposed: "We can't continue this way all of our lives. We must find a house where we are sheltered and where when can sit and talk when we please."

And the next one answered: "When the house is made, I'll be in charge and decide where we are going."

The next, larger one said: "No, you will be the servant. What are we going to eat?"

And the next one said: "Soon we'll look for some food in the place where we found it before. And, if it's not there again, we'll steal some."

And the fifth protested: "If you're going to rob, if you are going to be thieves, I am going to separate myself from you."

And he did, separating himself from his friends and installing himself down and away from them. In this manner, they were stupified, because without him they would have much difficulty going out and robbing anyone.

These, then, are the five friends:

The small finger made the house.

The ring finger was the servant who served them.

The heart finger was always hungry.

The index finger pretended to rob.

And the thumb was the one who left the rest.