The Acholi speak of a narrative that saw the clever Hare
killed by his sword. Let me plagiarize it.
Once upon a time there was great hunger than what Turkana’s
experienced in 2016 and Oromo’s in 1980’s. The whole of their land was scorched
by the sun as it does on Chalbi desert. No grass decayed and no cloud dared
gather. The sun reflected its light back and the moon got a generous glimpse in
the cold night. The Hare and Hyena had gone through worse before and this would
determine their trust, love and selflessness.
You already know what happened. Something happened that made
them enemies. But if that was the mentality of every story teller and listener,
no politician would be allowed to the podium. So, maintain your ass on the mat
and listen. Hare reared livestock and Hyena farmed crops. They practiced batter
trade. The children of Hyena knew no home- they belonged everywhere.
One day Hyena borrowed more from Hare than he could pay. To
pay, Hyena signed the due date by pawing on the fattest bull. The mark was huge
for it cut in the flesh. He would have paid for his debt before the injury on
the bull was healed. Hare grew impatient with time. It was as if Hare had
determined eternity to his debt. He took a few things from Hyena’s room that
would make him pay quick. A cooking stick, a lamp oil and a frying pan were Hyena’s
golden possessions. To avoid shame, Hyena ran to ask for his belongings and
promised to pay. This did not threaten their friendship.
The children from the two families listened to the above tell
from their parents who narrated it in turns. They dreamt of their parents as
owners of livestock and great farmers. Here was a generation that tasted no oxalis
leaves and saw no sheep. They wondered if what their parents spoke of really
existed. At the end of the story, Hare spoke of how he would leave the land to
search for food in a faraway land. Hare would take care of all the children.
Hyena took seasons till a stone was buried. He lives no
more, they wept. Hare asked the afflicted children to stay behind as she went
to search for food too. Children knew what his fate would be and instead of
wishing him luck, they wished him easy death. I can’t see my children die, his
heart thumped.
So it was that Hare came across bounty vegetables and meat
not a far distance from home. No one came after some time. Hare was impatient
to carry it home. His reception was historical. It was during feasting and
recuperating that Hyena stormed home only to see the empty basket. TO WHOM THE FOOD BELONGED? Hare. No, Hyena!
The struggle ensued. It was the village chief that was challenged on the basic
laws of the land. ‘ if something is left unsupervised, Mr. Chief, don’t we say
it belongs to the person who found it?’ Hare defended himself. It was mine, I had gone to the bush for a call, cried Hyena.
It was not until Hyena found Hare’s child playing outside
his compound as before that he decided to challenge his friend. He had found
unguarded property! Had he not? And to make Hare more hurt, and him satisfied,
he stew it.
That is when humans started hunting hares. Till then no
human had eaten any meat.
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