36. Ijapa (Tortoise) and all the wisdom of the World

Many, many years ago, when the world was very different from the way it is today, there was a tortoise, Ijapa, in a town called Lagoni, in a faraway land. At that time human beings and animals had a lot in common. They lived side by side, intermingling freely. They spoke the same language, generally behaved the same way, and animals were addressed and referred to as if they were humans. This was not surprising, because some animals possess remarkable physical and mental capabilities – the tortoise, Ijapa, being an example of this phenomenon.

One day Ijapa woke up and looked back at his life and was very unhappy. He asked himself:

“What have I really achieved all these years?”

The answer came reluctantly after some time.

“Nothing! It’s not as if I have any money. I don’t have any work. I have a wife, Yannibo, who’s left me more than once. Yannibo is very displeased with me and may even leave me again – perhaps for the last time. My children have already left home…”
Ijapa pondered over the whole issue for a while, but he was not prone to feeling miserable, so it was not surprising when he suddenly brightened up, thinking

“Wait a minute! Am I not seen as very wise?”

“Yes, you are” he answered himself. [dd-parallax]

To Ijapa what wisdom meant was “ọgbọn ewe” – being able to find solutions to any problems, no matter the means, even if it was through deviousness, pranks and mischief. He was very wise in his own eyes, often boasting that he could come up with solutions to problems which defied others. He was a trickster who obtained things even humans could not through ruse. He was a cunning and wily creature, always out to outwit others, ready to solve problems for others or himself even if he brought disgrace upon himself or fell flat on his face. To him his ability to trick people – to solve problems by tricking people was wisdom. Sometimes these tricks were malicious, almost costing the lives of others.

He was for ever being punished, injured or driven away from where he lived for his misdeeds. Sometimes he would leave town after bringing disgrace upon himself and go elsewhere to live. [/dd-parallax]

Despite his faults Ijapa was very popular in some quarters – among humans and animals alike – for he was witty and entertaining, especially when he tried to be clever and fell flat on his face. He was resourceful and resilient which others find admirable.

Encouraged by all this Ijapa started to cast his mind back to instances in the past of ‘his show of wisdom’ – before and after he married Yannibo – how he solved problems, some of which defied humans. He looked back at his previous escapades – to the problems he had solved by tricking people. He could not count how many times he had told others in the past:

“You have to agree that no one else could have come up with that” or

“I may not big but I’ve wisdom”.

This last was particularly true in the case of the Ọba (ruler) of Jakota whom Ijapa had helped to get rid of an elephant, Erin, who had been causing a great deal of problems for humans. Ijapa had tricked Erin into believing that he was going to be Ọba of humans, but instead led him to his death. The Ọba had thanked Ijapa and given him valuable goods and money, and Ijapa was very pleased with himself.

Then there were the pranks he had played on Iya-Elẹpa and Iya-Alakara when he was living at Magunwa and Eweko respectively, because he wanted to lay his hands on their goods, free of charge, and on other animals to (outwit them) such as Erin, Erinmilokun, Ehoro, Ojola, and Ẹlẹdẹ in Lagoni. Even those tricks that almost caused the death of others, such as Rere, Oluwo’s son, whom Ijapa entrapped in a drum, were recalled by Ijapa, and called wisdom.

Then there were the tricks he pulled because he wanted to marry beautiful women such as the three princesses at Makeke, and another princess, Koforade at Lagoni, whose fathers had set tests for their hands in marriage, that were impossible to pass. The tricks were abortive, and so was his trick in getting Kerebuje, another beautiful woman, to live with him against her will.

It did not matter to Ijapa that some of these misdeeds had brought him disgrace, or that he had fallen flat on his face when he had thought he was being clever. It did not matter either that some of the misdeeds resulted in punishments or personal injury (somehow he had come up with all these tricks (including personal ones) which where sometimes severe) or almost caused his death. He marvelled at what he considered as wisdom. He had not actually come across any other creature possessing as much as him. He thought that he was very clever, but countless of times he had made a fool of himself.

Then an idea suddenly struck him.

“That’s it! Surely there’s undoubtedly no other being (human or animal) on this earth who can possess as much wisdom as I have, but how can I use that to my best advantage? Yes, I’m very wise indeed. Surely, I can even make money from all this wisdom I possess. I can even add a lot more to it!

“Then, why am I wasting my time? In fact, why don’t I see myself as possessing all the wisdom in the whole universe? Then both humans and animals will accord me the respect due to me as the most revered and sought after being on earth.”
Ijapa got very excited at the prospects.

“What a fantastic idea! Why haven’t I thought about it before. Here was I wallowing in my misery thinking I had nothing. All I need to do is to improve on my methods of solving the problems I’ve solved in the past, without grave consequences, and then think of how to take others’ wisdom from them. But how do I gather it from others and how do I store it?”

He thought and thought about it, and then it struck him further.

“I’d better not tell Yannibo until it’s done. She’s a woman. What does she know anyway? Besides she may not approve. She doesn’t approve of most things I do…”
It was true that Yannibo, Ijapa’s wife, had left him, got together with him again – more than once – not only because Ijapa was not a provider, but also because of his mischief and pranks, and the disgrace he had brought upon the family.

“These mischiefs and pranks may have brought disgrace upon the family, but surely I am on the right track now? Surely all I need to do is to improve my methods of solving problems? I told Yannibo I’d take stock of my life and find a way forward. If I want to be acclaimed as the wisest in the whole world, I must make sure that others’ wisdom is taken from them and that nobody else has access to it. I’ll gather together all the wisdom in the world and put it away where nobody can find it.

“I can go around the world collecting all the wisdom, and store it away somehow, so that nobody but I alone would have access to it! I’ll announce to everyone that I have all the wisdom of the world, and I’ll be established as the sole possessor of wisdom in the world. I’ll be the wisest person on earth and can even accord it to whom I want. If I like I can sell it and then I’ll become rich and famous. I won’t need to work ever again. I’d be much talked about by both young and old. I’ll be an expert in different fields to Ọba (rulers), adviser to titled men including chiefs.

“I can go around the world gathering different solutions to different problems, by listening in or eavesdropping on conversations – gathering any part of their conversations that shows wisdom, since I’m wise myself.”

Ijapa worked out in his mind where he would go to gather ‘wisdom’ during his travels around the world.

“The first port of call should be Ọba palaces. A lot goes on there, with all the Ọba’s advisers and experts in many different fields always called upon to solve problems…”

In those days the Ọba played a big role in the day-to-day lives of his people. He was always the first port of call. People looked to him to resolve matters for them, including petty quarrels, disputes of any sort – no matter how small or inconsequential. He was known to be ready to find solutions to problems that baffled his people – to mysteries of any kind.

Immediately Ijapa thought about Ọba palaces his mind went to the homes of titled men, including chiefs.

“A lot goes on there as well every day. Of course, nowhere else can beat public places where lots of people are gathered – markets, churches, mosques, drinking parlours. There are also social and cultural events – ceremonies such as birthday parties, naming ceremonies, contests. Our elders attend those, and they’re known to be very wise after all. Everyone is always saying they’re wise.

“How will I store each piece of wisdom I take from others so that no one else would gain access to it?” Ijapa wondered.

“Very simple. I’ll have a huge gourd made for me with a stopper. Anything I pick up I can store in the gourd. After all I can’t possibly keep everything in my head. Surely, I can store the information there by speaking inside it. I can then put the gourd on a very high tree.”

Ijapa, as we already know, believed that once he collected wisdom from someone that wisdom would be gone from the person for ever.

“How would I recall each piece of wisdom stored in the gourd when I need it?” Ijapa continued with the self-debate.

“Very simple. When looking for a solution to a problem all I have to do is go to the gourd, open it, talk to it, and the solution will come to me since it would be stored there!”

Ijapa went and had a very big gourd made with a tight stopper.

“I wonder what he wants to use the gourd for” the gourd maker was thinking, amazed.

“Perhaps he wants to be a palm-wine seller. That’s good if he wants to do something with his life…But why does he need such a huge gourd?”

“I’ve never made a gourd as big as this before for any being – almost as big as a human being. Do you mind me asking what you want to use it for?” the gourd maker asked, unable to keep his curiosity to himself.

“Ah! It’s a surprise! You’ll know eventually.”

“He’s probably up to his tricks again, but what could they be this time?” the gourd maker thought but said nothing.

The gourd maker had the gourd made but could not help telling others about Ijapa’s strange request. From then on, every being (humans and animals) started to observe Ijapa’s every move.

That was how Ijapa went around collecting ‘all the wisdom of the world’ as he thought in a huge gourd, with people wondering what he was up to. To him the world meant his town and the neighbouring towns, including the towns he had lived in before, and even those he had been banned from.

“All I’ve to do is to disguise myself when I visit the latter…” he had convinced himself.

Humans and animals alike wondered what Ijapa was doing going around carrying a very big gourd with him. He had to carry it around not only for easy access, but also because he could not trust any being if he left it behind at home not to steal it or break it. If it got broken all the wisdom collected so far would be lost, he thought. Any time he ‘collected wisdom’ he would leave the location, open the gourd quickly, speak ‘the words of wisdom’ that he had heard inside, and close the gourd tightly.

When asked about what Ijapa was up to Yannnibo claimed ignorance, because she too was baffled by it.

“Perhaps Ijapa is finally going to become a palm-wine seller”, others were wondering, and were happy for him.

“That’ll make a change!”

“But does he need a huge gourd for that?” they asked the same question as the gourd maker.

That was how those around Ijapa started seeing him with this huge gourd around his neck and thought that for a change he was trying to make a living. Ijapa did not contradict them. In fact, he decided to go along with this story.

“It’s true. I’ve discovered these special palm trees from which palm-wine – first of its kind – will be tapped in due course. Nobody else knows about them. It’s still a surprise – a secret, and all of you will have to wait?

“The gourd is huge so that the palm-wine inside will be able to serve everyone present regularly anywhere I go. You see I want to go around to places where a lot of people are gathered, especially where merriment is taking place, and serve them. The Ọba’s palace and the homes of chiefs and other titled individuals will be top of the list. You know that things always go on there. But right now, the palm-trees are not ready to yield the palm-wine”.

Others kept quiet for a while, but after some time when Ijapa was not serving anyone any palm-wine there were all sorts of speculations.

“What’s Ijapa up to Yannibo?” they asked Yannibo again.

“I don’t know. All I know is what you all know – just that Ijapa carries the huge gourd around his neck. I’ve no idea what’s inside it!”

“Where’s this palm-wine you’ve promised all of us, Ijapa?” they asked of him. “You’re not serving anyone anything!” others would continue, bewildered.

“It’s coming! It’s coming!”

Very soon Ijapa was observed lurking around, listening intently to others’ conversations, nodding to himself, laughing or chuckling sometimes, in public places such as market places, drinking places, places where people worship, where there were gathering of elders. He was behaving in a suspicious way, and the curiosity of others grew. They asked him what was going on, and he gave the same answer.

“I learn a lot from others and this is why I listen in on conversations.”

“But you don’t even learn from them. Your behaviour leaves a lot to be desired. You play all these tricks on others and think you’re wise. You really don’t know what wisdom is”.

“Aha! There‘s a big surprise coming your way, just you wait!” Ijapa thought, chuckling to himself.

“Something is not right …” they would go away thinking.

“Perhaps he’s going around with the gourd with the hope of stealing palm-wine from others, and then selling it. Lurking around, listening to people’s conversations and other strange things he does are probably just part and parcel of his strategies. He needs to have an inside knowledge of the people and places to rob!” some of them – humans and animals alike – were saying.

When Ijapa realized that others (humans and animals alike) were now taking him for a thief he decided that it was time to spin a further story about the special palm-wine in the making – the palm-wine that was already shrouded in mystery.

“God forbid being taken for a thief! I’d rather be taken for a spy!

Ijapa recalled the time he was acting as Ọba’s spy in Makadu, a town he had been living at the time before he was driven away for almost causing the death of three brothers (a fisherman, a palm-tree climber, and a bow-and-arrow hunter). The three brothers had to accomplish unheard of feats. Ijapa was now operating in the same way as he was then, lurking around, listening to the conversations of others in public places such as market places, drinking places, places where people worshipped. He decided that the best thing to do was to spin the new story about the special palm-wine to the Ọba himself.

“Once the Ọba hears the story from me and believes it, every other being in the land would get to know about it and would stop thinking of me as a thief!”

He aimed straight to the palace and sought audience with the Ọba.

“Kabiyesi! As Kabiyesi must have heard I’ve been going around with this gourd. I’ve had it made for me for serving people this special palm-wine – first of its kind – from some special palm-trees, of which I only have knowledge. As I haven’t been able to produce any wine up till now people now doubt that I’m telling the truth and are calling me a thief. They think that I want to steal palm-wine from others and sell it…”

The Ọba was not surprised by what Ijapa was saying, because he had been hearing about this mysterious, special palm-wine. He nodded and asked Ijapa to go on.

“When I was in a neighbouring forest recently, Kabiyesi, I observed an old lady searching for firewood and helped her – not only to gather some sticks but also to carry them home for her. I didn’t know that this lady had some special powers.

“As you’ve helped me, so I’ll help you in return. I’ve some special powers to obtain palm-wine from those palm-trees you see over there’ she said, pointing at some extraordinarily tall palm-trees with wide-spreading branches. “These are no ordinary palm-trees, and the palm-wine that’s to be tapped from them is special – first of its kind.

“This is what you have to do. Go and have a huge gourd made, come here with it every time you want, and I’ll fill it with the special palm-wine for you. I’m around here everyday…”

“Good! Good! What’re you waiting for?” the Ọba answered, not believing for one second what Ijapa was saying.

“Alas Kabiyesi! I’ve been back there many times already, and each time I’m told that the palm-wine would soon be ready. It’s a special palm-wine, you see…”

“Quite so! Quite so!” the Ọba interrupted. “Until this special palm-wine materializes, Ijapa, I don’t think anyone will believe a word of what you’ve just told me. However, never fear, I’ll spread the word round…”

“Thank you, Kabiyesi!”

Ijapa left the palace, shame-faced because he knew that his story went over deaf ears. However, since the Ọba actually granted him audience, he felt more at ease to continue with his charade – his pretence that he was a special palm-wine maker in the making, knowing perfectly well what his real mission was. Of course, this was a foolish mission, but Ijapa did not realize it.

Ijapa continued with his gathering of ‘all the wisdom of the world’ in his huge gourd in his usual way despite all the speculations surrounding him, until he was caught a few times (unknown to him) speaking inside the gourd, and quickly tying the neck of the gourd tightly. Also, usually Ijapa would choose a time when he was by himself to speak inside the gourd, but once in a while someone would hear his voice and wonder why he was speaking to himself. He would speak and speak endlessly.

“Has he gone crazy?”

“This creature is definitely up to no good! But what is it? It’s bizarre. What odd behaviour” people remarked.

Ijapa became aware of what was being said, but before he could be bombarded with all sorts of questions about his behaviour and believing that he had gone around enough in his own town and collected all the ‘wisdom’ there was to be collected there, he decided that it was time to disappear.

“I’d better move on to another town. But before I do so I must find another story to tell Kabiyesi that will explain why I speak inside the gourd…”

Ijapa went to the palace immediately and was granted audience with the Ọba.

“Kabiyesi! Alas nothing has come out of the special palm-wine! Alas I’ve been wasting my time thinking that it would come my way. Special palm-wine indeed!”

The Ọba was not in the least bit surprised by what Ijapa had just said and was thinking “…and wasting everybody else’s time as well!”

He nodded and motioned for Ijapa to continue.

“I went back to the forest recently, and as I was lamenting over the embarrassing position I am over this palm-wine issue, the same woman I told you about appeared and said to me:

“’Those palm-trees I showed you were indeed special before – that is, to anyone who had his or her own special powers over them. Unfortunately, they must have lost their powers, because no matter how much I try to will the powers to work, nothing seems to be happening.

“’However, continue to go around with the gourd. It’s no longer an ordinary gourd. I’ve exercised my special powers over it. Speak inside it any time you like, and it’ll bring you luck. See it as your good-luck charm. You can go around the world with it, and you’ll make your fortune!’ This is why I’ve been observed speaking inside the gourd more than once…”

The Ọba’s mouth flew open. He knew that Ijapa was lying and was amazed by the extraordinary tale he had just spun.

“It’s just as well, Kabiyesi, that this has happened. I’ve always wanted to go around the world, and have not had the courage to do so, but with this good-luck charm…”

“Quite so! Quite so! I’ll pass the word round. Good luck, Ijapa” the Ọba put in quickly. He was getting tired of Ijapa’s lies.

“I think the time’s come to go around the world with this special gourd that’ll bring me luck, don’t you think, Kabiyesi?”

“Quite so! Good luck again then” the Ọba replied, shaking his head, and Ijapa took his leave.

“Good luck charm indeed!” the Ọba muttered under his breath.

”Yannibo, I’ve kept everything away from you regarding this gourd, but I’ve to tell you about it now” Ijapa said to Yannibo when he got home, feeling good by the story he had spun to the Ọba. He proceeded then to spin the same story to Yannibo.

“At last I can now do what I’ve always wanted to do”

“What’s that?”

“Travel around the world! I can’t go wrong with that with this gourd bringing me good luck!”

“Why don’t you take me with you” Yannibo asked, but Ijapa refused.

“It’s no place for a woman – going from one town to another.”

“Surely I too can benefit from the gourd – this windfall?” she asked.

“No, it can only work for me. No other being can use it to bring them luck!”

Ijapa became the talk of the town once more, but he did not mind, because he knew that he was going to disappear soon after.

“He wants to go around the world and make his fortune and believes that the gourd will bring him luck – the same gourd he was going to use to store that special palm wine promised by this woman with special powers. The huge gourd he’s been carrying around with him is now a lucky charm, brought about by this same woman…”

“What a tall story!”

“Is he for real?”

There had been speculations about the reason why he had been observed speaking inside his gourd, but no one was any wiser about this gourd – before or now. Everyone found the whole thing bizarre and continued to ask Ijapa about the gourd.

“Can any other being use the gourd to bring them luck?” some of them asked Ijapa, just as Yannibo had done.

“This is no ordinary gourd. It has special powers to bring me luck. It’s my good-luck charm. I must carry it on my person at all times for it to work. This is why you see me carrying it around my neck everywhere I go and speaking inside it from time to time. Besides, I don’t want to lose it or get it broken. The gourd works for me alone, and nobody else, and I’ve been warned not to let it out of my sight!”

Ijapa left town and speculations about him and his special gourd died down after a while – until it was heard that Ijapa had been seen at neighbouring towns – one after the other – with his huge gourd and behaving the same way as he had in his town. He was lurking around public places, listening to conversations, as well as speaking inside the gourd. When asked by the people of these towns why he was going around carrying the huge gourd around his neck and everywhere he went, his answer was now:

“This is no ordinary gourd. It has special powers to bring me luck. It’s my good-luck charm. I must carry it on my person at all times and speak inside it whenever I want! It’s because I don’t want to lose it or get it broken that I go around with it on my neck. I want to make my fortune” was now his answer.

When asked:

“But what fortune is there to be made in lurking around these public places, listening to conversations, and then speaking inside the gourd…?”

“What better way to make one’s fortune than to first of all listen to others talk and gather ideas about different things? I speak inside the gourd because I’ve been told to do so any time I want, and that the gourd will bring me luck.”

Speculations about Ijapa and his gourd continued, not only in his town, but in the other towns he went to. It was obvious that he was up to something, but what? Ijapa became a source of wonder everywhere he went, with everyone talking about him and his gourd.

“Ijapa and his gourd of wonder!” they started to say, pointing and laughing at him wherever they spotted him. They could only shake their heads in wonder.

“Only God knows what it’s about, but one day, we’ll unravel the mystery!”

As we already know, Ijapa believed that the world was small – that it constituted his town and the neighbouring towns, including the towns from which he had been driven away in the past for his misdeeds. Before he arrived at the latter, he had taken a lot of trouble not to be recognized, changing his appearance drastically. It helped; nobody recognized him in any of these towns. Time was on his side; some of the Ọba who had passed judgment on him to be driven away, had been replaced by other Ọba.

Eventually after going around the ‘world’ for about a year, satisfied that he had gathered all the ‘wisdom’ there was, walking from one town to the other, Ijapa returned home with his ‘gourd of wisdom’ well sealed up believing it to be full, his thoughts full of how he would put away the gourd away from the reach of others. He had stored so much ‘wisdom’ inside the gourd that he could not imagine that there would be anything left anywhere else.

We must not forget that Ijapa thought that each time he got some ‘wisdom’ from someone and stored it inside the gourd, speaking inside it and sealing the cover quickly, that person would be deprived of the piece of ‘wisdom’. Like that he alone would possess all the wisdom of the world.

When Ijapa got back to Lagoni Yannibo was shocked by the way he looked. Ijapa did not look like a being who had fallen on good luck – far from it. He was still carrying his gourd around his neck. However, he did look happy and pleased with himself. He was happy that he had satisfied his heart’s content.

“Have you made your fortune then? You don’t look as if you have!” Yannibo asked him.

“I’ve certainly made my fortune. You’d be surprised just how – just you wait and see” he answered, removing the gourd from around his neck.

“So, you don’t need to carry the gourd around with you any more, then?” Yannibo ventured to ask him. “Thank God for that! At least nobody will start talking about you and that gourd again!”

Ijapa said nothing, thinking:

“Now where do I keep my precious gourd of wisdom? I can’t very well continue to carry it around. People will start talking again; Yannibo is right about that. And what story can I tell them this time. Yet if I leave it at home, it can get broken or stolen. All kinds of beings come to visit us here. Besides, it should be within reach when I need to recall any of the wisdom.”

“When you were away everyone kept on wondering about you and this huge gourd, asking me all sorts of questions, and I didn’t know what to say. Surely you can tell me everything now. I told everyone you’d gone to seek your fortune – our fortune – that you knew what you were doing, and would surprise us all…”

“Yes! Yes! That’s what we shall tell them – that I’ve made my fortune – made a lot of money!”

Having kept the gourd on his person up till then, it became a problem for Ijapa where to keep it. He wanted to keep it away from all eyes, and yet he needed it within reach.

“What am I going to do?” Ijapa kept on asking himself. Right from the beginning he had thought that all he had to do on getting back home was to hang the gourd on top of a very high tree in his backyard.  But now it did not seem to be such a good idea.  Others who came to the house might get to know that the gourd was there.

“I can’t even be seen climbing the tree with the gourd – even if it’s only by Yannibo. Supposing as I climb the tree, we have visitors. No, no, no, it has to be somewhere else. I must find somewhere else.

Ijapa started to look for where to keep the gourd, even as he walked around with it, behaving shiftily when others were around him. He was spotted on more than a few occasions looking at trees in his neighbourhood with his gourd on his neck, and people wondered what he was up to again.

“If the gourd has brought Ijapa luck all this time, and he’s made a lot of money what is he hoping to gain looking at trees?”

“Back to wanting to be a palm-wine seller. Ha! Ha! Ha!”

“But the gourd is too big. Palm-wine sellers use smaller gourds.”

“Don’t forget that Ijapa won’t want to be an ordinary palm-wine seller. We mustn’t forget that special palm-wine he promised us before…! Perhaps he’s trying to discover other palm-trees with special powers…”

“Perhaps all the money he’s made is in the gourd, and he doesn’t trust anyone with it at home – not even Yannibo.”

“But then would he be looking at trees?”

“If there’s a lot of money in the gourd would he want to use the same gourd for palm-wine anyway?”

“What’s really with this gourd? What’s Ijapa really up to?”
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The next time Ijapa was walking around in a forest still searching for where to hide the gourd, he spotted an extraordinary tall palm-tree with wide-spreading branches standing, on its own, in a secluded area, and an idea struck him.

“Yes, that’s it! That tree over there is the answer!” he said aloud to himself.

“I’ll seal up my gourd, tie a rope round its neck, and tie the gourd to one of the branches of this tree. Surely no being will be able to reach it even if they want to, and why would they want to anyway?”

Ijapa was very happy about his discovery, and he went home beaming. Immediately he went and got hold of a very strong, taut rope, and tied it tightly round the neck of the gourd, after sealing it up. He then made a loop from the rope which he put round his own neck, letting the gourd drop on his stomach. With the gourd dangling and rubbing on his stomach, he went back to the tree, ready to climb it and hang his ‘gourd of wisdom’ on top. He thought that he was the wisest being on earth, not knowing that no matter how wise one thought one was there was still wisdom to be learnt!

Unfortunately, Ijapa’s hands and feet were very short, and with the gourd dangling on his stomach, he could not get close enough to the tree to climb it, no matter how hard he tried to do so with different approaches. If his hands managed to reach the tree his feet would not, and vice versa.  This went on and on.

Ijapa struggled to climb the tree, sweating profusely, the gourd slipping down the tree, as his limbs failed to do what was required of them. Any time he managed to move slightly up the tree he would find himself falling to the ground. He was panting, eyes blinking incessantly, nose flared; he felt exhausted, faint and thirsty.

“This is hard. Since morning I’ve been trying to climb this tree, and now the sun is going down”.

“What’s wrong with this tree and this gourd?”

Needless to say, the fact that the gourd was tied right to his chest made it impossible for him to climb the tree. Every time he tried to climb the tree the gourd kept getting in the way.

As Ijapa said this to himself, a hunter who was passing by, on his way to a forest, saw him and offered his help. Ijapa was very dismissive of him, talking quickly to send the man on his way.

“I’m okay, thank you. I don’t need any help. I’m just climbing this tree, and the tree and the gourd are proving difficult because I’m not used to either of them.”

“But you’re not climbing the tree correctly, and it’s the gourd…”

As soon as Ijapa heard the word ‘gourd’ he did not let the man finish what he was about to say.

“The gourd is not the problem. I don’t even need it for what I’m trying to do. Don’t worry! I’ll be all right” he lied.

The hunter who had heard about Ijapa and his gourd and did not know what to make of it thought to himself.

“You’re right. The gourd is not the problem, and I’m sure you don’t need it for anything you try to do. You, certainly, are the problem, Ijapa!”

The hunter left Ijapa alone and went on his way, shaking his head with pity. Ijapa continued with his impossible task of climbing the tree, clawing at nothing, the frustrations almost turning him insane.

On his way back from deep inside the forest the hunter found Ijapa still struggling to climb the tree with the gourd dangling on his chest, talking to himself.

“Why? You’re still here, Ijapa? What are you really up to?”

The hunter’s question was a welcome distraction for Ijapa, and he decided that there was no harm in talking about his gourd.

“I want to hang this gourd you see around my neck on a branch of the tree” Ijapa volunteered.

“Is that so? What for?” the hunter asked, wondering why Ijapa had said earlier that he did not need the gourd for what he was trying to do. The hunter did not understand.

“Does he seriously believe that hanging the gourd on the branch of a very tall tree would make a difference to his life?” the hunter wondered. This was complete folly!

“My friend, this is no ordinary gourd” Ijapa answered, “and the best place to keep it safe is on top of this tree.

“Of course! How could I have forgotten Ijapa’s claims about this gourd – this gourd that’s supposed to bring him good luck – his good- luck charm. So, he does believe the gourd would make a difference to his life. In fact, he’s obsessed by it. After keeping it close to his person for so long he’s now trying the opposite – keeping it far away from him – from his home – on top of the tallest tree in a secluded area of the forest.

This is complete folly…”

Suddenly the hunter remembered something else he had heard.

“Ijapa has just come back after going around the world to make his fortune with this same gourd. Maybe he’s made his fortune, all right. Maybe he’s put all his money in the gourd, and he now wants to hang it on top of this tree so that no one can get to it? But surely that’ll be inconvenient for him if he needs some of the money, unless he hasn’t put all his money there…”

“Never mind” the hunter told himself, unable to make out what Ijapa was up to, and not wanting to task his brains further about it. He decided to address instead what was staring him in the eye.
“If you want to climb the tree to the top with this gourd, why not just swing the gourd around to your back. Then you’ll be able to hold the tree with your hands and climb it more easily.”

Ijapa thought about this for a moment and then did as the hunter suggested. He started climbing the tree, and very soon he had reached the top – tired as he was, and with his heavy load. Suddenly he froze. It had suddenly occurred to him that the hunter had just solved the problem that had baffled him all day and had offered him some advice – simple, common-sense advice.

“Is that not wisdom the hunter has just shown? How could I have thought that I was wise – perhaps the wisest person on earth, and what’s more that I now possess all the wisdom of the world in this gourd when I can’t solve a simple, straight forward problem! I thought I was very wise just because I’m cunning and full of mischief – because I play tricks and pranks on others…”

“If the hunter could come up with a simple, common-sense solution such as this, that means that others could. So, it’s true the saying of elders that no one has all the wisdom of the world. I say I’m the wisest, but I’m the most stupid! Only a crazy being will claim that he’s the wisest in the world!

“Not only have I failed to collect all the wisdom in the world as I’ve hoped, but I’ve collected nothing! There’s absolutely nothing in that gourd. I’ve been wasting my time and energy for the past one year carrying around a gourd I can now call ‘a gourd of stupidity’. If not for this man I’d not have been able to climb this tree, and I was even thinking of coming back tomorrow to try again!”

Ijapa was not only very upset and unhappy by this discovery, but also extremely angry that he removed the loop around his neck and dropped ‘his gourd of wisdom’ with such force that it broke into thousand pieces, at the foot of the tree. He suddenly remembered that he was not alone. The hunter was still waiting at the foot of the tree and was looking at him in complete wonder. Surprisingly Ijapa felt comforted by his presence, and the wish to unburden to this man overwhelmed him.

“That gourd that I’ve been carrying around my neck all this time was filled with what I thought was wisdom. I’d wanted to be the sole possessor of all the wisdom of the world, and that was why I’d wanted to climb this big tree. I wanted to hide the gourd there! I’d thought that any being who wanted wisdom could come to me, and I’d sell it to him, and any being I favour would get it free. I now know that I’ve been wasting my time, energy and money over nothing – not to talk of the disgrace I’ve brought upon myself.

“What wisdom, for goodness sake! Stupidity more like it! I’ve been deceiving and disgracing myself. I’ve collected nothing. There’s nothing inside that gourd!”

The hunter who was still in a state of shock, not expecting this turn of events, did not know what to answer. In fact, this was the last thing he would have believed to be behind Ijapa’s behaviour all this time. He left Ijapa and went on his way shaking his head.

Thus, Ijapa became the talk of the town again. He became a laughing stock.

“The stupid, stupid creature who wanted to hang all the ‘wisdom of the world’ on a tree. Anyone who says he’s the wisest is the most stupid person on earth”.

“Ijapa and all the ‘wisdom of the worldl!”

“Ijapa and his ‘gourd of wisdom’! ‘Gourd of stupidity’ more like it!”

“Imagine wasting time, money and energy lurking around public places, listening to conversations, speaking inside the gourd, thinking he was collecting wisdom from others when he’s lacking in ordinary common sense”.

“What about thereafter, wanting to hang the gourd where he alone would have access to it!”

“What a foolish creature! What a disgrace thinking that only one person in the world could possess wisdom!”

“No wonder he’d been behaving the way he had – strangely, lurking around, listening to others’ conversations…”

“How foolish deceiving us and himself, of course, making up stories when all along this is what he had been up to!”

“All those stories about a woman with special powers, about palm-trees with special powers and special palm-wine!”

“We mustn’t forget about the special powers bestowed on the gourd to bring him good luck – his good-luck charm – and his going around the world to make his fortune with the gourd!”

“I knew he was up to something, but this…!”

Ijapa was deeply ashamed of what he had done.

“This is the worst disgrace I’ve brought upon myself. It’s going to be very difficult for Yannibo and I to live down this experience. Even if Yannibo agrees to leave town with me to go and live elsewhere, where can we possibly go? I’m known everywhere now, having travelled all over the world – around all the towns. I wouldn’t be surprised if Yannibo decides to leave me forever since I haven’t brought about any changes in my life – since I’ve not kept my promise about looking for a way forward. ”

Ijapa knew that any time he woke up in the morning and looked back on his life, and asked himself what he had achieved, the answer would be “Nothing!” for quite some time to come. There was nowhere for him to go and live. He might have to make his home under dead leaves, with or without Yannibo!