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186 At the Back of the Black Man's Mind By R. E. Dennett
The Tortoise IGWI.-The sacred ground where the shell of the tortoise is found is called
OTOI.
The people dance IGWI once a year just as the rains cease.
The character of the IGWI is a bad one; it is looked upon as a deceiver.
There is a story that says one day IGWI was a person, and all animals spoke one
language. There was a famine in the land. A meeting was called, and it was decided that
all should bring in their mothers. The elephant brought in his mother. They killed and
eat her. And each day an animal brought in its mother. They always gave some of the
meat to the parrot (OKWE), most of which it preserved. And when each animal had
killed its mother they told the parrot to go and fetch his. But he had hidden his mother
away in a hole where she kept a rope. As he refused to bring in his mother all the
animals set about to look for her, but they could not find her. Then the IGWI watched
the parrot, and found the mother's hiding place. And he told all the other animals. And
when they all knew where the mother parrot was to be found they held a meeting to
decide upon some plan of getting her. Finally, they asked the parrot to go on an errand
for them to a distant part. And he went. But he returned quickly to the court house and
found no one there. Guided by the IGWI they had gone to find his mother. And when
they were near the hole where the mother parrot was hidden the elephant sang a song,
thinking that the mother would take his voice for that of her son. But the mother parrot
was not so taken in. Then the IGWI sang, and the mother parrot was deceived and put
out the rope for him. All the animals then seized hold of the rope. But just then the son
parrot came along and sang to his mother, telling her to cut the rope, and this is how he
sang:-
IYEMAO IYEMALO, IYEMAO IYEMALO O Mother Mother, O Mother Mother
OFIFIEGE FWAO Cut the rope,
NENI DEGBEGWIO IYEMALO Let the elephant fall, Mother,
NEGWI PIEPIAW IYEMALO And crush the tortoise, Mother.
XINA OF THE BAVILI ARE SPOKEN OF AS AWA OR AGWA BY THE BINI.
It is AGWA for a man to marry any of his EGBE and by EGBE they include
OBIRAMI children of one father.
OBIYIMI children of one mother.
OBIYIYIMI children of one grandmother.
OBIRERAMI children of one grandfather.
IGODARO says that be may not marry any woman who lifts drink up with her left hand,
and who, when she cooks, kneels only on one knee.
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