| The Tale of Zomo the Hare |
| A Trickster Tale from West Africa |
| Zomo was not very big or strong, but he was a very clever rabbit. But, Zomo wanted more than cleverness he wanted wisdom! So he went to Sky God and asked for wisdom. The Sky God told Zomo that to get wisdom, he would have to earn it." [sic] The Sky God told Zomo that he would have to do three impossible things." [sic] They were: To bring the scales of "Big Fish in the Sea" to him. To bring the milk of Wild Cow to him. To bring the tooth of Leopard to him Zomo said he would try to do exactly that. Zomo went to the edge of the sea to find Big Fish. He began to play his drum. He played so loud his drumbeats went down to the bottom of the sea. Big Fish heard the music of the drum. Big Fish then came up out of the water and danced on the sand. Zomo began to beat his drum faster and faster. Then Big Fish danced faster and faster and faster and faster. Big Fish then danced so fast his scales fell off. Big Fish became naked and quickly jumped back into the sea. Zomo scooped up all the fish scales in his hat and hopped into the forest. While in the forest, Zomo climbed a palm tree and looked all around. That was when he saw Wild Cow. He goaded Wild Cow by telling Wild Cow that [s]he wasn't big and strong, which angered Wild Cow. Zomo dared Wild Cow to knock down the little palm tree. Wild cow got so angry that she ran at the tree to knock it down. However, the palm tree was soft and her horns got stuck in the tree. While Wild Cow was stuck, Zomo slid down the tree and turned his drum upside down and filled it with milk. Zomo then took the path to the top of a high hill. This path led to the hill where Leopard walked every day. Zomo tipped his hat and sprinkled a few fish scales on the path. Then Zomo tipped his drum and spilled a few drops of milk on the path. Then Zomo went to the bottom of the hill and hid behind a rock. Soon Leopard came walking over the hill. Leopard slipped on the slippery scales and the milk, rolled down the hill and hit the rock. His tooth immediately popped out. Zomo caught the tooth and hopped away. Zomo took the scales of Big Fish, the milk of Wild Cow, and the tooth of Leopard to Sky God. Sky God smiled upon Zomo. "You are clever enough to do the impossible," he said. "Now I will give you wisdom." Sky God spoke. Zomo listened. "Three things in this world are worth having: courage, good sense, and caution," said Sky God. "Little rabbit, you have lots of courage, a bit of sense, but no caution. So next time you see Big Fish, or Wild Cow, or Leopard... ... better run fast!" Zomo is not big. Zomo is not strong. But now Zomo has wisdom. And he is very, very fast. |
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