How Rabbit Beat Tortoise in a Race
Yoruba Tales
The Yoruba
people became established in south-west Nigeria, over 1000 years ago. They
created the Oyo Empire which, at its zenith, stretched from the River Niger
westwards to what is now southern Togo – rivaling the Benin Empire in
influence. From the late 15th century, Yorubas traded with European merchants,
triggering changes in Yoruba culture. The most significant was the loss of
their oral tradition.
Oral tradition was a major vehicle for expression in Yoruba society, embodying knowledge and belief about the past, present and future. There are artefacts dating from the 5th century, which show the evolution of Yoruba civilization, but there are no known written records. Yet there are legends, genealogies, songs and poems about the origins and development of Yorubas. From the mid-19th century, British colonialists enforced different modes of living, causing a gradual abandonment of oral tradition and growing dependency on the printed word.
Yoruba folk tales are an example of what may be lost when traditions are changed. They evolved as entertainment and tools for moral, social and religious instruction. The best known are based on the activities of animal characters inhabiting the rainforest. Their behaviour reflects Yoruba ideas of fairness, cleverness and wickedness; for example, Yorubas admire determination yet recognise the fine line between it and deviousness.
This re-telling of the story of How Tortoise Beat Rabbit shows how determination can lead to contradictory outcomes. It illustrates a proverb: “ARINGBERE NI YIO MU OYE DELE, ASAREKETE KO BA OYE JE”, which translates as “He who walks slowly will bring the title home, but he who runs misses the chance of enjoying a title” .
Yoruba folk tales always start with a call-and-response chorus called the “Alo” chorus (“Alo” means “riddle”). It is not common in Nigeria, but story-telling in formal environments like classrooms may be facilitated by the story teller periodically calling out, “Alo 0!” and the listeners replying, “Alo!”. These interactions help to authenticate a story-teller’s authority as a repository of Yoruba Folklore. The listeners’ replies show respect. Tortoise stories may be quite long, and this story can be told in two parts for younger children.
