“A ki i jẹ Igún, a ki i fi Ìyẹ́ Igún rinti: Ẹnu Ayé Lẹbọ” – “It is forbidden to eat the Vulture or use its feather as cotton bud: One should be careful of what others say”

Ohun ti o jẹ èèwọ̀ tàbi òfin ni ilú kan le ma jẹ èèwọ̀/òfin ni ilú miran ṣùgbọ́n bi èniyàn bá dé ilú, ó yẹ ki ó bọ̀wọ̀ fún àṣà àti òfin ilú. Bi èniyàn bá ṣe nkan èèwọ̀, ó lè ṣé gbé ti kò bá si ẹlẹri lati ṣe àkóbá tàbi ki ó fi ẹnu ṣe àkóbá fún ara rẹ̀.

Ni ilú kan ti a mọ̀ si “Ayégbẹgẹ́”, àwọn àlejò ọkùnrin meji kan wa ti orúkọ wọn njẹ́ – Miòṣé àti Moṣétán. Ọba ilú Ayégbẹgẹ́ kede pé èèwọ̀ ni lati jẹ ẹiyẹ Igún ni ilú wọn. Akéde ṣe ikilọ̀ pé ẹni ti ó bá jẹ Igún, ikùn rẹ yio wu titi yio fi kú ni. Àwọn àlejò meji yi ṣe ìlérí pé kò si nkan ti yio ṣẹlẹ̀ ti àwon bá jẹ Igún, nitori eyi wọn fi ojú di èèwọ̀ ilú Ayégbẹgẹ́.

Igún – Vulture

Miòṣé, lọ si oko, ó pa Igun, ó din láta, ó si jẹ́, ṣùgbọ́n ó pa adiẹ, ó da iyẹ́ adiẹ si ààtàn bi ẹni pé adiẹ ló jẹ. Ọ̀pọ̀ ará ilú ti wọn mọ̀ pé èèwọ̀ ni lati jẹ Igún paapa, jẹ ninú rẹ, ṣùgbọ́n wọn kò mọ pé Igún ni àwọn jẹ, wọn rò wi pé adiẹ ni. Miòṣé fi ọ̀rọ̀ àṣiri yi sinú lai si nkan ti ó ṣe gbogbo àwọn ti ó jẹ Igún pẹ̀lú rẹ.

Moṣétán lọ si oko ohun na a pa Igun, ó gbe wá si ilé, ṣùgbọ́n kò jẹ́. Ó pa adiẹ dipò Igún, o din adiẹ ó jẹ ẹ, ṣùgbọ́n, ó da iyẹ́ Igún si ààtàn bi ẹni pé Igún lohun jẹ. Ni ọjọ́ keji àwọn ará ilú ri iyẹ́ Igún wọn pariwo pé Moṣétán jẹ èèwọ̀, ó ni bẹni, ohun jẹ Igún. Ni ọjọ́ kẹta inú Moṣétán bẹ̀rẹ̀ si i wú titi ara fi ni. Nigbati ìnira pọ̀ fún Moṣétán, ó jẹ́wọ́ wi pé adiẹ lohun jẹ, ṣùgbọ́n wọn ko gba a gbọ pé kò jẹ Igun, titi ti ó fi ṣubú ti ó si kú. Yorùbá ni “Ẹnu Ayé Lẹbo”, Moṣétán fi ẹnu kó bá ara rẹ̀.

Ẹ̀kọ́ ìtàn yi ni pé, àfojúdi kò dára, ó yẹ ki enia pa òfin mọ nitori “Bi a ti nṣe ni ilé wa, èèwọ̀ ibò miran”. Ẹni ti kò bá pa òfin mọ, á wọ ijọ̀ngbọ̀n ti ó lè fa ikú tàbi ẹ̀wọ̀n.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

What is forbidden or a law in one country may not be forbidden or a law in another, but as a migrant or a visitor one should respect the culture and the law of the land. If one should break the law, sometimes one may escape the consequence if there is no witness and if one does not implicate himself/herself.

In one town named “Ayegbege”, there were two male visitors whose names were – Miose (meaning I did do it) and Mosetan (meaning I confirm doing it). The King of Ayegbege announced that it is forbidden to eat the Vulture in their town. The Town crier announced that whoever eats the Vulture, would be bloated to death. The visitors, boasted that nothing would happen if they eat the Vulture, as a result they ignored Ayegbege’s culture.

Miose went hunting, he killed the Vulture, brought it home and roasted it with pepper and ate it, but he killed a chicken and threw the feathers in the waste pit as if he had eaten a chicken. Many of the indigenes who were aware that it was forbidden to eat Vulture joined in the eating as they were not aware it was a Vulture as they thought they joined him in eating chicken. Miose kept it as a secret as he did not reveal the truth to those joined him in eating the Vulture. After many days, there seem to be no repercussion for him and those who joined in the eating of the Vulture.

Mosetan on the other hand, went to the farm, killed a Vulture, brought it home, but did not eat it. He killed a chicken instead, but he threw the Vulture’s feather on the waste pit as if he had eaten the Vulture. On the second day, people saw the Vulture’s feather and raised alarm that Mosetan had eaten the forbidden Vulture contrary to their culture, he did not deny, he confirmed eating the Vulture. Three days later, his stomach began to swell causing him pain. When the pain increased, Mosetan confessed that he only ate chicken, but the people did not believe him, until he fell and died. According to Yoruba proverb meaning “One should be careful of what others say”, Mosetan implicated himself.

Lessons from this story are to warn that, it is not good to berate warnings and it is important to keep the law because “What is acceptable in one place is forbidden in another”. The consequence of not keeping the law is either death or prison sentence.

Originally posted 2015-12-29 23:20:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The Yoruba Blog

Ẹ jẹ ki a gbé èdè àti àṣà Yorùbá Lárugẹ: keeping the Yoruba language alive…

“A ki i jẹ Igún, a ki i fi Ìyẹ́ Igún rinti: Ẹnu Ayé Lẹbọ” – “It is forbidden to eat the Vulture or use its feather as cotton bud: One should be careful of what others say”

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Follow The Yoruba Blog