Mythical Narrative: The Beautiful Girl and the Python (Part One)
There was once a very beautiful girl in the village who had all the qualities to become a perfect wife and mother to a family. All the men in the village would gladly marry her, but none of them could win her heart. She desired a handsome man who would come well dressed and displaying the best manners and etiquette. The news of the beautiful girl soon travelled throughout the land. Almost all the young men who heard the news went and tried to win her over as a wife, but she did not find any of them suitable and declined all their offers.
The python1 sat in his cave under the earth in a faraway land and heard what was being said about the girl, and he decided that she was the most suitable candidate for him. The python knew that he did not have all the physical features and qualities that would please the beautiful girl. Hence, before going to ask for the hand of the girl, he went to all those trees and plants that had the best form of one of the features that the girl desired. He rst went to the shea tree (Vitellaria paradoxa; Dagara: Taan-tiɛ)2 and asked him if he had heard about the story of the beautiful girl who was looking for the most handsome young man to marry. The shea tree answered that he had heard the news and would gladly have tried to win her if he had many beautiful features, such as his legs and feet. The python then made a proposal to the shea butter tree that he found appealing. He suggested that the tree lend him the use of his branches as legs so that he could add these to his smooth, long, beautiful body. This would enhance his chances of winning the beautiful girl as a bride. For his efforts, the python would agree to share the girl with the shea tree and she would become a ‘common wife’ to both (ti zaa pog). The shea tree agreed to the deal and gave the legs and feet to the python.The python stood on its feet and became taller than all the creatures. He saw the karaya gum tree (Sterculia setigera Delile; Dagara: pongpong)3 standing in the bush near the village. He went over to the pongpong tree and said to him: ‘Have you heard of the most beautiful girl in that far- away village who is looking for the most handsome young man to marry?’ The pongpong tree replied that he had heard of her. He also said that he did not think he stood a chance, given that his wood was so soft. The python then proposed to the pongpong tree to lend him his soft branches as arms, since he did not have any at all, so that he could add them to his own smooth body. He made a deal with the pongpong tree that if he used his hands and won over the girl, she would become a ‘common wife’ to them both (ti zaa pog). The pongpong tree found the proposal interesting and agreed to the deal.
The python stretched his newly acquired hands and felt the soft tex- ture of the green leaves on the trees around, including the African co- paiba balsam tree (Daniellia oliveri; Dagara: kankyɛlɛ).4 He approached the kankyɛlɛ tree and asked him if he had heard about the most beautiful girl in the faraway land who was looking for the most handsome young man to marry. The kankyɛlɛ tree answered that he had heard of her and that he would like to have her as wife. The python then made a proposal to the kankyɛlɛ tree by saying: ‘The kankyɛlɛ tree has such beautiful leaves and barks which every woman love to wear as clothes. If you can use these to make a beautiful Dagara smock suite and shoes for me to wear, I am sure I can win over the girl and if that happens she will become a common wife to us all.’ The kankyɛlɛ tree immediately agreed to the proposal and made a suit of leaves for the python. He also made some shoes for him.
The python wore the suit and felt very comfortable with it. He then went to have a look at his refl ection in the water pond. He realized that he did not have any headgear to cover and protect his head. He there- fore went to the Dawadawa or African locust bean tree (Parkia biglobosa; Dagara: Duo)5 and proposed to him in a similar way he had already done to the other trees. He proposed that the duo tree should use his beautiful fl o wers to make the most beautiful hat for him so that he could go and seek the hand of this beautiful girl. If he succeeded, she would be a wife to them all. The duo tree made for him a very beautiful headgear decked with red colourful fl owers and delivered this to the python by the cross- roads. The python wore the headgear and began to walk elegantly toward the village of the beautiful girl. However, just before leaving the forest, he realized that he was lacking a walking stick that would guide his steps. He therefore went to the false abura tree (Mitragyna inermis; Dagara: yila)6 and asked if he was aware of the beautiful girl in his land who was seeking a handsome young man to marry. The yila tree replied in the affi rm ative and added that if not for his age and for his lack of many qualities, he too would have tried to win the girl over for himself. The python then made the same proposal as he has made to the others. He asked the yila tree to make for him a well- polished and smooth walking stick from his sacred and precious wood. In exchange, if he succeeded, the girl would become a wife to them both. The yila tree agreed and a made a beautiful walking stick for the python.
When he had acquired all the items he needed, the python went home to his cave with all the items and slept for three days before deciding to embark on his journey to the village of the beautiful girl. He made the journey during the dry season when it does not rain and on the Téngkur7 market day, the place where all things were originally made. It was to be a whole day’s journey by foot, so he rose early at the first cock crow. He got to the village of the beautiful girl when the sun was about to set and he asked and was directed to the house of the most senior elder of the Kusiélé8 clan that also belonged to the broader house-based commu- nity of the Kpièlè house. As the totemic figure to the Kusiélé, the python considered himself to be an elder kinsman to them. During the night, he informed the Kusiélé elders about his mission to the village and asked two of them to act as his best friends and accompany him to the house of the girl.
The next morning, the python put on all the clothes and body parts he had acquired and set out to go to the girl’s house with the two elders leading the way. They got to the girl’s house mid-morning and found the father of the girl feeding the chickens in the poultry farm. They greeted him and after a short conversation, they told him they had come to seek the hand of his daughter. He directed them to the girl’s mother’s com- pound, where she had her room. The two elders acting as the python’s best friends went into the girl’s room alone to present themselves and to inform her about their mission. She followed them outside to have a look at the suitor. As soon as she saw him, she was full of awe, fright and fascination. She was also deeply touched and moved by his qualities and though she was still frightened by his stature, she was almost sure in her heart that she would marry him. She immediately rushed into her mother’s room to take one of her calabashes so that she could offer the stranger some water. She was so excited that she broke the calabash as she tried to wash it. This happened three times and the mother began to scold her for breaking her calabashes, but she privately told her mother that she had now met the man she would like to marry. At this point, the python, dressed as a young man, asked the girl to use the broken calabash to serve the water. The python was also taken aback and highly delighted by her beauty. He was also fascinated and wondered what kind of wife and mother she would be. The first encounter was brief and ended when the girl, following the proverb ‘you cannot fell a tree with a single hit of the axe’, asked the python to return home and make a second visit to show that he was serious about marrying her. The python went back to the Kusiélé house and after three days wore the same clothes and pre- sented himself again to the girl. The girl then accepted the hand of the python. The python took his kinsmen to the only hill in the village and regurgitated 360 cowries from his stomach. He gave these to his kinsmen to be placed in the goatskin bag as a gift exchange for the right and for the use of the girl’s reproductive and sexual organs. He later also regur- gitated 13,000 cowries and put these it into a jute sack. This would go to the girl’s parents and family members as bride wealth. The two Kusiélé elders took these and presented them to the girl’s parents and family. They accepted the items and, in the presence of the girl and her mother, conducted the marriage ceremony. This involved the girl initiating the counting of the 360 cowries followed by the general counting and the acceptance of the bride wealth.9
The next day, the python took his wife and set out to make his journey back home. At the edge of the village stead, he met the yila tree, who was looking very delighted with the results. He greeted the python enthusiastically and, pointing to the girl, asked if she was the wife for all (ti zaa pog). The python replied by denying that he had ever had any contract with the yila tree. He recounted the amount of trouble he had gone through, all by himself, so that he could have this wife. There was no way he could accept anybody as a co-husband. The yila tree therefore demanded that the python give him back the walking stick, which he did. Upon entering the farmland, he met the duo tree, who asked if he was co- husband to the lady that the python has just married. The python denied ever making a deal with the duo tree and thereby lost his headgear. All this did not say anything to the beautiful girl, who continued to walk in front of the python carrying a basketful of her personal items.
They entered the forest and before they could go deeply into it, the kankyɛlɛ tree came to meet the python, demanding to know if the lady walking ahead was the common wife for all of them. The python an- swered in the negative and when the tree reminded him of the contract they had made, he denied that he had done such a thing. The kankyɛlɛ tree then asked that he give back the smock suit and the sandals that he had taken from them. The python removed the suit from his body and the sandals from his feet, and handed them back to the kankyɛlɛ tree. At that moment, the pongpong tree recognized the python and came over to him as the lady led the way beyond the forest. Pointing to the girl as she walked past, the tree demanded to know from the python if she was the wife for them both. The python became very angry with the question and retorted that he had worked so hard alone to marry this lady and would not have anybody as a co-husband. The pongpong tree reminded the python of the contract they agreed on, but he denied any knowledge of it. The pongpong tree had no choice but to ask for his hands back and the python duly complied with this request. They got to the edge of the forest and after a short distance, the python could see the big mountain and the entrance to his cave at the foot of it. Just as the python was about to step his foot onto the open savanna, the shea tree suddenly appeared all beaming with smiles. He had seen the beautiful girl who was in front of the python. He congratulated him and asked if she was the wife to them both. The python denied ever having an agreement with the shea tree, so the tree demanded that the python return the feet and legs he was using. The python removed the feet and the legs, gave them back to the shea tree and then fell to the ground. The sound of falling caused the beautiful girl to turn around to see what was happening. She saw the python on the ground and was immediately filled with fright and awe. She was about to step aside when the python quickly encircled her whole body and carried her into his cave-house.