In this Gikuyu folklore, two animals, Hyena and Honey Badger set out to look for honey in the forest. Honey Badger convinces Hyena to let him sew up his bottom so that the sweetness of the honey will be held in. As they head back home, Hyena’s stomach is already bloated and he asks Honey Badger to unsew his bottom a little bit. Honey Badger refuses and leaves Hyena writhing in pain.
Crow passes by and sees Hyena kicking his last and asks him what’s wrong. Hyena asks Crow to unsew his bottom, which Crow does, and every foul thing bursts out, burying Crow in a heap. Days later, Hyena meets Crow and tells him about a field of white meat. Crow arranges a trip for all the hyenas, with him at the front, holding Wakagogo’s tail feather. Crow asks if they have all left firm ground, and they reply yes. He asks if they can still see the ground, and they reply no, they can only see dimness. Crow then asks Wakagogo to release his tail feather, and all the hyenas come tumbling down to their death, except for one little lame hyena.
The Gikuyu assign a characteristic to each animal in their folklore. The lion is assigned brute strength, the hare, cunning, the hyena always stands for stupidity, the crow, wisdom, the dove is the divine messenger, the robin chat the whisperer of secrets and so forth. The Honey Badger always stands for single-minded determination whenever it appears in a story. The simplicity with which Honey Badger is able to take over Hyena’s thinking is a testimony to his willy-nilly ways but also of Hyena’s stupidity and gullibility.
Hyena’s malleability is further illustrated by the idea that one can be inoculated from ever having to go to the toilet. It is a very stupid thing to accept to be sewn up, but this is only a tale, right? These are just silly stories to entertain children? Think again. The Gikuyu had several hiding places for their wisdom, and these animal stories, known as Marimũ, were one of them. They were used to teach children valuable lessons, such as being cautious of those who try to deceive you, to not be gullible, and to not trust anyone blindly.
The story also highlights the importance of wisdom and being able to recognize deceit. Crow, who is assigned wisdom in the folklore, is the only one who recognizes the deceit of Hyena and Honey Badger. He is also able to save himself from being buried in the heap of foul things that burst out of Hyena’s bottom. Crow’s ability to think on his feet and recognize deceit saved him from a similar fate as the other hyenas.
The story also teaches the importance of being careful when following others blindly. In the story, Crow arranges a trip for all the hyenas, with him at the front, holding Wakagogo’s tail feather. The other hyenas blindly follow without questioning where they are going or what they are doing. This leads to their death. The only hyena who survives is the little lame hyena who was refused by the others to join the train. He is the only one who is not blindly following and is able to recognize the danger of the situation.
In conclusion, this Gikuyu folklore teaches valuable lessons about being cautious of those who try to deceive you, not being gullible, not trusting anyone blindly, the importance of wisdom, and being careful when following others blindly. These lessons are still relevant today and can be applied in various situations.