PRIDE GOES BEFORE A FALL ---Atunbi Bukola Christiana

A long time ago in the village of Aiyegberu, there lived a maiden by name Olajumoke.  Olajumoke was a paragon of beauty; she was a sight for sore eyes.  Her beauty and allure drew many suitors from far and near who came to seek her hand in marriage.  She however refused marrying any of them, as she felt none was handsome enough to be her husband.  One day, Olajumoke went to her stall in the market square to sell her wares.  While there, a very fair looking young man entered the market and started buying things.  This young man commanded the attention of all and sundry because of his good looks and imposing stature.  Immediately, Olajumoke became drawn to him such that; she left her stall and started following him around the market.  

  As the young man was about leaving, he noticed that Olajumoke was following him and he asked her why, she explained that she loved him and was willing to follow him anywhere.  However the young man persuaded her to go back home as one would have to cross the Red and Blue Sea, before one would get to his own house.  All these warnings fell on Olajumoke’s deaf ears, so the young man started singing this song:

          Arewa deyin leyin mi, deyin  o, Arewa deyin

          Boba deyin a o kan odo aro, deyin o hey deyin.

          Boba deyin a o kan odo  eje,deyin Arewa deyin,

           Arewa deyin leyin mi,

           Deyin Arewa deyin.

         Beauty leave me (2ce)

         You have to leave because we

         Would get to the blue Sea

       You have to leave me because we

        Would get to the Red Sea

        Go back beauty home (2ce)

However, Olajumoke was resolute that she would follow him to the end of the earth.  Thus, the young man had no option than to allow her.  On their journey, they crossed the blue and red sea just as the young man said they would.  Afterwards, they got to a thick forest, where the man had borrowed his two legs and hands in order to procure things in the human market; at this juncture he returned the legs and hands.  Olajumoke was petrified with fear; at this point the handsome man had only a head and chest.  When he got to another place, he returned the chest he had borrowed and was left with only a head.  Olajumoke could no longer mask her fear; so she earnestly begged him that he should allow her to go back home, the man also named “ori” i.e “head” declined her wish and proceeded on the homeward journey.

That was how he used mystical powers to tie a cowrie’s chain on her neck so that anytime she attempts to escape from his home; the chain would alert him with the following song:

     Ori ori o Olajumoke lo

      Apon mepo re Olajumoke lo

      A re bi osun Olajumoke lo

      Ori ori o Olajumoke lo (2ce)

     O Head (2ce) Olajumoke is going

     Damsel as fair as palm oil is going

     Damsel as fascinating as cam wood is going

     O Head Olajumoke is going

Thus, anytime Olajumoke attempts to run away the strange chain on her neck starts singing so much that wherever “head” is he would come with the speed of lightning and stamp himself to her chest.  So she resigned to her fate in the evil forest.

Back home in Olajumoke’s village a man hunt was sent to all the surrounding villages in search of the village belle; jumoke.   Different medicine men were consulted and all of them assured her parents that she would come back home.

One fateful day, a hunter was in the forest searching for game when he saw Olajumoke roaming around the forest.  He was aghast to see such a beauty in the middle of a thick forest, so he asked her what she was doing there and she told him her story.  The hunter promised to help her out, if Olajumoke would promise to marry him afterwards.  The village belle was not happy about this because the hunter was a very ugly man.

Eventually, she agreed to his proposal and the hunter swung into action.  He cut off the cowries’ chain from her neck after chanting certain incantations and he was able to lead her successfully through the forest back home into the waiting arms of her parents.  On getting home, she was received with much pomp and pageantry by the entire village.  Her parents showed their gratitude to the hunter with the numerous gifts given to him; they were however stunned when their daughter expressed the intention of marrying the hunter.  However, there was nothing they could do as Jumoke told them she had earlier on given him her word that she would marry him. 

Be that as it may, they still gave their consent to the marriage, but the villagers mocked Jumoke for eventually condescending to marrying a man who was not as handsome or as wealthy as most of the men that had earlier sought her hand in marriage.