.jpg)
“This tree will feed me the rest of my life,” Maipuri said. After he ate as much as he could, he went back to the village at the edge of the forest where he lived with other animals among the people.
At the time, there was a famine, and there was very little food available, not only for people, but for animals too. Even in the rivers and creeks, there was hardly any fish to be caught and used for food.
Maipuri, who was very selfish, decided not to tell anyone about the wonderful tree he found. With the food shortage, he would have to share the fruits and vegetables growing on the tree. “If I tell the humans and animals,” he reasoned, “all will reap the fruits; after a while, I won’t get enough to eat.”
Every day, Maipuri went deep into the forest to the wonderful tree. After stuffing himself like a glutton, he returned to the village in the evening. With all the food he was eating, he soon became very fat. The people of the village noticed how Maipuri was getting fatter. Where are you getting food, Maipuri?” they asked. “You’re being selfish if you have food and keep it to yourself.”
“Just because I’m getting fat doesn’t mean I’ve found food,” said Maipuri, walking away from the villagers and animals and going to his home to sleep. “Let’s send some men to follow him in the morning,” the villagers said. “Maybe he’s got food in the forest. If the men follow him, they’ll be able to see where he gets his food and bring back some for us.”
Tailing Maipuri
The next morning, five young men set out behind the tapir. But Maipuri saw them and slipped between some thorn bushes. The thorns did not harm him because he had tough skin, but the men were forced to give up following him. They went back to the village and told everyone how Maipuri escaped.
“Now we know he’s got food in the forest,” one of the young men said. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have slipped away from us. If we can follow him secretly, I’m sure we can find the source of his food.”
The villagers discussed other means of following the tapir. An old man suggested, “Let’s send Woodpecker to follow him. Woodpecker will fly in the air, and Maipuri wouldn’t see him.”
Everyone agreed to that, and Woodpecker followed Maipuri in the forest. But Woodpecker could not resist tapping on trees along the way. Maipuri heard the steady tapping behind him. “So they sent Woodpecker to follow me,” he chuckled. “I know how to fool him.”
Suddenly, Maipuri ran away from the track through the bushes until he came to an area with many dead trees. There were countless worm holes in the tree trunks. Hiding under the bushes, Maipuri watched Woodpecker fly towards the trees.
The bird could not resist, and started tapping at the wormholes. Maipuri knew that the bird would not leave the area until he had finished checking all the holes.
Smiling, Maipuri moved quietly away to the magic tree, where he had a wonderful meal. In the evening when he was returning, he heard Woodpecker still tapping at the dead trees.
Late that night, Woodpecker returned to the village and reported his failure to follow Maipuri.
After another discussion, the villagers decided to send Rat after Maipuri. Rat was a good choice. He was small and very quiet when he moved.
Gotcha!
The next day, Rat followed Maipuri to the magic tree. Mapuri lay under the tree and was chewing a mouthful of cassava when Rat came up.
“So this is where you get your food,” said Rat. “You’re very selfish and greedy. Don’t you want others to enjoy fruits the way you do?”
“Look, Brother Rat! If I show this tree to everyone, in no time at all the fruits will be eaten. Why don’t we keep this secret together? Then only the two of us will enjoy these tasty fruits.”
Rat was also a greedy animal, and readily agreed to the suggestion. He sat beside Maipuri and stuffed himself with as much corn as he could eat for a week.
Late that evening, he returned to the village. “I’m sorry, but Maipuri was too clever for me,” he told the villagers. “I lost his track in the forest, and after trying for hours to find it, I gave up and decided to come home.”
Every day, the villagers and other animals watched Maipuri growing fatter and fatter. No one suspected Rat, as he was sly enough to slip away to the tree at night to eat. One morning, Rat overslept. He had returned home just before daybreak and was tired. He was so tired, he fell on his doorstep and snored with his mouth open. Stuck to his teeth were a few grains of corn.
Sigu, the old fisherman, saw the corn and called the villagers who angrily shook Rat awake. “You were fooling us!” they shouted. “Where did you get those grains in your mouth?”
“I won’t tell you!” Rat shouted back. “If you don’t, we’ll feed you to Cat,” Sigu said. Rat trembled. He was terribly afraid of Cat. He quickly revealed the secret. Upon hearing such good news, the people forced him to lead them to the magic tree deep in the forest.
And what a wonderful tree it was! Upon its branches hung plantains, bananas, cassava, yams, corn, papayas and fruits and vegetables of all kinds. The people and animals ate like gluttons, and when they could eat no more, they went to sleep under the tree’s shady branches. When they awoke, they were surprised to see a strange old man s
tanding nearby.
Forest Spirit
“Who are you?” they asked. “I am Tamosi, the forest spirit,” he replied. “I planted this tree.”
“I am sorry we ate without your permission,” Sigu apologised.
“Don’t be sorry! I planted this tree so that all humans and animals could have fruits when they need them. But I certainly don’t want them to be selfish like Maipuri and Rat!”
“Everyone must learn to share. So I want you to cut down the tree and divide the branches equally. Then go home and plant the branches in your own plots. In this way, you will have all the fruits and vegetables you need.”
For many weeks thereafter, the people cut away at the thick tree trunk with their stone axes. Eventually, the tree fell. They took away the branches and planted them in their respective gardens.
As time went by, people began reaping cassava, sweet potato, corn, papaya, bananas and many other fruits and vegetables.
As for the selfish Maipuri and Rat, they were so ashamed of themselves they moved away into the forest and lived alone. The End.
Source: ‘Amerindian Legends of Guyana’
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Odeen Ishmael served as a teacher both in Guyana and in the Bahamas for almost three decades. He has been a premier writer of the problems and perspective of education in Guyana and the Caribbean, and since the 1970s, his writings have been published in newspapers and journals of Guyana, the Caribbean and North America. He has also researched and published extensively on issues of Guyana’s political history.
In June 1993, he was appointed Ambassador of Guyana to the United State of America and Permanent representative of Guyana to the Organisation of American State (OAS). In 1994, he became the first Guyanese to accede to the position of Chairman of the Permanent Council of the OAS.
