How the Tortoise Got Its Shell: A tale About Pride and Foolishness

Long ago, Mauri, the great chief whom the story identifies as God, decided to hold a magnificent yam festival. He invited his chiefs and people to gather at his palace on Fida, or Friday. It would be a celebration filled with food, drink, music and dancing, and Mauri wanted everything to be ready for his guests.

Early that morning, he sent servants into the neighbouring towns and villages to purchase goats, sheep and cows for the feast. Klo, the tortoise, received a special assignment. He was to travel to the distant palm fields of Koklovi, the chicken, and return with palm wine.

In those days, Klo was a tall, handsome fellow and a powerful traveller. He set off confidently, covering the long distance to Koklovi’s home without much difficulty.

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When he arrived, Koklovi was eating breakfast. The two exchanged greetings, and Koklovi asked what had brought him so far from home.

“I have come on behalf of His Majesty Mauri, the ruler of the world,” Klo explained. “I have been sent to buy palm wine for his great festival.”

Koklovi was unimpressed.

“Whether Mauri rules the world or not, my wine is not for sale,” he declared. “If you want it, you must fight me for it. If you defeat me, you may take all the wine and the palm trees as well.”

Klo was delighted by the challenge. He was a strong fighter and believed he could overcome his host. But Koklovi was no weak opponent, and their battle continued for several hours before Klo finally gained the upper hand.

After defeating Koklovi, Klo tied him securely so that he could not interfere with his plans. He then took a large earthenware pot and filled it with palm wine.

There was still more wine left than the pot could hold. Instead of leaving the excess behind, Klo made a foolish decision. He drank every remaining drop himself.

Once he had finished, he gathered the palm trees and piled them on his back. With the pot of wine and his heavy load, he began the journey back to Mauri’s palace.

A Journey Ruined by Wine and Rain

At first, Klo must have felt pleased with himself. He had won the fight, secured the wine and claimed the palm trees. Yet his victory soon became a burden.

The wine he had drunk made him sleepy and exhausted. His steps grew slow, and the weight on his back made travelling increasingly difficult. Then the weather turned against him. A terrible rain began to fall, soaking the ground and making the path slippery.

Klo struggled onwards, but his progress was painfully slow. By the time he finally reached the palace, the gates had been shut and locked.

Mauri had waited until it was late and assumed that everyone had arrived safely inside. The festival was already underway. The great hall was crowded with guests, and the sounds of singing and dancing filled the palace.

Klo knocked at the gate, hoping someone would hear him. But the music and celebrations were so loud that his calls went unnoticed. Outside, he remained alone with the palm wine and the palm trees weighing down his back.

The rain continued without mercy. Days passed, then weeks, until nearly two months had gone by. The people stayed inside the palace throughout the terrible downpour, unable to venture out.

Klo remained trapped beneath his load. He could not free himself from the heavy pile, and eventually he died outside the locked gates.

There he lay, buried beneath the palm trees, with his pot of wine beside him.

How the Tortoise Received His Shell

When the rain finally stopped, the palace gates were opened. The people who stepped outside were astonished by what they saw. A great mound lay before the entrance, in a place where there had been nothing of the sort before the storm.

Wondering what could be buried beneath it, they fetched spades and began to clear away the earth and fallen palm trees.

As they dug deeper, they discovered Klo at the bottom of the pile. His earthenware pot had broken or pressed into the dust around him, and the hardened mixture of clay and earth had formed a solid covering over his back.

The people carried Klo into the palace. Through the use of wonderful medicines, they managed to bring him back to life.

But Klo was never the same again.

He could no longer stand upright as he once had. The hard covering remained upon his back, and from that day onwards, he moved by creeping along the ground. The handsome, upright traveller had become the tortoise we know today, carrying a great shell wherever he goes.

And that, according to this West African folktale, is how the tortoise got its shell.

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Moral

Carelessness can turn success into failure. Strength and confidence are useful, but they must be accompanied by self-control, good judgement and responsibility. Klo completes his first challenge but allows his own foolishness to prevent him from finishing the task he was given.

Knowledge Check

1. Who sent Klo to fetch palm wine?

Answer: Mauri, the chief who was preparing the great yam festival.

2. Why did Klo have to fight Koklovi?

Answer: Koklovi refused to sell his palm wine and insisted that Klo fight him for it.

3. What made Klo’s return journey difficult?

Answer: He drank the leftover palm wine, became sleepy and tired, carried the palm trees on his back, and struggled through heavy rain.

4. Why did Klo remain outside the palace?

Answer: The gates were locked, and the noise of the festival prevented the people inside from hearing his knocking.

5. How did Klo acquire his shell?

Answer: After his death beneath the heavy load, his earthenware pot and the dust hardened into a covering on his back. He was later revived but could no longer stand upright.

Source

Barker, W. H., and Cecilia Sinclair, compilers and arrangers. West African Folk-Tales. Illustrated with twenty-three drawings by Cecilia Sinclair. London: George G. Harrap & Company, 1917. Chapter XX, “How the Tortoise Got Its Shell,” printed pages 115–117.

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