Ìjàpá ọkọ Yáníbo (Ìjàpá the husband of Yáníbo)

Ìjàpá ọkọ Yáníbo

Tortoise the husband of Yáníbo

We eat to live, we shouldn't live to eat.

As this reminds me of the ancient Yoruba folklore that my grandmother told me about Ìjàpá the husband of Yáníbo.

She said, "Yáníbo couldn't conceive, and because of the great importance attached to procreation, Ìjàpá and Yáníbo were greatly disturbed." I know that even till today in our society, women are mostly blamed for not being able to conceive. A very wrong assumption, men are mostly the cause for this anomaly.

Granny explained that Ìjàpá consulted a herbalist (Babaláwo) as suggested by his wife, and the man gave him the concoction he had asked his wife Yáníbo to come and collect earlier. 'Don't taste it Ìjàpá, it is solely prepared for your wife,' the herbalist told Ìjàpá. 

On his way home, Ìjàpá got enticed by the sweet aroma of the concoction and fell for the temptation. He ate what was not meant for him to taste.

And when he got home, he lied to his wife that the herbalist is yet to prepare the concoction.

But as the saying goes; 'whatever that's done in the dark will be exposed in the light,' Ìjàpá secret deed was let out.

Few days afterwards, Ìjàpá developed a big tummy and was writhing around in a great agony. And when he couldn't bear the pain, he decided to go back to the herbalist who concocted the recipe perhaps he could save him.

The pain was so much for Ìjàpá to bear, so he sang this song on his way to the house of the medicine man;

Babaláwo mo wa bẹ̀bẹ̀, Alugbirin

Babaláwo mo wa bẹ̀bẹ̀, Alugbirin

Õgùn to ṣe fún mi lẹ́rẹkan, Alugbinrin

Tóní nma ma fọwọ́ kẹnu, Alugbinrin

Tóní nma ma fẹsẹ kẹnu,  Alugbinrin

Mo fọwọ kan ọbẹ̀, mo mú kẹnu, Alugbinrin

Mofẹsẹ kan lẹ mo mu kẹnu, Alugbinrin

Mobojú wo kùn o ri gbẹndu, Alugbinrin

Babaláwo mo wa bẹ̀bẹ̀, Alugbinrin

Babaláwo mo wa bẹ̀bẹ̀, Alugbinrin

Meaning;

Babaláwo I am here to beg, Alugbinrin

The concoction you prepared, Alugbinrin

That you said I shouldn't dip my hand into, Alugbinrin

That you said I shouldn't dip my feet into, Alugbinrin

I dipped my hands into the concoction, and ate it, Alugbinrin

With my feet on the ground, I ate the concoction, Alugbinrin

On sighting my belly, I saw it protruding, Alugbinrin

Babaláwo I am here to beg, Alugbinrin.

And when he eventually got to the herbalist house, the man told him that there's no remedy. 

What a tragedy!

Ìjàpá died because he killed himself by disobeying a very simple instruction. 

'Do not eat,' but he ate it.

He lost his self control, and faced its grave consequence.

#DontBeGreedy

#SelfDiscipline

#YorubaFolklore

Note

Ìjàpá means Tortoise

Yáníbo is the wife of Tortoise

Babaláwo means herbalist

Alugbinrin is just an exclamation word.

© FERT, 2015