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Akpọbrisi and the Herbalists:
A Folk Tale of a Vengeful but
Just Deity
of the Urhobo People
By Peter Ekeh, Ph.D.
The Urhobo people
know many living
deities. They reside in water, in trees, and in the aerial plane. They
are of
many degrees of temperament. None of the Urhobo deities has a
reputation
greater than that of Akpọbrisi
for inflicting harsh punishment on those who mess around with his
possessions.
He is dreaded for wreaking vengeance
on those who dare him in his sacred abode.
But Akpobrisi has
another
reputation: he is admired among the Urhobo for being just
in dealing with mortals. Unlike the awful tales of the ogres
of northern
Who is Akpobrisi?
Akpobrisi is
a deity who resides in a special majestic tall tree. To local humans
who live
at some distance from it, this awesome tree is simply described as
Akpobrisi’s
house, because it is believed that he lives there. But this majestic
tree is
not the only possession that Akpobrisi owns. The principal tree of his
abode is
surrounded by a ring of other trees, smaller in stature than
Akpobrisi's
principal arboreal habitation. These trees form a ring around the main
habitation for Akpobrisi. Together, the principal tree and the
surrounding
subordinate trees define what local humans regard as Akpobrisi’s
compound. No
one will ordinarily or casually dare to venture thither, even to pick
up a fallen
leaf from his compound, because it is well known that Akpobrisi is a
vengeful
god. He will not tolerate anyone coming to his compound, for whatever
reason.
Unlike other Urhobo deities, Akpobrisi does not seek to be worshipped.
All he
wants is peace, away from molestation from noisy and troublesome humans.
The problem is, not
all
humans have agreed to let Akpobrisi live alone in peace and quiet in
his sacred
abode, as he so clearly desires. This is because Akpobrisi has a
precious
possession which Urhobo herbalists crave. The bark of the principal
tree in
which Akpobrisi inhabits has such tremendous medicinal value as will
cure major
ailments for which there would otherwise be no viable treatment. These
ailments
include male sexual failures. Appropriately mixed with other herbs, the
bark of
Akpobrisi’s principal tree is claimed by many herbalists to have
rendered cures
for otherwise hopeless cases of men’s sexual dysfunctions. Leading
herbalists
have claimed to have rescued many a man’s libido from an undesirable
state of impotency
by including in their medicinal package just a bit from the tissue of
the bark
of Akpobrisi’s principal tree.
Herbalists are
fully aware of
the danger that anyone faces who seeks to harvest the precious bark of
Akpobrisi’s tree: the consequence could be instant death from
Akpobrisi’s
massive retaliation. No greater challenge faces the ingenuity of Urhobo
herbalists than the art of harvesting the bark of Akpobrisi’s tree. So
great is
the apprehension associated with efforts to obtain the bark of
Akpobrisi’s arboreal
habitation that there has emerged in Urhobo culture a body of
discussions of
this danger-soaked art of harvesting Akpobrisi’s priceless possession.
It appears from
Urhobo folk
history that many approaches and styles have been developed at various
points
of Urhobo cultural experiences in efforts aimed at obtaining
Akpobrisi’s valued
possession without paying the ultimate price of his lethal retaliation.
Some such
efforts appeared to have resulted in tragic and deadly consequences,
either
during the harvesting of Akpobrisi’s tree’s bark or days afterwards.
Groups of
expert herbalists have, over the centuries, discussed the cleverest
ways of gaining
access to Akpobrisi’s compound and of obtaining a small quantity of the
invaluable bark of Akpobrisi’s habitation. In the course of Urhobo folk
history,
these expert herbalists have settled on one major method of outwitting
the
dreaded Akpobrisi. They do so by exploiting Akpobrisi’s passion for
justice and
fair play.
An expedition to
Akpobrisi’s
compound is a major undertaking for which there is need for careful
physical
and spiritual preparation. Herbalists planning to embark on this
hazardous
venture would undergo a purifying period of sexual abstinence as well
as
avoidance of tabooed food, such as snails. Herbalists also seek
spiritual boost
from their personal deities by asking for their help in avoiding direct
encounter with Akpobrisi. Harvesting Akpobrisi’s tree is not for the
weak in
courage. The somber ambience of Akpobrisi’s environment is intimidating
and can
kill the weak-hearted, even without direct encounter with Akpobrisi.
Experienced
herbalists are
also known to believe that there are some days of the Urhobo four-day
week on
which it is least dangerous to enter into Akpobrisi’s compound.
Akpobrisi is
believed to be less watchful over his possessions on those days or at
least
that in past experiences intruders into Akpobrisi’s sacred abode have
been able
to avoid injury and death on those special days.
After all
preparation, it is
left to an individual herbalist to do the harvesting. It is strongly
recommended that only one well-prepared herbalist should undertake the
journey
to Akpobrisi’s domain and then do the harvesting. His dress should be
in the
form of a good cloth that he can quickly wrap around his waist. He
carries a
sharp axe. That is all he needs.
Once he arrives at
the
perimeter fence, outside the ring of trees that demarcate Akpobrisi’s
compound,
the bark-harvester should move with deliberate speed. He should be well
rehearsed in his movements and should not be confused nor should he
hesitate in
what he does. His first task is to remove his clothes. He becomes stark
naked
while outside Akpobrisi’s compound. He should leave his clothes at a
spot
outside the deity’s compound where he can pick them up quickly on his
return.
The bark-harvesting
herbalist
then enters Akpobrisi’s compound and without hesitation he approaches
Akpobrisi’s mighty tree. He chops at it in bold and sharp strokes. It
is urged
that this should be no more than three strokes, enough to yield a small
amount
of the precious bark that he can hide in his wrapping clothes. Once a
good
amount of the bark has been yielded, he throws down his axe and the
herbalist
snatches the loose bark. He should then move out of Akpobrisi’s
compound
immediately. But he should make sure he does not fall down. That is why
he is
urged not to run or be panicked. If he falls down inside Akpobrisi’s
compound,
he may not rise again!
Once outside
Akpobrisi’s
compound, the harvesting herbalist should immediately recover his
clothes and
retie his wrapping clothe around his waste, hiding the bark in its
loop. He
should then calmly walk away, looking as much as possible as an
innocent man.
He must not look backward or behave in any way to suggest that he
had
done
something wrong with Akpobrisi’s possessions.
Meanwhile,
Akpobrisi is
roused up. In full rage, he ascends aloft into the sky to complain to
the
Mighty One, to the Supreme Deity. He is granted immediate audience in
the
presence of Ọghẹnẹ,
the God who owns the sky and sees what goes on with the gods and
mortals in our
Akpọ, our Earth, and even has
power over the mysterious subterranean world of Erivwin,
where departed ancestors and others reside. It is to the presence
of the Almighty Ọghẹnẹ,
Who always has the last word and from Whom there can be no appeal, it
is to His
powerful presence that Akpobrisi is now ushered.
Akpobrisi roars in
anger:
Osonobrughwẹ, justice is your domain. I have come to you
for
justice. I was in my house minding my own business. Some mortal came
and
attacked my residence. I now seek permission to avenge this wrong.
The Mighty One
answers:
Akpobrisi,
you have been wronged. You have my permission to avenge this wrong on
the
person who attacked your residence.
Akpobrisi then says:
Osonobrughwẹ, justice is yours indeed. I promise you that
I will
seek out the man who came to my residence to attack my domain. I will
destroy
him.
And Akpobrisi
hurries back to
earth, to his compound. He immediately circles round his compound to
assure
himself that there are no more intruders. He then goes outside his
compound, a
rare event, to inspect the premises. The intruder is no longer there.
Akpobrisi springs
into hot
pursuit. It does not take long before he sights a man. He rushes in his
direction. Akpobrisi is ready to strike, with deadly force.
On closer
inspection,
Akpobrisi hesitates. The man who came to his compound was naked and was
carrying an axe. This man is well clothed. He does not carry an axe.
Akpobrisi
worries that he might kill an innocent man.
Akpobrisi looks all
around
for some other human presence. There is none. Is it possible that the
clothed
man is the same person who intruded into his compound? Akpobrisi is not
sure.
But it would be unjust to destroy a man who might well be innocent.
Akpobrisi calls off
his
search, saying it is unjust to destroy anyone unless it is proved that
he is
the guilty one. He says, “There will be another day when I will catch
the real
intruder. I will kill him.”
And so the
harvesting
herbalist escapes. And the Urhobo acknowledge Akpobrisi as their deity
because
he is just, even if he is a little foolish. He is certainly better than
the
ogres of northern
Peter Ekeh, Ph.D.
July 4, 2006
©Peter P. Ekeh 2006