Let a child grow up with a tree for a friend. We climbed many trees in childhood. The adults in our lives allowed it, even gave us tips on safe tree climbing. Getting close to a tree is a luxury for children. Climbing up its branches and looking down on the world from our places on the tree gave us new perspectives. On life, on territory.
Trees are magical and mysterious. African writer Amos Tutuola, in his rambling story of The Palm Wine Drinkard, narrates the travels of a man who had to stop for the night in a forest. The traveller took shelter on the branch of a huge tree, which was used for that purpose by other travellers. In no time the man was settled comfortably on the big branch, preparing to spend the night there. But he was woken by a spirit looking for shelter on the same branch. The man was told to move inward and make room for the spirit, and our hero was too sleepy to be frightened of his fellow traveller. He simply made room on the hospitable branch for the spirit. The easy acceptance of spirit presences enriches African writing and brings it home to us. An aunt in the village told us about an incident in her girlhood. She had gone to the forest to gather edible herbs. With her were two friends around the same adolescent age. They climbed a great tree, and plucked orchids growing on the tree. On the way down, the last girl insisted that a very tall, very black man was following them down the tree. The friend was near hysteria, claiming as she did that the man was now following them to the village. It was evening by the time they returned home and the dying daylight made her friends’ hearts small. But they shushed her and told her she was hallucinating. But when they reached their respective homes, the girl who had been followed by the spirit of the tree, took ill. She was very ill for the next three days and then she died. We are not very comfortable with trees of a certain height and circumference. Fear of big trees, because they could be the abode of harmful spirits, make parent figures warn young people away from forest trees. But the fascination remains.
Fortunately, helpful tree stories also exist such as the story of the Zeliang man and the Fig tree. A man from the Zeliang tribe was travelling through a great forest. He was attacked by a spirit, and in order to save himself, the man killed the spirit. He realised how dangerous it was to kill a spirit, So he hid the body of the spirit behind a rock and tried to run out of the forest But after hours, he found that the forest was so big, he would not be able to get out of it before nightfall. His only hope was to somehow find refuge. The traveller therefore went to the fig tree and told him his story. He asked the tree to help him. The tree replied, ‘ I will help you. Come and hide in the shelter of my branches and keep very still. You must not make a sound.’ The man did as he was told. Soon the brother spirits of the murdered spirit came looking for the killer. They were in a great rage. Their shouts could be heard throughout the forest as they tore up the land and forced the trees to help them search for the killer of their brother. Finally, they came to the fig tree. It angered the spirits that the fig tree was standing still while the other trees were running around helping the spirits and the fig tree was questioned as to why he was not helping. ‘I am very sick with a terrible fever,’ he replied. The fig tree began shivering and trembling excessively as he warned, ‘I have a very contagious fever. Do not come near me lest you get the same sickness.’ None of the spirits wanted the fever so they steered clear of the fig tree. This is how the fig tree saved the Zeliang man. The Zeliang tribe calls the fig tree their brother, their friend. There was a taboo in ancient days to cut down a fig tree.
