To the north of Lagos, deep in the African countryside, there was a village, surrounded by a high wooden stockade and gates. Next to the gates stood a tall pole and at the top of the pole was perched an ancient goat skull which overlooked the village. No one knew how long the skull had been there, who had put it there or why. The skull was bleached white by the sun and worn by the wind. The skull knew everybody living in the village and all the ancestors of the people and where their spirits rested.
The village was ruled by Chief Olei who was wise and just. The chief was widowed, but he had one child, a daughter, whose name was Shoye. Shoye was very beautiful and her father loved her more than anything else in the world.
It was Shoye’s sixteenth birthday and Chief Olei was combing his hair before presenting his daughter with gifts. He stood in front of his mirror and looked at his reflection and then noticed grey hairs growing in his hair and beard. Old age was creeping up on him. He did not have a grandson and an heir to his throne. He called his daughter into the room and said, " Shoye, I am growing old. I will not live forever. You are my only daughter. It is time that you found a husband and start your own family."
Now Shoye was very happy living in her father’s house where servants did her every wish. She made all sorts of excuses to her father, but he would have none of it. His mind was made up - Shoye was to be married!
Chief Olei sent for his drummers and runners. The drummers beat the huge log drums which carried the sound to all his tribe dwelling in the outlying settlements. Excitement stirred in the villages when the people heard the drums and the news. "The Chief’s daughter is to be married. All young men of age may come to the Chief’s compound and meet Shoye. She will chose a husband." Dozens of young men came walking from every direction towards the chief’s village.
The sun rose and the children stared at the long line of young men queuing outside the Chief’s hut. The chief opened his door and greeted the young men, calling the first man inside.
He called to his daughter who came reluctantly and met the young man who smiled at her and asked if she would consider him as a suitor. Shoye scoffed at the young man. "Just look at your big ears," she laughs, "Why, they stick out like cauliflowers."
A second man was ushered inside. The young carpenter politely asks if he could be considered worthy of courting Shoye. Again, Shoye laughed at the man, pointing to his nose. " Goodness me, just look at your nose it sticks out like a cucumber. I couldn’t possibly marry a man with such a long ugly nose." The next young man entered. This time Shoye found fault with man’s teeth, which she said stuck out like rocks at the rapid. The next man was brought in. This one had big feet which, laughed Shoye, were like those of the Hippopotamus.
So the day progressed with suitor after suitor being sent away in disgrace because his hair was too curly, his fingers too long, skin too dark or having too many freckles.
Towards evening the last man approached the door. He was a thin and wiry, with a handsome face and kind eyes. He was a hunter and his general appearance bore the evidence of his work, for his clothes were ripped and his skin scratched. She cast her eyes over him, rolled her eyes in disbelief, sucked on her teeth. She said nothing, but laughed mockingly as she walked out of the room.
Chief Olei was downcast, retreating to his room to ponder on the day. He mistook his daughter’s refusal of the all the young men as vanity. He did not realise that it was her way of escaping marriage. Chief Olei was deeply ashamed of his daughter and saddened. He stood up from his couch, put on his fur cape and walked out of his hut without even saying good night.
He walked across the compound to where the shaman lived - a very old and wise man. "How can I help you?" asked the shaman. Chief Olei explained the events of the day and shared his sadness. "She must be taught a lesson." announced Chief Olei. The old shaman poked the fire. "Then leave this matter with me and I will give it some thought."
The old man sat up late that night, thinking and gently tapping the skin of an ancient drum. He hummed as his old brain thought about what the chief had told him and what was to be done.
Suddenly, the shaman stopped playing on the drum, stood up and as quiet as the night, tip-toed out of his hut and crept silently over to the entrance gates. At the gates, he stopped, gazed about him, looked up at the skull gleaming in the moonlight and sang:
"The stars are out, Shoye is sleeping.
Wake up, wake up, there is work to be done."
The moon is out. Her father is weeping,
Wake up, wake up, there is work to be done.
The old man climbed up onto the stockade fence, took down the skull and stealthily returned to his hut.
He sat with the mask on his lap. Picking up a small file from the shelf next to him, he uncorked the dusty bottle and tipped the contents out onto the fire. The room filled with a green acrid smoke. He started to chant a mysterious song and swayed backwards and forwards as if in a trance. Suddenly the fire began to crackle and spit and the chanting and drumming grew louder. The skull began to shake. It slowly floated upwards level with his face. The old man took the skull in his hands and whispered into the skulls mouth. The skull nodded ifs head and then drifted up and out of chimney hole in the roof, into the night sky. It soured up, high into the starry sky and then finding it’s direction, sped silently down the valley to the tribal burial ground.
Once at the grave yard, the skull started to search for old friends whom he remembered from the dim and distant past. "Oi", he whispered to one spirit, lying still in the ground. "I remember you. You were an athlete and one of the chiefs runners. You had a magnificent body. Lend me your body - just for a few days. Lend me your body and come to the wedding. The chiefs daughter’s wedding." The ghost lent the skull his body. The skull moved on to another grave. "Wake up old friend. You think I would forget you - you with the beautiful ebony skin? Lend me your skin, just for a few days. Lend me your skin and come to the wedding." The skull visited many graves and borrowed many pieces of bodily perfection. Eyes from him, a nose from another, hair from that one and even a smile from someone.
By sunrise, our skull was now the most handsome man you could ever imagine. He walked slowly back to the chiefs village, through the open gates and up to the shaman’s dwelling. He knocked on the door and waited. The old man came to the door, opened it and peeped out. "Who are you?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The handsome stranger replied, "I know not. As yet I have no name."
The shaman then remembered his spell and realised what this man was. "We will call you Onye. I think you will serve our purpose very well indeed. Come with me, I have someone that I would like you to meet. The shaman led Onye over to Chief’s house.
The Chief’s servant came to open the door, and ushered the two men inside. The shaman explained that this handsome visitor from ‘somewhere distant’ had come to meet Shoye. She curtsied to the shaman and her father and then turned to meet the stranger. Onye smiled at Shoye and her heart beat faster. "Shoye," he said, "I have come to ask if you would consider being my wife?" Shoye was speechless. "Will you marry me?" asked Onye. Shoye, now quite weak at the knees, replied, "Yes". Chief Olei laughed with joy.
The drums thundered the news. "Shoye had chosen a man." The wedding was set for the new moon and everyone in the kingdom was invited." Such preparations were made as never before. The village was draped with lengths of beautiful cloths and garlands of flowers. When the wedding day came, the village was crammed with guests.
At the appointed time, Shoye appeared before her father who escorted her to where the old man and the groom waited. The first part of the wedding ceremony was a very long and sombre affair where both the bride and groom promised love and loyalty to each other. Once done, the couple then turned and walked through the crowds of people, lining the path which led through the village on their way to the communal hall where the dancing and feasting would take place. The crowd pushed forward to see the couple who now walked proudly, arm in arm through the village.
Shoye the most beautiful, dressed in white with flowers in her hair, and Onye - so handsome.
Suddenly, a voice from the crowd called " Hey, Onye - thank you for the invitation. But now, can I have my hair back?" All went quiet. Never had anyone ever said anything as irreverent as that - not such a joke. And in the Chiefs presence. But Onye stopped in his path, turned and smiled. "Of course old friend." he said. He lifted both his hands up to his head and removed all of his hair - like a wig, leaving a bald head shining in the sunlight. Everyone gasped, not least the bride. But Onye, unconcerned, lifted up his arm for his new bride to hold and carried on walking as if nothing had happened.
Not five steps had been taken when another voice called out. "Hey Onye, I’ll take back my teeth now - if you have finished with them."
"Of course." Onye replied, and sticking his hand in his mouth, pulled out all his teeth, returning them to an invisible hand in the crowd. Shoye shrunk back in disbelief starring wide eyed at her partner, now bald and toothless.
Onye shrugged, held out his arm to Shoye and walked on through the village as if nothing had happened. The crowd began to snigger and whisper. "Onye. I’d like my ears back now," called another voice. "Of course," and the ears were returned.
"Onye - I have enjoyed my visit, but I would like eyes back now please. Onye pushed his fingers into his eye sockets and plucked out his eyes. Blood trickled down his nose. Hey Onye, can I have my skin back ?.." This time the crowd did not laugh as Onye proceeded to peel off his smooth ebony black skin. Shoye stood in silent disbelief as gradually parts of her husband disappeared.
In a matter of a few moments, all that was left of Onye was the skull of the goat laying bleached white in the dust. Shoye knelt down and picked up the skull. Slowly she turned it round in disbelief; tears trickled down her cheeks as she realised that a cruel trick had been played on her, as punishment for her behaviour to the young men of her tribe.
The crowd stood in stunned silence but there were many young men who hid a smile. Then, pushing through the wall of guests, came a young man. The young hunter squeezed out of the crowd and stood in front of Shoye, still weeping into the dust. He knelt down, and gently lifted her up. When the princess looked up into the kind eyes of the hunter, she recognised him from somewhere. " I would be a true and faithful husband - if you would have me," he whispered and smiled. "Yes " she replied, "I will." The crowd cheered and Chief Olei now commanded that a real wedding was to take place. There were many who said it was the wedding to end all weddings.
Shoye and her husband were a devoted and happy couple. Chief Olei lived to a ripe old age and was blessed with many grandchildren. Not a day went by when the chief and the old shaman would sit round the fire and chuckle stories to each other. Most evenings ended with a toast to the skull of the goat, still perched on its pole by the village gate.