The Smallest and the Largest an African tale
By Nicola Moloney
Chapter 1
The Friends
This is a story of friendship. Not the sort that seems to flitter about and never become substantial, but of friendship that had been grounded in the steady rhythm of time, in habits that moved like a well rehearsed dance, in moments of mutuality that echoed permanence.
This friendship had become the fabric of all that was understood to be good in society; a shared waterhole and good news amongst friends, playful competition, laughter and respect. This friendship was in the movement of all as one body when danger threatened. This friendship was found in the smallest and biggest, weakest and strongest, for it is known that without weakness strength could not be displayed, without weakness care could not be extended, without weakness trust would not exist, which was the mortar of friendship.
This is where my story starts. Way back when time was young the many species of antelope moved as one. Antelope were known for their bright energy and intelligence, and because life was young, joy was a natural part of life in the herds.
For this reason many other species such as Zebra and Water buffalo would dwell and move with the antelope and life was rich to all. Zebra was admired for grace and care, a model of community.
Water buffalo…well, Water buffalo made everybody laugh. He was quite self-effacing, but in the nicest way, so the herds were reminded not to take themselves too seriously.
Eland was the largest antelope. He was admired for his agility and strength, for he had the strange ability to jump from a standstill right over a fellow Eland. The antelope relished this, for the ground would reverberate like a giant earthquake and they would all fall to the floor laughing convulsively. Eland grew tall for he used his jumping kills many times to protect the herds, his horns grew to an immense eight feet, and his weight was a mammoth three thousand pounds. Wildebeest was also known for his outstanding speed and was a fast decoy, when predators threatened the safety of the herd. Eland and wildebeest would move in perfect syncopation, running and jumping until the predators in sheer exhaustion would give up their pursuit. If all deterrents failed the herds would stampede, and no predator could ever outlive the herd’s movement as one. This was a magnificent and terrible phenomena, the pounding of the ground could be felt for thousands of miles across the savannah.
It was Dikdik, the smallest antelope that could hear the voice of the earth. Dikdik’s senses were highly tuned to the words of the grasses and seedlings hidden within the earth. Therefore it was the smallest that was known for her listening and understanding of life.
Being the smallest, Dikdik, who was only eighteen inches tall, would observe many things from under the cover of a small bush, and because nobody knew of Dikdik’s presence, they would act without the usual reserve of those being watched. Thus the Dikdik gained much insight as to the nature of the Savannah and it’s population, and , as we know, knowledge and wisdom is always available to the smallest. So therefore Dikdik was the smallest and wisest and when it was time for her to share her insight she would quietly go to the herds of the savannah and the biggest would sit before the smallest and listen.
Therefore a mutual relationship of respect and dependence was evident in the biggest and the smallest, a friendship that all the antelope on the savannah trusted. The herds enjoyed a reasonable and peaceful existence. Young antelope of all species played safely. Death did exist but all never feared old age when they inevitably became slower and more vulnerable. The old were venerated for their life experience and all would look forward to old age as they were treated with love and respect from the herd. As we all know the old were the keepers of a certain wisdom that anchored all to reason. When time slowed the ears of the old would begin to hear the voice of the earth calling them, the gentle rhythms of death would overcome them and their bodies would be left to be used by the cycles of the living creation. Habitually at dusk the herds would mingle quietly, in respect of the closing day, and all would hear the breathing of Creation.
Chapter 2
The Splinter.
One particular dusk, in the middle of an unusually long drought the biggest expressed his fear to the smallest. It was because of Eland’s height that misunderstanding started to plant itself in Eland’s unsuspecting mind. He could not see the succulent grasses available beneath his own feet, and could not hear the voice of the earth. So, when drought threatened the savannah he was sometimes left without grasses to eat and he would get morose.
Eland had not eaten well for quite a while and was becoming overwhelmed at the thought of the responsibility of the herd’s safety. He had no energy to use. The smallest was also hungry and had not been able to concentrate on her listening skills for quite sometime. She had nothing to offer when Eland voiced his discontent, for Dikdik was also tired. She didn’t understand why the drought was so long and she truly felt like everyone expected her to have answers that did not exist.
A strange shift took place in the herd. Things did not run as smoothly and the antelope’s brightness became tarnished. The smallest and the largest lost sight of their mutuality and small sentences of subtle accusation would push its way into the outside. Seeds of discontent set themselves seemingly dormant into the memories of the friends. Of course the rains eventually came and the species found their way back to each other.
But, like a splinter deep in the skin, the seeds of discontent worked their way to the surface, disguised and justified, disfiguring the voice of reason.
Chapter 3
IDEA!
One day it occurred to Eland that he should make sure he would never go hungry again, and so, instead of trusting the unspoken loyalties that existed between the herd, or even discussing the other options of action with his friends, Eland announced that he would not look after anyone who did not give him first choice of the foods they found, “after all” he said wasn’t the safety of the herds dependent on him! An unfamiliar sense of power settled itself into the mind of Eland. A shadow softly brushed his chest and his heart darkened. Many who had been close friends with Eland and had spent hours talking, laughing and crying with him found this proposition offensive. Wildebeest was truly confused, how could he overcome the predators alone, so he negotiated his services to the Eland. The little Dikdik was most hurt as she had done her best to be the eyes on the ground for Eland, but sometimes, there was just no grass. How could she persuade Eland that nobody was with holding good food from him, that it was the nature of the savanna that left species ultimately at it’s mercy. Eland’s darkening heart refused to listen and sadly Dikdik disappeared into the underbrush. One day the animals looked on helplessly as a young one was stolen and savagely slaughtered by the predator . Eland could not here the bleating cries of the young one. His mind had been closed.
Unrest shot like wildfire throughout the multispecies herd. The water buffalo, whose part it had been to lead the herd to watering holes, became unpredictable, cranky and ill-tempered. Nobody dared go near him. He suffered greatly from depression and his ears dropped down to his cheeks. He was very lonely. Zebra had bravely surrounded and camouflaged the herds, departed into the grasses with her own kind so she could blend even better without the liability of the un-camouflaged animals. It had been her young one that had first perished. The bitter memory went deep.
Hurts and offenses came easily, and old friendships that seemed eternal were lost. The sounds of the playing community silenced and only the sound of the grasshoppers and crickets echoed in the savannah. The knowledge and skills of each species petrified in isolation. The happy spirit of their lives stopped in its tracks. Instead, suspicion, envy and malice grew in the hearts of the friends. Now, in the new order, young and old became liabilities and many were left at the mercy of the carnivores. Oh how the predators smirked and snickered at their growing meat supply.
Chapter 4
Two-footed

One day something new happened on the savannah. All the herds in the land heard a loud crack. Every head lifted in unison, ears and noses nervously twitched, and all tasted a strange acrid smell. It was not the smell of natural fires that were common on the savannah and that caused the earth to replenish itself. But all knew in their heightened senses this was a bad omen.
The smallest one stood under a bush and heard the bush talking to the wind. Because she was the smallest and most insignificant in the new order she had to understand more. She had to survive. So she understood the voice of the wind describing the new danger. The wind was speaking of a strange two-footed species that killed even the predators. The wind had witnessed terrible things, a mother elephant without tusks and feet, her little one standing silently by her body mourning her death: the ravaged body of lion with no claws or teeth. The demise of an alligator, the mightiest and most ancient of predators, it’s powerful jaws tied, it’s belly sliced open.
The smallest was very frightened she wanted to warn everyone, unfortunately only her own kind would listen to her. In her anxiety and terror a cry came from the deepest part of her being, this cry so long and mournful, so filled with frustration and helplessness that the wind echoed it around the savannah. It was carried from herd to herd, but nobody understood, the words of the smallest were lost in the memory of folks tales. Eland was busy trying to look after it’s own, finding grass in the big savannah. Eland was now called common. He had become smaller in the process of evolution for he needed to see the grass in order to eat, of course it was not remembered that Dikdik had once found the best grasses and had kept Eland well informed of their whereabouts. Common Eland was still the largest of the herds and because of this his was the first corpse that the wind spoke of in the Savannahs. The empty sockets on top of his magnificent head bespoke of the last tokens of Eland’s pride. Gone were his mighty horns…
Very few common Eland had the fabled eight foot long spiral horns and in-fairly short order all Elands that had displayed these horns lay rotting on the Savannah floor.
Some among the herds said that it was Eland’s pride that had been his downfall, no longer could one see that Eland had been a loving warrior protecting the herds with Wildebeest. Wildebeest was confused, deep inside something disturbed him, something was missing. The antelope’s cries multiplied as the new predators mutilated the bodies of each species. The wind could no longer carry the weight of the cries of the herds and he sank to the ground under the sorrow of the Savannah.
Chapter 5
Understanding
The IAM caught the wind before he sank to the depths of the molten lava in the earth. Without the wind all would be lost. It was the wind that spread the seeds of the grass and cooled the species of the savannah. IAM had waited for species to call. It had been some time since Species had trapped itself in the game of survival. IAM walked the Savannah and first came to the headless bleached bones of the Eland. IAM knelt by the bones and placed a cheek onto the strong chest of the Eland. IAM talked to Eland’s heart. They spoke of many things, the tears of Eland’s heart fell and became a lake. The lake rose up over the headless bones and the kneeling form of IAM. IAM told Eland of the times before, of the antelope community and how Eland had been a magnificent beloved protector of the multispecies herd. Eland learned how he had forgotten his need for the smallest and that pride in his immense size, his unbelief and fear of hunger had caused him to withhold that strength from the community. IAM whispered of Zebra’s brave camouflage, wildebeest’s competitive playfulness and water buffalo’s humor. Eland began to perceive a lost voice in the wisdom of the smallest, shared in the quiet beauty of the sunsets.
Many moons after the bones of the headless Eland were white, after many deep changes. Eland’s heart cried again “Find water buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and the smallest and tell them of our community”.
IAM loved Eland, SO IAM walked the Savannah and found the headless corpses of the waterbuffalo, zebra, wildebeest and the smallest, and IAM knelt and shared all that had been. Many tears flowed and many were the longing cries for the lost community of friends.
IAM said in wisdom, for without wisdom IAM could not speak “Because I have given choice to all, I cannot use force to change all that transpires, but I will diligently watch over the seeds that species lays and I will jealously guard acts of community in all species. My spirit will whisper enticingly into the hearts’ of species, and if it chooses to listen, species will again restore all to understand the complex beauty of community”.
The End.

(THIS STORY WAS VERBALLY TOLD IN A CLASSroom with the heads of these animals on the wall. It WAS AS IF THEY WERE WATCHING A LISTENING)
IAM gathered the ORIs and said “I will use theirs eyes and ears as portals from which I can watch and hear”
So in wisdom, IAM orchestrated the placement of the ORIs.
But that is another story.
* ORI a head chosen by individuals to represent themselves when they are dwelling on earth. (Yoruba cultural myth)