Koho standing on one foot with the other naturally tucked under his feathers; colouring imagined.
Original narrative illustration; species, colours, proportions and setting interpreted, not authenticated local fauna, cultural iconography or modern national origin.
Overview
Koho is the parrot in Nassau’s fourth tale of Part Third. Parrot and Elephant each have a town, and Parrot’s children return from daily hunting with abundant meat. When Elephant visits, he finds Koho standing on one leg, with the other bent up and concealed beneath his feathers. Asked what has happened to it, Koho falsely answers that his children have taken the leg hunting. He swears that the explanation is true. Elephant returns home ashamed that a small bird apparently accomplishes something he cannot.
Elephant orders his children to cut off a leg and carry it on their hunt. While they are away, Iwedo, Death, arrives, and Elephant dies before they can return. At the funeral the townspeople investigate who advised this action. The children report that their father himself gave the command. Koho is called to account, but answers that he never told Elephant to cut off his leg. The charge is dismissed and the burial proceeds. The ending distinguishes a misleading boast from an explicit instruction without resolving that distinction into a modern legal rule. Koho’s hidden leg remains ordinary folded anatomy; the parrot has not actually detached or sent it hunting.
Origins & earliest records
Part Third, tale 4, in Robert Hamill Nassau’s Where Animals Talk (1912). The section foreword describes an unnamed Batanga man of the Banâkâ community writing tales in his language for Nassau’s English translation. Some section tales are attributed to Bulu visitors; this specific tale is not individually assigned that origin.
Records & interpretation
Complete tale, Part Third, no. 4, printed pp. 235–237, read with complete general preface and section foreword.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore Tales
Part Third, tale 4, pp. 235–237; complete narrative and collection context retained.
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Original historical English collected narrative in custodial transcriptionNassau 1912, Part Third, tale 4Research access: 2026-10-18
Image credits
AI-generatedKoho standing on one foot with the other naturally tucked under his feathers; colouring imagined.
Original narrative illustration; species, colours, proportions and setting interpreted, not authenticated local fauna, cultural iconography or modern national origin.
