Volcanic Rock Climbing With The Vai

Volcanic Rocks - Grand Cape Mount County, Liberia

Liberian Riddle On A Mural

Below is written this Liberian riddle which you can also watch presented in the following video...

The Riddle...

A man has a dream that a he is being chased by a lion.  So then he climbs up a tree.  Once he is up the tree he realizes there is a snake there with him!  The snake starts running behind him with the intention of biting him with its deadly poison.  So then the man ties a rope on a branch and starts to let himself down from the tree.  Then the man looks down and below him is an alligator waiting for him in the river below!  The man looks back up and sees a rat at the top of the rope chewing on it!  So the question is what must the man do in order to escape?  


[scroll down for answer]

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Wake up!

Murals And Hut Designs in Zondo

Before sharing the beautiful and interesting murals and designs I saw on the buildings in Zondo, I just want to say a few things about the amazing man who was our guide.  Arthur Crusoe is the sort of man who adopts war orphans and raises them as his own.  He is the sort of man that leaves a good paying job (by Liberian standards) in Monrovia so that he can oversee a school in rural Zondo to educate his people.  He is extremely overqualified for this job and also extremely underpaid for his work.  He shared with us stories from Zondo’s past and hopes for Zondo’s future.  Arthur is also one of the presenters that the people of Zondo picked to speak when the President of Liberia, Madame Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, visited [view here]. 

Back to the tour of Zondo…. I will let the pictures of the murals and designs speak for themselves although one of the murals involves a riddle-story that I will explain in full in a later post.

When I Became a White Citizen of Liberia

According to the Liberian Constitution a white guy like me is not allowed to become a citizen of Liberia.  Only someone of ‘Negro descent” (not my words!) is considered qualified for citizenship. There is a whole lot more to share about that later, but for now let’s just say it is an attempt to protect the culture and values of the Liberian people (as most immigration laws are).  While that may be what is written on paper I have found the Liberian people themselves very willing to accept others into their society based on more than skin color.  Case in point… Zondo bestowing this less tan man with the honor of a community bowl and spoon.

Posing with the Bowl and Spoon after the ceremony -
to my left is the honorable Arthur Crusoe

What is so great about getting a bowl and spoon as a gift?  The symbolism, that’s what!  The spoon was historically a utensil owned only by a chief or some other big man in the community.  In fact, sometimes a spoon would have its own special bag that was carried around by one of the chief’s aides and brought out for him during meal time.  Everyone else ate with their fingers. To be given a spoon means you are respected by the community.

Me and the Paramount Chief of the Region
who witnessed the ceremony

What about the bowl?  Traditionally a bowl is shared by a family with every member of the family digging into that same bowl with their fingers to scoop up food to eat.  There is a deep sense of camaraderie developed among those who share food in such an intimate manner.  When the Zondo community presented me with the bowl they were in essence saying, “You are one of us, free to share a bowl with us like family.  You are a citizen of Zondo!” 

Needless to say, I was deeply honored and humbled by both the privilege and the responsibility of being a member of the Zondo community.  These are now my people and their joy is my joy, their suffering my suffering.  While I may not have a citizenship in Zondo that is formally recognized by the US or the Republic of Liberia I consider it real nonetheless and I am honored and willing to be known as one of them, white skin and all! 

The Spotted Man of Zondo and His Ancient Horn

Before entering Zondo I was told about the Dor-kpa (Bassa for 'lappa' or 'towel').  I wasn't told why the horn was given the peculiar name of 'lappa', but I was told that the Dor-kpa is an ancient elephant tusk horn that was captured by this village in battle more than 200 years ago.  “It was before the Independence of Liberia”, my host Floyd Morgan said.  That happened in 1847.  Heaven knows how old the horn was when it was captured.  “The Dor-kpa is very special to this village," I was told.  Supposedly many Bassa and surrounding peoples are aware of this village and know it as the place that holds the Dor-kpa, the ancient elephant tusk horn won in battle.

Floyd Morgan holding the ancient 'Dor-kpa' an elephant tusk horn.

President Sirleaf Johnson visits Zondo on April 23, 2011
(photo by Floyd Morgan)

The other thing Floyd told me about the Dor-kpa was that it was “beat” (or blown) whenever a major event happened in their community.  For example whenever a chief died or a new one was announced or as had just happened a few months before, when the President of Liberia Ellen Sirleaf Johnson visited Zondo.  In all of Liberia’s history she was the first president to ever visit this rather remote part of Liberia.  

The Next In Line to become the
'Beater of the Lappa'

I was also told that the Dor-kpa was only blown by a certain lineage of specially trained individuals and there was only one man in the community allowed to blow it.  He was currently training his son to follow in his footsteps after him as the 'Beater of the Lappa,' the only one who is allowed to blow the Dor-kpa (i.e., 'Lappa').  The last thing he told me about the horn before I arrived was that they planned on “beating the Lappa” upon our arrival to the village.  I was humbled and deeply honored.

Sure enough when we arrived we were welcomed with over 15 minutes of ancient Bassa songs accompanied by the Dor-kpa.  I have still to get these three songs translated, but the Bassa people with me told me that one of the songs was sung in ancient days for a great warrior or chief when he entered the village.  Another song was sung to us as if we were hunters returning to the village with an elephant.  It was a song of rejoicing as an elephant could feed everyone in the village for months.  The last song had something to do with the community and having each other’s back.  We were getting a royal welcome!  

As you can see from the video above the men’s bodies are painted with white spots.  This is the traditional war paint of the Bassa people and represents leopard spots.  The fact that these are warriors greeting us somehow symbolizes respect to us.  We were greatly honored and blessed to meet the wonderful people of Zondo.

The Spotted Man with The Ancient Horn Himself!