The Legend of Huminodun

A very good morning to the honorable judges, wise time keeper, teachers and friends. Today, I am going
to tell you a story entitle “The Legend of Huminodun”.

Once long ago, there lived a lovely young woman whose beauty was renown throughout the land. Her
beauty was made all the more enchanting because she was a gentle and kind-hearted spirit and had
wisdom that were beyond her years. She was given the name Huminodun. Anyone who took a glance on
her would immediately be mesmerized by her beauty. Huminodun was the only daughter of the god
Kinoingan, who is also the chief of their village and his wife, Suminundu.

The Earth they lived in was generous, and the harvest was bountiful and there was plenty of food for the
people. The people all lived in happiness and peacefulness. However a devastating famine descended all
over the land. The earth became parched, the rivers ran silent and dry, the trees and plants wilted and
died. The people had no longer any crops for harvest and it became very difficult for them to find food.
Kinoingan became very worried when he saw that there was no longer any food to eat and he knew his
people will die of starvation.

Seeing her father’s worried expression, Huminodun asked "Father, why do you look so distressed?". "We
have run out of food and we have no grain left to plant," replied Kinoingan. "I am worried for our people;
how are they going to sustain themselves and their families?" Huminodun reflected on this and knew
what had to be done "Father, please do not worry. Go ahead and clear the land for planting. Father, I am
willing to be sacrificed. Let my body, soul and spirit be offerings to the great Mother Earth. If you sacrifice
me to her, this famine will soon end and you will have seeds once again for planting”.

Such sorrow and sadness befell Kinoingan when he heard this but he knew that his daughter spoke the
truth. He also knew that once Huminodun had made her decision, there would be no way he could change
her mind. With a laden heart, Kinoingan went ahead and cleared that land for planting. When the time
came for planting, Huminodun was brought to the cleared lot. Great indeed were the grief throughout
the land that day. As she was leaving, one could hear the pitiful wails of her mother, Suminundu who
begged her daughter not to go. Many cried and begged her to change her mind, however, Huminodun
remained steadfast in her decision; she knew that there was nothing else could be done and knew that
the lives of her father’s people had to come first.

When she arrived at the cleared plot, she turned to her father and said, "Father, you will see that my body
will give life to many plants for the people. My flesh will give rise to rice; my head, the coconut; my bones,
tapioca; my toes, ginger; my teeth, maize; my knees, yams. Other parts of my body will become edible
plants as well. Never again will our people go hungry; never again will famine be a visitor to our land."

Kinoingan agreed to follow all of her instructions. Thus done, he proceeded to sacrifice his only beloved
daughter for the sake of his people. At the instance of her death, the world turned black, thunder clapped
and lightning struck, and the ground beneath shook and rumbled. Soon,the rains came and soaked the
Earth in the reviving moisture. When the Earth drank both her blood and the rain, plants of many kinds
began to bud and sprout in all the land. The people did exactly what Huminodun instructed and did
everything according her wishes.That year, Kinoingan's people saw a harvest of such bounty never before
experienced in their lives. The people no longer suffered and lived in satisfaction and joyfulness.
Ladies and gentlement, the lesson we can learn from this story is that sometimes, in order to create a
better world and ensure the well-being of others, we may need to make personal sacrifices and act with
selflessness. It reminds us of the value of caring for others and working towards the greater good, even in
the face of adversity. Huminodun’s gift of life remains our legacy, her sacrifice will continue to teach and
remind us of the importance of sincere caring, and love for peace and prosperity through the spirit of our
culture.

That’s all for my story. I hope we’ve all learn something new from it and enjoy it.

Thank you very much for your attention.