K = Koi & the Kola Nuts (West Africa)

We are pleased to participate in the A to Z Blog Challenge for the month of April. The Story Crossroads theme for this year is “Becoming: Tales of Transformation & Calling.” We love exploring traditional tales from around the world within that theme.

About Koi and the Kola Nuts:

From West African storytelling traditions comes the tale of Koi, a young man whose journey centers on generosity, dignity, and the unfolding meaning of respect. Koi receives only a kola tree as his inheritance. Feeling that this is not enough honor for a chief’s son, he leaves his village in search of a place where he will be treated with greater respect.

Along the way, Koi encounters creatures in distress—a python, an ant, and a crocodile. Each time, he chooses generosity over possession, giving away his kola nuts to help them survive difficult situations. Eventually, Koi arrives in a new village where he is expected to face dangerous trials. He is at risk of being harmed or even killed. But when the tests begin, the very animals he helped earlier return and intervene on his behalf, completing the tasks and saving his life.

Through this journey, Koi’s understanding of value is transformed. What once seemed like loss becomes the foundation of survival. His acts of generosity return to him in unexpected form, revealing a deeper truth about relationship, reciprocity, and becoming.

Symbolism and Themes:

Reciprocity and Interconnection – Human and animal lives are deeply linked. Help given across boundaries returns in unexpected and life-saving ways.

Worth Beyond Status – Koi begins with inherited identity (chief’s son), but his true worth is revealed through action, not rank or privilege.

Transformation Through Relationship – Koi does not transform alone; his change is made possible through relationships he formed earlier without expectation of reward.

50-word-or-less summary:

Koi leaves home after receiving only a kola tree, seeking respect. Along the way, he generously gives kola nuts to a python, ant, and crocodile. In a new village, Koi faces life-or-death trials of worthiness and is saved when the animals he once aided return to help him complete them.

Finding the Story:

Go to the picture book “Koi and the Kola Nuts” adapted by Verna Aardema. Or a different pictures book “Koi and the Kola Nuts” adapted by Brian Gleeson, which was also created into this video.

Finding the Transformation:

Koi’s story reminds us that becoming is not always about grand journeys—it can arise from a single moment of carelessness, followed by the choice to respond differently. His transformation is grounded in accountability. He does not become someone new by escaping his mistake, but by facing it fully.

Have you ever learned something important through a mistake you couldn’t undo—but could respond to?

Share your thoughts in the comments! While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads has year-round offerings. See our popular links and upcoming events at our One-Stop.

As for our past A to Z Challenges…

Go to A to Z Archive

While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads celebrates the 11th hybrid summit & festival on May 2 & 4-6, 2026 – yes, in-person and virtual – and would be honored for you to join us.

Explore Summit & Festival

Thanks to funding from National Endowment for the Arts; Zoo, Arts & Parks (ZAP) of Salt Lake County; Creative West; Utah Division of Arts and Museums; City of Murray; Salt Lake City Arts Council; Utah Storytelling Guild; Murray City Library; Pleasant Grove Library; American Fork Library and people like you.

J = Jumping Mouse (Lakota/Cheyenne)

We are pleased to participate in the A to Z Blog Challenge for the month of April. The Story Crossroads theme for this year is “Becoming: Tales of Transformation & Calling.” We love exploring traditional tales from around the world within that theme.

About Jumping Mouse Story:

Stories like Jumping Mouse are often shared within the oral traditions of Plains peoples, including the Lakota and Cheyenne. These stories are not just entertainment—they are ways of teaching values, relationships, and ways of being in the world.

In these traditions, animals are understood as relatives and teachers. A mouse is not insignificant—it is observant, close to the ground, and aware of subtle changes. The idea that a mouse could become an eagle reflects a worldview where transformation is possible, but only through right action, humility, and alignment with community and spirit.

It is also important to note that Jumping Mouse is widely known today through retellings, and different communities may hold different versions or relationships to the story. As with many Indigenous stories, its meaning deepens when shared respectfully and with an understanding that it comes from living traditions, not just the past.

Symbolism and Themes:

Transformation Through Sacrifice – Each act of giving reshapes him, showing that becoming often requires letting go.

The Mouse (Awakening) – Small and close to the earth, the mouse embodies humility and attentiveness. His journey begins by listening—he hears the river before he understands it. Curiosity becomes calling.

The River (Calling) – Heard before seen, the river represents a pull toward transformation. Entering it marks a crossing into something unknown.

The Gift of Sight (Sacrifice) – Giving his eyes to the bison and the wolf, Jumping Mouse loses physical sight but gains inner vision. His path becomes one of trust.

The Bison and the Wolf (Reciprocity) – The bison reflects life and sustenance; the wolf, instinct and guidance. Helping them affirms a world shaped by mutual care.

Blindness (Trust) – In darkness, his journey deepens. Becoming is no longer solitary—it is relational and spiritual.

The Eagle (Transformation) – Sacred in many traditions, including the Lakota, the eagle represents spiritual elevation. His transformation is recognition—he has become what his actions have shaped.

50-word-or-less summary:

A curious mouse follows the sound of a distant river. He gives one eye to a bison and the other to a wolf, becoming blind. Still he continues, and when he leaps into the river, his sacrifices are honored—he rises transformed into an eagle.

Finding the Story:

Look for “Jumping Mouse” or “The Mouse Who Wanted to Know” in Native American storytelling collections. Many oral and written adaptations exist, especially those connected to Northern Plains traditions. John Steptoe published one called “The story of Jumping Mouse: a Native American legend.” Story Soup Kids has Story of Jumping Mouse. Watch a video by KidTimeStoryTime called JUMPING MOUSE: A Native American Legend.

Finding the Transformation:

Jumping Mouse begins with curiosity—but curiosity turns into calling. His transformation is not about gaining power, but about surrender, generosity, and trust. He does not become more in the way we often expect—he becomes truer. His journey reminds us that becoming is not always about accumulation. Sometimes it is about listening deeply, responding with courage, and allowing ourselves to be changed by love, loss, and purpose.

Have you ever followed a calling you didn’t fully understand at the time? What did you have to let go of in order to continue forward?

Share your thoughts in the comments! While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads has year-round offerings. See our popular links and upcoming events at our One-Stop.

As for our past A to Z Challenges…

Go to A to Z Archive

While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads celebrates the 11th hybrid summit & festival on May 2 & 4-6, 2026 – yes, in-person and virtual – and would be honored for you to join us.

Explore Summit & Festival

Thanks to funding from National Endowment for the Arts; Zoo, Arts & Parks (ZAP) of Salt Lake County; Creative West; Utah Division of Arts and Museums; City of Murray; Salt Lake City Arts Council; Utah Storytelling Guild; Murray City Library; Pleasant Grove Library; American Fork Library and people like you.

I = Ile-Ife (Nigeria/Yoruba)

We are pleased to participate in the A to Z Blog Challenge for the month of April. The Story Crossroads theme for this year is “Becoming: Tales of Transformation & Calling.” We love exploring traditional tales from around the world within that theme.

About Ile-Ife: The Creation of the World:

From the Yoruba people of present-day Nigeria comes a sacred creation tradition that is part of a living oral heritage, where stories explain not only the origins of the world, but also identity and belonging. Ile-Ife is regarded as the spiritual heart of Yoruba civilization and is often called the “cradle of existence.” It is both a physical city and a sacred origin point where creation and cultural identity begin.

In this tradition, the supreme creator, Olodumare, sends Oduduwa from the sky realm with a mission to form land upon a world covered only in water.

Symbolism and Themes:

Creation and Becoming – The transformation from water to land mirrors the emergence of identity and purpose.

Sacred Calling – Oduduwa’s role reflects a divine assignment fulfilled through action.

Origins and Identity – Ile-Ife represents not just a place, but the beginning of a people and their story.

Symbolism of the Sacred Sand and Cockerel/Chicken – In Yoruba tradition, the sacred sand represents potential—the raw substance of creation. It is small in quantity, yet holds limitless possibility. From something so simple and fragile, an entire world can emerge. It symbolizes divine intention taking form, and the idea that creation often begins with something humble rather than grand. The cockerel/chicken represents movement, activation, and life-force energy. Its scratching and scattering turn stillness into formation, making it the agent through which possibility becomes reality. It also symbolizes dawn, awakening, and the beginning of time itself—when darkness gives way to the first shaping of the world.

50-word-or-less summary:

A world of only water leaves no place for life. Oduduwa, sent from the sky realm, descends with earth and a chicken. As the chicken scatters the soil, land forms at Ile-Ife. The first ground appears—turning nothingness into the start of life. Through the chicken’s work, creation takes hold.

Finding the Story:

Look for Yoruba creation stories centered on Ile-Ife and Oduduwa. Go to The Origin of Ile-Ife: The Holy City. Watch a video called The Creation of Ile Ife:  The Myth of Oduduwa and the Birth of the Yoruba Nation.

Finding the Transformation:

This story reflects a foundational becoming—the transformation from nothingness into existence. It is not about a single individual changing over time, but about the birth of land, life, and identity itself. Becoming here is cosmic and communal. From a vast, formless world emerges structure, purpose, and belonging. It reminds us that every journey of becoming—no matter how personal—echoes a larger act of creation.

Have you ever felt like you were starting from nothing—yet building something meaningful? What helped shape your sense of identity and purpose?

Share your thoughts in the comments! While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads has year-round offerings. See our popular links and upcoming events at our One-Stop.

As for our past A to Z Challenges…

Go to A to Z Archive

While you enjoy this blog, Story Crossroads celebrates the 11th hybrid summit & festival on May 2 & 4-6, 2026 – yes, in-person and virtual – and would be honored for you to join us.

Explore Summit & Festival

Thanks to funding from National Endowment for the Arts; Zoo, Arts & Parks (ZAP) of Salt Lake County; Creative West; Utah Division of Arts and Museums; City of Murray; Salt Lake City Arts Council; Utah Storytelling Guild; Murray City Library; Pleasant Grove Library; American Fork Library and people like you.