Entry: The Tale of Tikki Tikki Tembo

Author: * Hakuin Jimmu - 2 Posts on this thread out of 22 Posts sitewide.
Date: Feb 25, 2008 - 00:19

I suppose every culture has its tales that explain why things are the way they are. The English have their Just So stories telling how the elephant got its trunk and why the camel has a hump. Korea has its origin tales which purport to reveal how the sea became salty and why dogs and cats don’t like each other. Even the story about Noah’s Ark ends with an explanation for the presence of a rainbow after a storm.

Tonight I’d like to present one such story from my homeland, China. This one, however, rather than dealing with physical characteristics such as humps and rainbows explains how the Chinese came to be noted for a particular characteristic. This is called The Tale of Tikki Tikki Tembo.

A long time ago in China it was traditional for parents to give their children long names for good luck. At that time there were two brothers. The eldest was named Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako. The younger, however, was only named Chang since his parents had pretty well used up all the available names on their first-born.

One day, as they were playing near a deep well, Chang accidentally fell in. There was about ten feet of water in the bottom, so the fall itself didn’t harm him, but Chang was not a particularly strong swimmer. His brother knew he had little time to save him and so he ran as fast as he could to his mother shouting, "Quick, Chang has fallen into the well. What shall we do?"

"What?" cried the mother, "Chang has fallen into the well? We need a ladder, quickly. Run and tell father!"

Together they ran to the father and cried, "Quick, Chang has fallen into the well. Where is a ladder?"

"What? Chang has fallen into the well?" cried the father. "Run and tell the gardener! He has the ladder."

With that they all ran to the gardener and shouted, "Quick, Chang has fallen into the well. Get the ladder!"

"Chang has fallen into the well?" cried the gardener, and he ran into the shed where he kept the ladder. The whole group then tore off across the field to the well. The entire rescue mission had only taken a few minutes and when they lowered the ladder into the well they found Chang to be cold, wet and frightened, but otherwise unharmed and most happy to have survived his ordeal.

Some time afterward the two brothers were again playing near the well. This time it was Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako who fell into the well. Like his brother, he too was a very poor swimmer and Chang knew he had little time to act. He ran as fast as he could to his mother shouting, "Quick, Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen into the well. What shall we do?"

"What?" cried the mother, "Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen into the well? We need a ladder, quickly. Run and tell father!"

Together they ran to the father and cried, "Quick, Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen into the well. Where is a ladder?"

"What? Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen into the well?" cried the father. "Run and tell the gardener! He has a ladder."

With that they all ran to the gardener and shouted, "Quick, Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen into the well. Get the ladder!"

"What? Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako has fallen into the well?" cried the gardener, and he ran into the shed where he kept the ladder. The whole group then tore off across the field to the well where they lowered the ladder. But this time, although everyone had moved as fast as possible, the whole rescue had simply taken too long and when they pulled Tikki Tikki Tembo No Sarimbo Hari Kari Bushkie Perry Pem Do Hai Kai Pom Pom Nikki No Meeno Dom Barako out of the well he was already drowned.

And that is why today all Chinese people have cell phones.

Reinterpreted from the traditional tale, "Why Chinese People Have Short Names," also called "Tikki Tikki Tembo."