Greetings everyone!
What makes a community different from others is the simple law attached to it, which they hold in high esteem and violators are heavily punished...* just like in different communities on this blockchain.*
In the not so many years I've lived on Earth, I've had the opportunity to stay in different communities with different laws, which at some point, I found hard to cope with.
Let me tell you about some of the laws in my community that are still held in high esteem today.
- No going to the farm on market days:
I grew up seeing everyone in the community adhere to this law, and violators were always required to pay fines, which were said to be used to buy traditional items to appease the land.
You know what? It was always a joyful occasion for my siblings and me whenever it was market day because it meant no farm work for the day. Yes, we used to go to the farm regularly, and market day was one of the days we got a break from it.
However, there was an exception to this law, which allowed someone to visit the farm on market day only for a brief check but not for work. On those occasions, we had to be extremely careful not to let the cutlass touch the ground. This means that, one could visit the farm to do things like inspection but not to work and in all the move around in the farm, the cutlass is not supposed to drop and get pinned on the ground. Once it happens by mistake, it's a violation already and maybe if no one saw the scene and you decide to cover up and not report yourself, then the gods of the land take charge.
Additionally, due to civilization and development, some portions of the forest close to developing areas have been exempted from this law, which is understandable because those places are becoming residential areas, and it would be challenging for people to remain fully aware of such laws in such areas.
- Fishes in the rivers are not to be eaten:
In my community, we have the River Ethiope running through the outskirts, which means we are blessed with water, and this river is abundant with fish. However, there's a law that prohibits indigenous people from eating those fishes. This law is still very much applicable today, and indigenous people are not to be found eating fish from the river.
Although there's no official/community penalty for violators, it's believed to have spiritual consequences. If an indigenous person eats fish from the river, the gods of the land (perhaps the river god) would bring repercussions upon the person.
Meanwhile, non-indigenous people are allowed to catch and eat those fishes. This is a part that I've never liked—how could non-indigenous people be allowed to enjoy those delicious fishes while indigenous people are meant to watch them and salivate? Lol😅
I traveled home last week for Easter and took a stroll to see the rivers again because it's been a long time. There, I saw the fishes coming out to the shore to play, and upon seeing them, my imagination ran wild, but there was nothing I could do because those fishes are hard to catch except by setting nets. Yes, I wanted to violate the law. Lol😅
Thank you for reading!
This is for day 9 of #Aprilinleo prompt.
Do well to read the full details here