Hechakuppa

 

Hechakuppa
A Kirati Folktale
Retold by: Saran Rai

The orphan Hechakuppa was raised by his two elder sisters, Tayama and Khiyama. Seeing that they had no parents, a demoness named Chaklungdhima from Chaklungdhi devoured all the grain from their fields and granary, leaving them starving.

To feed their younger brother, Tayama and Khiyama brought wild roots, tubers, and edible plants from the forest, such as khokli sakki (wild yam) and giththa bhyakur (a type of root). When Chaklungdhima discovered this, she sank the khokli sakki deep into the underworld and sprinkled poison (khakpa) on the giththa bhyakur, making it bitter and inedible.

Then the sisters began feeding Hechakuppa the sap of wild fruits (aiselu), but he couldn’t survive on that alone. One day, the sisters placed a clay pot (buchukuluk) over the fire to cook food and went to the forest to find more. Hechakuppa waited eagerly, thinking the food was cooking. After a long wait, disappointed and weak with hunger, he fainted — hot water spilled onto his body, and he lay unconscious, appearing dead.

By evening, the sisters returned, carrying some bankera (wild fruit). Seeing their brother lifeless, they were heartbroken. They wrapped his body in banana and bamboo leaves and buried him. Beside his grave, they placed a sickle (kard) and a piece of banana, and each sister planted a flower in his memory. They agreed that whenever they visited the flowers, they would know each other’s well-being.

Tayama’s tears turned into the Rawa River and Khiyama’s tears became the Tawa River. They then decided to transform into birds and fly away. Tayama reached the top of a hill called Newalak Kala first and waited many days for her sister, but Khiyama never came. Worried, Tayama went to the grave and saw Khiyama’s flower wilted. Fearing the worst, she began searching the forests and mountains.

She asked the trees, “O tree, have you seen my sister Khiyama?”
The tree said it did not know.
She asked the stones, but they were silent.
Finally, she met Hongrayo, the jungle spirit, and asked, “O Hongrayo, where is my sister Khiyama?”

Hongrayo laughed but didn’t answer. When Tayama insisted, she saw strands of Khiyama’s hair in his mouth. Realizing the truth, Tayama demanded, “Then where are my sister’s bones?” Hongrayo pointed to a rock. Tayama collected the bones, anointed them with oil, mixed them with ash water, and placed them in a bamboo tube. Singing the Mundhum (sacred song) and Rasiya (ritual chant), she began weaving Khiyama’s image on a loom. As she wove the pattern of Khiyama’s face, Khiyama’s body began to form in the bone ash. Finally, Khiyama came back to life.

Together again, the sisters sang sacred hymns in memory of their brother, and as they sang, they transformed into birds. Tayama flew north and blossomed as the Yuchhubung flower near the Himalayas, while Khiyama flew south and became the Goabung flower in the plains. It is said that during the Lamkucheppa rains of autumn, the Yuchhubung flower drifts to the plains to reunite with Goabung, and their meeting causes the Rawa and Tawa rivers to swell once more.

After Tayama and Khiyama left, Hechakuppa revived from his grave. He found only the sickle and the banana left behind. Hungry, he took them and said, “O banana, will you grow into a tree, or shall I cut you with this sickle?” The banana turned into a tree. Then he said, “Grow quickly, or I will cut you down,” and the banana tree grew tall instantly. When he said, “Ripen fast, or I’ll slice you,” the bananas ripened at once, and he began to eat, swinging his legs happily.

Just then, Chaklungdhima appeared and begged for a banana. Feeling pity, Hechakuppa threw her one, but she demanded it be handed to her properly. When he offered it with his foot, she grabbed him and carried him away. She locked him up and went out, but Hechakuppa replaced himself with a stone and escaped.

Later, Chaklungdhima captured him again through trickery and ordered her daughter, Shrithungma, to cook him for dinner. But Shrithungma, admiring Hechakuppa’s curly hair, asked how it became so beautiful. Hechakuppa cunningly replied, “By pouring boiling oil on my head.” When she tried it, she died instantly. Hechakuppa disguised himself in her clothes, cooked her meat, and served it to Chaklungdhima and her brothers when they came home.

Drunk on blood and unaware, Chaklungdhima ate her own daughter’s flesh. When Hechakuppa revealed the truth by shouting from the rooftop, she grew furious and tried to kill him. He threw a hair comb, which turned into a dense forest; he threw millet flour, which became a thick fog; and finally, when he threw an egg, it turned into the mighty Sunkoshi River, separating them. In rage, Chaklungdhima jumped into the river and drowned.

Hechakuppa lived alone afterward, hunting and fishing. One day, while fishing, he repeatedly caught only a smooth stone. Curious, he brought it home. The next day, after returning from hunting, he found his food cooked and house tidy. This happened again and again. He finally discovered, through an old monkey woman (Badarni), that the stone transformed into a beautiful girl when he was away. Following her plan, Hechakuppa caught the girl one day — she pleaded, “Let me go!” and revealed her name was Rinahwa.

Hechakuppa and Rinahwa fell in love and soon lived together, later having a son. While building a new house, Rinahwa accidentally buried their child under a pillar hole, causing his death. Grief-stricken, Hechakuppa sought advice from his maternal uncles (mama). On his way to them, he discovered that the demoness Chaklungdhima, who had once tormented him, was now serving as a maid in their house.

When Hechakuppa’s uncles learned who she was, they gave her a food bundle and sent her away. Hungry on the way, Chaklungdhima opened the bundle, and from it sprang fierce beasts — tigers, bears, and lions — who devoured her. From her spilled blood were born mosquitoes, leeches, and other bloodsucking insects.

Hechakuppa told his uncles about his son’s death. They advised that since he had not married Rinahwa with proper rites, misfortune had struck. They told him to perform a formal marriage.

On his return, Hechakuppa opened his food bundle — inside was immense wealth. With it, he held a grand wedding with Rinahwa, with full participation of his maternal family. It is said that from that time, in Kirati culture, the maternal relatives (mavali) play an important role in marriages.

Later, Hechakuppa sent messages in search of his sisters Tayama and Khiyama. The rooster he sent reached the Newalak Kala hill and crowed to the north and south. Hearing his call, the flowers Yuchhubung (Tayama) and Goabung (Khiyama) turned into birds and flew to Hechakuppa’s home. Seeing their brother alive and married, they wept with joy.

Hechakuppa invited them inside, but since they were now birds, they stayed outside. He built them a separate resting place (katera) with honor. From that day, it is said that in Kirati weddings, daughters and sisters are given special respect and a place outside the main house.

Hechakuppa and Rinahwa lived happily ever after, wealthy and honored. It is said that Hechakuppa ruled the earth in peace and glory for all eternity.

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Glossary:

• Khokli sakki — Wild yam

• Khakpa — Bitter poison

• Buchukuluk — Clay cooking pot

• Bahu — Bamboo

• Kongbi — A small sickle or hoe