The Monkey and the First Kola Nut

In the beginning, there was no Kola nut in the world of men. The Kola nut tree grew only in the land of the spirits. One day, a Monkey, who was a great acrobat and could travel between worlds, swung so high on a vine that he found himself in the land of the spirits. He saw them enjoying the Kola nut, and they offered him a piece. He loved its sharp, invigorating taste. When it was time to leave, he secretly hid a single lobe of the nut in his cheek pouch. He brought it back to the world of men and planted it. From that single lobe grew the first Kola nut tree. The story teaches that the Kola nut is a gift from the spirit world, brought to humanity by the clever Monkey. This is why the Kola nut is considered sacred and is always presented to guests with reverence, as it is a bridge between the human and spiritual realms.