Page 14 - AHATA

a8 local
Wednesday 18 June 2025

The legend of the Kibrahacha tree

(Oranjestad)— Known lo- beautiful yellow flowers ing its green leaves. The
cally for its bright, yellow have a story behind them? Kibrahacha is especially
flowers, this special tree particular, as it’s the only
only blooms for three to The Kibrahacha is said one among its neighboring
four days only. Scientifi- to have extremely hard trees to start blooming first.
cally known as Tabebuia wood—so hard that it can
billbergii, and in English as break an axe. In fact, that’s The legend of the Kibraha-
the Yellow Poui, this tree what its name means in Pa- cha
is native to the Caribbean piamento: “kibra” (break) Written by Hubert (Lio Booi)
islands of Aruba, Bonaire “hacha” (axe). The flow-
and Curacao, and is con- ers bloom around April and One day Aterima, who
sidered among locals as May, but this only last for lived west of the hill Sero suffering a bout of terrible bloomed in its place. The
one of the most spectacu- about three to four days, Warawara, woke up one fever. Her mother was very thorns were hard to pluck
lar trees on the island. But as the flowers start to fall off day to find her father worried, and as was the out, but Aretima contin-
did you also know that the and the tree starts grow- sleeping in his hammock, custom in the olden days, ued plucking with enthu-
asked Aterima to go fetch siasm and wonder at the
Kudawecha, who was a unfolding sight before her.
epistemophile, to come Not too long after she was
see his father. able to fill her entire satchel
with the yellow flowers. Ku-
Aterima wasted to time dawecha, satisfied to see
and went to go fetch Ku- Aretima so happy and en-
dawecha. Upon telling Ku- couraged to help her fa-
dawecha that her father ther, took her back to her
was sick, he immediately hut.
accompanied Aretima
back to her hut, where he Upon arriving back at
encountered her father in the hut, Aretima’s mother
a bad state. Not willing to quickly made a tea out of
waste any time, he told the flowers and gave it to
Aretima that the only thing her sick husband. Miracu-
that can cure her father lously, after just one sip of
is a home-made potion the tea, the father’s fever
made out of the Kibraha- left his body immediately,
cha flower. At the time the and he opened eyes and
Kibrahacha was not yet in sprung up feeling new.
her blooming season, but
the stubborn Kudawecha The next morning, they all
was determined to bring visited the same Kibraha-
back Aretima’s father cha tree that saved the
back to health, and so off life of Aretima’s father and
they went to the nearest they saw another mira-
Kibrahacha tree. cle. The tree was covered
again in the same bright,
When they arrived at the yellow flowers, with not a
tree, they saw that it was thorn in sight. And as the
covered head to toe in legend goes, from that day
thorns, with only a few on, the Kibrahacha tree no
closed flowers at the very longer produced any more
top. Kudawecha, experi- thorns. q
enced veteran in all things
Aruban flora and fauna,
told Aretima to start pluck-
ing the thorns of the tree to
climb to the top where the
flowers are. Aretima, just as
determined to save her fa-
ther, didn’t hesitate to start.

To her surprise, every time
she plucked a thorn of the
tree, a bright, yellow flower