Page 11 - aruba-today-20240917

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LOCAL Tuesday 17 sepTember 2024
The legend of the Kibrahacha tree

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

How Aruban beaches came to be!

stream is weaker, the sand interesting phrasing.
tends to sick to the bot-
tom faster. This is why the Aruba is a continental
beaches in the south—the island. The island actu-
areas with weaker stream ally forms part of South
and shallower ocean America, and the space
floors—has sand that between Aruba and the
stretches for miles. In con- South American continent
trast, the northern area, is simply referred to as land
where the stream is much that runs under the ocean.
stronger and the ocean This is why it gets gradu-
floor is much deeper, there ally deeper in the south,
is no sand present—they whereas the ocean floor in
were swept away with the the north runs steeply to the
current! bottom. q

Why north deep, but south Source: archival document
shallow? provided by the National Ar-
Ah! Good question…and chive of Aruba (ANA).

(Oranjestad)—We’ve talk- veloped over the span of sand starts to accumulate
ed about the best beaches thousands of years. Waves around the area. Howev-
to visit on the island before, crashing on the rocky for- er, whether the sand stays
but have you ever won- mations along our coast there is another question
dered how Aruba got its line (which consists mainly to be answered, and this is
white, sandy beaches, and of coral reefs) have start- where we highlight the big-
why there’s a clear differ- ed to wear and tear the gest difference between
ence between the northern reefs over time, resulting the northern and southern
and southern shores? Here in its gradual breakdown. coast of the island.
are some fun facts about Fish that feed off corals
the development of Aru- also contribute to this, one The sand that accumulates
ban beaches. small bite at a time. Over around a torn coral reef
the course of thousands is swept away along with
How did Aruba get its white, of years, as waves contin- the debris by the ocean
sandy beaches? ue to crash and fish con- stream. However, in areas
Aruba’s beaches have de- tinue to eat off the corals, where it’s shallow and the