Once upon a time two friends Asungi-Tosung and Yanalo lived in the south-west coast of Car Nicobar. As very few people lived here it used to be a very lonely and eerie spot. The place where the two friends lived was known as Elkahoro.

In those days the entire island was covered with tall grass. Coconut palm was not found anywhere in Car Nicobar and nobody knew of its existence. There were no streams or wells. Water was not available except from the vast sea around the island. People often died of thirst because there was no drinking water.

Asungi-Tosung however had a strange power. He could secretly conjure up feasts using some magical charms. He could, sometimes, bring forth fresh water from his elbows to quench his thirst. However, his friend was not aware of his magical powers.

One morning the two friends wanted to clear the thicket which had grown around their hut. Before starting the work, they wanted to sharpen their long knives with the help of a grindstone. Now, water was needed for this purpose. “But where will we get water”, asked Yanalo. “I will get it,” replied Asungi-Tosung.

He hid himself behind bush, taking care not to let his secret be known. He then returned with a cup of water. Then they started sharpening their knives. After finishing their work Yanalo asked Asungi-Tosung where he had got the water from. But Asungi refused to divulge his secret. Getting more and more curious Yanalo asked him repeatedly but it was in vain. Finally, when his friend refused to tell him he became very angry.

He raised his knife and in one stroke chopped off his friend’s head.

He took the dead body of his friend and buried it. However, he did not bury the head. Instead, he kept it in his hut. Although the head was separated from the body, it still spoke to Yanalo. Yanalo was frightened and buried it as well. Within a month, a young tree grew on the spot where he had buried Asungi’s head.

After some days Yanalo felt lonely and so he came to the east coast and and settled down here. Later on, he got married and had a daughter. After six years of living away
from Elkahoro one day he wanted to go back to his native place. So, taking his wife and daughter along he returned to Elkahoro. The new place however, did not suit the young girl and she fell seriously ill.

She was also very thirsty as there was no water to drink. While wandering about in search of water, Yanalo saw a strange tree bearing fruits that looked like human heads. When he cut open a nut he found plenty of water inside, though on tasting it he found it tasted like blood. Still it will quench the thirst of my sick child, thought Yanalo.

He then gave it to his daughter to drink. To his great surprise, she recovered almost immediately from her illness. “This is really wonderful,” exclaimed Yanalo, “This nut is just like a human skull. It must be the skull of my friend Asungi-Tosung.”

Slowly the number of coconut palms increased in Car Nicobar. Today whenever the islanders drink coconut water, they remember Asungi-Tosung. This is the legend behind the origin of coconut palms in Car Nicobar.

A folk story from Nicobar, sourced from ‘Folk Tales of Nicobar‘ by Rabin Roychowdhury.

Click here to submit your Folklore.