More about origins and myths of the bee's honey

Gamini G. PUNCHIHEWA

I read with avidity the illuminating article titled "You are the honey of this Earth" that appeared in the Sunday Observer's saucy but philosophical column of `Vignettes' of 03.05.2009 written by veteran journalist R. S. Karunarathna.

I let me first start with the origins and myths connected with bee's honey. The first quotation is culled from 'Odyssey' XXXIV (68) which runs thus: "Herald, I of Judea, who had his wife Maryanne executed, kept her body preserved in bee's honey for seven years. As he loved her to death."

"Bees are believed to know about the weather in advance if the bees stay at home, rains will come down, if they fly away, fine will be the day."

Here are a few fitting lines from a poem written by George Herbert in 1653 A.D. where truly he spelled out the bees have rendered their services to man as well.

"Bees work for Man, yet they never bruise. Their masters' flowers, but leave having done, As far as ever, and leave it having done, So both the flower, doth stay and honey runs."

Next comes in the form of Solamon's which say thus: "My son hear thee honey, because it is good, Taste as shall thou the knowledge of wisdom, So to thee souls" (Solaman)

More proverbs (12-13)

Who would believe without superstitions of experienced did not make it, Credible that the bees die mostly in their hives, If the master or mistress chanced to die, unless the hives are removed to another place.

From time immemorial bee's honey has marvelled many capturing the admiration of poets, writers and philosophers as aptly proved by the above quoted 'Gems'. Had there been no bees, then there would have been no flowers or fruits.

How far into the mists of the dim past can man's association with bee's honey be traced? In a cave in Spain, there has been a drawing of a man gathering bee's honey from a comb which is believed to be 15,000 years old! Honey, thick and pure is said to have been found in one of the ancient Romans of Egypt having withstood the rigours of time for some three thousand five hundred years or so. In ancient times honey was associated with marriage ceremonies as it was considered a symbol of purity and sweetness.

In the hey day of the Roman Empire the newly wedded couples were said to have been carried over the threshold of their houses and doorways which were daubed with honey. Ancient Egyptians used honey as an embalming agent.

Democritus and Alexander the Great are two well known characters who were buried in coatings of honey. The ancient Indian God of Love, `Kama', carried a string that was made of a chain of bees. Honey is honey which contains the sweetest taste named "Honey Moon" which they enjoy themselves in a secluded but serene hotel or an Inn.

The veddas of Sri Lanka's aborigines who are now fading into extinction had many uses of bee's honey. Today their offshoots are called village veddas or gam veddas of the original true veddas. Such aboriginal settlements are still found in Rathugala (close to Bulupitiya off Bible or through Inginiyagala via Namal Oya settlement about 6 miles from Inginiyagala). This ancient aboriginal settlement Rathugala is accessible from Namal Oya, along the rugged winding mountain road over the Mahakade mountain pass, from there through Rathmalgahaella-Galmgamuwa, Rathugala, (Vedda settlement) - Bulupitya, Bibile. The next such Veddha hamlet is at Pallebadda (Dr. R. L. Spittel's famed outpost founded by him in 1940) close to Maha Oya.

Finally at Hennanigala are Veddha re-settlements where some of the displaced Veddha families from Dambana and its adjoining Veddha hamlets have been relocated. These displaced Veddha families were settled on new highlands and irrigable lots at Henanigala.

The decedents of the Veddha tribe make use of bee's honey to preserve game flesh of wild animals except that of the wild boar, as honey is impermeable owing to its thick fat contained in its flesh. Instead the wild boar flesh is either dried in the sun or roasted over a fire.

They also abstained from taking the flesh of porcupine (iththewa) as it is a taboo in Veddha tradition. It is an ancient Veddha lore, that the porcupine is the reincarnation of their maternal uncle (Mama). It is named aptly as "Konaru Mama".

Honey gathering is an art in which the Veddhas have acquired expertise. All what the Veddha had to do, was to blow through his mouth, into the hollow, in which the honey comb was secreted.

Then, with his short axe, he would enlarge the opening until his hand reaches its end. Gradually and slowly, he would scoop out the combs and put them in his deer skin bag or riti bark bag (bag made from bark of the Riti tree), called `Hangotuwa' or `Maludema'. The gathering of Bambara bee (wasps) honey, on the other hand, is an ingenious feat fraught with formidable perils and pitfalls.

These combs are found on large branches of towering trees and ledges of precipitous cliffs, which are assailable only by the Veddhas. Bambara honey gathering expeditions are carried out by night with the aid of lighted pandams (torches), made of dried leaves or from blades of mana grass.

Veddas were great connoisseurs of bee's honey. From its flavour, they were able to say definitely from which flower or flowers the honey was made.

According to Veddha lore, the sweaters honey came from palu, mora, burutha, galsiyambala and mee flowers.

The best time for honey gathering in the forest, they say, is in June or July, when these trees are in full bloom. The ladders to reach the bambara bee combs are made out of jungle vine. Two persons stay, at the foot of the ladder, while the other two climb up and cut the honey combs with the aid of their short handle axes. They take the Hangotuwa (bag) with them for collecting the honey combs

Bees are said to have been first domesticated in Europe and from there, the practice had spread to other parts of the world.

The Walawe region when it was in the fold of the relentless jungles, about five decades ago, it was rich in bee's honey. But now with the fast retreating jungles, pure bee's honey from the jungles was hard to find. But in Madunagala, Hambegamuwa and Sooriyawewa bee's honey is available in isolated places.

The traditional methods employed by the villagers for many generations, appear to be injurious to the propagation of the combs. bee boxes made in a scientific way to rear bees as a home industry and exploit its honey have been launched. There is a bee-keeping centre in Bindunuwewa (off Bandarawela) run by the Department of Agriculture, where seminars and classes are conducted for apiarists.