Káchabuké (literally "achiote edfrog") is a character from

Talamancan mythology Talamancan mythology includes the traditional beliefs of the Bribri and Cabécar peoples, two groups of indigenous peoples in Costa Rica living in the Talamanca region. These peoples speak two different but closely related languages, and fro ...

. It is a

frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

that Sibö involves in the creation of the magical Duluítami tree, which gives rise to the sea and other water sources.

Myth

After the death of Bulumia, Sibö wrapped her body in bijagua leaves and brought it to the ground. Upon arrival, Sibö searched for an assistant to take care of Bulumia's corpse. He found Káchabuké the poisonous frog and placed him on her belly. Sibö told him to stand guard over the body of Bulumia for four days and not to move from there. Sibö said that if anything happened to the body it would be Káchabuké's responsibility. The frog felt proud to be the one chosen to take care of the corpse, but he could not sleep well at night because the noise coming from the belly was similar to ocean waves, and his loneliness caused him to become frightened. The days passed and Káchabuké had not eaten anything which caused him great hunger. Sibö sent a bumblebee for the frog to catch and eat, but he could not catch it. The bumblebee collided with some trees and landed, and the frog rushed to catch it. As soon as he jumped, Káchabuké heard a wind and ran back to the corpse, but he was too late; the belly was detached from the corpse and the fetus, a small tree called Duluítami, had emerged. The next day Sibö came looking for the little frog and Duluítami was playing. Sibö said "Why did not you do what I told you?" The frog explained that he was very hungry and tried to grab the bumblebee. To punish Káchabuké, Sibö placed him in a tree and turned him into the

achiote ''Bixa orellana'', also known as achiote, is a shrub or small tree native to Central America. ''Bixa orellana'' is grown in many countries worldwide. The plant is best known as the source of annatto, a natural orange-red condiment (also calle ...

fruit (''Bixa orellana'').

Bibliography

* Fernández, Severiano (2011). El banquete de Sibo. Limón. Fundación Naíri.

References

{{reflist Talamancan mythology Culture of Costa Rica Costa Rican folklore Mythological amphibians