The Ganja Sheep

– Legend

“The Twa found weed taking the sheep’s, they used to take, they are the only people that eat sheep things.  They are the ones who raise sheeps to eat.  One time, a Twa guy would take their sheep to a bush.  One time, they would stay for hours and hours.  Here they would eat the bushes.  The guy wouldn’t tell that they are high, you see.  He would just see that they are very happy.  And then, they kept on eating it and eating it.  He then took one of the leaves and cooked it.  It made it him very dizzy.  Another time, he took it and kept it.  When it became dry, he tried smoking it.  Rich people smoke tobacco in a tobacco leaf.  This is how he knew.  He knew to smoke it for people smoked tobacco. Before they even offer you something to drink, they offer you something to smoke.  In my culture, before drink, you smoke.  It is usually tobacco, because most people don’t have the visit of the King all the time.  If the King visits, you must find weed and give to him.” (D.C.)

Informant Analysis:

“I tell you this story to show how the Twa found weed.  You don’t guess that it was the sheep that actually did it.  The Twa use the sheep to find weed, and then use the weed to get sheep.  But it is of importance to mention our culture.  Smoke is important to us and can be of higher worth than food.” (D.C.)

Personal Analysis:

I think it is incredibly interesting to see how valued marijuana is in other parts of the world.  The Twas relied on it for their survival.  It is no wonder that the Rwandans may have questioned how it first was discovered.  Upon such a question, one was bound to make an assumption.  That is what I believe this narrative is, an assumption.  Although possible, it seems hard to fathom that it was a sheep that first stumbled upon cannabis.  However, the existence of this legend only further signifies the relevance marijuana has had on the Rwandan culture.  Even more germane to the topic is the informant’s reference to the hierarchy of goods used in entertaining guests.  In this hierarchy, cannabis takes the highest priority, above food and even water.

Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, and Snoop Doggy Dogg

– Urban Legends

“A few urban legends come to mind when I think about mary jane.  Two of them have to do with Purple Haze.  The first thing I heard was that purple haze doesn’t exist anymore.  The second thing I heard was that Jimi Hendrix was inspired by it when he was writing his hit single, Purple Haze.  I’ve also heard from a few people that Snoop Dog hired a professional blunt roller.  Even more shocking, I hear that Bob Dylan demanded a pound of weed for every venue that he played at. ” (C.C.)

Informant Analysis:

“Alright well… first of all, I hear friends tell me all the time that they smoked some purple haze, but I’m always suspicious when I hear it.  Cause… Well uh lets see. I guess first of all, Jimi Hendrix obviously did a song called Purple Haze.  So I figure that’s just a common name that uh many people might just associate with weed.  So they see a purple looking herb, and just assume its P-haze cause that’s the first thing that comes to mind.  But I hear that the strain first appeared like fifty some odd years ago.  So therefore, I’d assume that if it did still exist, it would suck.  Weed today is so much stronger than back then, so how would an old strain like that still be considered so popular?  Umm… but I guess it might be safe to assume that new versions of it might exist.  However, I highly doubt they are the same as the first original p-haze plant.   I don’t know for sure what Jimi was talking about in Purple Haze, but I’d assume it was marijuana. Bob Dylan was a crazy SOB, so I guess that’s possible, but he played a lot of venues, so that is a shit load of weed.  And coming from Snoop, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.  But who knows?” (C.C.)

Collector Analysis:

Most of the tales and rumors that surround legendary figures like Hendrix and Dylan are impossible to decipher as fact or fiction.  However, what is interesting to note is that the theme of cannabis serves as a unifying link between these artists.  Despite the fact that all three stars were likely consumers of marijuana, it is of paramount importance to note that their audiences are just as likely to be consumers.  This is what invites so much discussion as to what is true or false.  The fact that the audiences of these artists often partook in the act of smoking might lead one to believe that these legends spawned from the fans.  Then again, the obvious usage of cannabis by these artists certainly grants the stories a sense of credibility.  As the informant stated above, she would not be surprised to learn that any of these stories were true.

As far as Jimi Hendrix is concerned, however, I had heard that his song was inspired by a dream that he had.  If this is not the case, it is far more likely that his song had to do with LSD than with marijuana.  Bob Dylan and his outrageous desires, on the other hand, are a complete mystery to me.

The Legend of G13

– Urban Legend

“Well have you heard the story about G13?  Basically, I heard that G13 was a hybrid strain stolen from the CIA back in the ‘70s.  Apparently it was leaked from some government facility out in Mississippi.  They say that it tests at 27% THC, which is pretty fucking ridiculous.  But I mean hey, I doubt there’s any way of knowing just how strong it really is, but I think they even referred to it in American Beauty.  Kevin Spacey bought it from the drug dealer guy… I forget his name, but it was sold at like a thousand dollars or two thousand dollars for just one eighth! That being said, I’m sure you can find it for cheaper out of the clubs around here though.” (JV)

Informant Analysis:

“I was actually first told this from a friend back in high school.  But since then, I’ve heard it numerous times.  Personally, I doubt it was truly stolen, but there is no way of knowing.  The growers might have just spread this story to bring publicity to the strain.  And 27% THC is way more than average.  I don’t know necessarily what context this rumor is explained within and I don’t remember the exact context of the time when I first heard it.  I suppose it is a story that is just passed amongst friends while chilling.” (JV)

Personal Analysis:

It seems difficult to discern between fact and fiction with this particular legend.  My knowledge on the subject is weak, but based on what I have gathered and heard from various informants, I would guess that this legend is pure fiction.  The informant, who wishes to remain anonymous, is probably right in assuming that this story was created by the growers in order to bring attention to the plant. Perhaps the name G13 itself helped inspire the stories.  The “G” in G13 could easily stand for “Government”.

Surprisingly, examples of the urban legend show up in popular culture.  As mentioned by the informant, this strain of Marijuana was in fact addressed in the Academy Award winning film, American Beauty.  One of the films protagonists, Ricky Fitts, refers to it as extremely mellow with no paranoia.  He then sells a small bag of it to Lester Burnham for two thousand dollars.  Most interestingly, he claimed that it was engineered by the US government.  So regardless of the variation surrounding G13, it is clear that the government tends to be the focal point of the legend.

Annotation: An example of this urban legend can be found in the film American Beauty.

American Beauty. Dir. Sam Mendes. Perfs. Kevin Spacey, Wes Bentley. Film. DVD, DreamWorks SKG, 1999.

For the King

– Legend

“The kings in Rwanda loved weed. Weed in Rwanda was considered as something that was reserved for the kings and the royal families.  So… uh. In Rwanda there are, they say there are three ethnicities.  Twa, Tutsi, Hutu.  The working class was the Hutus.  Hutus was not an ethnicity.  They were the working and lower class.  In my language, Hutus is not really an ethnicity but the working class.  Umutunzi are the bourgeoisie, the rich class.  People who have money. Umutunzi means wealthy, rich.  This later became Tutsi because the colonists could not say Umutunzi.  The colonists wanted to turn it into ethnicities.  And the Hutus, they measured their nose, and said you are different because you have a big nose, you know?  Bullshit you know?  Yeah man, that’s how it is.  Yeah.  And that’s why there was a majority because every Tutsi had like ten Hutus to work for them.  But even still, the Tutsi only smoke tobacco, weed was supreme.  It is for royal family.  It was not something to joke with.  The Twa people don’t give a shit.  They smoke marijuana.  They live in a weird way.  They still hunt things and put it on top of fire, roast it you see.  Stuff like that you see.  They live in a very ancient way you see.  They live in the forest, they never come to town.  They don’t like modern things.  They live in the bush and in the trees like animals.  They say that in Rwanda they know so much about the plants.  One day, they brought weed to the king as a present.  Its good herb that makes you relax. They rolled it for him, then they lighted it, and gave it to him.  Once the king was really happy, and he made a deal with them.  He said he would give them 10 sheeps in return for a months worth of weed.  It became a huge ceremony where people would dance for the King, and then give the weed.  If it was good, he would keep it, if not, he would send it back.  The Twas would line up for the king in a line to give him weed.  If he liked it, they would get sheep’s.  In Rwanda, the king would only eat cows and goats.  And maybe chickens.  But sheep was for the poor people.  So they used to raise sheep’s only for the Twas in order to exchange for weed.” (D.C.)

Informant Analysis:

“This story just tries to show how…it shows how different the views are in my country than here when talking about marijuana.  Even though it is illegal now, you know, it was no joke in Rwanda.  It was a ceremony. It was a way of life for the Twas.  They traded it for food, for sheeps. It was the plant for royalty, not for the Hutus or the poorer people.” (D.C.)

Collector Analysis:

Casa does a fantastic job in analyzing his story.  It is truly incredible to note how different the perceptions of weed are across time and culture.  This legend recounts the tale of the forest dwellers and their journey to the king.  Although these people, the Twas, were poor and uncivilized, they possessed something that the King wanted but did not know how to provide for himself.  The Twas used this to their advantage, and maintained the good favor of the king with the use of songs, dances, and ceremonies.  In exchange for their precious plant, the King provided sheep.  Interestingly, the king had no use for the sheep other than to trade for cannabis.  Also, it should be noted that despite the clout and esteem of the Tutsis, even they were generally unable to smoke marijuana.  They were instead limited to tobacco.  Thus it would seem that in Rwanda, cannabis exists as the plant of kings, and the herb of royalty.