Tradition / Region: Khoi mythology (Southwestern Africa)
Alternate Names: Tiqua
Category: Rabbit / divine messenger
The Myth
Utixo is a benevolent sky god of the Khoi people, dwelling above the world and speaking through thunder. He sends rain to nourish the land and watches over human life. In one well-known story, Utixo decided to send a message to humanity concerning death.
Utixo declared that death would not be eternal and that humans would one day rise again. To deliver this message, he chose a rabbit as his messenger and sent it down from the sky to the people.
As the rabbit traveled, it became confused and forgot the message it had been entrusted with. When it finally reached humanity, the rabbit spoke the opposite of Utixo’s words, telling people that death was final and that they would not rise again.
Because of the rabbit’s mistake, death became permanent in the world. From that time onward, humans were said to die forever, and the rabbit was remembered as the bearer of the wrong message, whose error changed the fate of humankind.
In Khoi tradition, this story explains why death is irreversible and why the rabbit holds a special place in myth as a divine messenger whose failure shaped the human condition.