Once upon a time, all the birds were invited to a feast in the sky.  They were very happy and began to prepare themselves for the great day.  They painted their bodies with red camwood and drew beautiful patterns on them with uli.
Mgbekwu which is the tortoise in Igbo saw all these preparations and soon discovered what it all meant.  Nothing that happened in the world of the animals ever escaped his notice; he was full of cunning.