BuzzStoc

The Okapi is a mammal that inhabits the Ituri rainforest to the northeast of Congo. The Okapi looks like a Zebra and is related to the Giraffe. The name “Okapi” is a compilation of two Lese words. Oka a verb meaning to cut and Kpi which is a noun referring to the design made on Efe arrows by wrapping the arrow with bark so as to leave stripes when scorched by fire. The stripes on the legs of the Okapi resemble these stripes on the arrow shafts. Lese legend says the okapi decorates itself with these stripes.

At present there are no more than 20,000 okapi left in the wild. Poaching and habitat destruction are their main enemies.

Okapi - Get more Docstoc Buzz