Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore TalesNassau, Robert Hamill
Philosophy
Where Animals Talk: West African Folk Lore Tales
Nassau, Robert Hamill
Animals -- Folklore; Tales -- Africa, West
Njambe-of-the-Interior begot a daughter called Jâmbâ. And
Njambe-of-the-Sea-Coast begot a son called Bokeli.
Many men arrived at the town of Njambe-of-the-Interior, asking Jâmbâ
for marriage. There they were killed (Njambe's people were cannibals),
not being able to fulfill the tests to which they were subjected. So,
people said, "Jâmbâ will not be married!"
Finally Bokeli, the son of Njambe-of-the-Sea-Coast, said, "I am
going to take Jâmbâ for marriage." He prepared for his journey; he
went; and he arrived at the town. He at once entered into the public
Reception-House, and sat down. There the people of the town exclaimed,
"A fine-looking man!" And they saluted him, "Mbolo!" The young women
at once went to tell Jâmbâ, saying, "What a fine-looking man has come
to marry you!"
Previous to this, the mother of Jâmbâ, who was lame with sores,
was lying in the house. If a prospective son-in-law laughed in her
presence, she would say to her husband, "He is mocking at me!" Then
that visitor would die. All the men who had come there to marry,
were killed in that way.
Before this (as Bokeli understood the speech of all Beasts and
of Birds) when he entered into the Reception-House, a Cock in the
town spoke to him, and said, "If your hope for food rests on me, you
will not eat! I will not be killed for you; neither shall you eat at
all!" Also a loin of Wild-Goat meat, hanging in the kitchen, said,
"For me, you will not eat!"
But Njambe (who had overheard the Cock, and who was thinking of food
for his guest) ordered, "Today, catch ye Kuba!" But Cock ran off to
the forest. Then the people said, "Take the leg of Mbindi!" The leg
of Wild-Goat protested, "I?" And it rotted. They sought some other
thing to cook for Bokeli; but, there was nothing. So, Njambe sent
his sons hunting to kill wild beasts.
Then, the mother of Jâmbâ called for Bokeli, saying, "He must come; let
me see him." So, he entered into her house, and he sat down. They began
to converse. It was but a little while then that the mother said to her
daughter, "Search for me on the drying frame (over the fire-place);
you will find Ko there; take it for the guest, and cook it." The
Wild-Rat spoke, saying, "If it is I, he will not possibly eat!"
At this, Bokeli broke into a laugh. The mother was displeased, and
said, "You are laughing at me!" Bokeli replied, "No!" But, the woman
flung into a rage, and threw herself down on the ground, ndi! She
exclaimed, "Ah! Njambe! He laughed at me! Catch him! And let him go
to die!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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