African Folktales

by Roger Abrahams

  —Hausa

  33

  He Starved His Own

  Once there was a man who had a wife, heavy with child, but he neglected her and fell in love with another woman. He used to go out fishing, but instead of giving his wife the catch, he gave it to his lover. When he killed an antelope, he gave his wife none. If he trapped a rabbit, it, too, went to the wicked woman.

  The poor starved wife

  Brought forth a son,

  She gave it life,

  Poor weakly one!

  When his son was born, he grew up and complained to his mother that while he had eaten the produce of her farm, he had never gotten any of the food killed by his father, nor even worn a cloth given by him.

  One day a friend gave him a knife, and unknown to his mother, he went to the woods and hills. He tried to kill some game by throwing his knife at it, but it didn’t work. He grieved at his bad luck. So before he left for home, he cut vines, out of which he made string, and set a trap to try to catch some bird or other.

  Next morning he went out again, and was delighted to find a guinea fowl in his trap. He ran away home with his prize, and, while yet afar off, shouted to his mother: “Mother, get the tapioca ready!” “Tapioca! my son. How is this? You return too early for mealtime and call for tapioca? Your father has brought me no food. What are you saying, then, my son, do you have real food for me to cook?” “Never mind all that mother, get the tapioca ready.”

  The mother prepared the tapioca, and the son laid the bird at her feet. When she saw that her son could bring her food, she no longer thought of her troubles or her husband.

  About this time, the husband had grown tired of his lover and sent her away; now with no one to cook for him, he remained in his house hungering.

  When he heard that his son now went out hunting, and had plenty of food, he sneaked out of his house, and begged his son to give him food.

  My son, can it be true

  That you me food deny?

  Upon my knees I sue,

  My son, let me not die.

  Then the mother replied:

  You first denied us food;

  We starved and nearly died;

  We will not give him food

  Who kept that girl supplied.

  Another day, when the son had been lucky and caught a bird, after killing and cleaning it, he said: “Mother, time was when we nearly died of hunger, but now we have plenty, and now that I am a man, you won’t need for either cloth or food.” And as they were feeding, the father, very thin and weak crawled out of his house, and cried:

  Oh, Zinga, my son, Zinga,

  Will you let your father die?

  Oh, Kengi, my wife, Kengi,

  Here starving I do lie.

  When the son heard his father crying so bitterly, he was greatly moved, and asked his mother to put some food on a plate and send it to him. But the mother refused, saying that he deserved none. Then the son wept and sang:

  Mother, father wronged us

  When he starved us;

  Let us feed him now he asks us,

  Or God may kill us.

  And then he put some food upon a plate and was about to give it to his father, when his father dropped down dead from starvation.

  An inquiry was held to find out how the father had died, and when the people had heard all, they gave judgment. “He died by the avenging hand of the Great Spirit.”

  —Fjort

  34

  The Smart Man and the Fool

  Let us tell another story; let us be off!

  “Pull away!”

  Let us be off!

  “Pull away!”

  There were two brothers, the Smart Man and the Fool. And it was their habit to go out shooting to keep their parents supplied with food. Thus, one day, they went together into the mangrove swamp, just as the tide was going down, to watch for the fish as they nibbled at the roots of the trees. The Fool saw a fish, fired at it, and killed it. The Smart Man fired also, but got nothing. He then ran up to the Fool, and said: “Fool, have you killed anything?” “Yes, Smart Man, I am a fool—but I killed a fish.”

  “Yes, you are a fool,” answered the Smart Man, “for when I fired I hit the fish that went your way; so the fish you think you killed is mine. Here, give it to me.” The Fool gave the Smart Man the fish.

  Then they went to their town, and the Smart Man, addressing his father, said: “Father, here is a fish that your son shot, but the Fool got nothing.” The mother prepared and cooked the fish, and the father and the Smart Man ate it, giving none to the Fool.

  Then they went to the mangrove swamp again, and the Fool fired, and with his first shot killed a big fish. “Did you hear me fire?” asked the Smart Man. “No,” answered the Fool. “No?” returned the Smart Man. “Don’t you see the fish I killed?” “All right then,” said the Fool, “take the fish.”

  When they got home, they gave the fish to their mother; and when she had cooked it, the Smart Man and his father ate it, but gave none to the Fool. But as they were enjoying the fish, a bone stuck in the father’s throat. Then the Smart Man called to the Fool and told him to go for a doctor.

  “No,” said the Fool, “I can’t. I’m afraid something will happen.” And he sang:

  Everyday you eat my fish, you call me Fool,

  And would let me starve.

  “How can you sing,” said the Smart Man, “when you see that our father is suffering?”

  But the Fool went on singing:

  You eat and eat until you’re sick;

  A bone sticks in your throat;

  And now your life is nearly over,

  The bone still in your throat.

  So you, smart brother, killed the fish,

  And gave the fool to eat?

  Nay! but now he’s dead, do you wish

  You’d given the Fool to eat.

  While the Fool was yet singing, the father died. Then the neighbors came and joined the family circle, and asked the Fool how it was that he could go on singing now that his father was dead.

  The Fool answered: “Our Father made us both, one a smart man, the other a fool. The Fool kills the food and they eat it, giving none to the Fool. They must not curse him, therefore, if he sings while they suffer. He suffered hunger while they had plenty.”

  And when the people had thought about it for a while, they decided the Fool was right, and they left.

  The father had died, and so been justly punished for not having given the Fool food.

  “He who eats fish with much oil must suffer from indigestion.”

  And now I have finished my story.

  “Just so!”

  —Fjort

  35

  Fembar’s Curiosity

  A man named Jarbar had come from a foreign county to marry Fembar, and settled in his wife’s country. One day, when he was working on his farm, he saw a very strange serpent; it was immense and had large and small parts alternating, and everywhere he went on the farm, he met some part of that serpent.

  Soon Jarbar noticed that he understood the language of the animals, reptiles, and birds—for all have their own tongue—but, in a vision, the gods warned him not to impart to anyone knowledge gained in this way, but to keep inviolate the secret of everything he heard. This gift of understanding was the result of having seen the serpent. The reptile would appear and talk to him at anytime. Jarbar came to be used to his gift and to these strange visits, too, but still he kept them a secret.

  For a long period of time, Jarbar obeyed this injunction to silence, and greatly enjoyed the novelty of hearing what all the animal kingdom had to say, for they are often very wise. But one day, as he was eating dinner with Fembar, they received news of the death of her father. The next day she put her house in order and prepared to go to her home village to join the mourners.

  In the morning, when she had everything arranged and was ready to start, her husband heard a voice say, “Since you are putting everything away, what about us whom you are leavin
g here?” and he laughed.

  His wife became angry and declared that he was laughing at her bereavement, and though he denied it, she remained suspicious. Finally, in desperation, he told her that if he explained the cause of his laughter, it would result in his death. She insisted, however, and at last he gave in and revealed the secret. Shortly after, he died for having disobeyed the command of the reptile.

  This sad event taught the wife that one should never be so curious as to insist upon knowing something that it is better for one not to know.

  —Liberia

  36

  A Father’s Advice

  An old man called his son to him, and said, “I am dying, but before I go, there are three things I wish you to beware of doing: First, do not tell your wife your private affairs; second, do not make friends with a policeman; third, do not borrow money from a poor man, but from a rich man.” Having uttered these warnings, the old man died.

  No sooner was the burial over, than the son thought over his father’s words and decided to try and see whether there was wisdom in them. So he went along to a poor man and borrowed sixpence and to a rich man and borrowed a sovereign, and thence home.

  Saying nothing about the money, he left his house the following morning and bought a goat. Waiting in the bush till dark, he killed it, and then bound up the carcass in some grass and carried it to his hut. There, he excitedly told his wife that he had killed a man and wanted to bury the corpse, which he had brought with him, under the floor of the hut. So the woman brought a hoe, and together they dug a hole in the middle of the floor and deposited the body in it. The earth was filled in, and the woman replastered the floor with mud and made her cooking fire over the spot.

  “Now,” said the young man to himself, “my father told me not to tell my wife any of my private affairs and not to borrow money from a poor man. Both these I have done. One thing remains—I must find a policeman to make friends with.” Going out, he met two policemen, so he said to one of them, “I should like to be friends with you, come to my house.” And the policeman agreed and went with him. He introduced the policeman to his wife, and she started cooking porridge. When it was ready, she brought it, and water to wash their hands, to the two men who were sitting on the veranda. The men commenced eating. Then the man called his wife back, saying the porridge was not well cooked—“It is only fit for dogs!”—and struck his wife a blow. The woman immediately appealed to the policeman to protect her, saying her husband would kill her as he had just killed a man a short time before.

  So the policeman arrested the man and took him away. Then the magistrate sent the police back with the man to find his victim. Its resting place was pointed out by the woman, and after digging, they found the body tied up in the grass. All said, “It is just as the woman stated!” and they began striking the man and made him carry the corpse back to the magistrate.

  On the way, they met the poor man, who on seeing his debtor cried out, “Where are you going, where is my sixpence?” “I am going to the magistrate. I am supposed to have murdered a man,” he replied. “Where is my sixpence? You will get hanged and I shall be the loser!” yelled the poor man. “Wait a bit, I may not be killed,” said the man, “I may be able to pay you back presently.” “No you won’t, you will be hanged,” was the reply, and the poor man hit him as he passed.

  Later, the party met the rich man and the accused called out to him, “I am in trouble and don’t know when I may be able to repay you your loan.” And the rich man answered, saying, “Never mind about that now. I am sorry you are in trouble.” When at last they came before the magistrate and the man put down his load, it was unbound and the body of the goat disclosed. The man explained to the magistrate that he had been testing his father’s advice—and it all proved to be sound indeed.

  —Wayao

  37

  Is It Right That He Should Bite Me?

  One time a large stone fell upon Snake and covered her so that she could not rise. A white man, it is said, came upon her and lifted at the stone, but when he had done so, she wanted to bite him. The White Man said, “Stop! Let us first go to someone wise.” They went to Hyena, and the White Man asked him, “Is it right that Snake should want to bite me, even though I helped her so much?”

  Hyena (who was looking for his own share of the White Man’s body) said, “If you were bitten, what would it matter?”

  So Snake thought that settled it, but the White Man said again, “Wait a little, and let us go to other wise people, that I may hear whether this is right.”

  They went and met Jackal, and the White Man put the same question to him.

  Jackal replied, “I don’t believe that Snake could ever be so covered by a stone that she could not rise. Unless I saw it with my two eyes, I wouldn’t believe it. Take me to the place where you say it happened so I can see for myself whether it can possibly be true.”

  They went together to that place, and Jackal said, “Snake, lie down, and let yourself be covered.”

  Snake did so, and the White Man covered her with the stone; and although she tried with all her strength Snake couldn’t get up. Then the White Man wanted to let Snake go again, but Jackal stopped him, saying, “Don’t lift the stone. She wanted to bite you, therefore, let her get up and lift it herself.”

  Then they both went away and left Snake there, just as before.

  —Amalouw or Amakosa

  38

  Take Me Carefully, Carefully

  Long ago there was a man, that man had a wife, together they had five children, and all were sons. The man’s garden was large, but when it was planted, a bird kept eating the seeds. The eldest boy made a trap for the bird, but for a long time he could not catch it.

  Then one day, when the boy went to check his trap, he found the bird inside. Very carefully, the boy freed it and then the bird spoke, saying:

  Take me carefully, carefully!

  Next year

  You will mention the bird,

  Child of the bush!

  The boy took the bird home. He did not want to kill it because it was very nice, so he kept it instead.

  It happened after a while that his mother and father wanted the bird to eat with their porridge, but when the boy went to kill it, again it sang:

  Kill me carefully, carefully!

  Next year

  You will mention the bird,

  Child of the bush!

  The boy killed the bird, and while its flesh was being cooked, it sang again:

  Cook me carefully, carefully!

  Next year

  You will mention the bird,

  Child of the bush!

  When the meat was ready, it was divided so that they all might eat it with the porridge, and then it sang again:

  Eat me carefully, carefully!

  Next year

  You will mention the bird,

  Child of the bush!

  One of the smaller children refused to eat the talking meat, but all his brothers and his father and his mother ate. When they had finished, their stomachs started to swell. The father and his wife and their children burst, and then died. When they burst, the meat they each had eaten came back together, and then the bird was again just as it had been before, and it flew off into the bush.

  —Kaguru

  39

  Tiger Slights the Tortoise

  Tiger once invited all the animals in his town—except Tortoise—to work for him on his farm. Tortoise was not only insulted, but embarrassed at having been ignored, and he decided to look into the matter. He found out that Tiger had not invited him, because he thought he was too weak to do farm work. Tortoise felt this slight deeply, and made up his mind to seek revenge on Tiger. On the morning of the next day, all the animals assembled on Tiger’s farm, and set to work. As it approached noon, Tiger sent his eldest son home to remind his wives to bring food and palm wine for everyone.

  Meanwhile, Tortoise had employed Rabbit, who came from a neighboring town, to dig a tunnel to a place
alongside of Tiger’s farm. When it was dug, Tortoise took his harp and went underground through the hole and started playing.

  Poor animals working for Tiger

  Kiri bamba kiri

  Foolish animals working for Tiger

  Kiri bamba kiri

  Drop your hoes, foolish beasts

  Kiri bamba kiri

  Drop your knives, foolish beasts

  Kiri bamba kiri

  For you will break your hack on another man’s farm

  Kiri bamba kiri

  For you will die working for another man

  Kiri bamba kiri

  Save your strength for your own farm

  Kiri bamba kiri

  Poor animals, foolish beasts

  Kiri bamba kiri.

  Tortoise’s song had a beautiful melody, unlike any that the animals had heard before.

  On his way home, Tiger’s son heard the music, stopped, and looked around for the singer and player. Although he could not find anyone, he was so enchanted by the sound that he completely forgot the errand he was running, and instead began to dance.

  Meanwhile, Tiger had been anxiously waiting for his wives or son to arrive from home, for all the workers were very hungry and wanted to eat. When no one came, Tiger became so worried that he set out himself to find out why the food and wine had not been brought to the farm.

  By then his wives had also arrived at the place where singing and dancing were going on. They put down the food and wine they were carrying, and they, too, began to dance. Tiger saw them from a considerable distance. He became enraged and cut off long sticks from a tree, with which to beat them. However, as he approached, the music caught his ears, too, and he started nodding his head in time to it. When he arrived there, without even knowing it, he dropped the sticks, and began to dance himself.