“From that point on I began to flee, all my people having been wiped out. Where I fled, I rejoiced, saying I was safe, thinking that where I was going, there was salvation, whereas I was casting myself into the thorns of rambling around throughout the country, counting tree roots, sleeping in filthy places, eating terrible foods. From that moment on, my son set out in search of me. He went to deliver me from the abyss of evil in which I was involved. I was at that time withered like dried bananas. And it is like that, that I arrive here in the village of Tubondo. So may the male offspring be spared for he has shown me the way in which the sky becomes daylight and has given me the joy of witnessing again the warmth of the people and of all the things here in Tubondo.”
Then Iyangura spoke to the men who were sitting in the assembly, reproaching Shemwindo openly. “Here I am, aunt of Mwindo, you chiefs. Our young man here, Shemwindo, has married me to Mukiti. I got accustomed to it thanks to the confidence of my husband. Thanks to my labor and to getting along with him, my husband raised me high up, so that he loved me above all the wives he had married. So then, you chiefs, so that I may not bore you, let me not carry you far off in a long line of many words. Suddenly, this child appeared where I was living. Mukiti was then on the verge of killing him because he did not know of our relationship. But his intelligence and his anger saved him. From then on I followed him to show him the way to Shemwindo’s. It’s there that Mwindo’s fights with his father began, because of the anger caused by all the evils that his father perpetrated against him. He subdued this village, Tubondo, and his father fled. Where he fled, Mwindo went in search of him, saying that his father should not go to die in the leaves like an animal. When he found him, he seized him. Then Mwindo made his father return again to this village, Tubondo. So it is that we are in this meeting of the assembly of the chiefs.
“You, Shemwindo, acted badly, together with your counselors and nobles. If this plan of torment had emanated from a counselor against Mwindo, then his throat would be cut, here in the council. But you are safe, it being you from whom this plan sprang. You acted badly, you, Shemwindo, when you discriminated against the children, saying that some were bad and others good, whereas you did not know what was in the womb of your wife. What you were given by the creator god, you saw it to be bad. The good was turned into the bad in your eyes. But nevertheless, we are satisfied, you notables, because of the way in which we are up on our feet again here in Tubondo, but this Shemwindo has committed an iniquitous deed. If the people had been exterminated here, it is Shemwindo who would have been guilty of exterminating them. I, Iyangura, I am finished.”
After Iyangura had spoken, Mwindo also stood up: he praised the assembly, he said: “As for me, I, Mwindo, man of many feats, the Little One Just Born He Walked, I will not hold a grudge against my father. May my father here not be frightened, believing that I am still angry with him. No, I am not angry with my father. What my father did against me and what I did against my father, all that is already over. Now let us examine what is to come, the evil and the good. The one of us who will start an argument, it is he who will be in the wrong—and all those seniors here will be the witness of it. Now, let us live in harmony in our country, let us care for our people well.”
Shemwindo declared that as far as he was concerned, the act of giving birth was not repugnant in itself. He said that where he was here, no longer was he chief. Now it was Mwindo who would succeed him, and if anyone insulted Mwindo, the seniors would denounce him. When Mwindo heard his father’s voice, he answered him: “Father, sit down on your royal chair. I cannot be chief as long as you are alive, otherwise I would die suddenly.” The counselors and nobles agreed with Mwindo. They said to Shemwindo: “Your son did not speak wrongly. Divide the country into two parts and give your son one part and you keep a part. If you were to give away all authority, you would again be immensely jealous of him, and this jealously could trouble this country in the long run.” Shemwindo said: “No, you counselors and nobles, I cannot agree, for I want my son to become chief. From now on, I shall always work behind him.” The counselors told him: “You, Shemwindo, divide your country into two parts, you take a part and your son a part. You always used to say that you alone were a man surpassing all others but that you feared what was to come. That is why we witnessed all these deep discussions—we had no way of disagreeing with you because you inspired fear. If the chief cannot be disagreed with, then the talking is too great a foolishness.” Shemwindo said: “Since you, my counselors and my nobles, come to give me this advice, so I am ready to divide the country into two parts—for Mwindo a part and for myself, Shemwindo, a part, because of the fear you inspire. But in my own name, I had wanted to leave the country to Mwindo, and from then on, out of respect, always have eaten the food after my son for I have felt and do feel much shame in the face of my son and of all the people.”
After Shemwindo had spoken thus, he conferred the kingship upon his son: He stripped himself of all the things of kingship that he bore. He gave Mwindo a dress dyed red and two red belts; he also gave him the expensive bracelets made of raphia string to wear on his arms; he gave him a boar skin belt and gave him a raphia and hair belt as well; he gave him a powerful fur hat; he also gave him the hide of a white goat. Shemwindo dressed Mwindo in all those things while Mwindo was standing up, because a chief is always dressed in such things while he is standing. The counselors went to fetch the chair imbued with powerful powder and oil. They gave it to Shemwindo. Shemwindo made Mwindo sit on it. Shemwindo handed over to Mwindo the scepter of copper on which there were incisions imbued with the powerful powder and oil. Shemwindo handed these things over to him when he was already seated on the chair. When he stood up, his father also handed over to him the wrist protector and the bow. He also gave him the quiver in which there were arrows, with royal emblems on all of them. They dressed him in all these things in the guesthouse.
After Shemwindo had thus enthroned his son, Mwindo shouted that he now had become famous, but he would not act as his father had, causing his own name only to be perpetuated by having only one group remain on earth, named after him and honoring his deeds. “May all the various families and groups be celebrated here. May many boys and girls be born and our people increase. May there be born also deaf and cripples, because a country is never without some handicapped.” After Shemwindo had dressed his son in the chiefly paraphernalia, he distributed beer and meat for the chiefs who were there. Each group took a goat and a cow. They also gave Iyangura one cow to bring back to her husband Mukiti. Then the chiefs and the counselors who were there, said: “Let Mwindo remain here in Tubondo and let Shemwindo go to dwell on another mountain.” Hearing this, Shemwindo clapped his hands—he was very satisfied. During Mwindo’s enthronement, his uncles, the people of Yana, gave him a maiden. Mwindo’s father, he, too, gave him a maiden called Katobororo and the Pygmies gave him one as well. During Mwindo’s enthronement, he was given, altogether, four women—he went on getting himself married while he was crossing the country. After Mwindo had been enthroned, the assembly dispersed. All those who came from somewhere, returned there. Shemwindo also took possession of his mountain. He left Tubondo to his son.
When Iyangura, aunt of Mwindo, returned to her husband, she anointed Mwindo in the middle of the group, saying:
O, Mwindo, hail!
Blessing, here, hail!
If your father throws you into the grave, hail!
Don’t harbor resentment, hail!
May you stand up and make your first step, hail!
May you be safe, may you be blessed, hail!
And your father and your mother, hail!
May you bring forth tall children, boys and girls.
Be strong, my father. As for me, there is nothing ominous left, hail!
When Mwindo took leave of his father, his father also gave him a blessing. Mwindo handed over to his aunt two counselors to accompany her. He also gave her four goats and a return gift of twenty baskets of rice and five lit
tle chicken baskets.
Confronting the Dragon, and Being Punished for His Deeds
After a fixed number of days had elapsed since he had been enthroned, Mwindo said that he had a terrible craving to eat some wild pig meat. He sent his Pygmies forth, for they were his hunters, out into the forest. Where the Pygmies went in the forest, when they had already been hither and yon, they felt tired, they slept halfway. In the morning they set out right after waking up. They found the trail of wild pigs, followed them, met them. They sent the dogs after them, seeing that they were fleeing. The dogs hurled themselves after them. Crossing two plateaus, they met a red-haired pig who was old and fat. They hurled a sharp spear at it. The pig hadn’t the strength to resist, turned its hooves up and died. They cut it into pieces on the spot.
There where they were, in the very dense forest, when they were cutting the pig to pieces, Dragon heard their mumbling. Dragon said: “What now, people here again? I thought that I was the only one living here, whereas there are still others.” Dragon went after them, snakelike. When he came close to them, he threw himself onto them. He took away three Pygmies from there—he swallowed them. One among the Pygmies, called Nkurongo, wrestled himself loose. He fled and the dogs followed him—they fled with him. Dragon said to himself: “Let this wild pork remain here, for I will trap the dogs and the Pygmy who fled.” Dragon nestled down beside the corpse of the pig. Nkurongo fled. When he arrived, he looked back, saying: “Lo, my companions have been overtaken by night. They are already dead.” At the time when he fixed his eyes on the Dragon, he saw that he had seven heads and seven horns and seven eyes. When that little Pygmy there was already on the crest, he shouted: “I flee, eh!” He fled and the dogs followed him.
He appeared in the village of Tubondo. Nearly bursting with breath, he arrived in Mwindo’s house. After he had rested awhile—“for as long as it takes a pot of paste to be cooked”—Mwindo asked him: “Is there peace there, from where you are coming?” He answered him: “There is no peace there, chief! We went to the forest, four of us, and Dragon has swallowed three of us, and I, Nkurongo, escaped, together with the dogs. This Dragon, he is as large as the sky.” Hearing that, Mwindo said: “Well, now, this time it’s tough. My Pygmies in their very first hunt are already exterminated in the forest.” He looked up to the sky, lowered his eyes to the ground, and said: “O, my scepter, be victorious tomorrow.” That day his father, Shemwindo, was in the village. Mwindo said to his father: “I shall be gone when the rooster crows, long gone. Right after awakening I shall go with this Pygmy to fight with Dragon.” When Shemwindo heard this, he forbade his son: “Oh, no, don’t go there. Dragon has always been a destroyer. He eats man’s bones. If you provoke this Dragon, then you cause great disaster in this country.” Mwindo said to his father: “I do not care. At any rate, I will be gone at dawn. You stay behind to tell the counselors that I have gone to fight with Dragon.”
When it was very early in the morning, Mwindo took up his scepter and the Pygmy went before him. Thus they proceeded in the forest. When they appeared at the place where they had cut the pig into pieces, the Pygmy pointed at Dragon, saying: “There he is.” Mwindo said to the Pygmy: “Stop first. Let me take a look at him.” Mwindo said to the Pygmy: “You stay here. When Dragon swallows me, it is you who will announce the news in the village.” Mwindo took in hand his subduer of a scepter. He went snakelike after Dragon. When he was eye-to-eye with him, Mwindo said: “You will not be my measure today.” Dragon was overcome with surprise. He stood up. When he was about to fly against Mwindo, Mwindo put sweet words into his mouth. He sang:
Dragon, you are helpless against Mwindo,
For Mwindo is the Little One Just Born He Walked.
Dragon, you have challenged Mwindo.
Dragon, you are powerless against Mwindo,
For Mwindo is the Little One Just Born He Walked.
Shemwindo gave birth to a hero.
Comrade, you are powerless against Mwindo.
When Dragon attempted to swallow Mwindo, Mwindo exclaimed: “This time he is finished.” Mwindo came to where he was, and Mwindo beat him with his scepter. Dragon fell upside down and died. Mwindo called, shouting to his Pygmy to come to cut up Dragon. The Pygmy came. When he was about to touch Dragon with his great knife, Mwindo forbade him, saying: “First, leave him like that. Let us call people in the village to carry him back there so that Shemwindo may see the wonders I perform.” Mwindo implored those who were in the village. Mwindo sent his scepter to fetch the people so that they could bring back this god of a dragon. He sang:
O, my scepter, go for me.
Those who have remained in Tubondo over there,
Those who have remained in Tubondo over there,
At Shemwindo’s,
May Shemwindo send people to me.
Where the scepter went, it arrived in front of Shemwindo. It wagged itself in front of him, and all the people of the village ran out of their homes, they went to see the way in which the scepter was wagging itself in front of Shemwindo. Shemwindo said that the scepter was bearing the news: “If Mwindo is not dead, it is Dragon who is dead.” Shemwindo sent a group of people there, saying:
Be ready to leave the village!
Go and join Mwindo!
In the dense forest there are many things—
There are snakes that bite.
Go and join Mwindo,
Where Mwindo has gone.
Shemwindo has given birth to a hero.
Having wagged itself in front of Shemwindo, the scepter flew away together with the people whom Shemwindo had provided. When Mwindo saw his scepter with the people, the scepter came into Mwindo’s hands. Mwindo said to the men to lift up Dragon. They made a stretcher and put Dragon on top of it. But that stretcher broke because of Dragon’s weight. They made another and put Dragon on it again, they lifted him up and carried it to the village. When he appeared, the whole village crowded together—so many young, so many old people! They let Dragon down in the middle of the village. When the people saw him, they were astonished. They whooped, they said: “Now, things will be coming out of the forest!” But some of them were worried, saying, “Whoever has killed the Dragon cannot fail to kill one of us, perhaps even all of us.” Mwindo said to his people to cut up Dragon, and he, Mwindo, sang:
Dragon is being skinned and cut up on the little raphia palms.
Shemwindo howled, saying:
“Dragon is being skinned and cut up on the little raphia palms.”
Dragon always devours people;
Dragon has exterminated people.
Shemwindwo, my father, be afraid of me.
When they opened the belly, there came out a man who leaped up, being alive. There came out another man. He, too, was alive. When they opened the belly, there came out yet another who leaped up, being alive. After Dragon had been cut up and the three Pygmies had come out alive, Mwindo gave an order: “When you begin to eat this Dragon, you will eat him with bones and all. Don’t throw any of them away.”
After Dragon had been cut up, Mwindo distributed to his people all the meat with the mass of bones. He told them also that if he saw even a little bone behind somebody’s house, he would make him pay for it for Dragon must be roasted in public. When Dragon had been divided up and divided again into many parts, they seized his eyes. They roasted them hot on a piece of potsherd. Each time that there appeared a splatter and the eye burst open, there came out a man. When all the eyes of Dragon had been roasted, there had appeared one thousand people. Mwindo said: “These are my people.” Then Mwindo said farewell to the people one by one.
My mother who carried me,
You are seeing that I am already going.
Nyamwindo howled, complaining:
“What shall I do with my child?”
Nyamwindo howled, saying:
“I die, I die, along with my child.”
Shemwindo howled, saying:
“1 die, I die, along with my child.”
No
w, it so happened that Nkuba had made a blood pact with Dragon. And there, where Nkuba resided in the sky, he breathed in the smell of his friend Dragon that came from his friend Mwindo in Tubondo. Nkuba descended on the spot to take Mwindo. He arrived in Mwindo’s village. Nkuba said to Mwindo: “I come to take you, you my friend. I want to teach you because I am very vexed with you, you my friend, since you dared to kill Dragon, for Dragon, too, was my friend. So know that you are doing wrong.” Hearing this, Mwindo was not afraid of going away with Nkuba, but his people were stricken with anxiety, thinking that their chief was going forever. Mwindo sang:
Let us go up to Bisherya over there,
For Nkuba has come to take Mwindo.
I am about to climb up to Bisherya over there,
For Nkuba has come to take Mwindo.
O, Nkuba, you are powerless against Mwindo,
For Mwindo is the Little One Just Born He Walked.
Shemwindo gave birth to a hero.
African Folktales (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) Page 37