AFRICAN NARRATIVES

  HERE was once a man living in a certain place, who had two daughters big enough to be married. One day the man went over the river to another village, which was the residence of a great chief The people asked him to tell them the news. He replied, that there was no news in the place that he came from. Then the man inquired about the news of their place. They said the news of their place was that the chief wanted a wife. The man went home and said to his two daughters: "Which of you wishes to be the wife of a chief?" The eldest replied: "I wish to be the wife of a chief, my father." The name of that girl was Mpunzikazi. The man said: "At that village which I visited, the chief wishes for a wife; you, my daughter, shall go." The man called all his friends, and assembled a large company to go with his daughter to the village of the chief. But the girl would not consent that those people should go with her. She said: "I will go alone to be the wife of t

The following is another Xhosa version of the same story It is said that there was once a great town in a certain place, which had many people living in it. They lived upon grain only. One year there was a great famine. There was in that town a poor man, by name Masilo, and his wife. One day they went to dig in their garden, and they continued digging the whole day long. In the evening, when the digging companies returned home, they returned also. Then there came a bird and stood upon the house which was beside the garden, and began to whistle, and said: "Masilo's cultivated ground, mix together." The ground did as the bird said. After that was done the bird went away. In the morning, when Masilo and his wife went to the garden, they were in doubt, and said: "Is it really the place we were digging yesterday?" They saw that it was the place by the people working on each side. The people began to laugh at them, and mocked them, and said It is because yo

  There was once upon a time a poor man living with his wife in a certain village. They had three children, two boys and a girl. They used to get milk from a tree. That milk of the tree was got by squeezing. It was not nice as that of a cow, and the people that drank it were always thin. For this reason, those people were never glossy like those who are fat. One day the woman went to cultivate a garden. She began by cutting the grass with a pick, and then putting it in a big heap. That was the work of the first day, and when the sun was just about to set she went home. When she left, there came a bird to that place, and sang this song: "Weeds of this garden,   Weeds of this garden,   Spring up, spring up;   Work of this garden,   Work of this garden,   Disappear, disappear." It was so. The next morning, when she returned and saw that, she wondered greatly. She again put it in order on that day, and put some sticks in the ground to mark the place. In the even

  A man plant a big field of gub-gub peas. He got a watchman put there. This watchman can't read. The peas grow lovely an' bear lovely; everybody pass by, in love with the peas. Anansi himself pass an' want to have some. He beg the watchman, but the watchman refuse to give him. He went an' pick up an' old envelope, present it to the watchman an' say the master say to give the watchman. The watchman say, "The master know that I cannot read an' he sen' this thing come an' give me?" Anansi say, "I will read it for you." He said, "Hear what it say! The master say, 'You mus' tie Mr. Anansi at the fattest part of the gub-gub peas an' when the belly full, let him go.'" The watchman did so; when Anansi belly full, Anansi call to the watchman, an' the watchman let him go.  After Anansi gone, the master of the peas come an' ask the watchman what was the matter with the peas. The watchman tol' him. M

  Anansi live into a tree with wife and children, then go about and robber the others and they can't find where he live. So Tiger and Bredder Tacoomah dog him and see when he send down the rope and swing up whatever he provide for the family. So Bredder Tiger go to a tin-smith to give him a fine v'ice and went to the tree and him sing,  "Mama, mama, sen' down rope,  Sen' down rope, Brer Nansi deh groun' a!"  Then the mother find out it was not Bredder Nansi from the coarseness of the v'ice. So he go to a gold-smith now, and he come back again and sing again. Now he get a v'ice same as Bredder Nansi.  "Mama, mama, sen' down rope,  Sen' down rope, Brer Nansi deh groun' a!"  Then the mother let the rope down to receive him. Brer Nansi coming from a distance see the mother swinging him up in the tree now and say, "Mama, cut de rope! mama, cut de rope!"  And she cut the rope and Bredder Tiger fell and brok

One day Firefly came to Anansi the Spider's house and invited him to go egg-hunting. "If you would like to go with me, then come to my house late this evening."  Anansi was very excited and immediately agreed to go.  When it was dark enough, they went out into the fields. Firefly would open his wings a little and his light would illuminate the eggs lying hidden in the grass.  Then Anansi would jump forward and yell, "Mine, I saw it first," and toss it in his sack.  They continued like this for the rest of the evening. Anansi was so rude that he grabbed every single egg and Firefly didn't get a single one.  Soon Anansi's sack was so full he could barely pull it.  Finally Firely said, "Goodbye, Anansi," and flew quickly back home. Anansi was left alone in the dark with no idea how to get home. Slowly he began to fumble his way back to his house.  He couldn't see a thing, but eventually he bumped into a house. He didn't kno