Barotseland

by D. E. C. Stirke

The Story of the Greedy Woman.

There was once a woman who loved eating above everything else. When the other people in the village usually went off to till their gardens, she put a stone in her cheek and pretended to be very sick with toothache. When the people saw what they thought was a bad swelling, they wanted to cure her by cutting it, after the custom for relieving swellings, but she refused, saying she was afraid of the pain. So they went off to the gardens leaving her behind. Directly they were gone, she spat the stone out of her mouth and got some grain, ground it, cooked the meal and eat it. She then lay down and slept. When the people returned they asked her if the pain were better but she always said “No!” She did this for a long time, but one day she was seen cooking food by an old woman who had also been left at home on account of ill-health. When the people came home this old woman told them how they had been deceived. So they made a plan to catch her. The next day that they went off to the gardens, they only went a little way and then crept very quietly back to the village and hid. When they saw the woman who was supposed to be sick, get up and cook food, they all came out of their hiding places and laughed at her. Then she was very ashamed for the rest of her life.

Kabweli.

One day some girls were travelling to the chiefs village to work for him. When they left their home a little boy named Kabweli followed them. When they saw him, they tried to drive him away but he refused to leave them. Again, when they had gone about half-way, they tried to persuade him to go ahead, but he refused and came along behind them. So they went on. Everyone passing them said “Where are you girls going?” They replied “To the Lumbi to the village of our chief Nangandu-ku-ambwa” (lit. the one who is called the Crocodile man). When the passer-by met Kabweli a little behind the girls, he asked “Where are you going, Kabweli?” And Kabweli always answered “I am going with these girls to the chief. I throw away the cinders.” The work of servants travelling with their masters, amongst other things was to throw away the ashes. And so they journeyed on and whenever the girls slept, Kabweli threw away the ashes. But when the got at last to the chief’s village they found the chief was just dead and that a lot of people had gathered to mourn him.

When Kabweli arrived and heard the news, he went to where the chief’s body was and looked at it. Then he said, “Do not bury him for a little.” The people listened and obeyed him. Then Kabweli went into the forest to look for certain medicinal roots. When he found them, he boiled them and bathed the chief’s body with the juice. Then Nangandu got up and was quite well again much to the surprise of all the mourners. Then he gave Kabweli many presents.

The Greedy Man and his Clever Wife.

There was once a man who was very greedy. He used to go hunting and fishing and whenever he brought back meat, he used to get up in the night, while his wife was asleep and eat it all, but when his wife got up in the morning and asked where the meat had gone, he always said the dogs had eaten it all up. So she went to the “Mantis” and told him and the “Mantis” told her to go home and put white shells in her eyes when she went to sleep. So she did this and when her husband got up to eat the meat, he looked at his wife, and thought her eyes were open. So he lay still for a little and then had another look, but she still seemed to have her eyes open. He did this all night and got no sleep, he was afraid to get up and eat the meat as he thought his wife was looking. At dawn he fell asleep and shortly afterwards, his wife woke up, took the shells from her eyes and went out and found the meat quite safe. Then she woke her husband up, but he was very sleepy as he had had no sleep, and he said “Go away, I want to sleep.” So she ate up all the meat.

The Woman and the Hare.

Once a woman lived in a cave. The hare came and asked her to marry him. She agreed. The hare was very proud and took the lion to see the beautiful woman. When the woman saw him, she sang “What does the lion want here? I do not like the lion, I only love the hare.” Then the hare was very proud indeed. Every day the hare brought one or another of the animals to see his future wife, but the woman always sung the same song. But at last the hare in his folly, took a man to see her, and she fell in love with the man and married him. Then the hare wept bitterly for many days.