Title

The |kaggen who took |kammanga's shoe, and turned it into an eland

Collection

Lucy Lloyd |xam notebooks

Summary

In the arrangement of the myths regarding the Mantis, it has appeared to me most convenient to place first that one in which the Mantis takes away a shoe belonging to his son-in-law /kwámmana, and converts it into an eland, of which he makes a pet, placing it among the reeds, and going thither from time to time to feed it with honey. The Ichneumon is then sent out to discover why the Mantis brings no honey home, but as the Mantis puts him into a bag while he calls the eland from the reeds, the Ichneumon is at first unsuccessful; later, by the advice of his father, he cuts a peep-hole in the sack. /kwámmana, on being told about the eland, shoots it, after they have enticed it with honey to come out of the reeds. The Mantis, going again, misses his pet, and weeps bitterly. Following its spoor, he sees blood, and later finds some Mierkats or Suricats (Suricata Zenick, or Rhyzaena suricata), together with another person, who is cutting it up. One of the Suricats throws the Mantis violently down upon the horns of the dead eland. He, therefore (by piercing the gall of another eland), creates darkness, into which he springs away; and returning home in pain, lies down, while the Sun is still high. The Suricats cut the eland’s flesh into slices, hanging it upon a tree to dry, and upon the same tree they hung their weapons and their skin clothing. In the night, while they were sleeping, this tree laden with their possessions, rose up and passed through the air, descending where the Mantis lay. The Mantis and Ichneumon (upon waking) took possession of their enemies’ things. One of the Suricats (with only his girdle left, which he made into a tail) returned home to be stared at and questioned by his wife. We have two versions of the above myth, one given by our old Bushman //kábbo, who must in future be understood to be the narrator of all texts which no other authority is given (L II.-4. 489-493, 504-513, 515-519). Another version, in the Katkop dialect, was handed down to Día!kwãin by his mother (L V.-1. 3608-3683). To this myth belongs also the account of the reasons for the colours of the gemsbok, hartebeest, eland, quagga, and springbok, given in the Katkop dialect by Día!kwãin (L V.-3. 4071-4074).

Comments

1) Date on p.507: 23 September; p.515: 26 September, 2) 503v: A later elaboration on the story in which Lloyd notes that this addition does not make sense given the latter part of the story. It concerns a conspiracy between the Meerkats, the Ichneumon and |kwammana, 3) See also How the Ichneumon discovered what the Mantis did with the honey and The Ichneumon's speech when the Mantis had taken away the Meerkats' possessions, 4) This story is found in Book II-4

Contributors

||kabbo (Jantje) (II)

Date

September 1871

Categories

|kaggen (the Mantis), Celestial bodies and aeroscopy

Keywords

|kaggen (and his pet eland) , |kaggen (feeds his pet eland honey) , |kaggen (the Mantis) , |kaggen (takes |kwammana's shoe and creates an eland) , shoe (|kwammana's) , shoe (becomes an eland) , |kwammana (|kammanga) , |kwammana (his relations) , |kwammana (his wife is Porcupine) , |kwammana (his shoe becomes an eland) , eland (is |kaggen's pet) , eland (eats honey) , eland (is |kwammana's shoe) , eland (its gall) , eland (its flesh in tree) , eland (is created by |kaggen) , eland (is killed by Meerkats) , eland (its flesh is hung on a tree) , Ichneumon (and creation of eland) , Ichneumon (advises |kwammana) , Porcupine (is |kwammana's wife) , Porcupine (and creation of eland) , tree (kreeboom) , tree (and Meerkat's things) , tree (and creation of eland) , Meerkats (Suricats) , Meerkats (their things hang on kreeboom tree) , Meerkats (fight |kaggen) , Meerkats (and creation of eland) , fight (between |kaggen and the Meerkats) , kreeboom tree (Meerkat's things hang in) , kreeboom tree (and creation of eland)

Story Pages

489-493, 504-519

Page Images