Notebooks
Story: The story of the widow of the man killed while hunting, and her return to her own family or The widow's story
Title
The story of the widow of the man killed while hunting, and her return to her own family or The widow's story
Collection
Summary
The widow of the wounded man returns to her own family with her children. Various customs after death are explained, as well as what happens to widows (they have no-one to hunt for them and eat 'old' or 'bad' things and look 'ugly' as a result). There is some discussion about the type of man the widow would like to marry – one who will feed her and the children. There is much detail concerning daily life, hunting and the preparation and eating of food by men and women. There are many details and additions to the story noted on the verso pages. The widow’s lament, in which she says that she should like to cry herself to death; and does not want to eat food. Her mother-in-law comforts her. After the burial of the deceased, his widow returns home to her father, where her brothers receive her very well. She relates her sorrow to her family, and expresses her intention not to marry again, for fear of meeting with a husband who had not the good qualities of the deceased. A general conversation ensues, ending in an almost interminable description of springbok hunting, etc. (L II.-12. 1173-1243, 13. 1244-1314. 14. 1315-1396)
Comments
1) Date on p.1276: 7 May; p.1315: 18 May; 1396: 19 September, 2) Insert stuck on p.1298v: words used for the dead, 3) p.1320v: a word for hard flesh which also means 'heavy', 4) p.1330v: a piece of wood that holds arrow-heads, 5) p.1353v: a spoon made of a springbok's horn, 6) p.1356v: the water pit in the story is Oud Pits, 7) p.1162v: the name of the bee in the grandfather's honey hole, 8) p.1368v: the springbok come from the west where the sun sets and go towards where it rises, 9) p.1370v: young men drive vultures from a dead springbok's skin, burn off the hair and old men eat it when there is no other food, 10) p.1383v: a hole (!hun) which is closed with a stone, 11) p.1386v: the |xam name of a house which is made of white stones instead of earth, 12) p.1395v: arrows break off in the springbok's legs as the troop goes along, 13) Pages 1397-1431 are blank, 14) See also A man is wounded by another by accident when out after springbok (from p.1180), 15) This story is found in Books II-13 and II-14
Contributors
Date
May – 19 September 1872 (finished)
Categories
Keywords
widow (her actions after death of her husband) , widow (customs and rituals surrounding death of her husband) , widow (her story) , widow (and men who are 'different') , widow (her lament) , widow (her relations) , widow (her husband's family) , widow (and women's work) , widow (is alone) , widow (speaks of her husband) , widow (her father's place) , widow (the 'ugliness' of) , widow (her things) , widow (her children must learn to hunt and must forget their father) , widow (life of a) , widow (of man killed while hunting) , widow (her journey) , widow (her dead husband) , widow (her people's place) , widow (her house is cold) , widow (her fire is out) , widow (eats bad or old things) , widow (and her remarriage) , widow (returns to her people) , place (Little Brinkkop) , place (and widow's story) , place (Kleine Witt Kop) , place (widow's people's) , lament (of the widow of the man wounded out hunting) , lament (and story of the widow) , things (the widow's) , things (and widow's story) , names (for different springbok in the herd) , names (and widow's story) , names (of waterholes) , names (of mountains) , names (of places) , marriage (and widow's story) , marriage (widows and remarriage) , waterhole (Pitt's water) , waterhole (Oud Pits) , waterhole (possession of a) , waterhole (and widow's story) , husbands ('angry man') , husbands (who are 'different') , husbands (good or bad) , husbands (death of) , husbands (family of) , husbands (and widow's story) , hunting (ground) , hunting (death on) , hunting (accident on) , hunting (and widow's story) , work (men's) , work (women's) , work (and widow's story) , hunting (methods) , hunting (of springbok) , hunting (and accidental death of hunter) , springbok (names for different) , springbok (the |xam hunt) , springbok (methods of hunting) , springbok (and accidental death of hunter) , springbok (eating of) , springbok (preparation of) , springbok (and widow's story) , weapons (the making of) , weapons (and widow's story) , death (ways of dying) , death (of huntsman) , death (of widow's husband) , death (and widow's story) , possessing (waterholes) , possessing (ground) , possessing (honey) , possessing (and widow's story) , honey (hole) , honey (possessing) , honey (and widow's story) , Rain (its bushes) , Rain (and widow's story) , food (eaten by |xam) , food (preparation of) , food (eaten by dead man's family) , food (eaten by widows) , food (ugly, bad, hard, old things) , food (and widow's story) , food (soup) , food (flesh) , food (eating ostrich and springbok)
Story Pages
1268-1314, 1315-1396
