Notebooks
Story: The Ichneumon's discourse to the Mantis
Title
The Ichneumon's discourse to the Mantis
Collection
Summary
The account of the Mantis when he takes away the eggs of a certain fabulous bird, named !káken!káka káuï, is very curious. This bird has the power of making one of its eggs (and also the brush-spoon with which the egg is eaten) adhere, in the most comical manner, to the mouth of the Mantis, as well as the whole load of eggs to his back, whence they cannot be removed until all the eggs are humbly carried back by the robber to the magic bird’s nest. Of this story we have two versions, a shorter one (L II.-6. 677-715, 7. 716-737), the end of which (where the Mantis brings home real ostrich eggs) is prolonged into an account of 'Ostriches and Bushmen', and a longer one, which //kábbo had from his mother, !kwí-añ; and which includes another discourse from the Ichneumon (L II.-22. 1965-2042, 23. 2043-2134, 24. 2135-2212). The Ichneumon continues his discourse to |kaggen (the Mantis) after he has taken !kaken-!kaka-!k'aui's eggs. In it he tells of the doings of animals and of plants in different seasons; about bees, honey and flowers; about the preparation of food; also a lengthy account of the hunting of springbok and ostriches.
Comments
1) Inside the front cover (of Book II-23) Lloyd writes: 'Had not been at all well, and all October had done very little Bushman'; parts of this story were translated later in 1912 and 1913 (see the note inside the front cover of Book II-24), 2) This story follows on from The Mantis and !kaken !ka!ka !khauwi (see also), 3) Date on p.2045: 14 October ('... having not been well enough to go on for many days until today ...'); p.2133: 18 November, 4) p.2044v: after new year the ||khwai star comes; after a trip to Kalk Bay in February ||kabbo speaks of winter's stars 'great' and 'little'; Pleiades comes out and is followed by 'winter's stars', 5) p.2047v: the flowers of the !kui thorn (which are eaten by ostriches), 6) p.2050v: a note on the ||khwai star is to be found on p.799 of Specimens of Bushman Folklore, 7) p.2051v: the foliage which appears in abundance when the ||khwai star comes, 8) p.2054v: the Dutch call the !khui thorn Di Doorn, 9) p.2063v: beating thin the 'harpoon' of the arrow, 10) p.2150v: the river bed in the story is the 'other Haar River', 11) p.2173v: the bitter water in the waterhole is 'brack water' or |ßkhau-wa, 12) p.2174v: the rain comes in the 'rainy time', or //hau, 13) See also The Mantis and !kaken-!kaka-!k'aui (another version), 14) This story is found in Books II-22, II-23, and II-24
Contributors
Date
October – November 1872
Categories
|kaggen (the Mantis), Plants and animals, Custom and daily life
Keywords
jackals (and Ichneumon's discourse) , jackals (the nature and habits of) , ostriches (and Ichneumon's discourse) , ostriches (the nature and habits of) , ostriches (the hunting of) , ostriches (and Flat Bushmen) , ostriches (the cooking, preparation and eating of) , ostriches (bartering their feathers) , ostriches (the different types and names of) , ostriches (drinking their eggs) , ostriches (and flowers) , ostriches (the appearance of) , ostriches (the poisoning of) , ostriches (and seasons) , ostriches (the diet of) , Ichneumon (his discourse to |kaggen) , Ichneumon (on nature and habits of all things) , |kaggen (the Mantis) , |kaggen (and Ichneumon's discourse) , cooking (and Ichneumon's discourse) , cooking (pot) , cooking (methods of) , cooking (on fires) , cooking (of ostrich) , food (cooking of) , food (and Ichneumon's discourse) , food (and times of day) , food (different kinds of eaten by the |xam) , food (poisoned meat) , food (and hunting) , food (preparation of) , food (meat) , hunting (and Ichneumon's discourse) , hunting (the implements used) , hunting (and poison) , hunting (weapons used) , hunting (methods) , hunting (and time of day) , hunting (and seasons) , hunting (and wind) , hunting (at night) , hunting (of different animals) , hunting (using screens of bushes) , rain (and hunting) , rain (and the Ichneumon's discourse) , rain (and seasons) , rain (and waterholes) , springbok (and Ichneumon's discourse) , springbok (the hunting of) , springbok (the appearance of) , springbok (the nature and habits of) , springbok (the eating of) , ostrich feathers (and Ichneumon's discourse) , ostrich feathers (bartering of, with white men) , ostrich feathers (and tobacco) , ostrich feathers (old and new) , ostrich feathers (and seasons) , bees (and Ichneumon's discourse) , bees (and honey) , bees (and seasons) , honey (and Ichneumon's discourse) , honey (and seasons) , flowers (and Ichneumon's discourse) , flowers (and honey) , flowers (and ostriches) , flowers (and seasons) , seasons (winter) , seasons (summer) , seasons (winter is new year and hunting season) , seasons (and Ichneumon's discourse) , seasons (and stars) , seasons (and plants) , seasons (and doings of animals) , seasons (and hunting animals) , Ichneumon (his discourse to |kaggen) , Ichneumon (his address) , Ichneumon (on nature and habits of people, plants, animals, heavens and seasons) , new year (in winter) , new year (and Ichneumon's discourse) , new year (and stars) , new year (and winter) , fire (and Ichneumon's discourse) , fire (the people make) , fire (the making of) , fire (and cooking) , plants (and Ichneumon's discourse) , plants (and seasons) , plants (and habits of animals) , black crows (and Ichneumon's discourse) , children (and understanding) , children ('Flat Bushmen's') , children (and Ichneumon's discourse) , Flat Bushmen (and Ichneumon's discourse) , Flat Bushmen (all of their doings) , tobacco (and white men) , tobacco (bartering for) , tobacco (the |xam smoke and hunger for) , gemsbok (and Ichneumon's discourse) , gemsbok (and making of shoes) , gemsbok (the nature and habits of) , gemsbok (hunting of) , gemsbok (and wind) , wind (and Ichneumon's discourse) , wind (and hunting game) , waterholes (and Ichneumon's discourse) , waterholes (the |xam possess) , shoes (and Ichneumon's discourse) , shoes (and gemsbok) , shoes (worn by |xam) , weapons (and Ichneumon's discourse) , weapons (the making of) , weapons (different types of) , weapons (and poison) , weapons (and hunting) , poisons (and Ichneumon's discourse) , poisons (used by 'Flat Bushmen') , poisons (and hunting) , poisons (and arrows) , poisons (and eating poisoned meat) , poisons (the scent of) , stars (Pleiades) , stars (winter's stars) , stars (||khwai star) , stars (names of) , names (of stars) , names (and Ichneumon's discourse) , names (of different groups of |xam) , |xam (names of different groups of) , |xam ('Flat Bushmen')
Story Pages
2041-2042, 2043-2134, 2135-2212
