Notebooks

Story: The story of !khwe-|na ssho-!kui: the man who took a young Lion, and made use of it as a dog ( a story of the First Bushman)

Title

The story of !khwe-|na ssho-!kui: the man who took a young Lion, and made use of it as a dog ( a story of the First Bushman)

Collection

Lucy Lloyd |xam notebooks

Summary

One of the ancient people preceding the Bushmen brought home a lion’s cub, telling his wife that it was a dog which his younger brother had given him, and that it was the whelp of a dog which killed gemsbok. She, however, knew that it was the son of a lioness, whose voice was known to her of old, and who was now heard roaring for her lost cub. The man called it by the name of !kuisse !khwí /kü. Although, in hunting gemsbok, the man was well-frightened by his pretended dog, and had even to get his wife to throw fire at it on his return home, he still maintained to her that it was a dog. The wife prudently sent their little son with his father, when he went out early the next morning to hunt. After this, they went hunting gemsbok many times, the boy in fear and trembling, and his father in continual danger; until one day the boy saw his father killed by !kuisse !khwí |kü, who had now grown into a large young lion. He himself, after having seen the lion carry off his father’s body, and lay it under a thorn–tree, with that of a gemsbok which it had also killed, makes his escape home. Upon her son’s report of the death of her husband, and his warning to herself that the Lion will soon be upon them, the widow goes away with her children to the house of her husband’s father. On the following morning, the boy goes with his uncles to see what has been done to the deserted homestead. They sleep that night on a mountain above the old home, and the next morning, not seeing any lions, they visit the hut, the sticks of which are a good deal disturbed. They discover the spoor of seven lions (viz, !kuisse !khwí /kü, his parents, his two brothers, and two sisters). After a visit to the scene of the calamity, they stealthily retrace their steps home, and remove to a different place. This legend is told with great epic breadth, in a very vivid manner, giving an excellent picture of Bushman life; and it is seasoned with many dialogues, in which the wife is a particularly characteristic speaker (L II.-26. 2320-2412, 27. 2413-2504, 29. 2597-2687, 30. 2688-2779, 31. 2780-2873 1/2).

Comments

1) Note on the inside of the front cover of Book II-26 (pp.2320-2412): Began 6 January and ended 14 January 1873; pp.2349-2412 were translated early in 1876 with Dia!kwain's assistance, 2) Note on the inside of the front cover of Book II-29: pp.2597-2614 were translated by |a!kunta, 3) This is a very long story and not all of it has been translated; most of Book II-27 has not been translated, 4) The last two (unnumbered) pages of Book II-27 contain rough pencil notes on stars and a loose insert on page numbers and vocabulary, 5) Date on p.2597: 6 February; p.2688: 13 May; p.2698: 31 May; p.2780: 23 June; p.2854: 11 July, 6) p.2354v: a note by Dia!kwain on a tree like the one used by hunters to make quivers, 7) p.2356v: the name given to the Lion 'as a dog', 8) p.2357v: the man thought he could make the Lion love him by calling its name, like people do with dogs, 9) p.2373v: the slipping of feet along the ground, 10) p.2374v: the shovel used for throwing fire is made from the breastbone of the ostrich, the ox's horn or the tortoise shell, 11) p.2390v: a note by ||kabbo on |xam words for different relations (brother and brother-in-law), 12) p.2488v: ||kabbo says that people say different things when tracking the spoor and when it is not far, 13) p.2659v: |xam expressions for the noise that veldskoens make when in motion, 14) pp.2699v & 2700v: (7 June): what people say to each other in different situations (such as when looking at game), 15) p.2711v: solitude, as opposed to being among people, 16) p.2735v: the !koa-ken bush found near rivers in Bushmanland bearing yellow flowers (lions in the story smell of it), 17) p.2753v: a |xam name given to the lion, as it is a 'thing' which kills people, 18) p.2754v: more names for lions (for one and many); the name of a girl and its meaning, 19) p.2765v: notes by |a!kunta on the |xam names for the actions of horses, 20) p.2781v: (Dia!kwain, 21 February 1876) the young Lion's name in a version of the story which he heard from his mother and paternal grandfather (!xugen-ddi), 21) p.2835v: the |xam word meaning 'uncle' also used for several older male relatives, 22) p.2870v: houses with real dogs do not get broken by lions (and do 'handsome stand'), 23) This story is found in Books II-26, II-27, II-29, II-30, II-31, and II-32