Notebooks
Story: A Rain story
Title
A Rain story
Collection
Summary
An account of rain-making by means of dragging a water-animal over the land, in illustration of a Bushman painting copied by Mr J.M. Orpen (Cape Monthly Magazine for July, 1874, frontispiece), was given, in the Katkop dialect, by Dia!kwãin, who had it from his mother (BXXVII. 2540-2608, the two first pages only translated). The beginning of this was repeated by him (L V.-3. 4075-4085), and two other accounts of rain-making were also given by him (L V.-3. 4086-4121). A story of how the rainmakers (!giten) lie in wait for a waterbull at the spring. An old rainmaker attempts to lead a waterbull (by means of a noose or thong round its neck), but fails when the thong breaks. His abilities are called into question by the people back home.
Comments
1) p.4089v: this story was told to Dia!kwain by his father (Xaa-ttin or Jacob), 2) p.4099: a different version of this part of the story given when Lloyd had trouble understanding the first taking of the tale, 3) 4110v: the waterbull is a 'strong thing', not a 'light thing', 4) p.4116v: the rainmaker of the story is also called a !gixa, 5) p.4119v: the work might have been successful if the thong and the helpers had first been sprinkled with finely powdered buchu, 6) p.4120v: buchu calms the waterbull; on the 'going away' of the rainmaker while other people sleep, 7) See also What happened when the thong (with which they were pulling at the Water's Bull) broke, or Kko-kkoro's story and Rainmaking (a version by Dia!kwain), 8) This story is found in Book V-3
Contributors
Date
16 January 1875 (started)
Categories
Keywords
waterbull (and a Rain story) , waterbull (methods of catching) , waterbull (and rainmaking) , waterbull (ensuring its capture) , waterbull (and buchu) , waterbull (losing) , waterbull (and failure of the rain-sorcerer) , waterbull (and the old rain-sorcerer) , waterbull (the thong breaks) , waterbull (is a strong thing) , waterbull (at water-hole) , waterbull (is led with a thong) , waterbull (its nature and habits) , waterbull (and night) , waterbull (its house) , waterbull (working with) , rainmakers (and a rain story) , rainmakers (rain-sorcerers) , rainmakers (!giten) , rainmakers (teach people to help them) , rainmakers (and waterbull) , rainmakers (and catching and leading of the waterbull) , rainmakers (who are old) , rainmakers (unsuccessful) , rainmakers (their work) , rainmakers (and thong) , rainmakers (use buchu) , rainmakers (that are real sorcerers) , rainmakers (and broken thong) , rainmakers (who lose waterbull) , rainmakers (criticism of) , thong (and a rain story) , thong (used for leading waterbull) , thong (that breaks) , thong (the old sorcerer's) , thong (and rainmaking) , thong (and buchu) , buchu (and a rain story) , buchu (and work with waterbull) , buchu (and thong) , buchu (used by rain-sorcerer) , buchu (and rainmaking) , rain (a Rain story) , rain (rainmaking) , rain (the work with waterbull) , rain (its sorcerers) , education (rainmakers teach people to help them) , education (and a Rain story) , name (used for rainmakers is !giten) , old (treatment of the old rainmaker) , old (and the old rain-sorcerer whose thong breaks) , work (of the rainmakers) , work (and a Rain story) , work (leading the waterbull) , work (how the rainmakers lie in wait for a waterbull at the spring)
Story Pages
4090-4121
