Notebooks
Story: What the lion did to Xwerri-kau; and what parts of game should not be eaten by little children
Title
What the lion did to Xwerri-kau; and what parts of game should not be eaten by little children
Collection
Summary
A full-grown Bushman, whom the narrator knew, punished by a lion for having eaten forbidden portions of the lion’s prey, as a child. Told by Día!kwãin (L V.-8. 4574-4617 1/2, 9. 4618, with notes upon 4616 rev. and 4617 rev.). |xam parents tell their children about what happened to Xwerri-kau, as a lesson about the eating of certain things: Xwerri-kau (who had eaten prohibited parts of game as a child) was pursuing a quagga when a lion sprang on him, and the quagga lay down to die once it saw that the lion had bitten him. This story illustrates how lions remember what children do and take revenge in various ways on the hunting ground when they are grown-ups. It also contains information about the hunting-ground.
Comments
1) p.4577v: Xwerri-kau's father had shot the quagga with 'Boomgift' (!gau u ken) and still it ran as if not wounded; Xwerri-kau's Dutch name was Jantje, but after this incident he was known by them as 'Oud Jantje Leeuw Stert', or Old Jantje Lion Tail, 2) p.4583v: the |xam name (!nau) for a thing that 'obstinately' goes where it wants to go, 3) p.4588v: Brand Vlei, on the side of the Zak River where the quagga ran, and the bush called xanna where the lion was, 4) p.4593v: it seems Xwerri-kau escaped from the lion (he kicked it in the testicles) making it 'ashamed', 5) p.4610v: |xam terms for the breaking of bones (!kwa !kwak-ka) and the breaking of flesh (!kwa !kwabba-ka), 5) 4615v: (Dia!kwain, 26 April) terms for the pouring of liquid into things, 6) pp.4616v & 4617v: see The lion's dream: the lion has the ability to make things obey its will; the people do not understand the lion's actions because it is a beast of prey, 8) p.4618 opp: a note on |xam terms used for driving things: wild game (||gamma-sse) and tame things (sswai), 9) See also The children taught to use another name for the lion, 10) This story is found in Books V-8 and V-9
Contributors
Date
11 April 1875 (started)
Categories
History (personal), Custom and daily life
Keywords
hunting (methods) , hunting (observances) , hunting (avoidance behaviour relating to) , hunting (obstinate game) , hunting (-stories) , hunting (lessons about) , hunting (and the actions of the game) , hunting (and deceitful game) , hunting (and the game that takes hunters to their deaths) , hunting (and Xwerri-kau's story) , hunting (and what parts of game should not be eaten by children) , hunting (and education about the hunting-ground's doings) , teaching (and Xwerri-kau's story) , teaching (and eating certain parts of the game) , teaching (children about what they can eat) , teaching (about hunting) , teaching (the actions of the game) , teaching (Xwerri-kau was badly brought up) , teaching (about the hunting-ground and its doings) , lion (and what parts of game should not be eaten by little children) , lion (its dream) , lion (has premonitions) , lion (is a beast of prey) , lion (the nature and habits of) , lion (and the game that takes hunters to their deaths) , lion (and Xwerri-kau) , lion (and what Xwerri-kau ate as a child) , food (what parts of game should not be eaten by children) , food (avoidances and lions) , food (and teaching children about what they can eat) , food (children must not eat the backbone of things) , food (and Xwerri-kau's story) , beast of prey (and Xwerri-kau's story) , beast of prey (actions of) , beast of prey (lion is) , beast of prey (and the actions of the game) , beast of prey (what parts of game should not be eaten by children) , beast of prey (and the game that takes hunters to their deaths) , education (and Xwerri-kau's story) , education (Xwerri-kau was badly brought up) , education (of the hunting-ground's doings) , education (and eating certain parts of the game) , education (children about what they can eat) , education (about hunting) , education (the actions of the game) , death (and the game that takes hunters to their deaths) , death (and Xwerri-kau's story) , death (game 'knows' people's deaths) , death (and lions) , death (and beasts of prey) , death (on the hunting ground) , children (must not eat the backbone of things) , children (the consequences of their not avoiding certain foods) , children (and Xwerri-kau's story) , children (what they can eat) , children (what they must avoid) , children (and lions) , children (their education) , children (are taught the hunting-ground's doings) , Xwerri-kau (was badly brought up) , Xwerri-kau (the healing of) , Xwerri-kau (his Dutch name was Oud Jantje Leeuw Stert) , Xwerri-kau (kicks the lion between the legs) , Xwerri-kau (his story) , Xwerri-kau (and the game that takes hunters to their deaths) , Xwerri-kau (ate a backbone as a child) , Xwerri-kau (his personal history) , game (and death) , game ('knows' people's deaths) , game (methods of hunting) , game (is a wild thing) , game (and Xwerri-kau's story) , game (that takes hunters to their deaths) , game (and the beasts of prey) , game (obstinate) , game (when to leave it alone) , game (the nature and habits of) , game (and the quagga pursued by Xwerri-kau) , prohibitions (and eating certain parts of the game) , prohibitions (what children should avoid eating) , dream (of the lion) , dream (and Xwerri-kau's story) , dream (lions dream and have premonitions) , hunting-ground (information about) , hunting-ground (its doings) , hunting-ground (the actions of game and beasts of prey) , hunting-ground (the actions of lions) , hunting-ground (and Xwerri-kau's story) , hunting-ground (and things that take hunters to their deaths) , hunting-ground (and what parts of game should not be eaten by children) , hunting-ground (education of children about) , hunting-ground (and food avoidances) , hunting-ground (and prohibitions) , name (Xwerri-kau's Dutch name was Oud Jantje Leeuw Stert) , healing (and Xwerri-kau's story) , healing (of Xwerri-kau, attacked by a lion on the hunting-ground) , personal history (of Xwerri-kau, attacked by a lion) , personal history (Xwerri-kau's story) , quagga (and Xwerri-kau's story) , quagga (Xwerri-kau was pursuing when a lion attacked him) , premonition (and the lion's dream) , premonition (and Xwerri-kau's story) , premonition (lions dream and have premonitions)
Story Pages
4574-4617 1/2, 4618
