The Gazelle and the Leopard:
Did not make any sense to me, it went back and forth and I read it several times. Couldn't make heads or tails of if the leopard was careless or the gazelle.
The Fetish Sunga:
This was a story about a greedy man who managed to catch many fish, but refused to share with his relatives. The fetish Sunga heard of this and asked one of her servants to bring the man. Once he was there, she laid out a large feast and wine. But he was afraid to eat and said that the smell alone had satisfied him. The fetish Sunga pressed him further and he finally drank all the wine. Then she made him speechless. From that day on he had to request everything by sign.
Reading Diary A:
How the Wives Restored Their Husband to Life:
This was a very interesting story. He told of a man, Nenpetro, who had 3 wives. Each of his wives had a special gift. The the wives and their gifts included: Songa'Nzila - The Guide, Ndoza'Ntu - The Dreamer, and Fulla Fulla - The Raiser of the Dead. These wives were ceaselessly hungry and Nenpetro went out to hunt for them. On his final hunt, he was killed by an Ox. Ndoza'Ntu dreamt he was dead, Songa'Nzila guided them to his body, and Fulla Fulla brought him back to life. Once Fulla Fulla had brought him back from the dead, they all prepared meals for him. They wondered whose home Nenpetro would visit first. They made him choose by which meal he at from first. Nenpetro said that while Ndoza'Ntu had dreamed where he was and Songa'Nzila had guided them to him, it was Fulla Fulla who gave him life. Therefore, he ate from her pot.
The Jealous Wife:
This story was really good too, but very sad. A man had two wives, one younger and one older, and each of his wives had a child. The husband had gone into the bush to trade and he bid his wives to take good care of the children while he was gone. The older wife was jealous of the younger wife's son because he was smarter and more clever, so she plotted to murder the child in it's sleep. She crept to the place where the child usually slept and stabbed him. The other child ran and took refuge at a neighbor's. The next morning the wife went to "admire her handiwork" and discovered that she had murdered her own child. She picked up her dead child and ran into the bush. The husband and neighbors went out to search for her and finally found her singing to and rocking the child. They took her prisoner and poisoned her and scattered her ashes to the winds.
The Wicked Husband:
Ok, I'm noticing a theme here. I'm liking the gory stories. I'm weird, right?
In this story, a husband and wife are fighting about pine nuts. The husband says she uses too much and the wife explains she has given it to relatives whom she cannot refuse. The husband acts like an ass and drags her into the forest to help him with the pine nuts. Then, once in the forest, he places her on a table he had made and cut off her arms and legs. Then he left her there. The prince eventually heard of this and brought the woman to him, where she died upon arrival. The prince accused the husband of the crime and sentenced him to die. So, he placed the husband underneath his dead wife and placed them both on the fire!
--what a way to go!!! He so deserved it though...grumpy-butt!
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| Women of the Congo, 1885 |
Bibliography:
How the Wives Restored Their Husband to Life. Web Source: Wives Restore Husband
Reading Unit: Tales from the Congo. Web Source: Stories from the Congo
Image: Women of the Congo, 1885. Web Source: Women of the Congo
The Wicked Husband. Web Source: Wicked Husband
The Gazelle and the Leopard. Web Source: Gazelle & Leopard
The Fetish Sunga. Web Source: Fetish Sunga
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