Where Animals Talk; West African Folk Lore Tales/Part 2/Tale 24.2
Origin of the Ivory Trade (2nd Version)
Persons
King Njambu, and His Four Wives
Ngwe-Konde (Mother-of-Queens)
Ngwĕ-Legĕ (Mother-of-Poverty)
Ivenga (Watching); Ngwe-Sape (Mother of a Lock)
Njambu's Son, Savulaka (Gluttony)
The Spirit of an Uncle; Mekuku (Spirits of the Dead)
A Magic Spear; A Great Elephant (A Metamorphosed Man)
Birds, and Other Beasts
Njambu built a town; and married four women. This one, Ngwe-Konde, that one Ngwe-Leĕgĕ, another one Ivenga, another Ngwe-Sape.
After Njambu had lived there a short time all his wives were about to become mothers. Then Ngwe-konde took a net, and (by Magic Art) threw it into the womb of Ngwe-lĕge. The net entered the belly of her child.
At the time of their confinement, they all gave birth. The infants were washed. They were dressed also, and were given suck. Also, they were assigned their names. That of Ngwe-lĕgĕ's was Savulaka. When he was given the breast, he was not satisfied, he was only crying and crying; for, whoever held him, there were only cries and cries. When his mother would nurse him, there was only crying. His father said, "If it is like this, then, lest he die, feed him the food of adults."
His mother cut down a plantain bunch; she boiled it; it was cooked. The child ate, and finished the plantains; and yet it was crying and crying. They cut down another bunch; it was boiled, it was cooked. At only one eating, he finished the food, with cries in his mouth. Two more bunches were boiled; he ate. All at once, though born only that day, he spoke, "My mother! Hunger!" Four bunches were cut down; they were cooked; he ate, and finished them, but with crying.
Then he was cooked for ten times; he ate; and at once finished. The people cooked, and he ate. The plantains of his father's town were all cleared off, the entire town was left like a prairie. The father spoke to the mother, and said, "No! go away with him to your father's town."
Ngwe-lĕgĕ picked up her child, carrying him away. She with the child went on, to the town of her father.
Her father asked her, "My child! wherefore the crying, and your carrying the infant?" She replied, "My father! I know not! This one whom you see, since he was born, is not filled. He has made an end to all the plantains of his father's town, leaving the town a prairie. And his father said to me, 'Just go and take him to your father's.' So, I have brought him."
The towns-people all were laughing, "Kyĕ! kyĕ! kyĕ!" They said, "What? Really, food? No! it's something else, not food. But, enter into the house." She says, "You are talking foolishly." The child began to cry. They said, "Let us see!"
Then, at once, they began to cook; the food is ready; he eats; and finishes it. Other food was placed; he ate it at once. Food was cooked again. At once, all of it, and the dishes, and the jars, and the plates, were swallowed up by him. Food is cooked again, and he ate; and then said, "My mother! Hunger!" Food is cooked again; he ate until he finished all the pots. All the food of the town, and all the gardens were done.
Her father spoke to her saying, "My child! Just carry him to the town of your grandfather."
She then carried the child, still crying with hunger, and made her journey, and came to her grandfather's town.
The people there said, "What is it; for the crying?" She told all the whole affair to them. They inquired, "Food?" She replied, "Yes." They cooked, and he ate, and finished. They cooked again; and he finished all, even to the leaves in which the food was wrapped. They said, "Such a kind of child has never been born before!"
Suddenly, the child Savulaka ceased to be a child; and, as a man, said to his mother, "My mother! Wash me some mekima (rolls of mashed boiled plantains)." So, his mother made the mekima.In the morning, very early, Savulaka starts on a journey. He went stepping very quickly, on, still with his journey; and, as he went, he talked to himself. He said, "This thing which has been done to me, now, what is it?" He still went on with the journey, until, at night, he lay down in the forest. Early in the morning, he starts again for his journey. As he was going in the forest he met with a Person (a brother of his mother, who belonged to a town of the Mekuku). This Person inquired, "Where are you going to?" (Savulaka was still eating the mekima, even its leaves going into his mouth.) This Person also said to him, "Stop at once!" Then he stood still.
The Person said, "I, your Uncle, the brother of your mother, am the one who is inquiring of you." Savulaka answered him, saying, "I'm not able to tell you." But presently he did tell all the matter to him. So, the Uncle said to him, "Come, to my town."
Then both of them returned on the path. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, they are at the town. The Uncle said, "My child, you are cured!" He put for him a medicine in a syringe, and gave him an injection. When he withdrew the syringe, here, at once, a net began to come out quick as ever it could move from the bowels! Then his Uncle spoke and told him, "It is thy father's wife who put the net into your bowels."
Food was cooked for him; he began to eat a little as people usually eat. His Uncle said unto him, "You shall go tomorrow."
On the morrow, early in the morning, his Uncle took all kinds and sorts of vegetables; and he took also a Spear; and malagetta pepper ("Guinea-grains," a species of cardomom), and handed them to him; and told him, "When you reach home, you must plant a garden."
The Uncle said to him, "Close your eyes!" He closed his eyes tight. On opening his eyes, he at once found himself near his home, and his mother on the path, her form bent stooping down seeking for him. He then entered their house, and sat down, and his mother greeted him to her satisfaction.
The mother took food, and boiled it; it was cooked; she removed it from the fire; she sat the food before Savulaka. And he ate only two fingers of plantains. His mother began to wonder.
Then he said to himself, "Now, let me try to do as my Uncle has told me." He said, "Ngalo! (a fetish charm) I want this forest here to be cleared, all of it." (As quickly as I speak here, at once the garden was finished, like the passing of yesterday.) He said to his mother, "Take a list of all the plants I have brought; then let us go and plant them." So, he and his mother went to plant; that very day the garden was completely finished.
Previously to that, his Uncle had warned him, "When the plants are sprung up, you will see Kĕnĕnĕ (a kind of small bird) coming to eat them. When they shall arrive, they will be many. Then you take the Spear; fail not to use the cardomoms with it."
The food increased; and the small birds came in countless numbers. Savulaka took up the Spear, and threw it at them; and all, even to the young birds, perished. Then he returned to his mother, and said, "My mother! go and pick up the sĕlĕ" (another name of kĕnĕnĕ). She gathered them; leaving many remaining abandoned in the forest. The village was filled with the sĕlĕ.
The same thing happened with all other kinds of birds. The same with every Beast.
Then Elephants came to the garden. The man picked up the Spear and the cardomoms. When he came to the garden, he lifted up the Spear, and threw it, and wounded the Elephants. Numbers of Elephants that were eating in the garden, were killed. They were gathered, and the whole village was filled with the smell of the rotting meat; so that hardly any one would come to the village. I am not able to tell you the abundance of tusks; the mendanda (long ones), and the makubu (short thick ones), and the begĕgĕ ("scrivillers," the small ones), that cannot be counted.
The next morning, other elephants came again. The man took up the Spear, but he forgot the cardomom-pepper. When he arrived where they were, he did not wait, but hastily threw the Spear after an elephant, the leader of the herd, who turned aside, and ran away with the Spear in its body. The man followed him, but he did not reach him. Then he reurned to his mother; and said to her, "My mother! mash me some mekima." (Food for a journey.)
In the next morning, the man started on the journey, stepping quickly as ever, until he came to his Uncle's town. He was about to pass his Uncle by, not seeing him (a Spirit). The Uncle said to him, "Stand there!" So he stood. The Uncle directed, "Enter the house!" He entered, and sat down; and his Uncle said to him, "Did I not tell you that when you are going to kill an animal, you must not omit the pepper-grains? Sit down there; wait. Don't you go out. I must go and take for you your Spear."
But, lo! it was the Chief of that very town, whom he had wounded, and who had come back to the town, and died. (That chief had metamorphosed himself into the form of an elephant.) The uncle passed out, and went to the other end of the town; and there he found the Spear. He took it, and gave it to Savulaka, and said, "Go!" Savulaka went; and met his mother on the way, waiting for him. Then they went home to their village.
Next morning, he fastened the Spear handle. Elephants in the plantation shouted, "We have come!" The man stood up, and snatched his Spear. The Elephants stood waiting. The man said, "Here it is!" and flung it at them. And the carcasses of all fell in a heap. He said to the people of the village, "Go ye!" They went, and found dead bodies without number; the tusks the same, without number.
After that, White-Man came with a quantity of goods. The Town of Savulaka was crowded with goods in abundance; every kind of foreign article. White men came to see Ivory. The sailing-vessels and steamers came any day (not only on scheduled dates). Thus it was that Ivory was exported, and goods imported. Business of Trading was made. Savulaka had a great many traders. All his father's brothers, and mother's brothers, all their dwelling was in the town of Savulaka. Rum was drunk constantly, and they were constantly intoxicated. Ivory went to White Man's Land. White men's things came, and were sent up to the Interior.
This Trade is going on to the present days. It was a man who commenced with the thought of Trading; it was commenced by that one man. All the African tribes are now changed from what they were originally.
At first we negroes had no (proper) knowledge. They spoke with wonder over the things that are made in Europe by white men. They said, "These are made by the Spirits of the dead; they are not made by the living." Because our people believed that the departed spirits have their home beyond the Sea. Why? Because Savulaka brought his wonderful Spear (by which so much ivory was obtained) from the Spirit-Town.