IIIa. Other Myths

The Son of the Wind

The (son of the) Wind was formerly still. And he rolled * (a ball) to ǃná-ka-tí. He exclaimed: “O ǃná-ka-tí! There it goes!” And ǃná-ka-tí exclaimed: “O comrade! There it goes!’ because ǃná-ka-tí felt that he did not know his (the other one’s) name. Therefore, ǃná-ka-tí said: “O comrade! There it goes!” He who was the wind, he was the one who said: “O ǃná-ka-tí! There it goes!”

Therefore, ǃná-ka-tí went to question his mother about the other one’s name. He exclaimed: “O our mother! Utter for me comrade who is yonder, his name; for, comrade utters my name; I do not utter comrade’s name. I would also utter comrade’s name, when I am rolling (the ball) to him. For, I do not utter comrade’s name; I would also utter his name, when I roll (the ball) to him.” Therefore, his mother exclaimed: “I will not utter to thee comrade’s name. For, thou shalt wait; that father may first shelter for us the hut;* that father may first strongly shelter the hut.† And then I will utter for thee comrade’s name. And thou shalt, when I have uttered for thee comrade’s name, thou must, when I am the one who has uttered for thee comrade’s name, thou must, when I have uttered for thee comrade’s name, thou must scamper away, thou must run home, that thou mayest come into the hut, whilst thou dost feel that the wind would blow thee away.”

Therefore, the child went; they (the two children) went to roll (the ball) there. Therefore, he (ǃná-ka-tí) again, he went to his mother, he again, he went to question his mother about the other one’s name.

And his mother exclaimed: “ǀérriten-ǀkuań-ǀkuań it is; ǃgáu-ǃgáubu-tí it is. He is ǀérriten-ǀkuań-ǀkuań; he is ǃgáu-ǃgáubu-tī, he is ǀérriten-ǀkuań-ǀkuań.”

Therefore, ǃná-ka-tí went on account of it. He went to roll (the ball) there, while he did not utter the other one’s name, while he felt that his mother was the one who had thus spoken to him. She said: ‘Thou must not, at first, utter comrade’s name. Thou must, at first, be silent, even if comrade be the one who is uttering thy name. Therefore, thou shalt, when thou hast uttered comrade’s name, thou must run home, while thou dost feel that the wind would blow thee away.”

Therefore, ǃná-ka-tí went on account of it; they went to roll (the ball) there, while the other was the one who uttered his (ǃná-ka-tí’s) name. While he (ǃná-ka-tí) felt that he wished that his father should first finish making the shelter for the hut. And (when) he saw that his father sat down, then he would, afterwards, utter the other one’s name, when he beheld that his father had finished sheltering the hut.

Therefore, when he beheld that his father had finished sheltering the hut, then he exclaimed: “There it goes! O ǀérriten-ǀkuań-ǀkuań! There it goes! O ǃgáu-ǃgáubu-tí! There it goes!” And he scampered away, he ran home; while the other one began to lean over, and the other one fell down. He lay kicking violently upon the vlei.* Therefore, the people’s huts vanished away, the wind blew, breaking their (sheltering) bushes, together with the huts, while the people could not see for the dust. Therefore, his (the wind’s) mother came out of the hut t† (i.e. of the wind’s hut); his mother came, grasping (him), to raise him up; his mother, grasping (him), set him on his feet. And he was unwilling, (and) wanted to lie still. His mother, taking hold (of him), set him on his feet. Therefore, the wind became still; while the wind had, at first, while he lay, caused the dust to rise.

Therefore, we who are Bushmen, we are wont to say: ‘The wind seems to be lying down, for, it does not gently blow (i.e. it blows strongly). For, when it stands (upright), then it is still, when it stands; for, it seems to be lying down, when it does in this manner. Its knee is that which makes a noise, when it lies down; for its knee does sound. I had wished that it might gently blow for us, that we might go out, that we might ascend the place yonder, that we might behold the river bed yonder standing behind (the hill). For, we have driven away the springbok from this place. Therefore , the springbok have gone to yonder (dry) river bed standing behind (the hill). For, we have not a little shot the springbok at this place; for, we have shot, letting the sun set,* at the springbok at this place.”

The Wind

The Wind † (i.e. the Wind’s son) was formerly a man. He became a bird. And he was flying, while he no longer walked, as he used to do; for, he was flying, and he dwelt in the mountain (that is, in a mountain hole). Therefore, he was flying. He was formerly a man. Therefore, he was formerly rolling (a ball); he was shooting; while he felt that he was a person. He became a bird; and he was flying, and he dwelt in a mountain’s hole. And he was coming out of it, he flew about, and he returned to it. And he came to sleep in it; and, he early awaking goes out of it; he flies away, again, he flies away. And he again returns, while he feels that he has sought food. And he eats, about, about, about, about, he again returns. And he, again, comes to sleep (in) it.

[That this curious belief, that the wind now wears the form of a bird, was even lately in active existence among the Bushmen, the following will suffice to show:—

Smoke’s Man* was the one who formerly spoke to me about the wind, when he was still living with his master, Jacob Kotzé.† He said that the place at which he had seen the wind was Haarfontein; ‡ while its Bushman name is ǂkŏăχă; while its name (by) which the Europeans call it, is Haarfontein.

Smoke’s Man espied the wind at Haarfontein’s mountain. Therefore, he was throwing a stone at the wind, while he believed (it) to be a ǃkuerreǃkuerre (a certain bird). And the wind burst on account of it. Therefore, the wind did not blow gently; the wind raised the dust, because he had thrown a stone at the wind. The wind raised the dust, while the wind flew away. The wind went into a mountain’s hole, and the wind burst; the wind did not gently blow. oO

And he (Smoke’s Man), being afraid, went home; he went to sit under the hut’s bushes,§ while he

mat hut. did not look to the sheep. The sheep* by themselves, the sheep returning came, while he sat under the (hut’s) bushes; while he felt that he did not perceive the sheep on- account of the dust. Therefore, he went to sit under the (hut’s) bushes, while he desired that the dust should settle for him, he sat under the (hut’s) bushes, sat close under the hut’s sheltering bushes, while he felt that he sat warming himself; while he felt that the place was cold. Therefore, he sat under the (hut’s) bushes, while he felt that he sat warming himself. And he afterwards arose, he drove bringing the sheep t to the kraal, while he felt that the sun had set. Therefore he again, he went to sit under the (hut’s) bushes, while he wished that his mother should be the one to bring him food. Therefore, he came to sit under the (hut’s) bushes, when he had brought the sheep to the kraal. He went to sit under the hut’s bushes, while his mother who worked there,§ she would be the one to bring him food. Therefore, he sat under the (hut’s) bushes, while he desired that he might lie down.

Therefore, his mother worked (and) worked, his mother brought him food. Therefore, he ate up this little food, he lay down; while he felt that the Bastaards are not accustomed to give food liberally. “Silla” was the one who gave food liberally, Jacob Kotzé’s wife, while she felt that she was a Bushman (woman); she speaks the Bushman (language). We used, being satisfied, to leave the food which she gave to us. I used to live with her (i.e. at her place). Silla (and) Jacob Kotzé, they are those with whom I used to live.

ǂKágára* and ǃHãunu, Who Fought Each Other with Lightning

They formerly, ǂkágára formerly went to fetch his younger sister, he went to take her away; he went to take her away from ǃhãunu †; and he took (her) back to her parents.

ǃhãunu gave chase to his brother-in-law, he passed along behind the hill.

The clouds came, clouds which were unequalled in beauty (lit. “clouds which not beautiful like them’); they vanished away.

ǂkágára said: ‡ “Thou must walk on.” His younger sister walked, carrying (a heavy burden of) things, (her) husband’s things. He (ǂkágára) said: “Thou must walk on; for, home is not near at hand.”

ǃhãunu passed along behind (the hill).

The clouds came, the clouds vanished away.

ǂkágára said: “Thou must walk on, for, thou art the one who dost see.” And he, because the house became near, he exclaimed: “Walk on! Walk on!” He waited for his younger sister; his younger sister came up to his side. He exclaimed: “What things * can these be, which thou dost heavily carry?”

Then ǃhãunu sneezed, on account of it;† blood poured out of his nostrils; he stealthily lightened at his brother-in-law. His brother-in-law fended him quickly off, † his brother-in-law also stealthily lightened at him. He quickly fended off his brotherin-law. His brother-in-law also lightened at him. He (ǂkágára) said: “Thou must come (and) walk close beside me; for, thou art the one who dost see that husband does not allow us time; for, he does not singly lighten.”

They (ǂkágára and ǃhãunu) went along angry with each other. ǃhãunu had intended that he should be the one lightening to whisk away ǂkágára. ǂkágára was one who was strong (li. “was not light”, or “did not feel light”), he continued to fend off his younger sister’s husband, ǃhãunu. His younger sister’s husband was also lightening at him; he was lightening at his brother-in-law. Then he stealthily lightened at his younger sister’s husband with black lightning,* he, lightening, whisked him up (and carried him to a little distance).

His younger sister’s husband, in this manner, lay dying; he, in this manner, he thundered,† while ǂkágára bound up his head J with the net, he, returning, arrived at home.

He went to lie down in the hut, while ǃhãunu lay thundering;§ he thundered there, ‘while ǂkágára went to lie down, when he had rubbed them (i.e. himself and his younger sister) with buchu,‖ buchu, buchu, buchu, he lay down.

Note by the Narrator

My grandmothers used to say: “‘ǂkágára and his companion are those who fight in the East, he and ǃhãunu.”

When the clouds were thick, and the clouds, when the clouds were thick, and the clouds were at this place, and the clouds resembled a mountain, then, the clouds were lightening, on account of it. And my grandmothers used to say: “It is ǂkágára, with ǃhãunu.”