Are you wondering how monkeys came to be? And why jackal howls at the moon? Read traditional folk-tales from Zambia and find out, for example, why the sky is so high and that a different child can be really different.
Zambian folk-tales
How the Monkeys Come to Be
A long time ago, deep in the African jungle, there was a clearing where a particular tribe had built their huts and lived peacefully. In their midst were a skinny older man and his wife, a thin older woman. These two were always complaining of their hunger and poverty. Naturally, all the good neighbours took pity on them and often invited them to share a meal with them. However, whenever they visited a hut, they made it a point to steal something to keep for themselves.
Why the Jackal Howls at the Moon
Long, long ago, in the middle of a dark forest in the Congo, there lived a Jackal. He was big and strong, and all the other animals were afraid of him. At nightfall every evening, he would take his gold tipped bamboo spear and go out hunting.
One night, as he set out into the forest, the Moon, up in the sky, was watching him, as he hunted among the trees with his gold tipped spear. In a few hours' time, he had killed two Kudus and a wild Pig. The Moon became jealous of the Jackal's success and planned to steal the spear.
Why the Sky Is So High
According to an early Zambian belief, the sky was like a roof over the earth. It was so low that the people could reach and touch it. At certain places, it was even hanging down loose, like a mosquito net that we use over our bed at night.
The Gods and Spirits of our forefathers lived inside this sky, and they could always listen to the prayers, songs, chatter and squabbles taking place on Earth.
The sky was so low, that the people could talk to the Gods and get their wishes fulfilled immediately.
The Fourth Gourd of Cowrie
Chipila and Zongwe were friends. They lived in adjacent huts and owned adjacent pieces of land. They helped each other with the tilling, hoeing, sowing and reaping. They were such good friends, that people called them the Twin Gods.
A Different Baby
This story took place a long time ago, when strange things used to happen off and on. In those days a man and his wife lived in a country full of happy people. The couple had four healthy sons, but they yearned for a little daughter. When the wife was expecting their fifth child, they hoped it would be different this time, a girl child, for example. The man and his wife prayed day and night, repeating the same worlds, "Please, God, make it different this time, make it different this time."