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Ohunguriva norukoze Hen and Eagle

Written by Ann Nduku

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Angelika Tjoutuku & Asnath Mundjindjiri

Language Herero

Level Level 3

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Rukuru tjinene, Hunguriva na Rukoze va ri omapanga. Ovo aave hupu pamwe mohange pu na ozonḓera zarwe. Azehe tjandje kaaze tuka.

Once upon a time, Hen and Eagle were friends. They lived in peace with all the other birds. None of them could fly.


Eyuva rimwe, tjandje mehi mwa ri ourumbu tjinene. Rukoze otjaa kaenda kokure tjinene okukatjinga ovikurya. Eye aa yaruka a urwa tjinene. “Mape sokukara omuano omupupu wokukaenda omukato omure!” eye wa tjere.

One day, there was famine in the land. Eagle had to walk very far to find food. She came back very tired. “There must be an easier way to travel!” said Eagle.


Tji va za nokusuva nawa uṱuku, Hunguriva wa ri nondunge ombaera. Eye wa uta okuwonga omainya ayehe nga poka kozonḓera zarwe omapanga wavo. “Ngatu ye yatate kumwe kombanda yomainya inga owetu oveni,” eye wa tjere. “Ngahino mape tjiti kutja okuwondja omukato omure ku rire okupupu.”

After a good night’s sleep, Hen had a brilliant idea. She began collecting the fallen feathers from all their bird friends. “Let’s sew them together on top of our own feathers,” she said. “Perhaps that will make it easier to travel.”


Rukoze erike ongwa ri nonane motjirongo, okutja arire ngwa tenge po okuyatata. Eye we riyatatera epanda rovivava oviwa na tuka kombanda ya Hunguriva. Hunguriva arire tja yazema indji onane nu tjimanga a urisiwa i okuyatata. Eye wa isire indji onane kombanda yotjikesa na i kokombeisa okukaṱunina ovanatje ve ovikurya.

Eagle was the only one in the village with a needle, so she started sewing first. She made herself a pair of beautiful wings and flew high above Hen. Hen borrowed the needle but she soon got tired of sewing. She left the needle on the cupboard and went into the kitchen to prepare food for her children.


Nungwari ozonḓera inḓa ozarwe za munine Rukoze tji ma tuka okuyenda. Ozo za ningirire Hunguriva okuzeyazema onane kutja wina ze riyatatere ovivava. Tjimanga pa karere nozonḓera ozengi nḓu maze tuka apehe meyuru.

But the other birds had seen Eagle flying away. They asked Hen to lend them the needle to make wings for themselves too. Soon there were birds flying all over the sky.


Okutja onḓera indji osenina tji ya kotora onane ndji za yazemene, Hunguriva kapa ri. Ounatje otji wa kambura indji onane nu au utu okunyandisa. Ehore tji ra kuhu, owo au isa indji onane meheke.

When the last bird returned the borrowed needle, Hen was not there. So her children took the needle and started playing with it. When they got tired of the game, they left the needle in the sand.


Kombunda mapeta Rukoze otja kotokere. Eye wa pura kutja onane ye i ri pi ma ṱune na yo omainya tjiva nga harahara mouyenda we. Hunguriva wa tara potjikesa. Eye wa katara mokombeisa. Eye wa katara morupanda. Nungwari indji onane kaya ri po.

Later that afternoon, Eagle returned. She asked for the needle to fix some feathers that had loosened on her journey. Hen looked on the cupboard. She looked in the kitchen. She looked in the yard. But the needle was nowhere to be found.


“Arikana ndji pa eyuva rimwe uriri,” Hunguriva we rihekere. “Kuzamba u ṱune ovivava vyoye nu u tuke rukwao okukapaha ovikurya.” “Eyuva rimwe uriri,” Rukoze wa zirire. “Tji u ha munine onane yandje okutja mo ndji pe okazerona koye kemwe otja otjisuta.

“Just give me a day,” Hen begged Eagle. “Then you can fix your wing and fly away to get food again.” “Just one more day,” said Eagle. “If you can’t find the needle, you’ll have to give me one of your chicks as payment.”


Rukoze tja kotoka eyuva indi orarwe, wa vaza Hunguriva ama para ehi, okupaha onane, nungwari indji onane kaya ri po. Rukoze otja rauka tjimanga pehi na hakana kemwe kouzerona. Eye we ke twara. Okuzambo ngamba Rukoze tji me ya mbo, aa vaza Hunguriva ama para ehi okupaha onane.

When Eagle came the next day, she found Hen scratching in the sand, but no needle. So Eagle flew down very fast and caught one of the chicks. She carried it away. Forever after that, whenever Eagle appears, she finds Hen scratching in the sand for the needle.


Otjizire tja Rukoze tji tja takauka pehi, Hunguriva u rakiza ouzerona we. “Virukee porutjandja mbo.” Nu owo au pimbi: “Eṱe kaweṱe omayova. Matu tupuka.”

As the shadow of Eagle’s wing falls on the ground, Hen warns her chicks. “Get out of the bare and dry land.” And they respond: “We are not fools. We will run.”


Written by: Ann Nduku
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Angelika Tjoutuku & Asnath Mundjindjiri
Language: Herero
Level: Level 3
Source: Hen and Eagle from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
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