Download PDF
Back to stories list

Etwizonyangwe lyomudimburuli gousi The Honeyguide's revenge

Written by Zulu folktale

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Alex Kasona

Language Kwangali

Level Level 4

Narrate full story The audio for this story is currently not available.


Eli esanseko lyaNgende, mudimburuli gousi namukwawo gomakurulya gedina Gingile. Ezuva limwe apa Gingile ga zire aka sane ta zuvhu ezigido lya Ngende. Mo kana kaGingile tamu zura mazeze komagazaro gousi. Ta sikama a purakene nawa, ta taratara dogoro ta mono yidira komutayi keguru lyomutwe gwendi. Tjiki - tjiki - tjiki kadiragona taka dimbi ako taka tukire kositji soku kwama ko nesi soku kwama ko. Tjiki- tjiki - tjiki , ta zigida. Poyiruwo yimwe tasi hageke si divilise nsene Gingile ta kwama.

This is the story of Ngede, the Honeyguide, and a greedy young man named Gingile. One day while Gingile was out hunting he heard the call of Ngede. Gingile’s mouth began to water at the thought of honey. He stopped and listened carefully, searching until he saw the bird in the branches above his head. “Chitik-chitik-chitik,” the little bird rattled, as he flew to the next tree, and the next. “Chitik, chitik, chitik,” he called, stopping from time to time to be sure that Gingile followed.


Konyima zo harufa zovili tava ya siki poukuzu wounene womowiza. Ngende ta mbatauka nepiyagano monomutayi. Makura taya sikama pomutayi gumwe ta pirukidisire mutwe gwendi kwa Gingile ngwendi asi ta tanta asi, ” wou apa! Wiza ngesi! Yinke yina ku ku kwatera siruwo?” Gingile kapi ga mwene mo nonyiki monda zositji, nye ga huguvarere Ngende.

After half an hour, they reached a huge wild fig tree. Ngede hopped about madly among the branches. He then settled on one branch and cocked his head at Gingile as if to say, “Here it is! Come now! What is taking you so long?” Gingile couldn’t see any bees from under the tree, but he trusted Ngede.


Makura Gingile ta tura egonga lyendi lyoku sanesa monda zositji, ta pongayike tutjigona toku kukuta ta hwameke kamundirogona. Makura apa mundiro gwa twerere nawa, ta tura sitji sosire soku kukuta pokatji komundiro. Sitji esi kwasi diva asi aso ku tutumuka musi gomunzi nsene tasi twera. Yipo ga varekere kuronda age ana si kwatesa nomazego kouhura wositji koutenda waso.

So Gingile put down his hunting spear under the tree, gathered some dry twigs and made a small fire. When the fire was burning well, he put a long dry stick into the heart of the fire. This wood was especially known to make lots of smoke while it burned. He began climbing, holding the cool end of the smoking stick in his teeth.


Karuwogona ta zuvhu muhagaro gononyiki omu dina ku yimbana. Da pwaga mo da hwilira mo morupako rositji momutayi da tungira mbara dazo. Apa Gingire ga sikire po mbara dazo, ta sindike mbara zononyiki nohuro zositji somusi morupako. Nonyiki ta di rupauka mo di pwage ne handu nerwameno. Tadi tuka di ze kwapeke, morwa nonyiki kapi da here musi, nye kapisi komeho zoku pa matendaguro gokuzuga Gingile!

Soon he could hear the loud buzzing of the busy bees. They were coming in and out of a hollow in the tree trunk – their hive. When Gingile reached the hive he pushed the smoking end of the stick into the hollow. The bees came rushing out, angry and mean. They flew away because they didn’t like the smoke – but not before they had given Gingile some painful stings!


Apa da tundire po nonyiki Gingile ta sindike ewoko lyendi mosikorogo sononyiki. Ta pwagesa mo ewoko lyendi lina zura evhonkwa lyousi, lina kundoka usi wouwa una zura magadi nomaginyonyiki gomazera. Makura ta tura evhonkwa lyousi mokandjato aka ga likambekere pe pepe lyendi, ta vareke ku humburuka ko sitji.

When the bees were out, Gingile pushed his hands into the nest. He took out handfuls of the heavy comb, dripping with rich honey and full of fat, white grubs. He put the comb carefully in the pouch he carried on his shoulder, and started to climb down the tree.


Ngede age kwa tarerere nayinye eyi ga rugene Gingile nomuncoko- ncoko. Age kwa mu ndindilire amu sigire ko rumpambu rwevhonkwa lyousi lyokuneta ngo mpandu zendi asi mudimburuligousi. Ngede ta pwerumuka tunda mutayi zende mutayi, kuhenya noku henya pevhu. Pouhura Gingile taya siki pevhu lyositji. Ngede ta tjokagura pemanya lya kere pepi nomumati a ndindire mfeto zendi.

Ngede eagerly watched everything that Gingile was doing. He was waiting for him to leave a fat piece of honeycomb as a thank-you offering to the Honeyguide. Ngede flittered from branch to branch, closer and closer to the ground. Finally Gingile reached the bottom of the tree. Ngede perched on a rock near the boy and waited for his reward.


Nye, Gingile ta dimisa mundiro, ta vareke ku genda a ze kembo, kwato sinka sosidira. Ngede ta zigiga nehandu, ” VIC-torr! VIC-torr!” Gingile ta sikama, ta tara kosidira gwina makura ta zoro unene. “Ono hara ko usi umwe, ono hara muholi? Ha! Nye nyamelike nina yirugana, nyame dina humu nonyiki. Morwasinke nani li gawinina ou usi woutovara nove?” Makura ta ka za. Ngende kwa handukire! Ngano kapisi yimo ana ku mu rugana ngesi! Nye nage nga twiza nyangwe.

But, Gingile put out the fire, picked up his spear and started walking home, ignoring the bird. Ngede called out angrily, “VIC-torr! VIC-torrr!” Gingile stopped, stared at the little bird and laughed aloud. “You want some honey, do you, my friend? Ha! But I did all the work, and got all the stings. Why should I share any of this lovely honey with you?” Then he walked off. Ngede was furious! This was no way to treat him! But he would get his revenge.


Ezuva limwe konyima zoyivike yongandi Gingile ta zuvhu hena ezigido lyousi wa Ngede. Ta diworoka usi worupekwa, makura ta kwama hena nedowo sidira. Konyima zoku pitisira Gingile oku waka hura wiza, Ngede ta sikama monda zositji somundwire somega. ” Ahh,” Na gazara asi Gingile . Mbara zononyiki kuvhura ku kara mositji esi. Ta genderere ku hwameka kamundiro kendi noku vareka kuronda, sitji somu si aso komazego gendi. Ngede ta hingire a tare.

One day several weeks later Gingile again heard the honey call of Ngede. He remembered the delicious honey, and eagerly followed the bird once again. After leading Gingile along the edge of the forest, Ngede stopped to rest in a great umbrella thorn. “Ahh,” thought Gingile. “The hive must be in this tree.” He quickly made his small fire and began to climb, the smoking branch in his teeth. Ngede sat and watched.


Gingile kwa rondere, nye ta tetuka asi morwsinke ana kupira kuzuvha ezogerero eli a zuvhu nkenyapa. “Nampo mbara kuna kara konhi unene zositji.” Ta gazara mwene. Ta lisindike mwene a ze keguru komutayi gumwe. Pevega lyoku mona mbara zononyiki, kwaya pahukira mosipara sangwe! Ngwe kwa handukire sili mokuya zonagwisa momudona nompofu dendi. Ta nunupike menho gendi ta zahameke kana kendi a monekese mazego gendi gomanene gomatwe.

Gingile climbed, wondering why he didn’t hear the usual buzzing. “Perhaps the hive is deep in the tree,” he thought to himself. He pulled himself up another branch. But instead of the hive, he was staring into the face of a leopard! Leopard was very angry at having her sleep so rudely interrupted. She narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth to reveal her very large and very sharp teeth.


Komenho zoku ninka asi ngwe ngano a nyangure po Gingile, Age ta genderere kutunda kositji. Moku genderera ta sekuna mutayi, ta gu mungunda gomunene pevhu ta songonyoka moncugu zompadi. Ta hunyangere usimbu paapa ga vhulira. Erago lyendi Ngwe kwakere asi simpe ha da mukwatera nompofu kapi ana kuvhura kumutjida. Ngede mudimburuliusi ga twizire nyangwe zendi. Ano Gingile ga lirongerere po.

Before Leopard could take a swipe at Gingile, he rushed down the tree. In his hurry he missed a branch, and landed with a heavy thud on the ground twisting his ankle. He hobbled off as fast as he could. Luckily for him, Leopard was still too sleepy to chase him. Ngede, the Honeyguide, had his revenge. And Gingile learned his lesson.


Ano makura, Apa vanona va Gingile vaya zuvhire esanseko lya Ngede, Tava ya kara nefumadeko lyo kadiragona. Nkenye apa ava zangura usi, vakona ku siga ko ruha rorunene rwe vhonkwa lyousi likare lyomudimburuli gousi!

And so, when the children of Gingile hear the story of Ngede they have respect for the little bird. Whenever they harvest honey, they make sure to leave the biggest part of the comb for Honeyguide!


Written by: Zulu folktale
Illustrated by: Wiehan de Jager
Translated by: Alex Kasona
Language: Kwangali
Level: Level 4
Source: The Honeyguide's revenge from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License.
Options
Back to stories list Download PDF