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Ondjuhwa nOntsa Hen and Eagle

Written by Ann Nduku

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Rachel Nandjembo

Read by Rachel Nandjembo

Language Ndonga

Level Level 3

Narrate full story

Reading speed

Autoplay story


Nale nale ondjuhwa nontsa oya li ookuume. Oya li ye na ombili nonoondhila oonkwawo wo. Kapwa li ondhila yi shi okutuka nando.

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


Omvula yimwe, moshilongo omwe ya uulumbu. Kakodhi okwa li ha ende iinano iile a ka konge iikulya. Oha galuka ihe a vulwa noonkondo. “Opu na ngaa okukala pu na omukalo omupu gwokweenda!” ontsa osho yi ipopile.

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.


Ongula sho kwa shi ayehe ya vululukwa nawa, ondjuhwa oya eta po ondunge ombwanawa. Oya gongele omalwenya agehe ngoka ga li gwa koondhila oonkwawo. Oya lombwele ookuume kayo ya ti: “Natu hondjeleni omalwenya ngaka kombanda yaangoka ge li komalutu getu, ngiika otashi ka ningitha okweenda kwetu ku kale okupu.”

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.”


Ntsa oye awike a li e na onane momukunda aguhe. Oye a tameke tango okwiihondjela omawawa. Okwi ihondjele omawawa omawanawa. Okwa tameke ihe ta tuka pombanda e vule yalwe. Ondjuhwa oyi indile onane opo yi hondje wo omawawa gayo, ihe oya si mbala uunye. Oya tsilike onane kombanda yosikopa e tayi yi kelugo yi ka telekele uuyuhwena wayo.

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.


Oondhila oonkwawo odha mono nkene ontsa tayi tuka muule. Oya pula ondjuhwa yi ya pe onane yi ihondjele wo omawawa. Mbala mbala mewangandjo omwa li mu udha oondhila tadhi tuka.

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.


Ondhila yahugunina sho ya galula andola onane, ondjuhwa inayi adhika po. Uuyuhwena owa mono onane nowa tameke oku yi dhana. Sho wa vulwa okudhana owa thigi owala onane mevi moka e tawu yi.

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.


Komatango ontsa oya galuka. Oya pula onane opo yi ninge nawa omawawa ngoka ga li ga humunuka mo sho ya li molweendo. Ndjuhwa okwa tala pombanda yosikopa. Ta tala melugo, okwa tala mehalandjandja, ihe ina mona mo onane.

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.


“Pe ndje ngaa esiku limwe ndi konge natango, oto vulu ihe okuhondja omawawa goye e to ka konga ishewe iikulya yoye” ondjuhwa tayi indile. “Esiku limwe alike tandi ku pe!” ontsa tayi yamukula. “Nongele ino yi mona oto pe ndje ofuto yokanona koye kamwe ndi ka lye po.

“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.”


Ontsa sho ya galuka esiku lya landula, oya adha ondjuhwa yi ipyakidhila natango nokuhadha mevi, ihe onane inayi monika. Oya tuka neendelelo e tayi yakula po okayuhwena kamwe e tayi yi nako. Okuza tuu kesiku ndyoka ontsa aluhe ohayi adha ondjuhwa tayi hadha onane mevi.

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.


Shampa ondjuhwa ya mono omuzizimba gwontsa pevi, ohayi londodha uuyuhwena wayo tayi ti: “Zii po pevi ndyoka ekukutu nolyaa na sha.” Wo ohawu yamukula nee tawu ti: “Tse katu shi aagoya otatu fadhuka po.”

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: Rachel Nandjembo
Read by: Rachel Nandjembo
Language: Ndonga
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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