IIIa. Other Myths.

Specimens of Bushman Folklore, by W.H.I. Bleek and L.C. Lloyd, [1911], at sacred-texts.com

The (son of the) Wind was formerly still. And he rolled[1] (a ball) to !na-ka-ti. He exclaimed: "O !na-ka-ti! There it goes!" And!na-ka-ti exclaimed: "O comrade! There it goes!" because inq-ka-ti felt that he did not know his (the other one's) name. Therefore, !na-ka-ti said: "O comrade! There it goes!" He who was the wind, he was the one who said: "O !na-ka-ti! There it goes!

Therefore, !na-ka-ti 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,

[1. Rolled (a ball of) ||kuarri to him. I think that it must have been ||kuarri; for, ||kuarri is that with which we are rolling (a ball): when we wish to aim, seeing ourselves, whether a man aims better than the other people. Therefore, we are rolling (a ball) with ||kuarri.

||kuarri is found in our country. They stand in numbers around. Therefore, the porcupine eats them. We do not eat them; for they are poison.

2. The name !na-ka-ti |hang#kass'o was unable to explain. He thinks that it must have been given by the parents, as !na-ka-ti was still a child. He further stated that the word !na is the name of an insect which resembles the locust. It is large, and also resembles the Acridium ruficorne. It is red. It affects the eyes of the Bushmen. Their eyes become closed and they writhe with pain on account of the burning caused by this insect.]

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;[1] that father may first strongly shelter the hut.[2] 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 (!na-ka-ti) again, he went to his mother, he again, he went to question his mother about the other one's name.

And his mother exclaimed: "|erriten-!kuang-!kuang" it is; !gau-!gaubu-ti it is. He is |erriten-!kunag-!kunag; he is !gau-!gaubu-ti, he is |erriten-!kuang-!kuang."

Therefore, !na-ka-ti 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, !na-ka-ti went on account of it; they went to roll (the ball) there, while the other was

[1. They had a hut . . . the hut was small. They probably had a mat hut.

2. That is, make a strong screen of bushes for the mat hut.]

the one who uttered his (!na-ka-ti's) name. While he (!na-ka-ti) 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 |erriten-!kuang-!kuang! There it goes !gau-!gaubu-ti! 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.[1] 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 [2] (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

[1. A depression in the ground, sometimes dry, sometimes covered with coarse grass and rushes, and sometimes filled with water.

2. Her hut remained standing, while it felt that they themselves were wind.]

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,[1] at the springbok at this place."

[1. Literally, "having put in the sun."]