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An eagle standing on a rock looking down at a hen.

Litende naLikangakodi Hen and Eagle

Written by Ann Nduku

Illustrated by Wiehan de Jager

Translated by Erwina N. Kanyenge

Language Rumanyo

Level Level 3

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A hen and an eagle jumping.

Kwa kalire shirugho shimwe,Litende naLikangakodi kwa kukwatire ukwavo. Vavo kwa tungire mumpora navidira navintje vyakuhupa ko. Navantje kundereko ogho katukango.

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


A tired-looking eagle sitting next to a bare tree.

Liyuva limwe, kwa kalire ndjara mumukunda wavo mukonda yarukukutu. Likangakodi mpo a yendire shinema shashire mposhi a kawane ndya. Aka vyuka uye ana roroka ngudu. “Pana hepa kukara ndjira yimwe yaureru kuyenda!” mo a ghambire Likangakodi.

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.


A hen surrounded by a variety of bird feathers.

Munyima yamatiku ghamawa a ralire nawa,Litende a kara nalighano lyaliwa ngudu. A tameke kutovaura a pongayike huki davidira dawiro kumarudi ghavidira navintje vyakaliro vaholi vavo. “Tudi hondje kumwe pawiru yahuki detu,” a ghamba Litende. “Walye ovi ngavi tu rerupitira kuyenda.”

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.”


An eagle with beautiful wings flying above a hen.

Likangakodi a huru pantjendi ti ndje a wekiro ntonga mumukunda naghuntje,makura a vareke kuhondja dendi pamuntango. Makura a kuhondjere mwene mavava maviri ghamawa makura a tuka pawiru yalitende. Litende a rombo ntonga ene ngoli rungashi tupu a kwatakwatire po makura a roroka kuhondja. Litende a shuvu ntonga pashimbangu a yendi mwa kuterekera a kawapayike ndya davana vendi.

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.


Lots of birds with beautiful wings flying.

Vidira vimwe vya monine Likangakodi uye kuna kukatuka aka yende. Avi rombo Litende avi pe ko ntonga navyo vika kuhondjere mavava ghavyo. Kunyima yakarughoghona aku kara vidira vina kutukaghano kuwiru.

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.


Three birds looking at a needle.

Shidira shahuliliro kuromba ntonga opo shaka yi vyutire, Litende lyalyo pato. Vana vaLitende ava vareke kudanita ntonga yinya. Opo va rorokire kuyi danita,ava yi shuvu ntonga mulivhu.

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.


An eagle sitting on a tree branch and a hen looking for something in her kitchen.

Munyima yashirugho kushitenguko shinya,Likangakodi ali ka vyuka. Ali pura Litende limu pe ntonga mposhi a wapeke huki dendi dashekeshiro muruyendo rwendi. Litende ali kenge pashimbangu. Ali kenge nka mundjugho yakuterekera. Ali kenge nka muliharango lyamundi. Ntonga kapi a vhulire kuyi wana litende.

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.


An eagle standing on a rock looking down at a hen.

“Mpeko tupu liyuva limwe,” Litende ali kanderere Likangakodi.” Makura ngaghu wapeke livava lyoye ntani ngaghu tuka ngau kashimbe ko nka ndya dimwe.” Liyuva limwe tupu nakukupa,” ali ghamba Likangakodi. “Nange kapi uyi wana ntonga una hepa kumpa shitjiyotjiyo shoye shimwe ngayi kare mfuto.

“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.”


A hen scratching in the sand and an eagle flying above.

Likangakodi opo lyaka yire liyuva lyakukwama ko,ali ya wana Litende lyalyo kuna kushada mulivhu,ene ngoli ntonga kapi lina yi wana. Likangakodi ali pupiri wangu-wangu nankondo-nkondo ali tjompora po umwe wavitjiyotjiyo. Ali twara pere. Shirugho nashintje munyima yavinya vyashorokiro,kehe pano lya monekanga Likangakodi,kuya wana Litende kuna kushada mumusheke li shane ntonga.

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.


The shadow of an eagle in the sand and three chicks running.

Tupu uya kutoghona mundundumba wamavava ghaLikangakodi palivhu,Litende nko kutantera vitjiyotjiyo vyalyo. “Tundenu paliharango lyamuporongwa lyalivhu lyakukukuta.” Vyavyo nko kulimburura ashi:”Atwe kapishi mavaya. Kutu yomona.”

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: Erwina N. Kanyenge
Language: Rumanyo
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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