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Pensa kwa kalire mukongo wamunene mumburundu nayintje yaKalahari. Ka ka yitanga kumundi vikorama vyakuneta kumwe nakurera nawa lipata lyendi. Pa kalire shidira shimwe, sha lidina Pam-Pam, osho ashanine kukwata Pensa. Huki dakumushira dashidira shino kwa wapilire unene kungumba dendi. Ngoli udito kwa kalire ngoghu ashi kapi a vhulire kutegha ndi kuroya Pam-Pam. Ngumba da Pensa kutuka kadi tukanga mumpepo yira shidira- ani ndi kwa vhulire tupu kukwata Pam-Pam nakudjupura ko marughunga ghasho ghakumushira!
Pensa was the best hunter in the whole Kalahari Desert. He brought home fat animals and fed his family well.
There was this bird, the Pam-Pam bird, which Pensa wanted to catch. The bird’s tail feathers were perfect for his arrows. The problem was, he could never manage to trap or shoot Pam-Pam.
Pensa’s arrows would fly through the air just like a bird - if only he could catch Pam-Pam and pull out his tail feathers!
Pensa makura ayendi kwa mukonentu umwe wamukafumu, nganga wavo. A ka pura ko mbatero. “Nakanderere nangwireko mwa kuvhura kukwata shidira shino Pam-Pam. Nashana ko maruhunga ghasho ni ka ture kuuta wande wankandja naku ngumba dande. Nke vyo ni vhura kurughana mposhi ngani shikwate?” Nganga nko kulimburura weno ashi, “Kayende uka vankede mundiro. Vimbumburu navintje opo vika duka mundiro ghoye, makura ove uka kwate po vyavididi po ngudu. Kateghe shiraha makura uka ture tumbumburu tuno munda yashiraha shoye. Vyavo kuvi ka dovaukita shidira shino Pam-Pam.”
Pensa went to the wise man, their healer. He asked for help. “Please guide me to catch the Pam-Pam bird. I need his feathers for my bow and arrows. What must do to catch him?”
The healer replied, “Go and make a fire. When all the insects run away from your fire, you must catch the smallest of them. Make a trap and place this little insect inside your trap. It will tempt the Pam-Pam bird.”
Pensa kapi avi yivire ashi nganga nashidira shino Pam-Pam ne vantu namuholi wendi. Pam-Pam kehe pano kakadinguranga nganga. Kava kutimwitiranga vyavingi. “Na kukurondora,” aghamba nganga opo shakamudingulire shidira shino Pam-Pam. “Na tentere mukongo ashi weni mwa kukukwata. Opo uka mona mundiro mumutitu, ove uka tukire kwa ure unene. Nashana ni mone ashi are pakatji kenu ogho a keto.”
Pensa did not know that the healer and the Pam-Pam bird were friends. Pam-Pam often visited the healer. They exchanged stories. “I warn you,” said the healer when Pam-Pam bird visited him, “I have told the hunter how to catch you. When you see a fire in the veld, you must fly far away. I want to see which one of you will win.”
Pashirugho ntjosho, Pensa avareke kushana shidira shino Pam-Pam. A shungiri mulimushoni makura aroronya nakuroronya vitondo vyendi vyakuhwamekita mundiro. Opo watutumukire muti, a fudiri mumushoni waukukutu navitondo vyendi vyamundiro, dogoro tuntjantje atu moneke nakuya hwama ngoli mundiro. Vimbumburu ovyo vya kundurukidiro mushoni ogho wangongomino avi tuka vika yende, ngoli Pensa a kwata po mpadimpadi yayanuke. Aka teyitako shiraha shendi.
In the meantime, Pensa started his hunt for the Pam-Pam bird. He sat in the veld and rubbed and rubbed his fire sticks. When the smoke appeared, he blew into the fine grass around his fire sticks, until the little flame appeared and became a fire.
The insects around the flaming grass flew away, but Pensa managed to catch a young grasshopper. He put it into his trap.
Shidira shino kapi sha Pam-Pam kapi sha vhulire kudina lidovo lyautovali wamunangi wampadimpadi oyo yakaliro mushiraha shaPensa. Nko kutokora shituke shi ghurumuke palivhu kumwe nakuya shi nyangura wanguwangu nangegho dendi dakutjomonoka dautwe. Pensa ayuvhuko tupu shidira shino Pam-Pam kuna kulira, “Pam-pam, pam-pam, pam-pam.” Pensa nko kudukira kushiraha shendi. Shidira vana shi pandeke!
The Pam-Pam bird could not resist the juicy young grasshopper in Pensa’s trap. He decided to fly down and grab it quickly with his sharp beak.
Pensa heard Pam-Pam bird’s cry, “Pam-pam, pam-pam, pam-pam.”
Pensa ran to his trap. The bird was trapped!
Pam-pam nko kushungida Pensa ashi ndi amumangurure. “Hawe kwato ovyo,” aghamba Pensa, “Ame kwa shananga kukukwata shirugho nashintje. Namuntji ghuna kara ngoli ve wande! Maruhunga ghoye ngagha renkita ngumba dande di tuke mumpepo, yira ove.”
Pam-Pam bird begged Pensa to set him free. “Oh no,” said Pensa, “I have wanted to catch you for a very long time. Today you are mine! Your feathers will make my arrow fly through the air, just like you.”
Pam-pam nko kukutakumina, “Nangeshi ghu ndipaye kapi nka ngaghu wananga maruhunga gha kutura kungumba doye opo ngagha kara ashi ghano ghana kurupa, mukondashi ame ne nafa. Mangurure ntani kuna kukutwenyidira ashi ngani kupanga maruhunga ghamape mukehe kano kakwedi kakape kakuyura.”
Pam-Pam bird screeched, “If you kill me you will have no more feathers for your arrow when these are worn out, because I will be dead. Set me free and I promise to give you new feathers with each full moon.”
Pensa nko kumushuva Pam-Pam aka yende. Opo aka yendire Pam-Pam, makura a kupura nka, “Ngoli vyaushiri vene namanguruka me?”
Pensa let Pam-Pam go. As Pam-Pam walked away, he thought, “Am I really free?”
Pensa a yendi kumundi kumwe nakatenda ko ngumba dadipe. Vantu opo va kengire ngumba dendi dadipe, ava yiyiri:”Nane ghooo, kengenu ghuno mukongo! Ghuye kushimbashimba maruhunga ghaPam-Pam kungumba dendi. Weyo nga shananga ngoli nawa naka tu yitira ndya dadiwa. Nga tu kara nalidjobwano!”
Pensa went home and made new arrows. When the people saw his new arrows, they exclaimed: “O-o, look at this hunter! He carries the Pam-Pam bird’s feathers in his arrows. Now he will hunt well and bring us good food. We shall have a feast!”
Matiku ngoghanya, nganga a pititiri vantu vadane kuntere yamundiro mukushamberera mutompo wamukongo nalimanguruko lyaPam-pam. Makura kutunda ndyolinya liyuva, kehe uno mukongo wamuwa kuvhuruka shitimwitira sha shidira shino Pam-Pam, mposhi va timwitire vana vavo vishorokwa vyamayuva gha kapito kare.
That night, the healer led the people in a fire dance to celebrate the hunter’s success and Pam-Pam bird’s freedom.
And since that day, all the good hunters remember the story of the Pam-Pam bird, to tell their children as a memory of days gone by.
