Eyuva rimwe, Kapi wa ri ama kaenda meṋe yonḓonḓu.
One day, Rabbit was walking by the riverside.
Nḓuu wina wa ri mbo, ame rinana nokurya ehozu engirine nda hapuka nawa.
Hippo was there too, going for a stroll and eating some nice green grass.
Nḓuu ke na pa muna kutja Kapi wina u ri mbo nu ouhumandu arire tja yaterere Kapi kombaze. Kapi arire tja rokohere mu Nḓuu. “Nḓuu oove! Ko nakumuna kutja we ndji yata kombaze?”
Hippo didn’t see that Rabbit was there and she accidentally stepped on Rabbit’s foot.
Rabbit started screaming at Hippo, “You Hippo! Can’t you see that you’re stepping on my foot?”
Nḓuu wa ningira ondjesiro ku Kapi, “Arikana ndji isira. Tjiri hi ku mwine. Arikana ndji isira!” Posia Kapi ka puratenene ko nu wa rokohera mu Nḓuu, “Wa tjitire wina! Eyuva rimwe mo tji munu ko! Tarera uriri!”
Hippo apologised to Rabbit, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. Please forgive me!”
But Rabbit wouldn’t listen and he shouted at Hippo, “You did that on purpose! Someday, you’ll see! You’re going to pay!”
Kapi wa ire ku Muriro na tja, “Kanyose Nḓuu tja piti momeva okukarya ehozu. Eye we ndji yata! “Muriro wa zira, “Kape noumba, panga randje Kapi. Me tjiti imba ove pu wa heye.”
Rabbit went to find Fire and said, “Go, burn Hippo when she comes out of the water to eat grass. She stepped on me!”
Fire answered, “No problem, Rabbit, my friend. I’ll do just what you ask.”
Kombunda, Nḓuu ngunda ama ri ehozu kokure nonḓonḓu, tjimanga, “Tetetetete!” Muriro wa rundu tjinene. Orumunino aru utu okunyosa omainya wa Nḓuu.
Later, Hippo was eating grass far from the river when, “Whoosh!” Fire burst into flame. The flames began to burn Hippo’s hair.
Nḓuu wa uta okurira na tupuka okukahita momeva. Omainya we ayehe ya nyosiwa i omuriro. Nḓuu wa rira na riri. “Omainya wandje ya nyosiwa i omuriro!” Omainya wandje omawa ayehe ya vauka!”
Hippo started to cry and ran for the water. All her hair was burned off by the fire.
Hippo kept crying, “My hair has burned in the fire! My hair is all gone! My beautiful hair!”
Kapi wa ri nohange kutja omainya wa Nḓuu ya vaurwa i omuriro. Okuza keyuva ndo, mena rokutira omuriro, Nḓuu ka roro okukara kokure nomeva.
Rabbit was happy that Hippo’s hair was burned.
And to this day, for fear of fire, the hippo never goes far from the water.
Basilio Gimo, David Ker
Carol Liddiment
Angelika Tjoutuku & Asnath Mundjindjiri
Otjiherero
Level 2
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